Serie A: Roma are surprise challengers for Juventus while Napoli in the mix

Those two clubs have lifted standards in the course of a campaign which has had its difficulties, on and off the field, while AC Milan has fallen flat, writes Ian Hawkey.

AC Milan are thirteenth in the table, 1-0 losers in the Milan derby on Sunday and site of a power struggle at boardroom level. Little has gone right for Mario Balotelli and the 2011 league champions this year. Antonio Calanni / AP PhotoShow less

Serie A will return with a bang on the first weekend of 2014, the calendar having conspired to pit first against second after the break.

Back in August, no special courage would have been needed to forecast that Juventus, the 2012 and 2013 champions, might be occupying the summit as the season neared its halfway point. But few would have imagined Roma emerging as their nearest challengers.

Those two clubs have lifted standards in the course of a campaign which has had its difficulties, on and off the field.

Italian football’s self-esteem is bruised by the fact only one of its members will participate in the last 16 of the Uefa Champions League, Juventus having fallen out at the group phase after, once again, failing to transmit their characteristic determination, resolve and energy from the domestic theatre into the international one. Napoli were unlucky, taking 12 points from a group including Arsenal and Dortmund but failing to advance via goal difference.

Napoli sit third in Serie A, going into the recess, and should expect to find greater consistency as coach Rafa Benitez and the five or six new recruits around which he builds his team refine their routines.

Bringing in a large batch of newcomers can be disruptive, although Roma presented a splendid counter-example for a heady two months, winning every game, at the outset of the season. A new coach, untried outside his native France, arrived and he, Rudi Garcia, put trust in several players also plucked from abroad.

Gervinho has been a joy to watch, revelling in the old-fashioned virtues of dribbling at speed at opponents. Kevin Strootman and Mehdi Benatia also have impressed.

Juve can be pleased with their summer recruits, too. Carlos Tevez, with his 11 goals, has filled the gap in Antonio Conte’s previous title-winning squads as a striker who could score 20 goals. Fernando Llorente is an option, too.

Inter Milan, under new ownership, remain a work in progress. AC Milan teeter alarmingly but have experience of dramatic spring recoveries and will see hope in the flashes of vintage form shown by the returning Kaka.

In the background, the “calcioscommesse” investigation into match-fixing continues, revealing an ever-broader culture of attempted corruption at a level of the game just beneath the elite.

Star of the season

Giuseppe Rossi. After the best part of two years out injured, Fiorentina’s gamble on the full recovery of the Italy striker has paid off superbly. With 14 goals, he leads the league’s scorers and is back in the national side.

Flop of the season

AC Milan. Thirteenth in the table, 1-0 losers in the Milan derby on Sunday and site of a power struggle at boardroom level, little has gone right for Mario Balotelli, right, and the 2011 league champions. But they do remain in the Champions League.

Surprise of the season

Gervinho. When Arsenal sold the enigmatic Ivorian to Roma for €9 million (Dh45.3m), Arsenal felt they had the better of the deal. No player has been as influential in guiding Roma, unbeaten, to second spot. Often, he has dazzled.

Game of the season

Juventus 2, Fiorentina 4. The champions led 2-0 until 25 minutes from full-time. Cue a Rossi hat-trick, crammed into 14 mad minutes, into which Joaquin Sanchez also squeezed a goal. Juve’s only league defeat so far.

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