Juve-Napoli a new Italian Clasico

Dino Zoff claims Juventus vs Napoli is not decisive and is not more significant than a normal Scudetto match. If anything, for once, the legendary goalkeeper is downplaying something.

The fixture itself has always been a guarantee for goals and entertainment. For a while, it was also a guarantee of points too, for Juventus anyway. Of the last 10 fixtures in Serie A, the Bianconeri have won five, Napoli have claimed just the two with three draws shared between them.

But amidst all the attempts to undersell the fixture - Marcello Lippi also guilty of this - as just another match in the race towards the league title, stands a quote which has teed up the occasion perfectly.

“We’re mad enough to go to Turin and impose our game on them,” Maurizio Sarri said of his team’s fifth visit to the Juventus Stadium. It’s a telling quote, one which, for an outsider, generates suspense and hype. If anything, it also sums up Napoli’s currently predicament rather poetically.

As Italy’s economy slumped, excitement within Serie A seemed to follow that same downward spiral. No less did the Partenopei who, under Rafael Benitez in 2014 had finished in third only to drop another two places when the dust settled on the 2014-15 season.

The madness of Sarri’s methods, though, has all of a sudden generated hype, not just amongst the bourgeoisie of Naples, but amongst the furthest reaches of the globe. Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo likened it to the great El Clasico, while New York City's Mayor, Bill de Blasio, was also seen tweeting about it while waving a Napoli scarf.

Read the rest of my piece on Football Italia

Cameo King: Joe Allen adds another dimension to Liverpool’s midfield

The plane departing from the Merseyside has been docked at the Liverpool John Lennon Airport for several months now awaiting Joe Allen’s impending departure. But, at this rate, it certainly won’t be hitting the runway anyway time soon.

Just months ago, the ‘Welsh Xavi’ looked certain for the exit door at the Anfield Stadium. Indeed, even under Brendan Rodgers himself, prior to his sacking, Allen had struggled to get a look-in for the first team, missing the side’s first six matches before playing just five minutes in the Reds’ 3-2 win over Aston Villa. He then went on to have little impact in his 12-minute cameo in the Merseyside Derby the following weekend. The draw proved to be the manager’s last straw; Rodgers was gone, and his No.24 should’ve followed suit.

‘Allen targeted by Prem rivals’, wrote the Mirror in relation to a report that Stoke City, Southampton and Leicester City were all interested in the Wales international. ‘Joe Allen to go in January?’ read another.

Even Allen himself seemed to buy into the rumours, admitting that he was playing for his future, especially given that, with 18 months left on his contract, talks of a possible renewal had gone quiet.

Read the rest of my analysis for Squawka

Serie A Matchday 23 Preview: Palermo vs Milan

Milan will be brimming with confidence when they take on Palermo on Wednesday after a convincing win in the Derby della Madonnina over the weekend.

Chasing a return to the Champions League following years in the abyss, Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men struggled for momentum early on in the season, at one stage placed as low as 19th after losing to Fiorentina, Inter and Napoli in the first few fixtures.

And their morale-boosting 3-0 win over bitter rivals Inter saw them move to just six points behind third-placed Fiorentina and head into their midweek encounter on the back of a four-match unbeaten streak.

In addition, the Rossoneri have lost just one of their previous nine Serie A fixtures, winning four and claiming another four draws in the process.

Furthermore, the San Siro outfit have won five of their last seven matches against Palermo in the top flight and have scored a total of eight goals in their last three visits to the Stadio Renzo Barbera.

Read the rest of my preview for Football Italia