Atalanta beats world champion Chelsea, achieving a historic feat. Inter lost against Liverpool, mocked by a very questionable penalty late on. Chivu has a problem: big matches…
A victory and a defeat, Italian football thus emerges from the comparison with two greats of the Premier League. A balance that weighs heavily on the final insult that cost Inter a draw against Liverpool at the San Sirosecond defeat in a row in Europe which also means almost certainly abandoning the dreams of directly qualifying for the round of 16 and entering the purgatory of the playoffs in February. A different fate awaits Atalanta: the comeback against Chelsea has the flavor of a feat and definitively launches Palladino in Gasperini’s European footsteps.
Those who wanted to use the Champions League night to measure the gap that separates us from the English will have been disappointed: we are less beautiful, rich and appealing in the rest of the world, but when it comes to competing on the pitch we have weapons that put anyone in difficulty. Even Maresca’s world champions who underwent an unforgettable lesson in Bergamo despite finding themselves (undeservedly) ahead.
Dream Atalanta (and De Ketelaere has a great evening)
Atalanta’s perfect match bears the name of Charles De Ketelaere. Maldini was right when he brought him to Milan by betting a chip worth over 35 million euros, only to lose his place a few months later also due to the struggles of the Belgian talent in his first Italian season: inspired CDK is a top player and the key is to find that level of performance with greater continuity.
Palladino risks becoming cross-eyed looking at the results of his Atalanta: in the Champions League they have a historic qualification in the top eight in hand, if they manage to get four points between Athletic Bilbao (home) and Union Saint Gilloise (away). In the championship he is delayed, far from the Europe area which represents the natural habitat of a club that cannot imagine itself outside of the cups: now there is a month and a half to concentrate on the ascent, forgetting for a while the exploits of the Champions League.
Inter, a mocking defeat but there is a problem in big matches
Inter lost against Liverpool for two obvious reasons. The first is the not being able to replicate the intensity and quality of the performances against Como and also in Madridalso thanks to an opponent who may be in crisis but remains built without sparing expense and is still the reigning champion of England. The second is the bad luck resulting in injuries that were quickly eliminated Calhanoglu And Unripe forcing Chivu not to be able to make any other changes except towards the end of the match, when the team would have needed them earlier.
The bizarre evening of Mr. Storks at the Var and of the referee Zweyer is also bad luck: the winning penalty for the Reds is simply not allowable at this level and perhaps one is missing from the other end due to a touch of the arm by Van Dijk. Once the refereeing issue is over, however, there also remains the feeling of incompleteness in the big matches that accompanies the Nerazzurri season and which risks becoming a dangerous constant.
Whatever the explanation, five defeats have come against Juventus, Napoli, Milan, Atletico Madrid and Liverpool and from now on it will be forbidden to fall. In Europe the path to the round of 16 has become very narrow and uphill: a victory and a draw (to win them) against Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund might not even be enough.
