It’s something that delights the fans and gives prestige to the club, of course. But it also offers substance, in the form of collective self-esteem and heavy ranking points. Winning direct clashes with the competition jostling for the top four places in the standings – the ones good for the Champions League, and if there is even a bit of a view on the Scudetto, all the better – is important from many points of view. Last but not least, a valuable policy that can be used at the end of the championship: in the event of finishing on equal points, being better off in head-to-head matches is equivalent to being better off in the standings. It could be the border between crossing the threshold of the Champions League or staying out and damning yourself by seeing yourself ousted with the same score. After 11 days it is still early to paint a plausible picture, but by observing the face-to-face matches between the top six in the standings (the positions that give access to the European cups) one can begin to perceive a trend where Milan is having an edge. Let’s see the progress team by team, in order of average points.
