A pit stop before gran finale. The stop for the national teams, in addition to coach Spalletti's experiments, serves to rearrange the cards a bit in view of the next two months, decisive both at the top of the ranking and at the bottom. The most important objective, paradoxically, is also the least fought over, given that between Inter and the Scudetto there is only mathematics, but from second place on down it is a real tussle, at all levels.
Scudetto race: Inter can win it already in the derby on 22 April
For the tricolor, as everyone knows, it is now only a question of time, so much so that the question is not who will win it, but when. Inter He is 14 points ahead of Milan second and in the next three days they will meet Empoli, Udinese and Cagliari: should they get full spoils, the title could become reality on April 22nd right in the derby with the Rossoneri, obviously provided they win it. However, this presupposes that the Devil makes a clear path with Fiorentina, Lecce and Sassuolo, because if this were not the case, Inzaghi would also be satisfied with a draw in the derby, more than enough to celebrate in the faces of his rivals. This, evidently, is what excites the Nerazzurri people the most, but the championship will not end on April 22nd: Torino will arrive at San Siro on the 28th, while on May 5th (a date that evokes memories that are anything but pleasant) there will be the away game in Reggio Emilia against Sassuolo. Nothing, cataclysms aside, seems to be able to separate Inter from the 20th scudetto in their history, which is why the race is now only of interest to the Nerazzurri fans, already inebriated by the scent of the party.
Race for second place: for Pioli and Allegri it's worth more than a silver medal
From Inter on down, however, everything changes, starting with the fight for second place, almost certainly limited to Milan and Juventus. This race, a couple of months ago, did not exist, in the sense that Allegri was watching Pioli with binoculars, but now things have definitely changed: the 7 points collected in the last eight games, in fact, have allowed the Devil to overtake the Lady. But how long does it take to get second? In essence not much, given that the only actual goal becomes the Champions League zone, but Pioli and Allegri are well aware of the mood swings of their respective teams and know that everything can become decisive (for them, of course). It is no coincidence that the Rossoneri coach, in the balance until a few weeks ago, has regained ground towards reconfirmation, while the Juventus coach, praised by critics for having stood up to Inter, has once again sunk into the center of controversy. In short, finishing ahead of the other will have its weight, but at the moment it is difficult to say who will succeed: Milan have a simpler but equally packed calendar (the Europa League, at this point, will take away even more energy) , Juve will have a series of fiery clashes, even if the last few games have seen them in difficulty with everyone.
Corsa Europa has never been so open: eight teams competing and fifth place could qualify for the Champions League
The best part, however, comes when talking about cup race, understood as Champions, Europe and Conference League. From fourth Bologna (54 points) to eleventh Torino (41) there are eight teams fighting, with one big variable: the UEFA Ranking. Yes, because the new Champions League will assign two additional places to the two best federations, i.e. those that will have the most points in the seasonal rankings. Italy, at the moment, is first and if it is true that England will almost certainly climb up the rankings (they still have five teams in the running), it is also true that we are also unlikely to be overtaken by Germany: the chances of having a fifth team in the Champions League are high and have inevitable effects on the championship. The fight for fourth place, in fact, only concerns Bologna, Roma and, perhaps, Atalanta (one match less than the others), but if the discussion expands to five, here are Napoli, Fiorentina (also with a match to recover ) and Lazio can still have their say. Monza and Turin, obviously, are observing everything from the sidelines, but the mathematics leaves them in the running and therefore they will try to get involved in a stupendous fight, perhaps the most exciting of the entire championship.
Salvation race, what a tussle: seven teams within 5 points, anything can happen (Salernitana aside)
Perhaps, precisely, because even salvation is no joke. Here too there are seven teams in 5 points and if it is true that Salernitana, to date, seems doomed (even 11 points behind fourth-last Empoli), it is also true that there is total uncertainty for the other two places. To date, in addition to the aforementioned Campania teams, Sassuolo and Frosinone would be relegated, but Empoli, Cagliari, Verona, Lecce and Udinese certainly cannot sleep peacefully, both due to the narrow advantage and due to the direct clashes scheduled. In fact, when the championship resumes, there will be Cagliari-Verona and Sassuolo-Udinese, in the 32nd Lecce-Empoli, in the 33rd Verona-Udinese and Sassuolo-Lecce. In short, nothing has been decided yet, except that three of them will say goodbye to Serie A.
