Serie A Team of Week 16: Juventus Extend Lead as Milan Hold Roma
Massimiliano Allegri got the perfect Christmas present in Sardinia at the weekend, with Juventus impressing in a 1-3 win over Zdenek Zeman's Cagliari.
The victory re-opened a three-point gap ahead of Roma in the table, as Rudi Garcia's Giallorossi were held at home in a disappointing 0-0 draw with Pippo Inzaghi's AC Milan.
Elsewhere, Napoli reclaimed third spot with a win over Parma, while Lazio and Inter played out an exciting 2-2 tie at the San Siro.
Read on to see this week's best XI, set up roughly as a 4-3-3.
Nicola Leali
1 of 11
Cesena's young goalkeeper Nicola Leali was in solid form against Sassuolo. The 21-year-old made a slew of saves to keep the Neroverdi at bay, and was largely responsible for his side leaving the Mapei Stadium with a point.
The 1-1 draw will feel like a win for Leali and his teammates, because with just one victory so far this season they've had little to be cheery about.
Things were always going to be difficult this year for last season's fourth-best team in Serie B, but if Pierpaolo Bisoli's get relegated again in May, it wouldn't be surprising to see another Serie A team take a chance on Leali, who is on loan in Romagna from Juventus.
Christian Maggio
2 of 11
Napoli's Christian Maggio hasn't shown his best form consistently enough this season, but against Parma he put in a perfect full-back performance, defending well with a number of well-timed tackles and interceptions and getting forward on the right flank whenever possible.
His early assist for Duvan Zapata opened the scoring for the Partenopei and he continued to contribute throughout.
The home side had an impressive 18 shots to Parma's three in the 2-0 win, and Maggio and his colleagues at the back were more than capable of dealing with what little Roberto Donadoni's side could throw at them.
Kamil Glik
3 of 11
Torino earned three valuable points at home to Genoa before the Christmas break, and it was mostly thanks to centre-back Kamil Glik.
The 26-year-old Polish defender scored twice after the restart for Giampiero Ventura's Toro at the Olimpico, cancelling out in-form Genoa's first-half strike.
It remains to be seen whether the Granata have really put their troubles behind them, but thanks to Glik's goals they at least end the year on a high, climbing out of the relegation mire—for now, at least.
Lorenzo Tonelli
4 of 11
Lorenzo Tonelli is a Florentine who has grown up in Empoli's youth ranks, so he won't soon forget scoring a goal against Fiorentina in this Tuscan derby.
The Azzurri got off to a rocky start on their return to Serie A this year, but they have since improved and are now a relatively comfortable 14th in the table, five points above the relegation zone.
Maurizio Sarri has a small squad and could only dream of fielding the kind of talent at Vincenzo Montella's disposal, but he's been getting the best out of his players and the likes of Tonelli have proven themselves to be capable Serie A operators.
Juan Vargas
5 of 11
Fiorentina's Peruvian wing-back Juan Vargas succeeded where Juan Cuadrado and Mario Gomez failed at the weekend, giving Montella's Viola the lead in the first half before Lorenzo Tonelli equalised for Empoli.
The 31-year-old can be frustratingly inconsistent, but when at his best he's a constant nuisance for the opposition in wide positions.
Mateo Kovacic
6 of 11
Roberto Mancini's second coming at Inter continues to underwhelm, and were it not for Mateo Kovacic's stellar showing in midfield against Lazio, the Nerazzurri would have been going into the winter break licking their wounds from a disappointing home defeat.
The Croatian's second-half goal inspired new life into Inter after the Aquile had taken a 0-2 lead in the first period and he was by far and away the best player on the park for the home side throughout this fixture.
It may also be in contention for goal of the season, and it was certainly the most spectacular of Kovacic's career so far.
With the crowd beginning to turn on Mancini's squad, a cleared corner came to the edge of the box, where the former Dinamo Zagreb star returned the ball perfectly with a perfectly weighted volley to leave Federico Marchetti helpless.
Arturo Vidal
7 of 11
It was a vintage performance from Arturo Vidal in Juventus' 1-3 away win against Cagliari.
The Chilean was seemingly everywhere, completely dominating the midfield and bagging a goal with a trademark powerful strike from distance.
His efforts without the ball also made a huge difference for Max Allegri's side. He might not be fully recovered from his knee surgery, but the 27-year-old Santiago native is clearly eager to play.
Franco Vazquez
8 of 11
Palermo's attacking midfielder Franco Vazquez was sublime against Atalanta, assisting Luca Rigoni's opener before scoring twice himself.
The 25-year-old Argentine linked brilliantly with Paulo Dybala and the two now look like a devastating combination going forward. The Rosanero will have a fight on their hands to keep hold of them if they keep this form up.
Felipe Anderson
9 of 11
While Kovacic was the hero for Inter, Felipe Anderson made the difference for Lazio. The ex-Santos playmaker ran amok in the final third of the right flank at the San Siro, forcing Mancini to substitute the hapless Dodo in the first half.
On another night, Anderson's energy, creativity and early brace would have been more than enough to secure all three points.
German Denis
10 of 11
Atalanta's ageing German Denis dragged his side back into their home match with an impressive Palermo.
The 33-year-old scored from the spot to open the scoring for the Orobici before netting again late on to steal a draw and grab a point from the fixture.
Paulo Dybala
11 of 11
Palermo's Paulo Dybala is one of the most talked-about talents in Serie A right now, and he put in another headline-grabbing performance against Atalanta.
The 21-year-old twice set up Vazquez and looked lively throughout. It will be interesting to see what the rumour mill throws up come January, because from what we've seen from the forward so far, it would not be shocking to see one of Europe's bigger clubs heading to Sicily to do some winter shopping.
