Inter triumphs, Juve sinks. The derby d'Italia takes on a Nerazzurri look thanks to goals from Vidal and Barella, but above all because of a sumptuous performance, the best, net of the opponent, of the whole season. The bianconeri, on the other hand, take a clear step backwards, perhaps decisive in saying goodbye to the Scudetto: the championship is still long, God forbid, but with this tendency it will become impossible to win it, so much so that the standings, net of the match against Napoli to be recovered, registers a resounding fifth place. Inter's victory is also Conte's victory over Pirlo, with the former capable of masterfully preparing the match from the start and the latter chasing after, including substitutions, without being able to make an impact. Antonio can look forward to the continuation of the tournament with great confidence, while Andrea will have to overcome the disappointment and reset his team's head already today: on Wednesday there will be a Super Cup to be played against yesterday's Super Napoli and the sensations, evidently, are anything but. how positive.
“To beat Juve you have to play a game that borders on perfection and we did it – he commented the Nerazzurri coach – We prepared it well, doing the things we knew could hurt Juve. I'm happy for the lads, these are matches that must give you self-esteem and make you understand that the path is right."
“We had the wrong attitude from the very first minutes – he retorted the black and white colleague – If you don't have anger and determination to win duels it becomes difficult, we didn't even take the field, we were too passive. It's a bad defeat, which we didn't expect. We couldn't have played a worse game than this, but now we have to think about the Super Cup, a final awaits us on Wednesday".
It is strange to write but the dispute between Inter and Juve simply did not exist. The Nerazzurri were too superior right from the start, with the Barella-Hakimi duo dominating on the right, Brozovic and Vidal dominating the midfield, the three behind managing without problems and the Lukaku-Lautaro duo constantly stinging. The bianconeri, on the other hand, started flat and finished worse, despite the resources from the bench and a result to recover. At the individual level, apart from Szczesny, nobody can be saved, including a truly unwatchable Ronaldo. Inter knew how to exploit the spaces from the 12th minute, when Vidal slipped in perfectly on a cross from Barella, finding his first league goal against his former club. It would have been reasonable to expect Juve's reaction there, but instead it was the Nerazzurri who created the best chances (especially with Lautaro), so much so that the 1-0 at half-time seemed even narrow.
It is no coincidence that at the beginning of the second half the doubling arrived immediately, with Barella caught face to face with Szczesny from a 60-metre throw from Bastoni (52 '): all beautiful, for heaven's sake, but getting slipped in like this is not like Juve . Perhaps however, after 18 days, it is appropriate to reconsider the current level of the black and whites, because, with the exception of a shot by Chiesa which was saved brilliantly by Handanovic, they were unable to build anything, on the contrary conceding to Inter more than a chance for the 3-0.
The San Siro result makes it even more delicate the Milan match, called to conquer Cagliari (20.45) to put Inter back at a safe distance. For the Rossoneri it is a complicated commitment, even if the Sardinians are undoubtedly going through a difficult moment, as can be seen from the five consecutive defeats between the championship and the Italian Cup. Pioli's problems, however, come above all from absences, which became even 6 after the positivity to Covid of Calhanoglu and Hernandez (the others are Bennacer, Rebic, Gabbia and Krunic): the formation, for the umpteenth time, is all to be invented.
“They are important absences, but so far we have always been good at doubling our energies – he glossed over Pioli – The guys I have at my disposal will play a good match, we are used to them, prepared and ready, and then Ibrahimovic's recovery counts for a lot".
To bring a smile to the coach then there is the transfer market, which after Meité (today on the bench) has brought as a dowry Mandzukic: the Croatian said yes to Milan's offer (contract until June for 1,8 million and automatic renewal in case of qualification for the Champions League) and today, after undergoing medical tests (he landed in Milan last night), he will become officially Rossoneri. Agreement almost reached also with Chelsea for the defender Tumor, on the basis of a loan with the right to buy set at 28 million: Maldini expects to close on Tuesday, immediately after having formalized the sale of Conti to Parma.
Reinforcements that will be very convenient for Pioli, but there is a game to play and, possibly, win, with a 4-2-3-1 with Donnarumma in goal, Calabria, Kjaer, Romagnoli and Dalot in defense, Tonali and Kessié in midfield, Castillejo, Diaz and Hauge in the frontline, Ibrahimovic in attack. Di Francesco, at risk of exemption in the event of a defeat, will respond with a 4-3-2-1 formation that will see Cragno in goal, Zappa, Godin, Walukiewicz and Lykogiannis in the back, Nainggolan, Marin and Oliva in the midfield, Joao Pedro and Sottil behind the lone striker Simeone.
Sunday of smiles also for the Naples, protagonist of a tennis victory over Fiorentina: the final 6-0, in fact, is more suited to the racket than to the ball. There was no game at Maradona, with the Azzurri able to close the first half with an unquestionable poker signed by Insigne (5'), Demme (36'), Lozano (38') and Zielinski (45'). Therefore, it is logical that the second half was transformed above all into an exhibition with a view on the Super Cup, without however renouncing to strike again with the usual Insigne (72' from a penalty) and Politano (89').
“It seemed like an easy match, but it wasn't, after the first goal there was a crossbar and a great save from Ospina – commented Gattuso – We did well because we threw in all the goals we created, now we hope to put in another great performance on Wednesday because there will be a need for it”.
Now, waiting for the famous recovery with Juve (currently without a date), the Champions area has returned to reality, unlike theAtalanta, stopped on the draw by Genoa. However, the 0-0 draw in Bergamo doesn't do justice to the match, full of chances especially from the Nerazzurri, even if the Rossoblù certainly didn't stand by and watch, especially in the first half. As the minutes went by, however, it became more and more a siege on Perin's door, without however finding the right hole. Atalanta thus fails to join the Champions League zone, at least until Wednesday, when they will make up for the match against Udinese which was postponed due to rain. There, in case of victory, he will be third place alone, ahead of Naples, Rome and Juventus…
