As Inter prepare to face Udinese after their loss to Bologna, Richard Hall explains why the Nerazzurri still have a fair chance to win the Serie A title.
Ionut Radu cried tears of sadness in Bologna as his costly error saw Inter throw away a valuable three points from their game in hand. The blame could not simply be laid at the feet of the 24-year-old Romanian as Inter created chances but didn’t take enough of them. This leaves them chasing Milan now, in a desperate attempt to beat their neighbours to the finishing line and lift the Scudetto for the second year in a row. Despite the slip up against the Rossoblu, there is still a feeling in the Nerazzurri camp that they can achieve this in May.
Inter have played well enough in recent weeks to say that the game against Bologna was simply a bad day at the office. They had 26 shots on goal, seven on target (this was the issue) and 59% possession. On another day, this would have been a victory. Instead, it was a blip in form, however costly. Inter certainly have not had a mental breakdown that we have seen over the past decades, this was just a slip. The problem is, you can run 10k in perfect pace and form, but if you slip next to a cliff, then problems start.
Arguably, Milan have been in worse shape. Inter annihilated them in Coppa Italia and they were extremely fortunate against Lazio, leaving it until the final moments to grab a last gasp winner. Credit must be given to them as Stefano Pioli is managing to build an exciting team mixed with veterans and youth. He is no longer seen as a coach that is brought in to ‘steady ships.’ Now he is the Captain of a destroyer, and he is trying to run it at full speed. They are top of the form table, but they have ridden their luck.
At this time of the season, all eyes go onto the fixture list, and here is where it gets interesting. Whilst nothing is predictable (just ask Inter after Bologna) one would think that the Nerazzurri have the better run-in in the final rounds. When you take into account that they have been brilliant since beating Juventus, and victories against Verona, Spezia, Milan and Roma are testaments to that, you would think that they can dust themselves down after Bologna and make a good show of it.
They face Udinese this weekend. Admittedly the ‘Zebre’ come off the back of a 4-0 win against Fiorentina. Whilst the side from the Friuli are second in the form table, Inter do have enough to overpower them. Empoli are next at San Siro, and this is a game that Inter often win. The Tuscans have been in miserable form of late (their win against Napoli was the first one after 16 matches) and this will be a game they look to get three points. The defending Serie A champions finish off the season by travelling to Sardinia to face Cagliari before welcoming Sampdoria to San Siro. Walter Mazzarri and Marco Giampaoli’s teams lie 19th and 18th in the form table, respectively.
Milan face a wounded Fiorentina on Sunday, with La Viola who have impressed this season despite having had two hard weeks lately. Pressure will be on Pioli’s men as they lead the pack, and they have to travel to Verona the following week. Hellas, on the other hand, have no pressure on their shoulders and are about to complete one of the best seasons in the club’s history. Next up is the toughest task as they welcome Atalanta to Milan. The side from Bergamo have not been in the best of form but they are always a dangerous opponent. Finally, they face Sassuolo on the last day of the season at the Mapei. Here is another team who have not had the best of weeks recently but have the resources to be dangerous.
Truth be told, it is impossible to call. Milan have the edge due to the two points they hold over Inter but arguably the Nerazzurri have the better run-in. Can Milan go to the end and not drop points? Can Inter avoid another slip up? For fans of both teams, it will be a nervy month of May, not only will one team win the title, but they will beat their rivals to it. It is one of the most exciting title races in recent memories and it is not over yet.
@RichHall80
Milan were lucky to win against Lazio? You must have been watching a different game than I did – they were pretty dominant, particularly in the 2nd half. If any team deserved to win that game, it was Milan. But I agree, it’s a very close race, and anything can happen in these last four rounds.
Milan were not lucky to win against Lazio. They were very lucky to win against Lazio! LOL