"?Its been a difficult weekend for Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, who has had to defend his decision to drop summer signing Gonzalo Higuain to the bench for the 2-1 defeat to Inter Milan last Sunday.
Juventus smashed their club record for the Argentine star, paying Napoli an estimated €90m for his services. Although the money has been recovered thanks to the world record sale of Paul Pogba to Manchester United, Allegri has had to justify his call to play Mario Mandzukic ahead of Higuain to "?La Gazzetta Della Sport.
He said, "I thought about playing a physical game and I needed him when the match was in progress."
He later went on to reinforce this stance and appeared a little riled at the questions being asked about his decisions. Allegri added, "I am convinced that the initial squad was right. But If I leave out Mario Mandzukic, you'll ask about him."
Higuain eventually made an appearance in the 73rd minute with the game locked at 1-1. Although he had little to do with Ivan Perisic's eventual winner, he did miss a late opportunity to equalise heading Sandro's cross just wide.
Many were surprised by Higuain's omission from the starting lineup, even when the teams were announced. Having scored on his debut against Fiorentina, the Argentine has added a further two goals in the league showing that the huge fee paid for him by Juventus has yet to faze him.
The striker's form and price tag have made it doubly difficult for Allegri to defend the decision to drop him. It was a risk that has clearly backfired for the new Juventus manager,
The defeat means that Higuain's old team Napoli leapfrog Juventus into top spot after they defeated Bologna 3-1 and remain the only unbeaten side in Serie A. It may be early in the season, but how the people of Naples would love things to carry on the way they are.