JUVE, ANOTHER WASTED OPPORTUNITY!
THE BIANCONERI GET REACHED BY GENOA IN THE FINAL.
TODAY UDINESE CAN GO ALONE TO THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS.
VOTE: 5,5
Same vote as last week, when Juve didn't go beyond a draw against Chievo. Like Fiorentina did with Catania. This time however, the draw hurts more, because the bianconeri, despite suffering, were ahead until a few minutes from the end. Caracciolo's goal, in addition to depriving Juventus of two precious points, exposed the defensive limits of a team that appears to be in decline. In fact, after the great victory against Milan, the praise was wasted, and perhaps this did not do Conte's men any good. Yesterday evening we saw a two-faced Juve: incisive in attack, with Matri really on the ball (by the way, why has he played so little so far?) and fragile in defence, always in trouble whenever Genoa picked up the pace. On balance, there could be a draw, because if it is true that for long stretches of the match the ball of the game was in the hands of Juve, it is equally true that the rossoblu had sensational goals. If Merkel's crossbar and Caracciolo's just high back-heel had gone in, today we'd be talking about a defeated and humiliated Juventus at home. The bianconeri have to make a big mea culpa: they lead twice and are caught up twice, this is not for a great team. And so, the second consecutive draw could cost first place in the standings, because if Udinese beat Novara today (Friuli stadium, 15.00 pm) they would alone lead the standings. Which is tremendously shortening, precisely because Juve has not been able to take off. Antonio Conte will have to work hard, because Fiorentina will arrive in Turin on Tuesday (another team in crisis after the 2-2 home draw against Catania), without forgetting next Saturday's big match at San Siro against Inter. Heart-pounding matches, which could give Juventus and its standings a new impetus. Or put everything into question for the umpteenth time.
INTER, ONLY VICTORY IS WORTH AGAINST CHIEVO.
THE HOUSEHOLD TABOO NEEDS TO BE DISPELLED: SO FAR NO GOALS AT “SAN SIRO”!
RANIERI CARICA: “WE ARE STILL THE STRONGEST TEAM”.
Shrove Sunday in Serie A, and given the current times, this is something new. Accustomed to advances and midweek shifts (by the way, Tuesday we're already back on the pitch), having a day with Inter, Milan, Naples, Lazio and Rome on the pitch is more unique than rare. Difficult to choose the most important match, given that in today's calendar there are no cartel matches (but next weekend we will have Roma - Milan and Inter - Juventus), certainly the most delicate challenge is that of San Siro. Claudio Ranieri's Nerazzurri will receive the "terrible" Chievo, already executioner of Naples and Genoa, and capable of stopping even the leaders Juventus. But Inter will have no excuses this afternoon (15.00 pm). The reigning world champions will only need victory, or we will officially proclaim a state of crisis. The victory in Lille gave the Nerazzurri confidence and points, but that was the Champions League, so another story. Now, we need to straighten out the Serie A standings, which sees Inter fourth last with only 4 points, in full relegation tussle. We are at a paradox, but it is time to take back the positions that count. Claudio Ranieri knows this well, as he seeks a victory at all costs, which, moreover, would be the first at home this season. Of the three games played so far at San Siro, Inter have lost two (against Trabzonspor and Napoli) and drawn one (0-0 with Roma). Only one point scored and, even, zero goals scored (!), an alarming figure for a team that, in the rather recent past, had made San Siro an impregnable fort. The "pharmacist" Claudio Ranieri knows that we can no longer go on like this, and to reverse the course he has chosen a "Mourinhian" method, that is to convince the team that nothing is impossible: "We are still the strongest together with Milan - he said yesterday at the press conference – we are just experiencing a bad moment, but we want to overcome it. I agree with what Sneijder said (at the Gazzetta dello Sport, ed), if we get back on the bike we can still win the Scudetto”.
MILAN AT THE "VIA DEL MARE" LOOKING FOR POINTS AND CONFIRMATIONS.
THE CABALA IS AGAINST THE ROSSONERI: THE LAST VICTORY IN LECCE WAS 2002!
ALLEGRI PRAGMATICO: “WE NEED POINTS”.
But Sunday in the championship won't start with Inter. In fact, at 12.30 it will be the turn of Milan, the Italian champions, who will face Eusebio Di Francesco's Lecce. On paper there shouldn't be any problems for the Rossoneri, but the pitch is something else. Milan absolutely need points, to shorten the standings and for morale, however on the rise after the victories against Palermo and Bate Borisov. Winning in Lecce won't be easy, also because historically the "Via del Mare" is a difficult stadium for the Rossoneri. To find a victory for the Milanese, you have to turn back the clock to 5 January 2002, when Milan, then coached by Carlo Ancelotti, prevailed 1-0 thanks to Josè Mari's goal. Of the team at the time, only Ambrosini, Gattuso and Abbiati are left, with the only goalkeeper sure of playing (Gattuso is still injured, while for the captain he will be on the bench). From 2003 to today, Lecce and Milan have challenged each other at the Via del Mare 5 times, and the balance reads 4 draws and a Giallorossi victory. In short, a difficult field, but Allegri knows he cannot afford calculations and superstitions. "It's a difficult away game, it's been 10 years since Milan haven't won in Lecce, it's time to dispel this taboo - said the Rossoneri coach, who then added: " It won't be easy to win, because they will create difficulties for us, given the quality of some of their players”. The current Lecce, however, seems very little compared to Milan. In the 3 games played at home, the Salentini have collected 3 defeats, a balance that suggests how many difficulties Di Francesco's boys have had at the beginning of the season. The Rossoneri, on the other hand, seem to be on the launch pad, but to take flight it will be necessary to collect as many points as possible between now and the break on 6 November, as Allegri recalled: "The goal is to score full points - said the coach - therefore 12 points . Right now we need to always win, both at home and away.”
AFTER THE HANGOVERS BAYERN AND ROME, NAPLES AND LAZIO ARE LOOKING FOR CONTINUITY.
MAZZARRI TRY THE TURNOVER AGAIN: "I HAVE TO CHANGE SOMETHING".
REJA CALMA PREACHES: "NOW ENOUGH WITH THE ENTHUSIASM".
That past was a good week for Naples and Lazio. The Neapolitans, after the blow suffered at the San Paolo against Parma, made up for it by stopping the super – Bayern Munich in the Champions League, while the biancocelesti finally debunked the tebu derby, beating Roma in added time with a goal from Klose ( then however, they stumbled in the Europa League against Zurich). In short, the enthusiasm in Fuorigrotta and Formello is skyrocketing, but now is the time to confirm it, to give continuity to two very interesting projects. Napoli (15.00 pm) will go on stage at Sant'Elia in Cagliari, where they will find a highly motivated and healthy opponent. In fact, the Sardinians even have one point more than the Azzurri, and so far they have never lost at home. Unlike their opponents, the rossoblu were able to prepare for the match throughout the week, and this is no small detail. Napoli knows well that there will be many pitfalls at Sant'Elia, which is why Mazzarri, worried by the physical and nervous energies consumed by his team, could re-propose that turnover so little loved by the Neapolitan square: "I'll change something - admitted the blue coach - because they cannot always play the same. It will be very important to forget Bayern, because Cagliari are an excellent team, occupying third place in the standings”.
On equal points with the rossoblu, there is the Lazio of the rediscovered Edi Reja. Winning the derby literally turned the Lazio coach's career around: just think that a photo of him was even hung under the North curve in Formello, with a plaque that reads "Reja derby man". Making fun of Totti (whoever does it waits), but also a celebration for a coach who has so far been unjustly contested by the square. But now the good Reja will have to repeat himself, to demonstrate that the victory over Roma was not just a flash in the pan. In this sense, the trip to Bologna will be very indicative, because the Emilians seem to have found each other since Pioli arrived. Reja will have to be good at resetting enthusiasm, otherwise a bad figure will almost be guaranteed: “We'll have to play like in the derby – said the coach at the press conference – continue to entertain regardless of the result. I'm very satisfied with the team's performance so far, but of course the points are fundamental”.
ROME, AGAINST PALERMO A VICTORY IS NEEDED TO CANCEL THE DERBY.
LUIS ENRIQUE MAKES SELF-CRITICAL: "I HAD TO BE COOL"
EAT BELIEVE IT: "WE TOO MUST REDEEM OURSELVES".
Forget the derby. The concept, which we have already expressed for Lazio as well, is even more valid for Roma, although, obviously, in another sense. Losing a derby can have devastating effects, especially in the capital, which experiences football with very particular excesses. Franco Baldini took care of helping the Giallorossi, who with his landing (and his press conference) catalysed much of the attention. The square then reacted well to the defeat against Lazio, demonstrating a remarkable maturity, and above all blindly believing in the American project. Important factors for Luis Enrique, who was able to work with that pinch of serenity needed to get back up after such a tough knockout. However, the Spanish coach is well aware that the defeat in the derby has wiped out the credit accumulated (with difficulty) to date, therefore starting again with a home victory against Palermo is almost an obligation: "Lazio is water under the bridge - said Luis Enrique - now we have another game and we are 100% ready. I know that Mangia is a good coach and that Palermo are a good team, we will have to repeat the first 10 minutes of the derby, in which we saw an excellent Rome”. But the head of the Giallorossi environment is still turned to the derby, of which, inevitably, the Spanish coach still spoke. That he positively surprised everyone, not sticking to Tagliavento's refereeing (as Sabatini and Pizarro did instead) but rather taking responsibility. A healthy self-criticism, which our coaches hardly make: “I've made many mistakes – said Luis Enrique – but I won't say them here at the press conference. My job is to make choices all the time, and I'm not infallible. Sure, if I can say one thing, maybe I was too excited, I lived this derby with too much intensity. In retrospect, it would have been better if I had been colder." Beyond all, sincere congratulations.
