Inter, Milan and Napoli, the weight of the attackers. A comment by Licari in the Gazzetta

Journalist

December 29 – 09:07 – MILANO

Another round, same ranking: Inter first, Milan second, Napoli third. No consequences at the moment from the Arabian Super Cup, the three escapees all win, but there is no doubt that Inter’s success is the one that is worth the most and not just for the opponent. If we add Juve’s continuous run-up and the stops of Bologna and Lazio, waiting for Roma-Genoa this evening, it seems that the championship is starting to break up into blocks and that it is now a five-way race for the four Champions League places. Unless the UEFA ranking gives us a nice surprise.

chivu’s moves

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Not that Allegri and Conte could afford to lose points against Verona and Cremonese, but a few more shadows had grown around Chivu in recent times. Failing against Atalanta, after losing on penalties in Riyadh, would have complicated New Year’s Eve and its surroundings. Inter’s response was beautiful: they tried more for success in the first half and then defended it in every way from Atalanta’s aggressive return. Whether it was intuition or simple good luck – we lean towards something in between – Chivu was also decisive: immediately after replacing Thuram with Esposito, it was the new arrival who found himself on the line of Djimsiti’s unfortunate horizontal pass. Ball to Lautaro and goal number one hundred and sixty-six for Inter (Boninsegna is ever closer). And of course a heartfelt thanks to Samardzic who, almost at the end, devoured the moving penalty in the one-to-one. But against Palladino it won’t be easy for anyone.

the nkunku factor

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In the escape of the front three, it is the center forwards who take the first page. Lautaro is one of the usual suspects. Hojlund will join the club soon. Nkunku is what you didn’t expect. The Frenchman was in the balance, until yesterday a goal in the Italian Cup, Milan have already taken Fullkrug, and suddenly here are the two goals against Verona which have no longer been fatal for some time. Two goals that can change Cardinale’s market, also because the almost forty million spent on the center forward who never scored would be at risk of capital loss. Two goals that not only serve to consolidate the standings and chase away the ghost of wasted points against small and medium teams. There’s more. The movement of affection on the pitch, Allegri designating Nkunku as a penalty taker against all logic, Modric and Pulisic reassuring their teammate before the shot, finally the hugs from Cuore after the goal: there is a group, not a crowd of soloists, and in the long run this counts.

number nine, lots of questions

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Nkunku, like David, like Dovbyk and Ferguson, like Kean and Castellanos, is one of the many number nines who raises quite a few questions. Where is the error? The one who should be buried with questions is Manchester United who, even if at a high price, couldn’t wait to get rid of Hojlund, like McTominay a year earlier. It’s fine that the Premier League travels on other dimensions, but is it possible that the Dane is a different player just because Serie A is less “training”? Better not forget Conte’s words after Riyadh: “Hojlund and McTominay didn’t play at United. Ask yourselves some questions.” To find a serious answer you could go back about ten years, when Conte, Italy’s coach at the European Championship, confided before Italy-Belgium that he didn’t fear Lukaku because of how they made him play. However, adding “give it to me and I’ll make him score thirty goals”. Prediction came true at Inter. Yesterday Hojlund found himself free twice in the Cremonese area and was ruthless. Defenders guilty, he’s good, right schemes. And Lukaku? He was the worst against the Azzurri. The ranking now says 36-35-34, the points of Inter, Milan and Napoli respectively, but the measurements could be deceptive: there is a round to recover, not impossible ones for Inter (Lecce) and Napoli (Parma), both at home, while Milan will go to Como where the welcome will be very different. Juve, back in the game at 32, and Roma, who could overtake the Bianconeri this evening against Genoa, will do well not to fool themselves: they are not far from the breakaway group, but they haven’t caught up with it yet. Or maybe not yet, given the ups and downs of the championship.