Inter and Simone Inzaghi’s tendency to drop points in the second part of the campaign continues, while Antonio Conte was able to win crucial games between January and February last term.
The Nerazzurri have collected just nine points since the start of the year. They won against Lazio and Venezia, but lost against Sassuolo and Milan, drawing with Napoli, Genoa and Atalanta.
They also lost against Liverpool in February but qualified for the Coppa Italia semi-finals by beating Roma at the Stadio Meazza.
The Milan derby was the turning point of last season. Antonio Conte’s side beat the Rossoneri 3-0, moving four points clear of their city rivals on top of the table. On the other hand, Simone Inzaghi suffered a 2-1 loss against the Diavoli less than a month ago, allowing Milan to remain in the race for the title.
Conte had won against Fiorentina, Lazio, Milan and Genoa one year ago at this stage of the season, earning crucial points in Inter’s first title-winning campaign in 11 years.
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Both the Nerazzurri and Inter tend to drop points in the second part of the campaign. Back in 2017-18, Inter collected six draws and two defeats from December 9 until the start of February with Luciano Spalletti in charge.
Likewise, Roberto Mancini’s side slipped from the top of the table in 2015-16 losing five games (against Lazio, Sassuolo, Milan, Juventus and Fiorentina) from December 20 until February. They only won three games in the same period (against Empoli, Chievo and Sampdoria), drawing against Verona, Carpi and Atalanta.
Simone Inzaghi’s average point in the second part of the campaign also tends to decrease. In 2106-17 he went from 1.95 points per game in the Girone d’Andata to 1.74 in the second part of the season. The same happened the following campaign (from 2.11 to 1.68) and in 2018-19 (1.68 to 1.42). In 2019-20 his Lazio side went from 2.26 points per game in the first part of the campaign to 1.84 after the lockdown. Inzaghi’s point-per-game average remained the same last term.
The Nerazzurri are now two points behind leaders Milan and Napoli, although with a game in hand. They’ll face Milan in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals tomorrow before hosting last-placed Salernitana at the Stadio Meazza next Friday.