Juve keep pace with leaders as Roma slump again

Juventus bounced back to winning ways in Serie A on Sunday with a 1-0 success at Siena in a week in which Ciro Ferrara’s team have rediscovered their winning touch.

But AS Roma crashed again as they lost 1-0 at home to Livorno, who until that victory were winless and rock bottom.

When this week started, Juve had not won in five matches, including four on the trot in the league.

Their hopes of challenging for the title or progressing in Europe looked at risk but successive 1-0 victories have made things look rosy again in Turin.

They may not have been entirely convincing in narrow successes against minnows Maccabi Haifa on Wednesday and then Serie A’s new basement boys.

Even so, Ferrara was happy with his team even insisting that his cup was neither half full nor half empty.

“I see the cup full. This was a vital victory and a deserved one. I’m very satisfied both by the performance and the result,” he said.

Juve enjoyed much of the ball but in the first period the best chance fell to Siena’s Albin Ekdal, with Gianluigi Buffon needing to be alert to snuff out the danger.

The visitors struggled to create much after the break too and were only saved by the direct route as Brazilian forward Amauri headed home a free-kick from compatriot Diego on 72min.

The win left Juve four points behind leaders Inter Milan following the champions’ 2-1 home win over Catania on Saturday.

Juve are third with Sampdoria, who on Saturday thrashed Bologna 4-1 in Genoa, second, just two points behind Inter.

In the capital Claudio Ranieri’s Roma slumped to a humiliating loss despite Livorno playing more than half the second period at a numerical disadvantage after goalkeeper Alfonso Di Luca was sent off on 64min.

Francesco Tavano scored the only goal of the game on 40min, thrashing home a pull-back from Nico Pulzetti, to give new boss Serse Cosmi a winning start as Gennaro Ruotolo’s replacement.

Montenegro forward Mirko Vucinic had Roma’s best chance but hit the outside of the post from close range.

Ranieri said the absence of injured captain Fancesco Totti and the club’s midweek Europa League commitments hadn’t helped his team.

“Maybe be used up too much energy on Thursday in the cup or maybe subconsciously we took Livorno too lightly,” he said.

“The absence of our captain isn’t an excuse but with Francesco today maybe the ball would have gone in.”

Another coach enjoying a winning start is Napoli’s Walter Mazzarri whose side made it two in two since their boss replaced former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni.

Cristian Maggio scored the only goal of the game away to Fiorentina with a clever flick at the near post to deceive French goalkeeper Sebastien Frey just two minutes from time.

That win moved Napoli up to eighth in Serie A while Fiorentina drop to fifth following another late goal from Cesare Bovo, on 87min, to give Palermo a third win in a row at home to Udinese.

That moved the Sicilians up to fourth during a week in which their coach Walter Zenga, the former Inter Milan and Italy goalkeeper, told his players they should set no limits this season on what they can achieve.

Newly promoted Bari are also flying high in sixth place, one position ahead of fellow Serie A new-boys Parma, after a 2-0 win over Lazio.

AC Milan travel to Chievo in the day’s late game looking for a third win in a week.