Higuain takes Juve back. A goal from him was enough in Palermo to give Napoli 3 very important points, almost vital in view of the final rush with the black and whites. Who without yesterday's victory would have flown to +6 in the standings, almost a sentence in terms of the Scudetto, instead they have to resign themselves to the "company" of Sarri, determined not to give up until the end.
It wasn't the best Napoli of the season but this matters relatively: the 3 points counted most of all and they arrived without too many worries. Novellino's Palermo is little like Iachini's, demonstrating that coaches, however important, cannot solve all the problems of a team, especially if they don't have time to work.
Zamparini's ears will ring but the standings speak for themselves: the rosanero are fourth from last with 27 points, +1 over Frosinone and +2 over Carpi, mixed up to their necks in the fight not to relegate. And yet Barbera saw only one goal difference, moreover from a questionable penalty: Andelkovic and Albiol, in fact, seem to tug at each other and Rocchi's decision, under the slow motion lens, leaves many doubts.
In any case, Higuain thanked in his own way: ball in the net for the 27th time in the league like Cristiano Ronaldo, with whom, at the moment, he is competing for the Golden Boot (Suarez is chasing at 26 points).
“The numbers speak for Gonzalo, there's no need to add anything else – commented Sarri. – We were good at playing smoothly, without pressure, even if we should have ended the game. Juve? We are talking about a team that has won 18 of the last 19 races, at the moment they are playing another sport in Italy. We are happy to keep the championship alive but if it continues like this we won't have any kind of chance".
More than a surrender, it seems like a subtle psychological move, aimed at leaving pressure on the opponents' shoulders: because without that, you know, the Azzurri play better and continue to score points.
For a Naples that has started flying again, there is a Rome that has never stopped doing it, at least since Spalletti arrived. With that of Udine we are at 8 consecutive victories, an incredible score if one thinks of Garcia's last period, so much so that many regret the delayed exemption.
If the coach from Certaldo had arrived earlier, perhaps the Giallorossi would be fighting for the Scudetto, instead they have to "settle" for an increasingly armored third place. Fiorentina's misstep (only 1-1 at home against last-placed Verona) means that the safety distance from their pursuers is 5 points: next Saturday's direct clash with Inter could reopen the games, but also close them once and for all.
On the other hand, if these are the rhythms, there is little to do for those arriving from behind. The 8 consecutive victories are the result of 24 goals scored (average of 3 per game) and just 6 conceded, so much so that today Roma have the best attack in the league (61) and a respectable defensive phase (24 of the 30 goals conceded date back to the Garcia management). Congratulations to Spalletti, very good at managing the group both from a tactical and mental point of view.
Yesterday, for example, he chose to focus on Dzeko despite the bad performance in Madrid and he repaid him with the 1-0 goal (15', splendid assist from Salah). The early lead didn't change Roma's offensive stance, especially as Udinese proved, once again, to be of little importance.
For the 2-0 goal, however, we had to wait until the 74th minute, when Florenzi first joked with Felipe and then beat Karnezis with an elegant and precise touch. Bruno Fernandes' goal (85') served just the scores, in fact the substance does not change: Roma won and shored up third place, Udinese lost and see themselves increasingly sucked into the fight not to relegate (Pozzo he took one night to decide the fate of Colantuono, should he miss the bench he will go to one between Bertotto and Calori).
