Scudetto duel, act 14. It will be a fiery Sunday that we are about to experience, if only because all the top teams will be involved, with the exception of Maran's surprising Cagliari, on the pitch against Sampdoria on Monday. However, Juventus and Inter will catalyze the most attention, involved in a fight for the title that is even more fought than expected. It was predictable that Conte's contribution on the Nerazzurri bench could restore his shine, that he was able to keep pace with the Juventus battleship much less. And yet he is going exactly like this, despite Sarri keeping a dizzying pace, only two points lower than the "illegal" one of the latest Allegri.
The round we are about to experience, at least on paper, shouldn't alter the balance, but the pitch sometimes offers surprises, especially on the weekends following the European cups. For Juve and, above all, Inter, the past week has been very intense, but Sassuolo and Spal don't seem to have what it takes to annoy the contenders, moreover within the friendly walls of the Stadium and San Siro. In any case, the matches must be played and it is certain that De Zerbi and Semplici have studied every possible system to score points, albeit with the awareness of being clearly inferior. Juve and Inter, so far, have traveled at an impressive pace: 11 wins and 2 draws (against Fiorentina and Lecce) for Sarri, 11 wins, 1 draw (Parma) and 1 defeat (against Juve) for Conte.
It was precisely the direct clash on 6 October that made the difference, with the bianconeri able to conquer San Siro with what, to date, remains their best match of the season. Since then, however, Inter has grown exponentially, driven by schemes now learned by heart and by a frightening attack duo. Here, the challenge between the two "artilleries" has every appearance of being decisive and not only for this round. On the one hand the LuLa of Lukaku and Lautaro, on the other the HDR of Higuain, Dybala and Ronaldo, the latter surprisingly the worst. The numbers speak for themselves: CR7 played more than anyone else and, proportionally, scored less than his team mates, who instead returned to the dazzling conditions of a couple of years ago.
Were it not a question of a five-time Ballon d'Or, probably, today he would be out by virtue of the two aforementioned tangueros, instead he will also play because Sarri wants to put him back in condition and the home match with Sassuolo, in this sense, seems really ideal. Conte doesn't have these problems, partly because the bench doesn't allow them (with all due respect to Politano and the young Esposito), much due to a sensational performance, which would not make a turnover possible for LuLa even if he could. The numbers don't lie here either: Lukaku has already scored 10 goals in the league and one in the Champions League, Lautaro 6 and 5, for a total of 22 (11 each) which makes them the most prolific Nerazzurri duo since the 1988 season/ 89, the one that, just to remind him, led to the record scudetto.
In short, better than Vieri-Crespo, Vieri-Adriano, Ibrahimovic-Cruz and Milito-Eto'o, just to mention the latest ones, even if it is fair to underline how this is a partial figure, relative only up to this point. To win something important, the Belgian and the Argentine will need to hold on until May, but it is certain that the sensations are excellent, especially as the two continue to grow race after race. In short, De Zerbi and Semplici risk having a bad Sunday, but woe to forget the precedent of 26 October, when Juve and Inter, weakened by commitments with Lokomotiv and Borussia, ended up tripping over Lecce and Parma. Even then, even if only partially, Emilia Romagna was involved, today totally involved, albeit indirectly, in the struggle at the top.
It will take a real feat to stop the bianconeri and/or nerazzurri, very fast in this duel never really recognized, yet now there for all to see. As Conte recalled after the victory in Turin, in fact, without Inter we would have already closed the fight for the title, and this also thanks to the pace of Sarri, still unbeaten between the championship and the Champions League. We are at the limits of excellence but when you run so fast, you know, skidding is always possible. That's why this Sunday, once again, promises entertainment and twists.
