AC Milan and Napoli’s long unbeaten start to the Serie A season meant Inter Milan were playing catch-up for much of the campaign to date, but as their rivals faltered, the champions have hit top gear at the right time.
After the 4-0 thrashing of Cagliari on Sunday – Inter’s fifth successive league win – they are top of the table and in pole position to be crowned “winter champions”, the mid-season title that is taken seriously in Italy.
There are two games left before Serie A breaks until Jan. 6, a delay which may in fact not come at the best time for Inter, given the way they are playing.
“Now that we are top, naturally we want to stay there,” coach Simone Inzaghi told DAZN. “However, we were seven or eight points off the top just a month ago, so we know it’s a tricky and very open season.”
Juve’s attacking woes continue
Plenty has gone wrong for Juventus this season as Serie A’s most successful team trail leaders Inter by 12 points.
Their biggest issue, however, and the reason their Scudetto dreams are fading fast, is their wastefulness in front of goal, with more profligacy costing sixth-placed Juventus two valuable points in a 1-1 draw at Venezia on Saturday.
Juve mustered 20 shots at goal in Venice, but only found the net once. Leading 1-0, they wasted a host of gilt-edged opportunities to put the result beyond their opponents, before Mattia Aramu earned newly-promoted Venezia a draw they celebrated with vigour.
Argentine striker Paulo Dybala picked up yet another injury in the match to add to coach Massimiliano Allegri’s woes, too.
Vlahovic’s star continues to rise
In 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player since 1961 to score 33 Serie A goals in a calendar year.
In Fiorentina’s 4-0 win over Salernitana on Saturday – La Viola’s third victory in a row – Dusan Vlahovic scored a double to take his 2021 calendar year tally to 32 league goals, as his star continues to rise.
Reports in the Italian media have linked Vlahovic with a move to a host of Europe’s top clubs given his remarkable goalscoring record, speculation that not has affected his form one bit, with the Serb scoring seven times in his last five matches.
