The match at San Siro between Inter and Napoli is already worth an important share of the Scudetto. This is how Chivu and Conte get there and why the result will affect the championship
Conte spent the eve of the San Siro match in silence. Chivu spoke to explain that he is not obsessed with direct clashes, even though almost all of them have gone badly for him so far, and that he doesn’t want to think about controversies, referees, the transfer market and things on the sidelines. Conte remained silent but his manager, Manna, spoke for him, and everyone around fueled the chorus after the half-failure against Verona conditioned (in the opinion of whoever was sent to speak) by serious refereeing errors. Incidentally: the leaders of The Hague have certified Maradona’s decisions as correct.
In any case, the two technicians of Inter and Napoli arrived in a different way at a match that is already worth a good share of the Scudetto despite having been placed by a naughty calendar even at the beginning of the second half of the season. On paper nothing can be decisive when another 57 points remain up for grabs between now and the awarding of the title in late May. In reality, the match between Inter and Napoli in the freezing cold of San Siro will influence the sprint for the tricolour.
He will do it especially if the Nerazzurri win. Their form is certainly better than that of the Italian champions, they have had absences and only one that affects the starting line-up (Dumfries) and in the last three months they have run at a higher pace than their opponents. There is one piece of data that illustrates a trend that goes beyond the 4-point advantage with which the two teams approach the match: since last October 25th, the day of Napoli’s 3-1 success in a match full of poisons, Inter have scored 7 points more than their rivals in 10 matchdays.
They may seem few or insignificant, but they are a consolidated trend. If Chivu were to add a success in the direct clash, not only would he send Conte to -7 but he would deal a very hard blow to his motivations. The blitz of Inzaghi’s Nerazzurri in 2023 at Maradona and the resistance of the Neapolitans last March (1-1 comeback at the last minute) were two moments that represented a sort of handover between reigning champions and future winners: Inter’s victory at San Siro could have the same meaning.
It is also worth broadening the overview to what will happen in the next month. Inter’s calendar seems built for a series of positive results: Lecce and Pisa at San Siro, Udinese-Cremonese-Sassuolo away with the last two Champions League matches in between. Napoli, who are not yet certain of the European playoffs, have Juventus at the Stadium stuck between Copenhagen and Chelsea.
And Milan? The writer believes that the championship is not in the running and that the squandering of points against the provincial teams (11 are missing from the first round) confirms this. From now until the beginning of February Allegri will have Como twice, away games against Fiorentina, Roma and Bologna and Lecce at home. If he has to present title credentials he will have to go beyond his limits, otherwise it will just be a duel between Inter and Napoli.
