Five things we learnt in Serie A

Here are five things we learnt in Serie A this weekend:

Juve front line a work in progress

Days before Juventus travel to Champions League opponents Dinamo Zagreb, Massimiliano Allegri is still experimenting with his front line. Away to Palermo on Saturday, Allegri rested Paulo Dybala to pair Gonzalo Higuain with Mario Mandzukic for the first time. Juve came away with all three points thanks to Edoardo Goldaniga's second-half own goal, but the results were inconclusive. Mandzukic, by far Juve's busiest striker on the night, spurned two clear chances while Higuain, still lacking the killer instinct in front of goal that carried him to a record 36 strikes for Napoli last season, failed to produce a shot on goal.

Marek's almost a match for Maradona

Compared to Diego Maradona, Marek Hamsik is a relative unknown in the world of football. But ask Napoli fans about Hamsik, who scored one of the goals of the tournament for Slovakia at Euro 2016, and they will highlight just how crucial the midfielder is to the club. Hamsik on Saturday scored his 100th goal in Napoli colours, from all competitions, when he ran on to Lorenzo Insigne's inch-perfect pass to slam the ball past Chievo 'keeper Stefano Sorrentino. If he keeps up, the 29-year-old attacking midfielder, known for his trademark Mohican haircut, could overtake Maradona's club record of 115 goals some time next season.

'Scudetto' a bad word for Sarri

Serie A runners-up last season, Napoli haven't been crowned Italian champions since Maradona helped the Azzurri to two league titles in 1987 and 1990, so even mention of the word 'scudetto' (title) is frowned upon at the San Paolo. Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has a solution -- touching his private parts to ward off any bad luck. Asked after their 2-0 win over Chievo what he would do if the journalist mentioned the word 'scudetto', Sarri said: "I will touch my balls." In Italian 'toccarsi le palle' (to touch one's balls) equates to the English expression 'touch wood'.

Totti parties as Roma's travel sickness continues

Roma icon Francesco Totti warmed up for his 40th birthday celebrations by scoring a consolation penalty in a 3-1 defeat at Turin to claim his 250th goal in Serie A. But the early-season signs for Roma, who have yet to string together two consecutive wins, look worrying. Roma trounced Crotone 4-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday, when Totti provided a sublime assist for Edin Dzeko on the Bosnian's way to his first brace of the season, to maintain their 100 percent home record. But for the third trip in succession Roma dropped points as Andrea Belotti and Iago Falque, twice, beat visiting goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Milan can't let Donnarumma do a runner

AC Milan's scoreless draw at Fiorentina was the first time since May 2013 the Rossoneri had kept three successive clean sheets in Serie A, and teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was decisive. From the penalty spot, Fiorentina forward Josip Ilicic slammed his effort off the post although Donnarumma's fingertips were virtually on the ball as it hit the woodwork. The 17-year-old 'keeper, once famously compared by his agent to a masterpiece by the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, kept Milan in the game to block Nikola Kalinic's drive, before guaranteeing a clean sheet when he tipped Borja Valero's close-range effort to safety. Donnarumma is represented by Mino Raiola, the Dutch 'super agent' who boasts Paul Pogba, Mario Balotelli and Zlatan Ibrahimovic among his clients. Unsurprisingly, he is expected to move to a bigger club when, or before his contract expires in 2018.