Inter wins and convinces, the others win and…that's it. Early Saturday saw Inter, Juventus and Lazio take the 3 points, but with rather different performances. Very good that of the Nerazzurri, who were able to defeat Bologna with a 3-1 that doesn't allow for replies, decidedly less convincing those of bianconeri and biancocelesti, saved only by the result. Sure, in the end that's what counts, but it's clear that it was legitimate to expect more against Turin and Spezia, although European efforts weigh heavily on the scales. Precisely for this reason Inter deserve applause: in fact, there are no shadows on their victory, only lights.
We understood that the evening would have been propitious since the 16th minute, when Lukaku, with his usual mix of class and power, unlocked the game. However, the real protagonist was Hakimi, who first doubled at the end of the first half (45'), then scored the third goal in the 70th minute, effectively canceling the fear for the Bologna goal, scored by the young Vignato (67 '). A great success, also saving precious efforts for the various Lautaro, Barella and Young ahead of Wednesday's match against Shakhtar, decisive for the purposes of the Champions League.
“These performances increase confidence, just as some mistakes in the past had made self-esteem go down – Conte glossed over at the press conference, before dwelling on the singles -. Lukaku can still grow and Hakimi also has ample room for improvement, he's in the right team with the right coach: he can become a specialist in that role, one of the strongest". More tense atmosphere at Juve, where there is joy for the victory in the derby, but also concern for how it arrived. A lot of effort, too much, daughter of a game that doesn't take off and of many singles below the sufficiency, including that Ronaldo who normally makes the difference almost by himself.
Yesterday was not so, with the consequence that the Lady suffered badly from Giampaolo's Bull, first for his resourcefulness (advantage from N'Kolou in the 9th minute, very occasional Zaza in the 13th minute, on which a huge Szczesny was decisive), then for his defensive phase, capable of stopping Juve in almost all of their facets. Almost though, because the grenades hadn't foreseen the crosses from the trocar to move the defense, as those who speak well say: this is how goals from McKennie (78') and Bonucci (89') arrived, both propitiated by assists from Cuadrado, who had also been disallowed for an active offside goal by Bonucci (57').
Too little to erase the controversy around Pirlo, but enough to get within 3 of leaders Milan, albeit with one more match. “When you enter the field and lose all the duels in a derby, it's difficult for you to hold the reins of the game in your hand – acknowledged the Juventus coach -. We weren't able to be aggressive, to dribble, especially to move the ball quickly, so we got into some trouble. In the second half we changed gears, let's remember that our DNA is to also put a lot of heart into itso much intensity. When you then close the opponents in their frontline, everything becomes easier…”.
A tiring success also for Lazio, who takes the 3 points with Spezia after a far from simple game. In fact, the Ligurians, on the Cesena pitch, created more than one problem for the Biancocelesti, saved by the posts and by an excellent Reina, not surprisingly who became the owner in place of Strakosha. Having said that, Inzaghi's team had the difficult task of winning and saving some players for Club Brugge, in what will be the decisive match of the group: mission accomplished in full, thanks to goals from Immobile (15') and Milinkovic- Savic (33'). In addition to Nzola's goal in the second half (64'), Spezia would probably have deserved more, but Estevez and Bastoni's shots hit the posts, also thanks to Reina's skill.
“I'm satisfied because I asked the team for desire and determination, I knew we could suffer against an opponent who plays football very well, but the boys wanted to win it, despite the 24 hours to prepare it – commented Inzaghi -. We certainly have to improve because we can't afford certain breaks and mistakes, but we were back on Wednesday at 5:30 in the morning from Dortmund…". Appointment on Tuesday with the Champions League, where Lazio, Inter and Atalanta will play for everything, while Juve, beyond the suggestion of yet another duel Messi vs Ronaldo, will be able to play without worrying about the result.
