Inter, Italian champions, an unstoppable ride: from the victory over Juve to the triumph in the derby

Milan – Il twentieth championship of Inter is the arrival point of an ever-rising ride. From start to finish, the Nerazzurri maintained a very high pace, dodging even the rare moments of lacklusterness and holding on from a mental point of view when Juventus remained attached to the top, basically until the end of the first round.

From the start, the team of Inzaghi he set the record straight. In July, both the coach and the management placed the second star as their primary objective and they never strayed from that intent. The championship was characterized by a strong start, something that hadn’t happened to Inzaghi in his other two seasons at the helm.

A brace of Lautaro at Monza, two more goals at Cagliari, four at Fiorentina. Nine points with eight goals scored and zero conceded to show up for the first derby of the season, which becomes a solo. Inter wins 5-1, Thuram (who came from a pre-season in which the first criticisms had already rained down) enchants by scoring one of the best goals of the championship. The Frenchman is one of the keys to the record: he scores and provides assists, he seems anything but a rookie in Italy.

With the arrival of the Champions in the calendar, Inzaghi makes the priorities even clearer: the turnover takes place in the Cup, the starters play in the championship. Inter pays the usual tax with the Emilians, loses three points against Sassuolo and another two against Bologna, in both cases at San Siro, but then resumes their march as if nothing had happened. Dodge theobstacle Mourinho (Thuram again scored with a decisive goal against a catenacciara Roma), won away to Bergamo and left the Allianz Stadium unscathed, before dominating at the home of the Italian champions Napoli.

During the Christmas period, he abandoned the Italian Cup already on his first outing (always the bête noire Bologna) and struggled a bit to beat Lecce at the Meazza, but found In Bisseck a great discovery in the period of Pavard’s forced absence. The draw at Marassi at the end of 2023 with Genoa seems like a wake-up call, especially for the performance, even if he gives Arnautovic an unexpected and long-awaited goal, a week after a spectacular backheel assist to Barella.

Instead, Inter showed up in the 2024 inserting one series of victories which span the championship and the Italian Super Cup, another trophy raised to the sky by beating Lazio and Fiorentina. The first success of the calendar year arrives at the last minute and amidst the controversy, against Verona, the subsequent ones are often wide and without the possibility of a reply.

In February there is the direct clash against Juventus which acts as a watershed in the head-to-head with the Bianconeri, decided by an own goal by Gatti. So three consecutive victories with a four-goal difference (Salernitana, Lecce and Atalanta). Me too’Atletico Madrid gives way, but only 1-0 and in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 it will be a result too small to defend: the Colchoneros advance. A great regret, especially because in the meantime Juve collapses and Inter turbocharges. He never looks back, he concedes just two draws to Napoli and Cagliari but otherwise continues to collect point after point. With a gap already over double figures and Milan who in the meantime have become the closest pursuers. The first match point arrives in the derby. And Inter doesn’t miss it, ensuring the second star.