Juventus have the title (nearly) won but the fight elsewhere is hotting up
The title will go to Juventus again after Napoli’s impressive season faded but the fight for Europe and to survive is set to go down to the wire
For the seventh season running, Juventus will be champions of Italy. The Scudetto is not officially theirs just yet, but we are into the realm of technicalities. A 3-1 win over Bologna, accompanied by a draw for Napoli, extended their lead to six points with two games left to play.
The first tie-breaker, head-to-head results, would be split with the Partenopei, since each beat the other 1-0 away from home. Next is goal difference, where Juventus are ahead by 16. Realistically, it will not come to that anyway. The Bianconeri’s final game of the season is at home to relegated Verona.
They might cross the line even sooner. A draw with Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday would seal the deal. Coincidentally, that same result would suffice to secure Champions League football for the Giallorossi. Talk of a mutually beneficial ‘biscotto’ is inevitable, though perhaps presumptuous. Roma could hardly thrill to the idea of the Old Lady starting the party in their back yard.
In any case, there will be time to reflect on Juventus’s achievements once they become official. There is also the small matter of a Coppa Italia final against Milan to attend to on Wednesday. Massimiliano Allegri is seeking a fourth consecutive domestic double since he took over from Antonio Conte in 2014.
For now, there is so much else to talk about – from the tears shed by Jorginho after Napoli’s last hopes were dashed, to the mounting tensions of a relegation scrap in which five teams are separated by a mere two points. Not to forget the battle for European spots, on a weekend when Inter’s hopes of a Champions League berth were renewed.
So let us start at the Stadio San Paolo. Most observers might have felt that the title race was over even before Napoli kicked off against Torino on Sunday, thanks to Juventus taking all three points against Bologna (though the reigning champs did concede first in that game, and very nearly fell behind for a second time when Emil Krafth hit the post midway through the second-half). Yet Jorginho had been adamant in a half-time interview that he and his team-mates still believed.
They led 1-0 at that point, but would be pegged back twice by a Torino side who, much like Fiorentina a week earlier, refused to let their own rivalry with Juventus diminish their efforts. Perhaps it was fitting that Walter Mazzarri, the manager who steered Napoli to their first major trophy of Aurelio De Laurentiis’s ownership – the 2012 Coppa Italia – should be the man to deliver this final blow.
The fear for Napoli is that the end of this season will also bring the end of an era. Jorginho continues to be linked with a move to Manchester City and even more pressing questions surround the future of Maurizio Sarri. De Laurentiis gave an interview to Radio Kiss Kiss last week in which he expressed hope that the manager would stay but also suggested that he had been surveying the alternatives since January.
Sarri, for his part, was non-committal on Sunday. He did not rule out a departure, but did remind us of his €8m release clause whilst stressing his love for Naples and its people. Asked directly about De Laurentiis’s remarks, he said: “I don’t need to reply. He has allowed me to live an extraordinary adventure, that of coaching the team I supported as a boy.”
As disappointing as Napoli’s late-season fade has been, this remains an extraordinary campaign. One win from their remaining two games would set a new club record points tally in the top-flight. Two would take them past the 90-point threshold.
They are guaranteed Champions League football next season. How Lazio would love to say the same. Only a series of impressive saves from Thomas Strakosha allowed them to hang on for a 1-1 draw at home to Atalanta. They stay fourth for now but their advantage over Inter, whom they face on the final weekend, is back down to two points.
Worse, Lazio lost Luis Alberto to injury along the way. The Biancocelesti were already missing Serie A’s leading scorer, Ciro Immobile, and it appears that both players might be done for the season. Between them, they have scored 40 of Lazio’s 85 league goals.
Inter, for their part, looked buoyant in a 4-0 rout of Udinese, thought that might speak more to the desperate state of their opponents. On 10 February, the Zebrettewere ninth in the table. They have taken a single point from 13 games since, with the appointment of a new manager, Igor Tudor, at the end of last month appearing not to have halted the slide. Fans were singing for his predecessor, Massimo Oddo, before full-time.
By contrast, Chievo promoted their academy coach Lorenzo D’Anna to take over the first team after they dropped into the relegation zone last week, and he immediately delivered a 2-1 win over direct rivals Crotone. Many had been sceptical of the appointment – even in a caretaker capacity – of a man whose only senior managerial experience was short-lived and unsuccessful at Südtirol, but perhaps it was wise to go with someone who already knew this group of players well.
D’Anna got the best from his attack by restoring Emmanuele Giaccherini and Valter Birsa as the two wide men behind Roberto Inglese in a 4-3-2-1. His team was perhaps helped, too, by a crowd bolstered by the club’s decision to drop ticket prices to €1.
Spal gave their survival hopes a huge boost, too, beating Benevento and rising to 14th in the table. The Ferrara club have only lost a single game since 18 February, yet their survival is far from assured. They have 35 points now, where 18th-placed Cagliari, who lost to Roma on Sunday night, have 33. Chievo, Crotone and Udinese all have 34.
For Juventus, a seventh consecutive title is in the bag. For many other Serie Ateams, though, this season is a long way from done.
Talking points
• A touching moment shared from the Fiorentina after their win away to Genoa, as players sang for Davide Astori in the changing room. The Viola will be hoping Juventus beat Milan in the Coppa Italia final, ensuring that all three Europa League spots are awarded based on teams’ league finish. They are currently eighth, but only three points behind the sixth-placed Rossoneri – whom they face on the final weekend.
• Giuseppe Rossi was on the scoresheet for Genoa – claiming his first Serie A goal since 2014. I’d like to dedicate a little piece of this goal to [Sir Alex] Ferguson,” he said. “I hope he recovers quickly.”
Quick guide
Serie A results
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juventus | 36 | 61 | 91 |
| 2 | Napoli | 36 | 45 | 85 |
| 3 | Roma | 36 | 32 | 73 |
| 4 | Lazio | 36 | 41 | 71 |
| 5 | Inter Milan | 36 | 36 | 69 |
| 6 | AC Milan | 36 | 10 | 60 |
| 7 | Atalanta | 36 | 19 | 59 |
| 8 | Fiorentina | 36 | 13 | 57 |
| 9 | Sampdoria | 36 | 0 | 54 |
| 10 | Torino | 36 | 6 | 48 |
| 11 | Genoa | 36 | -8 | 41 |
| 12 | Sassuolo | 36 | -30 | 40 |
| 13 | Bologna | 36 | -10 | 39 |
| 14 | SPAL | 36 | -21 | 35 |
| 15 | Chievo | 36 | -25 | 34 |
| 16 | Crotone | 36 | -25 | 34 |
| 17 | Udinese | 36 | -17 | 34 |
| 18 | Cagliari | 36 | -30 | 33 |
| 19 | Verona | 36 | -46 | 25 |
| 20 | Benevento | 36 | -51 | 18 |
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.
I appreciate there not being a paywall: it is more democratic for the media to be available for all and not a commodity to be purchased by a few. I’m happy to make a contribution so others with less means still have access to information.Thomasine, Sweden
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $1, you can support the Guardian – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment