Another round of Serie A matches and another round of big talking points. James McGhie picks out five of the weekend's biggest talking points.

​Juventus march on but Cuadrado wonder goal over shadowed by dismissals, suspensions and controversy:

 

Juventus extended their unbeaten home run to an incredible 28 wins as they navigated the challenge of Inter in the Derby D'Italia. With the game quickly approaching half time, Juventus made a late press to try and break the deadlock before the interval; a corner kick, swept in by Pjanic was won in the box by Chiellini who's nod down was met emphatically by the oncoming Cuadrado who could not have hit the ball any sweeter as his right foot strike nestled into the top corner of Handanovic's goal. A sucker blow for Inter, elation for those within the J Stadium and suddenly Inter were up against it.

 

It could be argued that Inter could have attacked Juventus more, been a little braver, and dare I say a little more street savvy; Juventus are rightfully favourites for their 6th Scudetto in a row and having been around the block five times already, like it or not, they know what it takes to get the job done.

 

However, any mention of this game cannot pass without mentioning the conduct of Chiellini who, despite his undoubted defensive talents, let himself down with rash challenges and acts of simulation; the foul on Gagliardini for which he received a yellow card, and in all honesty should have received a straight red, the arm around the throat of Mauro Icardi, and the blatant dive to win a free kick as Inter threatened to mount another attack in the dying embers of the game. He's better than that, and it was disappointing to see.

 

It sums up Inter's night when Handanovic was their MOTM, and I don't mean that disparagingly; the Inter 'keeper was nothing short of sensational with world class save after save to deny Pjanic, Higuain, and Dybala.

 

The chasing pack would have looked at this game as an opportunity to close the gap on Juventus. Inter, on fantastic run of form under Steffano Pioli, were the ideal opposition but alas the Bianconeri machine roared on in what looks like an insurmountable march to the Scudetto.

 

 

The Napoli midfield; a topic of much debate between supporters, which is natural when you consider the depth, and more importantly the quality, of Maurizio Sarri's options in the centre of the park.

 

While the tried and trusted trio of Marek Hamsik, Jorginho, and Allan started the season as Sarri's first choice midfield, the eventual introduction of Amadou Diawara and Piotr Zielinski has become far more than the clichéd, "Giving youth a chance." 

 

In Diawara, Napoli has a defensive midfielder who could anchor their side for years should they be able to retain his services. His appearance at the J Stadium recently showcased his undoubted talent as he was one of Napoli's calmest, most composed, and impressive performers as he put in a display of maturity well beyond his years; Diawara won't enter his 20's until July of this year.

 

Likewise Zielinski has struck up an impressive understanding with Marek Hamsik; the perfect example of which was the wonderful first time reverse pass to his onrushing skipper to make it 2-0 against Inter in the 3-0 defeat of the Nerazzurri at the San Paolo back in December.

 

It remains to be seen whether Sarri will opt for form and youth or go for experience when his side take on Real Madrid a week this Wednesday; will Sarri look at the combination play between Zielinski and Hamsik, or will he opt for the more cautious and determined midfield of Allan and Jorginho who, let's not forget, has been culpable for goals against both Besiktas and Milan in recent months.

 

Whatever your view, it's a fantastic problem for a Sarri to have and ultimately when it came to the business end of last season, Napoli lacked the depth to compete in the closing months; there will be no repeat of that this time around.

 

 

When Milan won the SuperCoppa back in December, fans of the Rossoneri greeted the victory like an early Christmas gift, convinced that Vincenzo Montella had moulded the core of a side which could take on Juventus.

 

Fast forward to the present day and Milan have won just 2 of their last 7 games since lifting that trophy and are now on a run of 5 games without a win that consists of four consecutive defeats. 

 

It would be folly to write off Milan, but is there a chance that the victory over Juventus, albeit on penalty kicks, has gone to certain players’ heads who now believe they're better than they currently are? There's no disputing the talents of Donnarumma, Romagnoli, Locatelli, and Bonaventura but it must ring alarm bells that in the 19 games leading up to the Super Coppa final, Milan had lost just four games and drawn three; an impressive record as they climbed as high as second in Serie A and were labelled, by some, as the new contenders to Juventus' crown.

 

The challenge for Montella now will be getting his players back into the mentality they had prior to that game, to rediscover the form that promised so much at the start of the season; if he can't, then another finish outside the European places seems likely, which could ultimately hinder summer recruitment.

 

 

In the aftermath of last night’s Derby D'Italia, footage was released on Twitter of referee Nicola Rizzoli with what appeared to be the blurred image of a ball skimming past him; Twitter's eagle eye lip readers were quick to point out that Rizzoli asked, "Who kicked that ball."?

 

The culprit, for lack of a better word, was Inter striker, Mauro Icardi who in his frustrations at losing the game, launched the ball high into the air; a common sight across the footballing world that is often done via both elation at a victory, or in the despair of defeat. 

 

And yet, Rizzoli saw fit to report Icardi and, as a result, the Inter man has been handed a 2 match ban which, personally, I find somewhat absurd. How can players be booked on the presumption that they kicked the ball the referee? How can Serie A's officials realistically, and with a straight face, hand out a ban for kicking the ball at the referee when there is no proof that he intended to do so?

 

We all want to see the best players on the field in Serie A, we need our marquee players on show every week to attract viewers and make the games we enjoy every weekend exciting; banning Icardi on a presumed offence simply robs Inter, and Serie A fans, of the services of their star man for a fortnight; madness.

 

Many will argue Icardi should have known better, but when you or I don't know if he did or did not intentionally aim the ball at Rizzoili, how can anyone realistically pass judgement, let alone a ban?

 

 

Much was made in the summer of the departure of Gonzalo Higuain and the debate about how Napoli would cope without their enigmatic number 9 raged for most of the summer, with even the arrival of Polish hitman Arkaduisz Milik doing little, at that time, to quell Partenopei fears.

 

Then, when a saviour had seemingly been found in Milik, who surpassed all expectations with four goals in 7 Serie A appearances before being struck down by injury, the old fears returned and goals were a concern; Higuain, who's name had not been muttered in weeks, was again on the lips of most Serie A pundits.

 

Fast forward to the present and with 23 games of the Serie A campaign gone, Napoli lead the way with a massive 55 league goals, 10 more than Juventus and 11 more than Roma; a phenomenal return for a side without a "recognised striker", although if Dries Mertens is still a false 9 I'd love to see Napoli with a real one.

 

Mertens, quite simply, has been a sensation and with 16 goals he currently leads the way in the race for the Capocannoniere ahead of Mauro Icardi and the man he ironically replaced in the hearts of the San Paolo faithful, Gonzalo Higuain.

 

This, as my friend Gennaro Episcopo at NapoliFootball.com pointed out in his recent piece, is a Serie A record, the most potent attacking side in the history of the league; not bad for a side without a proper number 9!