A heart-pounding Saturday. After last night's appetizer between Benevento and Turin (2-2) the 19th matchday, the last of the first round, comes alive with four matches, all very delicate. It starts at 15 with Rome-Spezia, decisive for the future of Fonseca, to then continue at 18 with Milan-Atalanta and Udinese-Inter and close at 20.45 with Fiorentina-Crotone. The highlight, evidently, lies in the middle with the simultaneous challenge of the Milanese: from here, in fact, the 2021 winter champion will come out. A title that counts for little, but which often anticipates the "real" one in May, even if it is fair to underline how the matches in question are also important for Atalanta and Udinese, in the hunt for Champions League points and salvation.
The San Siro match is undoubtedly the one that promises the most in terms of entertainment, given the very offensive characteristics of the two teams. It was a strange week for Pioli, who went from the now chronic emergency situation to almost abundance, the result of negative swabs (Hernandez, Rebic, Krunic) and, above all, of an unprecedentedly active market, which after Meité she brought Mandzukic and Tomori as a dowry, both already called up and ready to start on the bench. “I thank the owners and the club who were ready, however our goal doesn't change, we want to try and finish in the top four and it's a seven-team race – reiterated the coach -. But now let's think about Atalanta, they're a strong team, we have to congratulate them: we'll have to play an intense match and try to win”.
The desire to do well is great, also because the refrain of fourth place, conference after conference, is less and less credible. There's also that 5-0 win from last season to avenge, even if, looking closely, the Rossoneri's comeback started from there. On the Atalanta front, however, there are a little less certainties than a few days ago, due to the two draws with Genoa and Udinese which sapped the general enthusiasm. “We are level on points with Juve and close to Naples and Rome, our ranking does not seem bad to me – Gasperini retorted -. Now a long-awaited match awaits us, between two teams who want to establish themselves on the pitch. We arrive with good morale, we'll line up in front of the first in the standings and we'll try to do the best possible race".
Pioli, as previously mentioned, finally has a squad full of alternatives, but today he will rely on the usual 4-2-3-1, net of the suspended Romagnoli and the injured Bennacer and Saelemaekers. In defense, in front of Donnarumma, Calabria, Kalulu, Kjaer and Hernandez will act, with Kessié and Tonali in midfield, Castillejo, Diaz and Leao on the trocar, Ibrahimovic in attack. Classic 3-4-1-2 also for Gasperini, who will respond with Gollini in goal, Toloi, Romero and Djimsiti in the back, Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler and Gosens in the midfield, Pessina behind Ilicic and Zapata. Obviously, Papu Gomez will not be there, waiting for a team to take him away from Bergamo.
In Italy the most credible destination is that of Inter Milan, much more pleasing to the player than Sevilla (which, however, is more pleasing to Percassi), but this will only be thought of in the next few days: first there is the Udine match to play and, possibly, win, perhaps hoping that Atalanta will score against Milan. Who will then be the next opponent in Tuesday's Cup derby, but Conte, at least in words, doesn't seem to care about this either. “The arguments must be made exclusively on Udinese – the Nerazzurri coach cut short -. We know the importance of the championship because it offers two possibilities between the Scudetto and the Champions League, which is why it takes priority over everything. We will have to face Udinese with the right concentration, we will see the rest later”.
In fact, the match at the Dacia Arena is important, especially after the good victory over Juve, which has given new impetus to Inter's ambitions for the Scudetto. But now we need continuity, which is why Conte will rely on the best possible 3-5-2 with Handanovic in goal, Skriniar, De Vrij and Bastoni in defense, Hakimi, Barella, Brozovic, Vidal and Young in midfield, Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez in attack. Gotti, refreshed by the midweek draw with Udinese, will respond with a 3-5-1-1 with Musso in goal, Becao, Bonifazi and Samir in the back, Stryger Larsen, De Paul, Arslan, Mandragora and Zeegelar in the midfield, Pereyra behind the lone striker Lasagna. The peak of tension, however, will be experienced in Rome, where the second act of the match against Spezia will take place, after the disaster of the Italian Cup.
In addition to losing badly on the pitch, in fact, the Giallorossi also repeated themselves at the table, given that the sports judge, after the tragicomic sixth change made by Fonseca, could not help but sanction the 0-3, the second of the season after that of Verona. A gaffe that sent the Friedkins into a rage, but also ransacked a locker room now on a war footing. The sackings of team manager Gombar and Global Sport Officer Zubiria have provoked the insurrection of the players, as evidenced by the mutiny on Thursday (with lots of training moved to the afternoon), as well as a tough confrontation with Fonseca, considered too weak in the face of to society. The result is that today, against the surprising Spezia di Italiano, there will be no Edin Dzeko: officially for a contusion, unofficially for yet another hard fight with the coach.
In addition to him, Pedro and Mkhitaryan will also be missing, stopped by muscle problems: in fact the whole starting attack. “It's true, we made a mistake, we have to know the rules – explained Fonseca -. The problem is that every year they change, there are competitions where six changes are expected. I feel the confidence of the president and the team is still on my side, this is a new project, I'm not the type of person to give up. Dzeko has a contusion, he felt discomfort and won't be ready for the match. My relationship with him? I'm focused on the match, I have to focus on the players who are ready to play."
And so, while rumors about Allegri and El Shaarawy land to lend a hand (he arrives on a free transfer from Shanghai Shenhua), the coach will look for a vital success with a 3-4-2-1 that will see Pau Lopez in goal, Ibanez , Kumbulla and Smalling in defense, Karsdorp, Villar, Veretout and Spinazzola in midfield, Pellegrini and Carles Perez behind lone striker Borja Mayoral. The Italian will try to take advantage of the Giallorossi chaos with a 4-3-3 with Provedel between the posts, Bastoni, Terzi, Chabot and Marchizza in the back, Estevez, Agoumé and Pobega in the midfield, Gyasi, Piccoli and Farias in attack.
