While Napoli and Milan moved clear at the Serie A summit, Juventus flattered to deceive, Roma suffered a European humbling, Italy’s long unbeaten run was broken and racist behaviour in the curvas again marred Italian football during the month of October…
Words: Stephen Kasiewicz
Top two surge forward
Napoli and Milan charged ahead at the top of Serie A maintaining remarkable unbeaten records to leave the chasing pack behind.
The leading duo were locked on 31 points with 10 wins and a draw after 11 games and could only be separated on goal difference, Napoli edging the outright lead by virtue of an outstanding defensive record.
Inter trailed by seven points in third, while Roma and Atalanta were another five points adrift as the in-form pair at the top accelerated into the distance.
Napoli’s perfect start to the new campaign was halted after eight straight wins in a turbulent goalless stalemate against Roma in which both Luciano Spalletti and Jose Mourinho were issued red cards. The Partenopei were not disheartened and recovered with a convincing three goal home win over Bologna and a spirited victory at Salernitana thanks to a second half strike from Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski.
Milan were equally impressive, as boosted by the return of the ageless Zlatan Ibrahimovic they netted thirteen goals in five games during October. Led by the ever-improving Davide Calabria in defence the Rossoneri fought back from two goals down to defeat Hellas Verona 3-2 in a thrilling match at the San Siro and posted superb away wins at both Atalanta (3-2) and Bologna (4-2). Ibrahimovic turned 40 at the start of October and fired in his 400th goal in domestic leagues – as well as his 150th in Serie A – with a blistering free-kick as Milan defeated Roma 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in what was also Jose Mourinho’s first home loss in the Italian top flight.
Meanwhile at the bottom, Salernitana became the third Serie A club to fire their coach as Fabrizio Castori was dismissed after a week eight home defeat against Spezia. Stefano Colantuono took over but oversaw three consecutive defeats as the Granata remained in the relegation places just a point above bottom of the table Cagliari.
Juventus roller coaster
The reappointment of Massimiliano Allegri was supposed to bring stability and a winning mentality back to the Old Lady of Italian football.
Instead, the Bianconeri could not escape mid-table mediocrity and were stunned by both Sassuolo and Hellas Verona to end October with consecutive defeats.
Juve were in a better position under the experimental reign of Andrea Pirlo after 11 games last term and ended October trailing the Serie A leaders by a whopping 16 points after a month which began promisingly enough.
Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli struck late on to seal a Derby della Mole win against Torino and Azzurri striker Moise Kean’s fortuitous header earned victory over Roma. A controversial penalty converted by injury prone Argentinian Paulo Dybala was enough to salvage a point in the Derby d’Italia as Inter bitterly complained about the spot-kick award.
Allegri had omitted Italy winger Federico Chiesa from his starting XI on occasion and seemed incapable of inspiring a team which misfired in attack and was devoid of midfield spark. Sassuolo capitalised to claim a first league win in Turin with a dramatic late counter from Maxime Lopez. Then Verona‘s Giovanni Simeone showed exactly what Juve were lacking up front as he scored twice in the first half and although Weston McKennie pulled one back the Bianconeri fell to another upset at the Bentegodi.
The furious Juventus hierarchy must be reconsidering their decision to hire Allegri again as the most decorated club in the history of calcio resemble a chaotic mess of inconsistency.
Roma’s European humiliation
Roma had endured Champions League horror shows in the past, but none were as unexpected and embarrassing as a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of Norway’s Bodø/Glimt.
The newly introduced Europa Conference League is a world away from the continent’s elite level and Jose Mourinho’s decision to field a second string team against the Norwegian champions backfired spectacularly.
It is demoralising enough to be thrashed by European giants like Manchester United (7-1 in April 2007), Bayern Munich (7-1 in October 2014) and Barcelona (6-1 in November 2015) but the six-goal trouncing in northern Norway set a new, unwanted nadir.
Instead of parking the bus, Mourinho threw his players under it after conceding six goals for the first time in his 1008th match as a manager. Claiming that some of his fringe players were not good enough to make the grade in Serie B, he bemoaned the limitations of his squad.
Mourinho: ‘Some of you aren’t good enough to play in Norway, or in Serie B’
Roma are still in contention to win Group C of the Europa Conference League and will be looking to exact revenge – presumably with a full strength starting XI – when Bodø/Glimt visit the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday November 4.
Italy lose unbeaten record
The Azzurri’s glorious world record breaking 37-match unbeaten sequence ended as Spain emerged victorious in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was controversially booed by sections of the Italian support at the San Siro in early October as Roberto Mancini’s European champions lost for the first time since September 2018.
Boos for Donnarumma, end of a journey and more: what we learned from Italy-Spain
The pain of defeat was tempered by a feeling of immense pride despite elimination from the Nations League in Milan.
Under the expert guidance of Mancini, the Azzurri underwent a metamorphosis, embarking on a thrilling run which culminated in Euro 2020 success against England at Wembley.
Instigating a radical shift in style, the former Inter, and Manchester City coach emphasized a possession based, offensive outlook which resulted in major championship success.
Despite losing 2-1 against the Spaniards the Azzurri immediately rebounded in the Nations League third place play-off, defeating Belgium to start a new winning streak. Italy will aim to extend the run in World Cup qualification matches against Switzerland and Northern Ireland this month.
Off field controversy
The ugly spectre of racism continued to tarnish the reputation of Italian football after a series of unseemly incidents in October.
While hardly a new phenomenon, calcio continued to be blighted by the disgraceful behaviour of a misguided but vocal minority in the stands.
Napoli central defender Kalidou Koulibaly was the victim of racist abuse as the Azzurri defeated Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi on October 4. The Viola identified the culprit, and he was banned from all stadiums in Italy for five years as a result.
Inter wing-back Denzel Dumfries was also subjected to alleged racist chants captured on video at the Stadio Olimpico as Lazio defeated the Nerrazzuri 3-1 on October 16.
Both Milan attacker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Franck Kessie were targeted by sections of the Roma ultras during the Rossoneri’s 2-1 win in the Italian capital on Halloween night.
Italian Football Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina condemned racist behaviour at the start of October, but until tougher punishments are introduced the moronic abuse from the stands is unlikely to dissipate any time soon.
Serie A as it stood on October 31
