believes Balague Do you think Casemiro has given Madrid the balance to be a

ROME -- With Edin Dzeko improving match by match and Arkadiusz Milik down and out, Roma has overtaken Napoli as the top challenger to Juventus in Serie A.Dzeko scored twice in Romas 3-1 win at Napoli over the weekend, giving him a league-best seven goals in eight league appearances this season -- just one less than he scored in 31 appearances in his first season with Roma.Initially a disappointment after transferring from Manchester City in August 2015, Dzeko is now displaying the same ruthlessness in front of goal as in his best seasons in the Premier League.Still, Roma coach Luciano Spalletti is not satisfied.Edin is an exceptional player but considering the skills that he has hes still not fully taking advantage of them, Spalletti said.The win moved Roma into second place, five points behind five-time defending champion Juventus.Its too early to say, even though its evident that if we play these matches like this we can attempt to be the anti-Juve, Spalletti said.Napoli, meanwhile, needs to find a better solution with Milik out for six months after tearing a ligament on international duty. The Poland striker had a great start to the season and replacement Manolo Gabbiadini looked lackluster at center forward against Roma.Gabbiadini was booed by the crowd at the San Paolo Stadium after getting replaced by Dries Mertens early in the second half.The energetic Mertens was one of the few bright spots for Napoli and looks to have earned a spot in the lineup against Besiktas in the Champions League on Wednesday.Meanwhile, 40-year-old Roma captain Francesco Totti should play in a Europa League match against Austria Vienna on Thursday after being left on the bench for two straight games.Here are a few other things learned over the weekend in Italian soccer:---JUVES LUXURIES: That Juventus can still win with an error by Gianluigi Buffon and Gonzalo Higuain on the bench has to be worrisome to its rivals.Buffon gifted an early goal to Udinese but Paulo Dybala responded with two scores in a 2-1 win over Udinese that saw Higuain stay on the bench until midway through the second half -- after all of the goals had been scored.The Bianconeri visit Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday.---MILANS YOUTH MOVEMENT: AC Milan has consistently featured the youngest team in Serie A and two teenagers were in the starting lineup in a 3-1 win at Chievo Verona that moved the Rossoneri up to third place, level on points with Roma.Seventeen-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma has been a fixture in goal for Milan and 18-year-old midfielder Manuel Locatelli has taken on extra responsibilities since captain Riccardo Montolivo was sidelined for six months with another injury.With Silvio Berlusconi in negotiations to sell a majority stake in the club to Chinese investors, Milan is aiming to return to European competition after a three-year absence.Were starting to smell it, Milan coach Vincenzo Montella said.Up next for Milan, which is on a five-match unbeaten run and won four of five, is a home game against Juventus on Saturday.The last time Milan collected 16 or more points over its first eight matches was in 2010-11, when the Rossoneri won their last title.---INTER, ICARDI IN CRISIS: Mauro Icardi risks being stripped of Inter Milans captaincy after taking aim at the clubs hard-core ultra fans in his autobiography.Things only got worse for Icardi after he missed a penalty in a 2-1 loss to Cagliari -- his third miss in his last four penalty attempts.While Inter beat Juventus in September, the Nerazzurri are now on a three-match winless streak in the league and risk being eliminated from the Europa League when they host Southampton on Thursday following embarrassing losses to Hapoel Beer-Sheva and Sparta Prague.---CRAZY GOALS: With 10 goals in six matches, former Italy forward Giampaolo Pazzini has helped Hellas Verona to the top of Serie B and is on pace to break Luca Tonis modern-day scoring record for the second division.Pazzini, nicknamed il Pazzo -- the crazy one -- scored twice in a 4-1 win at Ascoli on Saturday.Toni scored 30 goals with Palermo in 2003-04 and paired with Pazzini at Verona until he retired at the end of last season. Toni is now a member of Veronas staff.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Jose Altuve Astros Jersey . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Brad Peacock Jersey . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/ .J. Ellis hit two-run homers and the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-0 Saturday night. Josh Reddick Astros Jersey . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Andy Pettitte Astros Jersey .ca NFL Power Rankings, overtaking the Denver Broncos and remaining ahead of NFC competition San Francisco, Carolina and New Orleans.In his weekly column, Sky Sports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague dissects Real Madrids Clasico victory against Barcelona and ponders how the Catalans will react to the defeat... Real Madrid came from a goal and a man down to defeat La Liga leaders Barcelona and reignite their season.Real decided to play, as someone wrote on Monday, more Rafa Benitez-like than Benitez with Casemiro in midfield, with two lines close together and Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo even dropping back. It was very impressive the way they stuck to their guns.Some would say it was a small-team mentality but for me its one of the ways to play Barcelona. They force you to do that and everyone worked hard.They obviously smell glory - not so much in the league but in the Champions League - and everyone is switched on. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late winner for Real Madrid at the Nou Camp They are a candidate as much as anyone in the Champions League now.Atletico and Real are six and seven points away and that makes it unlikely that they will win the league unless Barcelona slip up. Now the biggest threat to Barcelona is Barcelona.Gerard Pique said he hoped the result doesnt affect them too much.Obviously there is a game against Atletico Madrid straight away for Barcelona, which helps, but we saw signs, starting in the last half an hour after the Karim Benzema goal to make it 1-1, that the team dropped a level in their intensity. Barcelona forward Luis Suarez (second right) is given a yellow card I asked Sergio Busquets and Dani Alves about that and they said it wasnt physical and that people didnt keep their positions. Well that is a sign of relaxation or a sign of tiredness. I think it was tiredness.The front three werent sharp. Perhaps Lionel Messi felt he wasnt sharp either so thats why he dropped so deep into a position that doesnt demand constant runs or the work that tires you up front. So I think there is a tiredness.If Im not mistaken the front three of Barcelona have played 2,000 minutes more than the front three of Real Madrid so lets see how they react to all that and see if they can recover.Guillem answers your questions…Madrid persist with a Pepe/Ramos pairing, why given how volatile they are? Varane is far more composed. @Dibwe2I think Pepe and Sergio Ramos guarantee aggression; they are fast, they anticipate, they are leaders and they are good at keeping a high line against certain rivals or keeping it deep. But there is a sense of volatility, especially with Ramos who is the mosst sent-off player in La Liga, but its a risk that Zinedine Zidane seems to be taking.ddddddddddddRaphael Varane may be more composed but obviously he was injured, which is one of the reasons why he didnt play. He has been more inconsistent this season. He has mixed good games with regular games while Pepe, with his maturity, and Ramos guarantee more consistent appearances. Cristiano Ronaldo scores the winning goal in Barcelona v Real Madrid Was that Ronaldos last El Clasico ? LukeIve been saying all season both Ronaldo and Real Madrid have been, in different ways, looking for a way out this summer.The problem at the moment is no one seems able to pay all the money that Ronaldo incurs, meaning about £48m (€60m) that Madrid may want plus the wages, which will be £16m-£20m (€20-25m) net.We will have to keep an eye on that because PSG certainly think that they will show some interest. They are after Neymar as well but it will be more difficult to convince Neymar than it will be to convince Ronaldo.Was this the last straw for Isco and James? PeterIf Real Madrid recover the money for both they will sell. They have been put on the market for sure.Was the win for Madrid enough to convince Perez to stick with Zidane next season? StuartZidane has proven he is versatile as a coach, that he is not scared of making decisions, like leaving Isco and James on the bench, and that he is his own man. So, yes, I think he will be there next season. Zinedine Zidane has proven himself a versatile coach, believes Balague Do you think Casemiro has given Madrid the balance to be a great side again and challenge in Europe? @BadGuyInc16He has. My only concern about Casemiro is that he doesnt start the build-up cleverly enough and if he improves on that he will become a top defensive midfielder.That player in that position has to be much more than just putting the tackles in. He has got to improve in offensive ways but defensively he was very good and he has helped get more balance.Are Barcelona likely to offer Arda back to Atletico as he struggles to settle in? Mark What does the future hold for Arda Turan? Not back to Atletico. I think Arda Turan will be looking to go home or go to the Premier League if Barcelona feel he hasnt given what he can give them.We will have to see because Barcelona dont have much money and they want a striker and a centre-back. He is not one of those that Barcelona will be determined to keep with the right offer but at the moment Luis Enrique wants him to stay.Join Guillem Balague for a Twitter Q&A every Friday on skysports.com as well as Sky Sports mobile and iPad apps.Follow Barcelona and Real Madrids Champions League ties against Atletico Madrid and Wolfsburg respectively on Soccer Special on Sky Sports News HQ and via our live blogs. Also See: Bale, Ronaldo key to win Henry on Zidane tactics Real Madrid fixtures Real Madrid stats Bet ￡5 Get ￡20 Free ' ' '