ROME – After watching Juventus march to a disappointingly inevitable four consecutive titles in recent years, calcio fans have been enjoying a curiously topsy-turvy start to the 2015-16 Serie A season.

  The new campaign has brought plenty of surprises and the return of a few familiar – and welcome – faces to the top of the league table. 

  Having wallowed in mediocrity since the historic treble-winning season of 2010 under Jose Mourinho, Inter began the year with five straight victories under Roberto Mancini, who returned to the San Siro last winter after a six year stint abroad coaching Manchester City and Galatasaray. 

  Significant investment has allowed Mancini – who won three back-to-back titles with the Nerazzurri during his first spell in charge – to rebuild the Milan giants into genuine contenders and though the football is far from pretty, it has been effective. 

  At least it was, until Paulo Sousa's new look Fiorentina came to town and humbled the 18-time champions 1-4 with a breathtaking display of pacey, exciting football that completely undermined the physical, tightly-organised foundations of the hosts. 

  The result put the Viola top of the table for the first time since the heady days of the late 1990s, and though it's hard to see them holding on in the long run it will be interesting to see what the young Portuguese coach can do in Florence. 

  Sousa has been bullish about his side's chances, telling the press after the Inter game: “There are other teams who invested heavily, but I won’t hold back either, as we have the quality to face every match knowing we can win.

  “I told the lads from the start I want a team always ready to take on anyone, always maintaining our approach. We have principles of football that we work hard on and as time goes on this will give us more confidence going forward.”

  For seasoned observers of the league, however, the focus has been on those lower down the table. Rudi Garcia's Roma and Max Allegri's Juventus – the two dominant teams in recent times – have both struggled for form, with the Bianconeri looking especially lost at sea. 

  There was some concern over the summer that the Turin side would struggle to deal with the departures of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez, as the trio was absolutely central to their success at home and in Europe. Few would have predicted, however, that the current champions would have won just one of their opening six games. 

  The spine of the side that reached the Champions League final remains, and was reinforced with the likes of Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado, Italy striker Simone Zaza, Argentina's young Paulo Dybala – who was last year's standout player in Serie A – and the experienced Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic. But it hasn't clicked yet for Allegri, though it's too early to write them off, the feeling is that time is running out for the Old Lady. Something will need to change soon if they're to stay in the title race. 

  Juventus' misfortune should be Roma's opportunity, but the Giallorossi have found it hard to capitalise on their old rival's problems, with a draw to minnows Sassuolo and a loss away to Sampdoria undoing the positive start to the season that had seen them beat Juve 2-1 at the Olimpico. 

  Rudi Garcia's side won't be too worried about the gap to the league leaders just yet, but with their biggest opponent on the ropes they will know that now is the time to take advantage. Paradoxically, in a city like Rome where the media pressure can be intense, their mediocre start to the season may actually help the Lupi in the long run, as the most intense spotlight is currently elsewhere. A 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the Champions League in September should also have done their confidence a world of good. 

  The capital club, like Juventus, are struggling slightly to bed in a number of new players, including Edin Dzeko, the Bosnian striker would could make the biggest difference to a side that hasn't had a designated goal scorer in years. The Egyptian Mohamed Salah has gotten off to a flying start following his protracted arrival from Chelsea, but questions remain about the balance of a side that is currently playing two midfielders – local heroes Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Florenzi – in defence. 

  If young stars like Lucas Digne and Antonio Rüdiger can live up to their billing, and established players like Miralem Pjanic can maintain their best form, Garcia could have a brilliant squad on his hands. But with a curious abundance of wingers and second-strikers making up most of the Giallorossi's attacking options, injuries to Dzeko and Totti could prove very costly in front of goal. 

  On the blue side of the Italian capital, it appears the honeymoon is over for Stefano Pioli, who surprised everyone last year by turning Lazio into one of the league's most exciting sides. The Biancocelesti have failed to rekindle last year's spark so far, and also missed out on qualification for the Champions League group stages after suffering a 3-1 aggregate loss to Bayer Leverkusen. Heavy defeats to Chievo Verona to Chievo Verona and Napoli away from home saw many calling for Pioli to be sacked, but since then there have been some positive signs and if the coach can only get Brazilian star Felipe Anderson back firing on all cylinders, the tune around the Olimpico could change very quickly. They are, after all, keeping pace with their old foes Roma, and the Derby della Capitale is just around the corner.