HORNCASTLE: The Craziest Scudetto Race in years
We’ve had four different leaders after 15 Matchdays, which has only happened twice this Millennium. Overtaken a week ago, Inter are back out in front again for the ninth time this season, an indicator of their continuity. In racing terms, it’s Formula 1-nil.
Even if Saturday’s win against Genoa was their eighth by that scoreline and their 10th clean sheet the comparisons with Trap’s teams, the boring boring Arsenal of George Graham and Fabio Capello’s Milan in `93-94 are now wearing a little thin.
Yes, the centre-back partnership between Miranda and Murillo is the meanest around, the best in the world according to an excitable Billy Costacurta but the ugly duckling is showing signs of turning into a swan. Inter deserved a bigger margin of victory against Genoa and, ever since Frosinone, their performances have got better and better.
Never reliant on one man - and doesn’t Mauro Icardi know it - Mancini has changed team every week, using 22 different players and has now had 11 different goalscorers. Adem Ljajic is the latest to step up and has Mancini talking about him in the same breath as David Silva. Defeat to Napoli a week ago was the kind where both teams leave believing they can win the Scudetto and bouncing straight back was a measure of Inter’s character.
What exactly did losing to Bologna say about Napoli then? After climbing to the summit in Serie A, a peak they haven’t reached at this stage of a season in quarter of a century, perhaps they got vertigo. Being league leaders brings new pressures, greater expectations and more scrutiny and Napoli aren’t used to it. The ghost of Benitez, long thought banished, could be seen in their defending and by losing a game - their first in 18 - they were expected to win too.
However, all this really felt was like a bad day at the office. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The team was mentally drained after the Inter win, particularly the final 20 minutes when they switched off and they didn’t switch themselves back on until 20 minutes into Bologna game when before they knew it they were 2-0 down.
Mattia Destro’s goal was offside. Napoli gave the ball away 40 times more than on average, which can in part be explained by the hustling of Jorginho by teenager Amadou Diawara, who was once again impressive and but for the gloves of Antonio Mirante, who frustrated them last season, Napoli would have got back into it. Insigne, Callejon, Allan and Higuain all had chances. Instead Destro left Reina red faced and put the game beyond doubt.
His fourth in four games, Donadoni must be a Destro whisperer. He looks reborn under his management as do Bologna. That’s now three wins in five. Higuain eventually woke up but when he did it was too late. Still he offered another reminder of his class by making it uncomfortable for Bologna at the end with his brace. Pipita now has 14 goals in 15 games.
Moving past Napoli into second and now in Inter’s rearview mirror by a single point are Fiorentina. Impressive again in a 3-0 win against Udinese, the staying power of this team is really quite something. On the podium since Matchday 4, they have never stepped off it, which says a lot about the mental strength Paulo Sousa has forged, as even after defeats to Torino, but especially Napoli and Roma when it looked like Fiorentina might begin to fade away, they picked themselves up immediately.
The same can’t be said for Roma. “Behind the clouds are blue skies,” Rudi Garcia insisted following the defeats to Barcelona and Atalanta. Alas his team remain in the eye of a storm. Fifty kilos of carrots were left outside their training ground last week with the accompanying banner: “Buon appetito Rabbits.” “What’s up, doc?” would have been a more appropriate question.
Roma still look as stunned after the Barça game as they did after Bayern a year ago. Without their wings, they can’t fly. Gervinho returned only to relapse and until Pjanic’s fluke free-kick and the latest Padelli howler, Roma never once looked like scoring. When a chance fortuitously fell to Edin Dzeko to double their lead soon afterwards he didn’t take it and they were made to pay.
Torino came back from behind again. They have recovered 10 points from losing positions this season and while Garcia was of the opinion that a penalty should never have been given for a foul on Andrea Belotti by Kostas Manolas, he did have the grace to admit that the ball should also never have been allowed into the Torino striker’s path in the first place [bravo, Antonio Rüdiger].
Rubbing salt into Roman wounds this weekend were players they’ve let go. Ljajic, Man of the Match for Inter, believes they will now regret allowing him to leave. Destro returned from a suspension he received for celebrating wildly for scoring against them by scoring again. Alessio Romagnoli was at the heart of a Milan defence that, at least, kept a clean sheet in an otherwise disappointing display against Carpi, a real missed opportunity for the Rossoneri. While Lukasz Skorupski put in one of the goalkeeping performances of the season for Empoli in Verona.
After finding themselves 11 points behind Roma a little over a month ago, a speck in the distance, Juventus are now just a point back and hot on their heels. Five wins in a row in the league and the imminent release of the new Star Wars film mean their resurgence can only go by one name: “The Force Awakens” with Paulo Dybala assuming the guise of a young Skywalker.
Dybala is matching the numbers posted by Carlos Tevez in his first season and has combined for 10 of Juventus’ 22 goals [45%]. While he steals all the headlines - IncreDybala and MaraDybala is how Tuttosport have billed him in the last week - a much needed restoration of solidity is also behind the Empire striking back. Juventus now haven’t conceded in 7 hours and 12 minutes. Gigi Buffon’s “enough is enough” speech after the defeat to Sassuolo and their stoppage time win in the Turin derby could well be looked back on as the turning points in their season.
Friday’s opponents Lazio are by contrast down and out. Their sixth defeat in eight in Serie A, they can’t defend without Stefan de Vrij. Major difference makers Antonio Candreva and Felipe Anderson aren’t performing and all the enthusiasm Lazio generated last season has dissipated. Defeats in big games - the Coppa Italia final, the last couple of derbies, the Italian Super Cup and Champions League play-off - have left morale is on the floor. Playing on an extra front - the Europa League where they are doing well - is taking a toll too. Spotted in the stands on Friday, the shadow of Marcello Lippi looms large over Stefano Pioli.
In the meantime, former coach Edy Reja is staking an early claim for coach of the year. Don’t adjust your sets, Atalanta are up in seventh. Papu Gomez is playing at his Catania best. Denis has rediscovered the scoring touch that escaped him last season. Marten de Roon looks like one of the finds of the season and reports linking goalkeeper Marco Sportiello with a big move are entirely justified. Atalanta have never had as many points as they do now at this stage of a Serie A season since the league adopted three points for a win two decades ago.
The Orobici deepened Palermo’s crisis. Unhappy at the dismissal of Iachini, the players are at odds with owner Maurizio Zamparini, who has frozen out Enzo Maresca, Luca Rigoni and Fabio Daprela after the team’s elimination from the cup by third division Alessandria. The players has nothing against new coach Davide Ballardini but the outspokenness of the pro-Iachini faction within the dressing room does leave you with the impression that he is a lame duck.
The little aeroplane, Vincenzo Montella, is also experiencing a turbulent start to his time at Samp. Enough to give him a sleepless night - “I might need to take some sleeping pills” - Sunday’s defeat to Sassuolo makes it an unwanted hat-trick of defeats for the former striker since he replaced Walter Zenga.
When does a surprise stop being a surprise? Sassuolo should perhaps no longer be considered be considered as such under Eusebio Di Francesco. Never afraid to give kids a chance - we’ve seen it with Berardi and Zaza down the years - Sunday belonged to Sassuolo midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini, a player Montella mentored in Roma’s academy. He became the youngest player to score in Serie A this season, a great story when you consider the teenager almost had to quit the professional game with a cardiac arrhythmia.
Over at the Bentegodi Verona did get a new manager bounce of sorts from Gigi Delneri. Much improved against Empoli and applauded off the pitch even in defeat by their fans, an inspired Skorupski denied them. Still winless after 15 games like in 1989 when they were relegated, all-time top scorer Luca Toni mused: “Maybe keeping Verona up would be the right time to call it a day.” It would be some retirement gift. But please don’t quit, Luca. Just remember what you said after the 2006 World Cup. You can’t possibly get any slower so why not go on forever!
