Turin turns black and white, Milan throws itself away. The Saturday previews smile on Thiago Motta, winner of the derby and climbed, albeit temporarily, to third place together with Inter and just one point behind Napoli, much less on Fonseca, stopped in a draw by Cagliari and struggling with yet another misstep of the season. Results even more weighty in light of today's matches, above all the one at San Siro between Inzaghi's Nerazzurri and Conte's Azzurri, a real clash for the Scudetto that involves many matches, past (Juve and Milan, precisely) and future (Atalanta-Udinese, Fiorentina-Verona, Monza-Lazio).
Juventus – Torino 2-0: Weah and Yildiz paint the Mole black and white
The derby at the Allianz Stadium was a one-sided affair, once again tinged with black and white. The Granata proclamations on the eve (Vanoli had even evoked the 3-2 comeback from '83) proved to be devoid of substance, because Toro has never managed to scare Juve, surrendering practically without a fight.
The final 2-0 adds to the long list of derbies won by the Lady, a record that is sensational given that the granata have won only one in the last 37 (!) played. To break the taboo a capital performance was needed, but Vanoli's team, these days, is just not capable of doing it: the derby is the least of the problems if we consider the six defeats in the last seven days, for a ranking that remains dignified only thanks to the super start to the championship.
Juve instead gives continuity to the success of Udine and goes into the break with a newfound optimism, even if a good part of it will depend on what happens today, at San Siro and elsewhere. From Napoli to Lazio, however, there are six teams within three points and Thiago Motta's team, despite all the difficulties of this last period, is among them: tonight we will know to what extent, but certainly the Old Lady's candidacy is quite strong. To really aim high, it will be necessary to increase the danger rate up front, which is still more than enough to beat Torino and take the 257th derby in history.
The one who got the ball rolling was Weah, quick to convert a Milinkovic-Savic save on Cambiaso's shot (18'), in a one-way first half in which only the exclamation point was missing. For that we had to wait until the 84th minute, when Star He headed in a cross from Conceiçao and beat the Granata goalkeeper, but overall there was never the feeling of a game in the balance, except for the result.
Thiago Motta: “Deserved victory, I’m very happy for Yildiz”
"I'm satisfied with the performance and also the result, they are three important points – Thiago Motta commented -. I want to thank the fans, who really gave us a lot tonight and also the boys because it wasn't easy to play like this in the third game of the week. We managed our energy well, it's always important to play with great balance, we played a solid, concrete game and we definitely deserved the victory. Weah and Yildiz? They can still improve very much, I am very happy for Kenan's goal because we have to insist on attacking the penalty area. Weah is used to doing it, they played a great game as did Vlahovic and Koopmeiners, I really liked them in both phases. Why don't they ever play from the start together with Conceiçao? It's just a coincidence because I see all three very well, today we started with Weah because he is in a great moment, then Francisco came on and helped us a lot during the game. Sometimes we need something more in the second half and we can only have it by alternating the three, it's an extra weapon that we have, but they can also play together".
Cagliari – Milan 3-3: the Rossoneri are caught up and slip to seventh place
A wasted opportunity for Milan instead, forced to deal with yet another misstep of the season. The victory in Madrid had given rise to the illusion of a possible change of pace, but Fonseca had dampened the enthusiasm by appearing rather worried about the trip to Sardinia. The facts proved him right, although it is fair to ask whether he could not have done more to limit Nicola's team, never so dangerous in the eleven games played so far.
The 3-3 of the Unipol Domus Arena leaves a bitter taste in everyone's mouth, starting with Cagliari: the best chances, between missed goals and disallowed by centimetres, were his, which says a lot about Milan's performance. The Devils, in turn, are kicking themselves because at a certain point they seemed to be in control; instead they were caught up with just a whisker from the 90th minute, ruining what would have been a very important victory.
It was clear after just 2 minutes that it was going to be a complicated afternoon when Good luck, following a corner, gave the Sardinians the lead. The Rossoneri did not lose their composure, finding comfort in the Leao double (15', 40') which was worth the overtaking, but the first half ended 1-2 only due to details: two, in fact, the goals disallowed for Cagliari for offsides of centimetres (Piccoli and Viola), in addition to at least as many occasions stopped only by a great Maignan.
At the beginning of the recovery though Zappa scored the 2-2 (Fofana's mistake) and the Devils found themselves back at square one, forced to put their helmets back on to try to win. They seemed to have succeeded in the 69th minute, when Abraham (who replaced the young Camarda) had scored the third goal for the Rossoneri, but the illusion vanished in the 89th minute on the great goal by Zappa, author of a brace he will never forget.
Fonseca: “A step back, if we want to win we can't concede goals like this”
"Our problem was the defense, too many difficulties on Cagliari's crosses - Fonseca's analysis -. We also won very few headers, only 69%: it's difficult to win a match like this. A step back? Yes. Up front we did good things, but with three goals scored we can't not win matches, we can't concede goals like that. We can't concede a goal like that at the beginning of the match, even if for me he was offside and the same thing is true for the second. We had little defensive aggression especially from individuals, Theo Hernandez can do better defensively as well as the whole line in front of Maignan. Camarda and Leao? For Francesco it was not easy, I am satisfied with what he did. Rafa is coming back, we want him like this: decisive and playing with the team”.
Inter – Napoli (20pm, Dazn)
Gala evening at San Siro, where a real show will take place Scudetto challenge between Inter and Napoli. The match would have been important regardless, but it became even more so after the defeat of the Azzurri last Sunday, which has definitely changed the standings. Now Inzaghi's team has the chance to make the overtake and take first place alone, while Conte could even be joined by Atalanta, Lazio and Fiorentina, provided they beat Udinese, Monza and Verona.
Obviously, the opposite hypotheses are also valid: Napoli pirates in Milan and once again on the run, as well as a draw that would keep them in the lead, albeit with a very close standings (Juve would be only 2 points behind). In short, it is not a decisive stage, but it is very important for both; making a prediction becomes very complicated, not so much in indicating the winner (that would be equivalent to tossing a coin), but in understanding what kind of match it will be.
The stakes are high and it is possible that Napoli, coming off the ugly 0-3 against Atalanta, decides to wait for Inter and play the best of two results, aware that a draw would certainly not be to be thrown away. The Nerazzurri, on the other hand, have the tempting opportunity to climb to the top and erase the initial difficulties, thus completing an almost perfect mini-cycle: from the defeat in the derby to today, in fact, they have collected nine victories and a draw in ten games between the championship and the Champions League and today they aim to complete the work, even with the awareness that beating Napoli will be neither easy nor obvious.
Inzaghi: “We will need the best Inter, there is great confidence”
“It will be a beautiful match, we are facing the team that is leading the championship – Inzaghi thought -. Conte has given an excellent organization to the team that is very strong and has a lot of quality, we will need one of the best Inter to do our best in front of our fans. We are preparing for a great race, trying to recover physical and mental energy, now we need the final effort. In these games we had some problems in the rotations because we lost some players, but there is great confidence. I am very happy to have a solid group, the boys always work with a smile and for me it is a great sign. Napoli has only conceded goals away from home in Verona, we know their qualities: we know that in these games the details can make the difference, it will take a lot of organization to not let anything slip away. It is early to talk about the standings, but we know that This stage is important for our journey, It's also the last one before the break and we want to finish well, even though we know we're facing a very strong team."
Conte: “We won’t go to San Siro to take punches, we want to stay in command”
“It certainly has a certain effect to return to where you worked hard,” Conte said. “There will be a load of emotions because when you go back in time, so many situations, so many episodes come to mind. They were two happy years, the first we came in second losing the Europa League final, the second we won the Scudetto. It was a beautiful experience, which I carry within me, like all the experiences of the past because I have always lived them to the fullest. We have to play the game first of all, then it is inevitable that going to San Siro to act as a sparring partner, waiting for them to throw punches, is not our idea. We want to go and measure ourselves with our values, the idea is to try to play the game, because I think it is the best way to grow. Clearly these will be three important points, for us as for them, but it will help us understand if our path is the right one. Let's not forget that we will arrive first in the standings and we would like to leave the stadium still in command. De Laurentiis says that patience is needed before talking about the Scudetto? I saw him last week and he didn't say anything to me. Eventually, however, you have to listen and move on, without commenting".
Inter – Napoli, the probable lineups
Inter Milan (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro
On the bench: Martinez, Di Gennaro, De Vrij, Bisseck, Palacios, Darmian, Zielinski, Asllani, Frattesi, Taremi, Buchanan, Arnautovic, Correa
Trainer: Inzaghi
Unavailable: Carlos Augusto
Disqualified: no
Naples (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Anguissa, Gilmour, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia
On the bench: Caprile, Contini, Juan Jesus, Marin, Mazzocchi, Folorunsho, Simeone, Ngonge, Neres, Lobotka, Raspadori, Zerbin, Spinazzola
Trainer: Tale
Unavailable: no
Disqualified: no
Monza – Lazio (18pm, Dazn and Sky)
The direct clash in Milan does not only concern Inter and Napoli, but also the pursuers. Among these is the Baroni's Lazio, reaching their ninth victory in the last ten games between the league and the Europa League. The week began with a beating of Cagliari and continued with a heart-stopping 2-1 win over Porto: the coach wants to complete the job by conquering Monza, and then enjoy the late match at San Siro and earn points on one of the two, or maybe both. The plan seems feasible, as long as Nesta's team is not underestimated, forced to earn points regardless of their coach's Lazio faith. The Brianza team occupies a disappointing penultimate position and is coming off defeats against Atalanta and Milan, where they have however shown very good football; furthermore, they have already been able to stop Fiorentina, Inter and Roma, confirming themselves to be rather difficult for the big teams.
In any case, the current Lazio is one of the most in-form teams in the league and Baroni wants to continue to strike iron, especially since his management of the squad (everyone is finding space) allows for fresh forces despite the many commitments. Compared to Thursday, the standard 4-2-3-1 will return with Provedel in goal, Lazzari, Gila, Romagnoli and Tavares in defense, Guendouzi and Rovella in midfield, Isaksen, Dia and Zaccagni in the attacking midfield, Castellanos in attack. Classic 3-4-2-1 instead for Nesta, who will respond with Turati between the posts, Izzo, Pablo Marì and Carboni in the back line, Pereira, Bondo, Pessina and Kyriakopoulos in midfield, Maldini and Mota Carvalho behind Djuric.
Rome – Bologna (15pm, Dazn)
The climate was opposite at Roma, where the match against Bologna was truly the last resort to get the season back on track. The arrival of the Friedkins in the city, interpreted by many as a demonstration of the delicacy of the moment, is clear signal for Juric, now close to being fired regardless of how today's match goes.
The defeat in Verona and the draw in Belgium confirmed the lack of reaction from the group, now prisoner of an overall negativity that is difficult to shake. The coach certainly did his part both from a tactical and media point of view, but the blame must at least be shared with the ownership (talking about management, in light of the facts, would make little sense) and the players, who in turn were the protagonists of disconcerting performances.
We'll see if it arrives today the long-awaited reaction, Bologna certainly won't come to act as a sparring partner, in fact a victory would project them into the top part of the standings. The Friedkins have understood that things just won't go this way and are ready to stage yet another turnaround: Roberto Mancini, contacted after the defeat in Verona, has already given his availability, asking however for precise guarantees on salary and contract duration and is now waiting for the definitive answer. The fact remains that Roma must start winning and Juric will try with the usual 3-4-2-1: Svilar in goal, Mancini, Ndicka and Angelino in defense, Celik, Koné, Le Fée and El Shaarawy in midfield, Baldanzi and Pisilli (or Pellegrini) in the three-quarters, Dovbyk in attack. Italiano will respond with a 4-2-3-1 with Ravaglia between the posts, Holm, Beukema, Lucumì and Lykogiannis in defence, Moro and Freuler in midfield, Orsolini, Odgaard and Ndoye behind the lone striker Castro.
