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Eleven points separate second-placed Lazio from Juventus in seventh, but the fascinating six-way battle for three spots is far more nuanced.
Napoli’s saunter to what looks set to be their first Serie A title in 33 years could make the average observer conclude the Italian topflight has been devoid of intrigue in 2022-23.
The Partenopei are not used to this position of superiority, with the Scudetto not having Naples as its home since Diego Maradona inspired the Azzurri to the title in 1990. A generation later, Luciano Spalletti is all but set to guide this group to a league title with games to spare.
The race to claim Serie A may not fascinate anyone, but what is happening behind Napoli elicits excitement and confusion.
Excitement because anyone of Lazio, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Roma and Atalanta could still end in the three spots below the Partenopei. Confusion because seventh-placed Juventus, who had 15 points deducted in January and await the verdict of their appeal to have that decision revoked or otherwise on April 19, are somehow involved despite what many assumed put paid to any chance of the Old Lady’s prospects at the time.
As it stands, Massimiliano Allegri’s troops are seven points behind Milan in fourth, with Roma and Atalanta occupying fifth and sixth, respectively. The Bianconeri should be rank outsiders, except for the fact that the clubs above them seem to lack the consistency to maintain the challenge to claim a top-four berth.
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22:53 - 19.03.2023
SERIE A Juventus silence Inter at the San Siro
Juventus continued their pursuit of the Serie A top four with a crucial 1-0 win over Inter Milan 1-0 in the Derby d’Italia.
Despite being without Paul Pogba for nearly the entire campaign and with Federico Chiesa still finding his feet after returning in November 2022, Allegri has shown a flexible side of himself to keep Juventus competitive. The six-time Scudetto winner wanted a focused group to fight for the club after they slid from third to 10th in the standings in January, and they have heeded their manager’s words.
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So what about the other contenders: Lazio, the Milan clubs, Roma and Atalanta?
Lazio
Maurizio Sarri’s team have had a weird season. Unable to make a more significant impact in the Europa League and Europa Conference League, the Biancocelesti have found the required sequence of results to put themselves in second place.
A 1-0 Derby della Capitale success over Roma two weeks back — the first time Lazio have done the double over their fierce rivals in 11 years — and the Milan clubs losing against Juventus and Udinese in gameweek 27 mean Sarri’s side have opened up a two-point lead over the Nerazzurri and have a four-point advantage over Stefano Pioli’s men.
That is hardly a comfortable advantage, especially considering the capital club still faces Juventus, Inter and Milan between now and June.
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Sarri needs Mattia Zaccagni and Ciro Immobile fit and firing to achieve a Champions League participation for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Inter Milan
If Inter fails to end in the Champions League positions in June, Simone Inzaghi will undoubtedly rue a fluctuating away record that has worsened as the season has progressed.
Last year’s runners-up have the ninth-best record on their travels, a significant drop-off from last season, 2020-21 and three years back, when it never slipped below fourth.
The Nerazzurri have struggled to maintain performance levels across multiple fronts, and there is a feeling Inzaghi navigates knockout competitions better than he sustains his side’s Serie A form.
Unlike Lazio, the third-placed Inter have a seemingly harder run-in, with games against Sarri’s team, Roma, Napoli and Atalanta in the final seven rounds.
On the other hand, it could be to the Nerazzurri’s benefit, given that three of those fixtures come against teams they are in direct competition with. But they must avoid defeats like the one suffered in the Derby d’Italia against Juventus two weeks back.
AC Milan
While Milan’s form away from San Siro may not be as worse as their Lombardy rivals, a wretched run of results on their travels in 2023 has put a Champions League finish in jeopardy.
Even though they have made it to the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition for the first time since 2012, Tottenham Hotspur were yielding opponents, and domestic performances ascertain the Rossoneri’s level.
Supporters were irate after a 3-1 defeat by Udinese before the international break, not only because it was the Udine outfit’s first win at Dacia Arena since beating Inter by the same score in September but also due to a fourth away loss since the turn of the year.
The mini resurgence that followed Pioli’s switch to a back three appears to have been a false dawn, with last year’s champions falling into old habits, chiefly lacking intensity without possession and precision in the attacking third.
Having returned to a back four in-game at Udinese, the Rossoneri boss subsequently suggested a reversion from the off could be in the offing at Napoli this weekend.
Undoubtedly, games against Roma, Lazio and a penultimate day of the season visit to Turin to take on Juventus will be pivotal to Pioli and his faltering side.
Roma
Jose Mourinho has had a complicated season with the media and referees but the experienced Roma boss knows a shot at the Giallorossi’s return to the Champions League is feasible.
Be that as it may, results like the defeat by relegation-threatened Cremonese must be avoided in the season’s final stretch, while ill-discipline that cost them in the 4-3 defeat against Sassuolo and 1-0 derby loss to Lazio should be kept to a minimum if the Giallorossi are to return to Europe’s top club competition after a four-year absence.
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10:16 - 20.03.2023
SERIE A Mourinho and Lazio president to be investigated after dressing room bust-up
Jose Mourinho and Lazio's president Claudio Lotito were involved in an altercation after the Rome derby
Keeping Paolo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini fit and successfully juggling domestic football with the Europe League will certainly help Mourinho.
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Atalanta
For years Gian Piero Gasperini has outperformed expectations in Bergamo and needs to put great demands on this current crop to ensure a Champions League return.
Atalanta’s run has tailed off since Ademola Lookman’s goals dried up, but the Bergamaschi will hope Rasmus Hojlund picks up the slack until the Nigeria international returns to form.
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14:28 - 10.03.2023
ANALYSIS How Atalanta can get Ademola Lookman scoring again
Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman has not scored in his last six games but here’s how a tweak in Atalanta’s tactical setup could help him return to his goalscoring best.
Be that as it may, an overreliance on the pair is unsustainable, and the goals must be spread out by La Dea to enhance their chances of ending in the top four, just as much as they need to find ways to win games against teams that come to frustrate at the Gewiss Stadium.
The pick of round 28’s fixtures:
April 1, 2023
Cremonese vs Atalanta
Inter vs Fiorentina
Juventus vs Hellas Verona
April 2, 2023
Monza vs Lazio
Roma vs Sampdoria
Napoli vs Milan
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