Inter Milan’s show of strength crushed Roma in Week 24 and confirmed they’ve got the momentum more than Milan, says Susy Campanale
Max Allegri may claim Milan “are not under pressure,” but the huge lead has been eradicated to just three points and, as Inter have a game in hand against Fiorentina, that could in reality be only two. With Antonio Cassano not on great form and even Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggling to find the net, the atomic attack is looking a little timid lately. Admittedly, the numerous injuries make it inevitable the Rossoneri will dip a little, but two consecutive stalemates against Lazio and now Genoa ring alarm bells.
If there’s a side with momentum right now, then that’s Inter. Leonardo is breathing down the necks of his former players and bringing the entertainment factor back to the reigning champions. It’s rarely comfortable and they have kept only one clean sheet under the new Coach, but the Nerazzurri’s 5-3 victory over Roma was a show of strength. The return of Wesley Sneijder could be just the boost they need on top of Giampaolo Pazzini, Andrea Ranocchia, Yuto Nagatomo and Houssine Kharja as January additions. It will be very tough for the Giallorossi to get back into the title race after this bitter blow and Nicolas Burdisso’s third red card of the campaign.
Napoli wasted the opportunity to close in midweek, but got right back on track by seeing off Cesena and the gap now stands at just three points. It would’ve been a 3-0 victory, but Christian Maggio’s ‘phantom goal’ was cleared after it had crossed the line, unseen by the officials.
Lazio’s early title hopes have all but evaporated as they slowly get back to their expected status of challenging for European qualification. Chievo held them to a second straight draw by making the most of the only real scoring opportunity.
It was a case of homecoming joy for Alessandro Matri, who clearly enjoyed the Sardinian air a week after he left Cagliari. It’s surely no coincidence the former Rossoblu striker bagged his first brace in a Juventus jersey against his former teammates. He opted not to celebrate as a sign of respect for the fans, who responded with jeers.
Fabrizio Miccoli took the tradition of muted celebrations a bit far. The Lecce native has never played for his hometown club, but was absolutely distraught at scoring against them. In fact, the Palermo captain was so upset that he didn’t come back out for the second half, avoiding the sight of his beloved Salentini throwing away a lead twice to fall 4-2.
There was nothing to dampen Antonio Di Natale’s celebrations, as he ended a two-week drought to net his 100th Serie A goal in an Udinese jersey. The Friulani have amassed 17 points from an available 21 and confirmed just how crucial Alexis Sanchez has become to this side. He was sorely missed in the midweek draw against Bologna, but returned to score one and set up another against a dismal Sampdoria.
It was a new start at the Tardini, as Amauri got his first Serie A goal in a year, breaking the drought with a spectacular overhead kick. Sending a message to his old club Juve, the Brazilian also hit the crossbar for Parma. Fiorentina welcomed back Adrian Mutu after he stormed out in a contract dispute and hope he’ll give them some more options.
It was home sweet home for Beppe Iachini, who in two games back on the Brescia bench has picked up four points. The Rigamonti result has probably doomed Bari to the drop, as it’ll be a miracle for them to avoid relegation once nine points adrift of the safety zone. Catania haven’t had much luck since bringing in Diego Simeone, as the slip-up at Bologna with Pablo Alvarez sent off just 22 minutes in has seen them plummet to fourth-from-bottom.
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