Napoli knows how to react but remains detached. The Rossoneri showed lack of stability, Inzaghi and Allegri took advantage of it
Inter and Juve win at the San Paolo. Yes, you read that right: the 2-2 draw between Napoli and Milan especially helps the top two in the class. The race for the scudetto is still long, 28 rounds to go, an eternity, yet it is increasingly taking on the contours of the so-called Italian derby. Milan broke free in attack, but left Maradona with the certainty of having thrown away a huge chance.
milan fading
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The Rossoneri still remain attached to the leading group because the gaps are minimal, but they expose worrying fragilities. But how? You’re happy with the fact that, after being left empty in the three outings in Europe, you manage to score a one-two in the space of ten minutes, then you squander so much goodness and let yourself be caught up… Pioli sometimes even puts in his own effort, but rightly there is no peace in the face of similar gifts to the reigning Italian champions. Kvaratskhelia and co showed a good reaction, they even risked winning at the end, but they moved further away from the top. They slowly fade away, as if they have already resigned themselves to abdicating.
Naples more belly than head
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Napoli shows that they are still alive, but to defend the title they must accomplish a feat. The draw with Milan has its notable specific weight, but it seems to have been achieved more from the gut and the heart than from the head. Garcia tries, but after the lack of air in recent months we can see that he is weakened, he has less grip on the car. Milan doesn’t take advantage of the Azzurri’s slips, they don’t win the direct match, they mull over the waste and pay.
Inter laughs
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The one who smiles and dances alone is Inter, doing their duty. In the sense that he responds to Juve’s high shot and holds his neighbors to within three. Inzaghi and his team maintain their distance on the championship podium, aided by the thought of being one step away from qualifying for the Champions League group, which is no small feat. The meeting with the former greats, Mourinho and Lukaku, brought with it a cumbersome load of memories, good and bad. In certain situations there is a risk of losing sight of the main objective: it would be one of the typical situations that allow one to rely on the most varied assortment of alibis. And instead there was no need to destabilize the former center forward of the last championship with whistles and other tools: Lukaku sad, lonely and not at all final, played a game in total anonymity, as if he didn’t want to be noticed. A lot, or rather little ado about nothing, with Roma’s first shot after 66 minutes and with two balls touched in the Nerazzurri area. A disarming paucity, with José disqualified in the press gallery who parked the classic bus in front of his door, double for him who lives in London. Inter is in command not by chance, but because it maintains its continuity of performance and results, as expected from a squad that this time is richer in solutions than its direct competitors. The league leaders are not always brilliant, they struggled a lot against a grumpy opponent, but with a game and quality proposal not up to the pace of the pacesetters. The Nerazzurri are never caught with their guard down, not even with the second rows, they distill the 1-0 after a relentless territorial supremacy. The even more comforting fact for Inzaghi is the constant growth of Thuram, a son of art with a good CV, but who certainly arrived in Italy not with the label of the area killer. Now the Frenchman is enjoying it, aiming for the goal more and proving decisive. If we continue like this, the regrets about not signing Lukaku will be completely eliminated.
sly Juve
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Juve, after the night in pole position after three years, holds on as second. The Nerazzurri are close behind after having faced a grueling start with obstacles, more environmental than technical. She is sly, she doesn’t fill the eyes with beauty, but she proves solid and effective. To reinforce the virtues and advantages of the “short face”, there is zero in goals conceded for seven games in a row, which is not exactly trivial. Allegri has therefore found a balance at the back, now he expects a surplus especially from Vlahovic and Chiesa, the two who could give the acceleration in the rest of the tournament. The Bianconeri are there, they are no longer seen as the runners-up in the Italian sprint, as they appeared at the beginning of the season. There is a match to mark in red on matchday 13, at the Allianz Stadium against Inter: there we will understand if Juve have serious intentions. As a true lady of other times.
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