It’s threatening to be the best Serie A title race in years.
Sure, Napoli pushed Juventus close a couple of times – even after selling their prized asset to their rivals in the summer of 2016 – but the domination of the Turin giants was untouched until big-spending Inter Milan took the crown last year.
Due to their owners’ financial woes, the club was then forced to sell two of its biggest stars in Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku, while title-winning coach Antonio Conte was the first one out the door, since replaced by former Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi.
To me, that meant Inter would fall short this season, yet that has proven anything but with the doubters, including this SBOTOP reporter, well and truly silenced.
And with city rivals Milan punching above their weight, inspired by a 40-year-old phenomenon, Napoli giving themselves a chance and Juventus improving – although not realistically title challengers) we have become used to Serie A 2022 highlights most weeks.
This weekend was no different.
Age is no barrier
The signing of 35-year-old Edin Dzeko last summer, effectively as a replacement for the deadly Lukaku, did little to excite most Inter fans.
Yet that view may have changed slightly in recent months, including on Saturday in the San Siro, as the Serbian headed home a Denzel Dumfries cross in the final minute.
That earned the defending champions a late win over Covid-hit Venezia, who had eight players out with the virus, just one shy of the cut-off point to suspend the match, along with coach Paolo Zanetti.
They took the lead against the run of play when Ethan Ampadu whipped a cross to the back post and Thomas Henry headed in off the underside of the crossbar.
Nicolo Barella levelled in somewhat controversial circumstances, but Venezia looked to have held out against the barrage and cause a surprise with the Serie A 2022 betting odds until Dzeko’s intervention.
They remain clear at the top and have extended their advantage after draws for Napoli and Milan in Sunday night’s big match with Juve.
Inter have already won the Supercoppa this month, a last-gasp winner from Alexis Sanchez suggesting to some that this was a symbolic win, signalling a change of the guard. Could they becoming the new dominant force in Italian football?
It’s too early to say.
This win was another step in the right direction mind.
Cagliari need more
A point is a point, but Cagliari’s failure to claim all three at home to Fiorentina could be something they live to regret at the end of the campaign.
In their defence, the Sardinians were badly depleted with Leonardo Pavoletti and Arturo Carboni suspended and Kevin Strootman, Marko Rog and Sebastian Walukiewicz all missing through injury.
In addition, Alessio Cragno, Alessandro Deiola, Charalampos Lykogiannis were absent through Covid.
They will know, though, that this was a missed opportunity.
Early in the second half, Joao Pedro headed home a corner and, while the same player saw a penalty saved shortly afterwards, the dismissal of Viola’s Alvaro Odriozola should have given them impetus to see out the win.
Instead, 10-man Fiorentina equalised through former Cagliari man Riccardo Sottil to earn a point for the visitors, who also saw a spot-kick saved early in the encounter.
All in all, a goal apiece and a point apiece in a chaotic and often ill-tempered match in Sardinia but the home side remain in the drop zone.
Mourinho sticks four fingers up at critics
A week ago, I read an article which suggested Jose Mourinho could be running out of time at AS Roma; that the manager, appointed last May in what was considered a major coup for the Italian club and the city gripped by a fervour and belief in him, could be losing his way.
Well, this seems premature to me.
After all, as the same writer acknowledged, Mourinho has forged a reputation as a master of building a strong, stubborn unit, even if some issues around leadership and mentality – which pre-dated him – appear to have remained untouched.
Well, there was plenty of leadership in his side’s 4-2 victory at Empoli on Sunday teatime.
Four goals in 13 first-half minutes did the damage and moved the club from the Eternal City up to sixth and back ahead of their capital rivals Lazio.
A Tammy Abraham brace and goals from new signing Sergio Oliveira and Nicolò Zaniolo ended the match as a contest before the break.
The Tuscans gained some respectability but this was a good day and, generally, a decent weekend for Roma and their manager.
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