VUCINIC – MARCHISIO, JUVE TAKES SAN SIRO! THE VICTORY AGAINST INTER CONFIRMS THE LEADING IN THE STANDINGS. COUNT ENJOYS IT: "THESE ARE GREAT SATISFACTIONS" VOTE: 7,5
All wins are said to be equal because they only bring 3 points. Nothing more wrong. There are successes that are worth more than others, because they have a very heavy impact on morale. The one collected last night by Juventus is one of them. Because beating Inter has always been a priority for the Old Lady, especially since after Calciopoli. Juve have recovered the championship, because being unbeaten after 9 days means having changed the provincial mentality (Conte dixit) of recent years. Of course, claiming victory would be the most serious mistake that the Bianconeri could make, but in this sense the presence of the pragmatic Conte is almost a guarantee: “These are important steps that must help us grow. This team is making progress, it's an important victory that takes us to nineteen points and at the top of the standings. This is an award for the boys and a great satisfaction”. The excellent first half was decisive for the victory, in which Juve had the merit of attacking Inter, even after conceding the equalizer. If referee Rizzoli then had done his duty (there was a penalty on Marchisio, as well as the expulsion of Castellazzi), perhaps we would have witnessed an even more overwhelming success. Instead it ended 2-1, like the last time Juve had won at San Siro (22/3/2008, goals from Camoranesi and Trezeguet with Ranieri on the bench) and like the last match before Calciopoli (12/2/2006, goals from Ibrahimovic and Del Piero, Capello coach). Important memories, but what matters most is the present, which sees Juventus at the top of the table, regardless of what Udinese and Lazio do today. Now the bianconeri will have to quickly reset their victory at San Siro, because next Sunday they will be expected from the very difficult away match in Naples. San Paolo has always reserved nasty surprises in recent years, but the feeling is that the wheel has turned. Juve is there, and now everyone has really noticed it.
AC MILAN SBANKS THE OLIMPICO AND RELAUNCHES THE CHALLENGE TO JUVE. DOUBLE IBRA, NESTA AND A SUPER ABBIATI DEFEAT ROMA. ALLEGRI GONGOLA: "VERY IMPORTANT VICTORY" VOTE: 7,5
The other big one that smiles with 32 teeth is Allegri's Milan. The Rossoneri had to win in order not to lose ground from leaders Juve, and to make the championship understand that they are still the champions. The success against Roma is worth double, because it boosts morale (same argument already made for Juve) and because it distances, perhaps definitively, the Giallorossi from the fight for the title. Analyzing the Olimpico's performance, Milan didn't shine, but they had the merit of hitting Roma just when they were playing better. On the other hand, when there's a player like Ibrahimovic on the pitch, the balance inevitably shifts, and so it can happen that you win a match in which the goalkeeper was the man of the match (finally Abbiati pulled off a great performance). Also worthy of note are Nesta's goals (Lazio's heart scored under the Curva Sud) and the expulsions of Boateng (who managed to get kicked out while substituting him!) and Allegri, who was rather nervous throughout the match. The outbursts of a quiet guy like him say it all about how Milan felt the match. Now, the Rossoneri will have to hope for the missteps of Udinese and Lazio and in the next round, which on paper seems to be favorable compared to Juve. The bianconeri will go to Naples, while Milan will host Catania at the San Siro. The Sicilians are in great shape, but the Rossoneri could have the great opportunity to take the lead in the championship. Allegri knows it, that's why after the match he seemed really relieved: “It was a very important victory, Ibra and Abbiati had two great matches, but the whole team did well. We conceded two goals but today the important thing was to win and we did it”.
INTER, PRIDE IS NOT ENOUGH… THE NERAZZURRI LOSE AGAIN AND THE RANKING IS ALMOST DRAMATIC. RANIERI DOESN'T GIVE UP: "I SAW A GOOD TEAM, WE WILL RECOVER" VOTE: 5,5
When pride is no longer enough. The Nerazzurri did their best to beat Juve, or at least not to lose, but in the end they had to surrender to the evidence. Let's be clear, the San Siro match didn't highlight an overwhelming superiority of the black and whites, as the rankings would suggest. Inter had their chances, and an referee error (this time in favour) allowed them to stay in the match until the 94th minute. But the nerazzurri have no more fuel in their legs, as demonstrated by the second half, in which the hosts failed to create a goal worthy of being defined as such. The pride of having stood up to the leaders remains, for the rest at Inter the depression has reached worrying levels. On the other hand, the standings do not allow for positive thoughts: at 8 points (minus 11 from Juve, minus 9 from Milan) with 16 teams ahead, the relegation zone is one step away, and if whoever is behind were to win today, the situation would become tragic. That's why Ranieri, aware that the psyche can play tricks, tries to find the good in Inter's moment: “I said it yesterday, we don't have to look at the standings, there are 84 points still up for grabs and I repeat, last year Milan won the championship with 82. This evening I go home with a bitter and at the same time sweet taste in my mouth. Bitter for the defeat, sweet for the performance”. However, that does not console the millions of Inter fans at all, at this point really worried about the season that is taking shape.
ROME, NOW IT'S GETTING HARD! THE TEAM PLAYS BUT THE RESULTS DON'T ARRIVE. LUIS ENRIQUE SINCERO: "THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND AC MILAN IS TOO MUCH" VOTE: 5,5
If Inter cries, even in Rome there is little to laugh about. Yesterday's defeat against Milan is the third in the last 4 days, the fourth since the start of the championship. The Luis Enrique project doesn't take off, because if it's true that the team plays good football (and often gives the idea of being able to win matches) it's equally true that the results don't come. Roma created a lot against Milan, but in the end they didn't bring home a single point, and this can only be a source of concern for the Spanish coach: "We didn't have the necessary malice to win a match like this. The truth is that there is too much difference between us and Milan, the Italian champions. Take Nesta's goal: all week we tried to score and then he jumps free as if it were his home ”. Luis Enrique's sincerity should be appreciated, but it is right to analyze what his responsibilities are. The Spanish coach is not to blame if his players miss goals already scored (Osvaldo above all) but upsetting the formation every Sunday certainly doesn't help. Yesterday too, Luis Enrique amazed everyone, leaving out Borriello and Bojan for Borini, who was then forced out due to injury. There is still no clarity in the hierarchies of the team, and the first to have no certainties is the coach. What now, he will have to be good at getting himself out of a situation that is getting more and more difficult.
NAPLES, THE TURNOVER IS STILL FATAL! SANTANA'S EXPULSION WEIGHTS ON THE RACE. CONTROVERSIAL MAZZARRI: "FROM TODAY I WILL SPEAK ONLY AFTER THE DEFEATS"VOTE: 5
The Champions League strikes again. Three days after the match in Munich, Napoli showed up in Catania with the second lines, and the result was more than negative. Winning in Sicily would have meant second place together with Milan (at least until today), with the possibility of fighting for the top spot next week against Juventus. Instead, Napoli lost, and beyond the refereeing controversies (which Mazzarri raises only when it suits him) the Azzurri must understand that this is not the case. It's okay that Bayern will be there on Wednesday, but going to "Massimino" with Fideleff, Fernandez and Santana in midfield means daring a little too much. Mazzarri had also experienced a similar turnover in Verona, and things went badly. Bad luck then wanted Santana to become the negative protagonist of the day: his expulsion (perhaps a little "stretched", but in any case not scandalous) ended up heavily influencing the match of "Massimino", which Napoli had started very well by going ahead with Cavani after just 30 seconds. Santana's red light came when the match was level, and this explains (in part) Mazzarri's reaction after the match: “Up until Santana's sending off, we were masters of the pitch, and even 10 of us played very well. We didn't deserve to lose, but I prefer not to comment on the referee's work” said the coach, deigned to go back to talking to the press after last week's silences. Mazzarri, however, wanted to reiterate his reasons: "Wednesday evening someone disrespected me (he's referring to Sky colleagues, guilty of having made him wait a bit before interviewing him, ed), so I've decided that I'll only come to the press room after a defeat, just to put my face on it". Will we ever be able to survive without the lectures of this "gentleman"?
