Vlahovic finds goals again and puts Juve in the lead. Inter conquers Udine and today Napoli tries to leapfrog everyone

Juventus and Inter return to winning ways. The Bianconeri thus climb to first place alone, even if they are waiting for Torino and Napoli. Motta: "Vlahovic? A positive leader". Here are today's matches

Smiles found again. Juventus e Inter are back to winning and, consequently, to breathing deeply. The latest results of both, in fact, had created doubts and bad feelings in their respective environments, therefore the 3 points against Genoa and Udinese they were almost mandatory. Thiago Motta e Inzaghi they have completed their mission and now the standings are smiling: the Bianconeri are in the lead with 12 points, the Nerazzurri follow with 11 with Torino and Milan. Things can change, however, given that today Vanoli's Granata will take to the field (against Lazio, 12.30:20.45) and Conte's Napoli (at the Maradona with Monza, 15:9), without forgetting that Juric's Roma, in the event of a victory over Venezia (1:1), could go to XNUMX and get closer to the leading group, detaching Bologna and Atalanta, who yesterday were cancelled out in the draw at the Dall'Ara (XNUMX-XNUMX, goals by Castro and Samardzic).

Genoa – Juventus 0-3: Bianconeri in the lead thanks to Vlahovic and Conceiçao

The goal drought is broken and Juventus victories, who leaves Genoa with 3 very important points for the standings and morale. The Lady climbs to first place alone, albeit in waiting for Turin and Naples, but above all, they rediscovered their feeling with the opponent's goal after the last three consecutive 0-0s. Breaking the Marassi, desolately empty due to the decision of the Observatory, was not as easy as it might seem, in fact the first half of Thiago Motta's team was not very different from the last ones played. Juve struggled to create play and goal-scoring opportunities, so much so that they went into the break with a dismal "zero" in the shots on target box. Gollini. But then, at the beginning of the second half, here comes the decisive episode for the turning point, namely a penalty born from a handball by De Winter transformed by Vlahovic (48'). From then on the challenge went downhill and the Bianconeri, just like with Como and Verona, were able to excel in the opponent's spaces, thanks to a newfound mental serenity. The Serbian striker, heavily criticized in recent weeks, doubled the lead with a splendid left-footed cross shot on an assist from Koopmeiners (55') and the contest, in effect, was over. Gilardino's Genoa too weak, who were out of the game with Messias, Ekuban and Malinovskyi, to try to reopen it, especially since Juventus proved to be absolutely hermetic, taking home their sixth clean sheet in as many games. Perin's first noteworthy save came at the end on Pinamonti, but in the meantime the Old Lady had already come close to making it 3-0 on a couple of occasions (Koopmeiners' crossbar and Vlahovic's header), only to find it again just before injury time with Conceiçao (89'). Thiago Motta thus finds goals and points, but above all a first place that gives confidence for the future.

Thiago Motta: “Not conceding a goal is fundamental! Vlahovic? A leader”

“In the second half there was much more harmony between the players on the pitch – Thiago Motta thought -. After the lead it was clear that Genoa struggled more against our team who have quality, then we attacked in the right way and in a dangerous manner. At half time the players talked to each other to understand what we could do better. and it's not the first time. I gave my tactical instructions, everyone did very well and this is the most important thing: I have a strong group that if they work together can become even stronger. No goals conceded yet? It's certainly an important fact because it shows that we are a solid team, but the credit goes to everyone starting with the attackers who help. The defensive phase is done as a team, we defended together and with great generosity making efforts to recover the ball and defend our goal. Not conceding goals is essential to aspire to important goals. Vlahovic? He's becoming a positive leader even in communication and body language, even if sometimes he needs to improve in staying in the game and in tune with his teammates”.

Udinese – Inter 2-3: Lautaro breaks free, the Nerazzurri return to winning ways

Inzaghi was looking for answers from his leaders and he got them, albeit with a little more anxiety than expected. His Inter defeated Udine with a good performance, in which they probably deserved a more resounding victory, yet the Friulians remained in the game until the end, confirming the defensive difficulties of the Nerazzurri. We wondered what the approach would be like after the soporific ones with Monza and Milan and Inzaghi's team immediately made things clear, finding the goal of 0-1 after just 43 seconds with Frattesi, as usual ruthless with the opposing goalkeepers. From then on the Nerazzurri, unlocked in the result and in the mind, ground out a series of opportunities, almost doubling the lead with Lautaro, Thuram and Frattesi, but without finding it. And so, when Udinese found the equaliser with Kabasele (35'), after having already come close to it with Lovric (a sensational save by Dimarco), many thought it was the usual drop in tension, which has become a constant in this start of the championship. At the end of the half, however, Inter had the merit of diving back into the Juventus half of the pitch and after a goal missed by Darmian, here is the one scored by Lautaro to interrupt a fast that had lasted since May 10th (45+3'). The Nerazzurri captain then repeated himself at the beginning of the second half with a great right-footed shot from the edge of the area (47') and Inzaghi was able to smile, at least until the 83rd minute when Lucca, who had come on shortly before in place of Davis, reopened the match with a close-range tap-in. The final, however fiery, did not provide any other twists and Inter officially took 3 golden points, which send them to second place in the standings (together with Torino and Milan) and put an end to the post-derby controversy.

Inzaghi: “There was a desire to win, but we needed to score more”

“The boys were fantastic, I'm very satisfied – confirmed Inzaghi -. We came to play on a difficult pitch and we played a great first half, the only flaw is not having scored a few more goals because we had at least four clear chances. For what the team created we should have scored more. Also because then they entered the area twice and scored two goals, but I don't want to reproach the team for anything. It was a great success because we were coming from the defeat in the derby and everyone wanted to win, I knew the team would have a great reaction and he would have played a great game: we had suffered the defeat against Milan, but from certain falls we start again. The goals conceded with the head? They are a reason for growth, we must improve, not let the opponents cross and occupy the spaces in the area better. Lautaro? He is our captain and we know what he represents. He has always worked well, then it is clear that for a striker it is important to score”.

Naples – Monza (20.45pm, Dazn)

The focus now turns to today's races, starting with the postponed match between Naples and Monza. Maradona, dressed for the party (sold out like in the Italian Cup), will try to drag the Azzurri to the top of the standings, obviously Turin permitting. The city believes in it, after all the team is flying in the image and likeness of Conte, a true leader of a group rediscovered compared to last year, although properly reinforced by the ownership. The match against Palermo showed off the second lines and the result was even better than expected, with the Azzurri winning by a landslide and some players (Ngonge and Neres above all) shining. There are all the ingredients for another success, even if Monza, in addition to winning the Coppa Italia match against Brescia, has already shown that it can cause problems for the big teams: Inter knows something about it, having been forced to a draw in extremis a couple of weeks ago. This Naples, however, is riding a wave of enthusiasm and he certainly doesn't want to stop now, especially since Conte seems to have found the formula to make him go even faster. The switch to 4-3-3 (or 4-2-3-1, depending on the interpretation), allows him to enhance the enormous potential in the middle of the field (McTominay first and foremost) and to put Kvaratskhelia back on the right wing, therefore in the role best suited to his characteristics. The first two outings with Juve and Palermo have confirmed that the path is the right one, now we will see if the definitive test will arrive with Monza.

Napoli – Monza, probable formations

Naples (4-3-3): Caprile; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia

On the bench: Contini, Turi, Juan Jesus, Marin, Mazzocchi, Gilmour, Spinazzola, Neres, Simeone, Ngonge, Raspadori, Folorunsho

Coach: Conte

Unavailable: Meret, Zerbin

Disqualified: none

Monza (3-4-2-1): Turati; Izzo, Pablo Mari, Carboni; Pedro Pereira, Pessina, Bondo, Kyriakopoulos; Maldini, Caprari; Djuric

On the bench: Pizzignacco, Mazza, Caldirola, D'Ambrosio, Bianco, Valoti, Sensi, Mota Carvalho, Petagna, Forson

Coach: Nesta

Unavailable: Cragno, Ciurria, Birindelli, Vignato, Gagliardini

Disqualified: none

Rome – Venice (15pm, Dazn)

A delicate match also for Roma, forced to win to follow up on the success over Udinese, but also to put the matter behind them. the half European misstep against Athletic BilbaoThe climate in the capital continues to be quite hot, with the fans still furious for the 'De Rossi's dismissal: three points against Venezia would not be enough to bring back normality, but they would certainly help. Juric knows this well, aware that only the results will be able to bring the public back to the club's side, a condition not so far from pursuing the objectives indicated by the company. The mission, to tell the truth, seems anything but impossible, as far as the Venetians of the former Di Francesco managed to break free against Genoa and therefore arrive at the Olimpico with much more serenity. To complicate things, then, the post-Europa League fatigue could come into play, given that the match against the Spanish has left both physical and mental after-effects. We will see if Roma will be able to react immediately in the right way, just like last Sunday against Udinese: the environment was even more hostile, and yet the Giallorossi were able to isolate themselves and attack the opponent from the first minutes. The approach will have to be the same, at least this is what Juric hopes, having arrived at the most important bench of his career and determined to play his cards until the end, waiting for better times.

Juric: “We are Roma, we must always play like in the first half on Thursday”

"Against Athletic Svilar didn't make a single save, but we need to improve in having more ball possession because we have the ability, as well as in the mentality of wanting to bring home the result - Juric underlined -. We want to play more games like in the first half on Thursday, a team like Roma must always play with intensity and at their best if they want to get results. I have extremely positive feelings about the new players, I see them involved, they are having fun. I have the feeling that we want to play as soon as possible, this leads to facing the games with great enthusiasm. Celik and Dybala they have no injuries, they want to train and try. Here we found a very high level staff, Trigoria offers the best in terms of player recovery. Pellegrini? He has exemplary behavior, he really wants to play. He still has a bit of pain, but he wants to be there and give his contribution”.

Roma – Venezia, probable formations

Rome (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Angelino; Celik, Koné, Pisilli, El Shaarawy; Pellegrini, Soulé, Dovbyk

On the bench: Ryan, Marin, Abdullhamid, Sangare, Hermoso, Hummels, Dahl, Cristante, Paredes, Baldanzi, Dybala, Shomurodov

Coach: Juric

Unavailable: Le Fée, Saelemaekers

Disqualified: none

Venice (3-5-2): Joronen; Idzes, Svoboda, Sverko; Candela, Nicolussi Ankle, Duncan, Busio, Zampano; Oristanio, Pohjanpalo

On the bench: Bertinato, Grandi, Stankovic, Haps, Altare, Carboni, Schingtienne, Sagrado, Andersen, Crnigoj, Doumbia, Raimondi, Ellertsson, Gytkjaer, Yeboah

Coach: Di Francesco

Unavailable: Bjarkason

Disqualified: none

Turin – Lazio (12.30pm, Dazn)

The Serie A Sunday will be kicked off by Turin and Lazio, engaged in the most interesting and balanced challenge of Sunday. The Granata want to regain first place alone, as well as forget the ugly elimination from the Italian Cup against Empoli, the Biancocelesti are looking for their first away win of the championship, after having broken the general fast in the European trip with Dynamo Kiev. It is difficult to predict what kind of match it will be, given that both play good football and are always looking for goals and offensive actions. Vanoli and Baroni represent the new that is advancing, not at all burned by their respective leaps (the first coached Venezia in Serie B, the second Verona) and determined to reach ever higher heights, in defiance of the predictions of the eve that saw them starting in the rear. The two teams are united by protests by fans against Cairo and Lotito: the two, ironically, can barely stand each other (understatement), and yet they have put together two rather interesting teams. The one with the most at stake, evidently, is Lazio, given that the declared objective is a place in the next European cups. Failing in Turin too, after the slip-up in Florence, would scale down Baroni's ambitions quite a bit, while Vanoli is already doing more than expected, even if this does not mean that he intends to stop.