AS Roma vs. Juventus: Turin Giants Once Again Claim Top Spot in Tight Serie A

Juventus reigns supreme in Serie A once again. The longevity of that reign is another subject altogether. 

Udinese will have to do a lot more winning to gain the respect of the nation as well as the top of the table. After pulling out a draw against AS Roma, Juventus rips back control of the league thanks to having the advantage on goal differential. 

Do not think that this is the old Serie A, where Juventus is assured of running the rest of the way with the top spot. There is far more parity abounding in recent years, and this season is no different. Consider the match with Roma as the epitome of how things are shaping up in Italy. 

In the end, it took defensive heroics from goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to keep the game all tied up as Roma continued to threaten to leave with the full complement of points on Monday. 

Francesco Totti had a chance to put Roma up 2-1 in the 63rd minute, but Buffon was all over it. Juventus managed to hold on and secure the top of the heap. It should be noted that Juventus also secured the 14th straight match without a loss. 

Juventus coach Antonio Conte explained how that one lapse in judgement lead to an early hole. More importantly, he talks about the changing of mindsets for fans on Juve. 

We were good in the first half, but we should have been more clinical in the middle of the second half. We were at fault for De Rossi's goal. We'll look at it in peace but it's clear what happened.

We played well and the fact that people think Juve should always win means we are going up in people's estimations.

Since their return to the top flight in Italy during the 2007-2008 season, Juventus has been trying to recapture the success and mystique of one of the most successful clubs in Europe. 

They have the success part down. They will have to mix that with a great deal of consistency if they ever hope to have the magic back with fans. 

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