Is this the best title race in the world right now?
Inter lose in the Derby d'Italia, Napoli drop points and Atalanta miss the chance to get right back into it. The race for the Scudetto is CALDO!
Napoli’s objective has always been top four. Antonio Conte has consistently managed expectations since joining the club, as has Giovanni Manna. They’re rebuilding following a dismal title defence, and looking to grow a project. That takes time. However, whether they like it or not, they are in the title race. And alongside them are Simone Inzaghi’s defending champions Inter and Gian Piero Gasperini’s impressive Atalanta side.
Inter failed to overcome Juventus, losing 1-0 to a Francisco Conceição goal, missing their chance to go top after Napoli drew away to Lazio. Both teams have had a rocky few weeks in their title charge, with Inter suffering a 3-0 loss to Fiorentina before Napoli disappointedly succumbed to a 1-1 draw with Udinese, failing to further extend the gap between them and Inter.
The results this weekend have only spiced things up for the title race, keeping the gap between Inter and Napoli to two points. Both club’s next few fixtures will be key in their bid for the Scudetto but they won’t be easy - especially as they play each other. Napoli have Como next who are on the back of an exciting win against Fiorentina and Inter face Genoa. Then comes the big one, with Inter travelling to the Stadio Diego Maradona to face Napoli in what could be a title decider. It was 1-1 the last time they faced each other back in November, and I have a strong feeling we could see similar.
Napoli are struggling going forward, relying mostly on goals from Scott McTominay recently thanks to a lack of steam in front of goal from Romelu Lukaku and next to nothing from Matteo Politano. David Neres is out injured, which meant Conte reverted to a 3-5-2 and added Giacamo Raspadori to their front two to sure up shop at the back and take an alternative approach going forward to try and bring more goals. They scored two against Lazio but one was an own goal but there was a glimmer of hope when Raspadori linked up nicely with fellow frontman Lukaku for his goal. To beat this Inter side, they’ll need a lot more, though. My worry is that no one has a clue on where that will come from.
At Inter, things don’t seem to be clicking as they did last year. Whilst they play beautiful football at spells, their ruthlessness and sheer ability to pick teams apart are lacking this season compared to last. They’re struggling to beat the bigger teams, which will be a fundamental factor in the outcome at the end of the season. Four games against Juventus and Milan so far and they’ve drawn two and lost two. Alongside this, Lautaro Martinez is not firing on all cylinders, scoring nine so far. Marcus Thuram, though, sits in third place in the fight for Capocannoniere. Whatever they are and wherever they lie, the issues at Inter are proving costly to their Scudetto big and they’ve failed to capitalise on Napoli’s dip in form on separate occasions now. Are the extra fixtures taking their toll on Inzaghi’s Inter? It’s most definitely a competitive disadvantage as Napoli are playing once a week and Inter’s squad depth is worrying, especially on the back of two poor windows.
They’re currently five points off the top but Atalanta are not out of the race as the majority predicted when Napoli beat them in January either. Gasperini’s men failed to overcome Cagliari at the weekend, though, which slowed down their recovery in the race but with Mateo Retegui scoring from everywhere, they can be confident that they’re still involved. Their next two fixtures are very winnable, facing 19th-placed Venezia and 17th-placed Empoli. Favourable fixtures indeed, and two Gasperini will be looking at to make a statement.
At the end of the next two match weeks, we could be in a position where there is only one point between the top three. Is the Serie A title race the best in the world right now? Potentially. La Liga is currently in a similar position, with only one point separating the top three. Ligue 1 is already decided (of course) and the gap between Liverpool and Arsenal is too wide to put it in this conversation right now. Bayer Leverkusen sit eight points behind Bayern Munich in Germany, too.
The place to be for football is Italy right now. The league race is fascinating, with three clubs fighting it out and some incredible tactical battles to come. All three managers at the top of the table are among the best coaches in the world, too, making for a superb run in to the end of the season from a neutral’s perspective.
Who are you backing in the title race? Let me know in the comments ⬇️⬇️
The 10 Italian Icons Who Put Their Little-Known Clubs on The Map
Feature for Destination Calcio by me.
Italian football is steeped in romance. For some reason, out of all the countries in the world, the game emanating from Europe’s boot oozes it more than others.
Milan, Turin, Naples and Rome sit as the focal points of the outside gaze on calcio, home to the most historic and successful teams in the country.
The northern trio of Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan along with Napoli in the south and the Eternal City duo of Roma and Lazio are the six biggest clubs in the land, based in four of the biggest cities. With that comes a shadow cast over the rest of the country.
PRE-ORDER ENDING SOON!
I decided to do some logo tees purely on the basis I like the idea of a tee with this on. Available now.
Support the newsletter and grab yours.