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Napoli failed to re-clinch pole position as they were held to an entertaining 1-1 draw by a resurgent AC Milan at the Stadio San Paolo. Lorenzo Insigne put the hosts ahead with an attempt that took a wicked deflection off Ignazio Abate before finding the net, but the lead lasted barely 5 minutes as Giacomo Bonaventura levelled the scores from the other end.Both sides pushed hard in search of a winner, but the game remained tied till the final whistle as the teams shared the spoils. Here are the major talking points from the clash.
#1 Napoli continue to falter in their trails
Defeats to Juventus and Villareal in quick succession seems to have knocked the stuffing out of Napoli. On both occasions, the Partenopei were impressive and kept the tie alive until the final few minutes. Some defensive lapse in the dying embers cost them the games, and after the double whammy appeared very nervous.
Napoli lacked their usual spark in the final third with which they've blown teams out of water this term and were uncharacteristically slack. Not to suggest they were second best in the game, make no mistake, the hosts had 19 shots on goal compared to only 7 by the visitors and also dominated possession with 60% share of the ball.
But still this wasn't the Napoli that we've grown used to seeing this campaign. With only a few more weeks to go until the season is decided, Gli Azzurri must recapture their best form to reignite their title ambitions, before its too late.
#2 Milan on the rise
AC Milan were once again sparkling in their showings and oozed confidence in their facets. They may have only drawn the game, but have certainly come a long way since the 4-0 drubbing by Napoli earlier in the season.
The Rossonerris fought tooth and nail in the game from the start and kept the Blues at arm's length for large spells of the game. Even when they fell behind, it took Milan only 5 minutes to equalise and come back into the game. They were the better side going forward in the second half and also did a commendable job at the other end to force Napoli into a share of the points.
Milan have now gone 9 games without a defeat in all competitions, and manager Sinisa Mihajlovic seems to have steered the ship into a new direction, after the early season wreckage.
#3 Koulibaly packs a punch
Amid Napoli's struggles and nervy displays, defender Kalidou Koulibaly stood out for the home side. The Senegalese put in a blinder of a shift at the heart of Napoli's defence and was the best performer in a blue shirt.
With Milan taking the game to the hosts with their high pressing, Napoli's backline was constantly harrowed and tested, but the 24-year old stood tall. Whether it was intercepting crosses or throwing himself into tackles or clearing the dangers, Koulibaly had a finger in every pie and saved his side's beacon with some resolute defending.
France manager Didier Deschamps has always been his admirer and even considered calling him up for France national team without knowing that he had already chosen Senegal!
#4 Balotelli still hasn\'t won the manager\'s vote of confidence
Estranged Italian striker Mario Balotelli recently made his return to the team after a long injury lay-off but is yet to find a proper game time. His loan return back to Milan after a forgetful spell at Liverpool suggested a second coming of the maverick forward as he made a promising start, but things haven’t really taken off and Balotelli remains marginalized.
The fact that he was brought on only in the 87th minute speaks volumes about Sinisa Mihajlovic's faith in him. The Slovenian has had a fractured relationship with the forward since both arrived in the Lombardy capital, and that has gone some way in affecting his loan spell.
With Euro 2016 on the horizon, Balotelli's chances of making it to Antonio Conte’s Italian squad looks grim as ever, and his friction even with his club manager is doing no good to his cause.
#5 Serie A still anyone\'s to lose
After 26 rounds of games, the table makes for an interesting reading: Juve currently lead the pack with 58 points, but Napoli are breathing right under their necks on second with 57. Fiorentina are further adrift with 52, whilst Roma sit fourth with 50 points.
The competition is still neck to neck and the race is wide open. The Bianconeris are losing steam after winning 14 games on the spin while Napoli too have hit the skids after a strong run all season. La Viola do not have the quality as Juve or Napoli, but are still giving the bigwigs a run for their money. Roma are finding form again, but their credentials will be tested with a relatively tougher set of fixtures in the pipeline.
No one can be written off just yet, but there's no clear favourite at this juncture too. The Italian Serie A this season has been one of the most open races in the recent memory, and will be interesting to watch who cherries the cake in the end.
