Top five set searing pace in Italian league
milan — For the last few seasons, Serie A has turned into a repetitive story of Juventus charging away from the rest of the field with either AS Roma and Napoli in futile pursuit.
The Turin side have won the last six Serie A titles, usually with several matches to spare and on two occasions finishing a massive 17 points clear of the field.
This season, however, is proving refreshingly different, and not because Juventus have slackened.
In fact, their tally of 28 points from 11 games is one better than at the same stage last season and they are leading scorers with 33 goals — yet that is only good enough for third place.
Leaders Napoli (31 points) have dropped only two points while second-placed Inter (29), as well as Juventus and fourth-placed Lazio (both 28), have won nine games out of 11 and fifth-placed Roma eight out of 10.
Inter’s points tally is their bestever at this stage of the season, surpassing anything they managed during Roberto Mancini’s trophyladen first stint in charge or their treble-wnning season under Jose Mourinho. The season has also been notable for scoring exploits with three players averaging a goal a game or better — Lazio’s Ciro Immobile (14), Juventus’ Paulo Dybala (11) and Inter’s Mauro Icardi (11).
Juventus lost 2-1 at home to Lazio, their first home defeat for more than two years in all competitions. Lazio in turn were beaten 4-1 at home by a rampant Napoli. —