The fate of Serie A-23/24 is determined by two teams.
Juve returns to the top
The torment of the “old lady” remained in the last season: it was then that the team took points and was left without European Cups. Now the painful phase is replaced by gradual healing. The Bianconeri are immediately back in the running for the title.
Massimiliano Allegri’s 3-5-2 returns to the field, Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa fit perfectly into the pair of attackers. As a result, in 12 rounds of the current championship, the Turin team has suffered only one defeat (2:4 from Sassuolo). At the same time, they have become a threat to other championship contenders. In the match against the strengthened Milan, they managed to achieve a minimal victory: the Rossoneri, who were in the lead, fell back to third place.
The Italian manager is already carefully planning the plans for the next few years:
Juventus is going its own way. We have many young players. [Против «Милана»] A boy born in 2005 made his debut (Dean Huysen, who came on as a substitute in the 2nd half, ed.). There were three other players born in 2005 and two other players born in 2003. Vlahovic was also born in 2000. This team has a great future ahead of it, but patience is needed. We have to finish in the top 4 to play the Champions League next season.
Inter goes far with confidence and prepares for the playoffs Champions League
The Nerazzurri feel they are the most mature team in the Italian championship. And they didn’t need serious injections for this. The team focused on loans and releases – and whoever arrived fit in as a model in Simone Inzaghi’s structure.
Yann Sommer acts confidently on the last line, Acerbi is very good at breaking the rotation and often appears on the pitch, Marcus Thuram, who arrived as a free agent, has generally become a leader and has found a common language with Lautaro Martinez.
The Milanese therefore begin the new championship with confidence: 13 goals and 1 conceded in the first 4 matches, plus the victory in the derby over Milan. Despite a slight decline between the end of September and the beginning of October, Simone Inzaghi’s team corrected the situation and already predicted the Rossoneri’s decline. We have risen to the top and we do not give up leadership to anyone.
Vlahovic and Chiesa are in crisis, they have a confrontation with the Martinez-Thuram couple
One of the personal clashes of the next match is a clash between two groups of center forwards. Both prefer the “3-5-2”. Torino scored in the first round with Chiesa and Vlahovic. Only at a distance did it turn out that they were enough for the first 4-5 rounds.
During this period, both scored 4 goals and were among the leaders in the scoring charts. But then came the recession. Now there is talk again that Dusan does not fit into the structure – Federico at least has a place on the wing (in his profile position).
The Marcus-Lautaro couple is exactly the opposite. Everyone knows their role on the pitch. Therefore, Thuram does not cover himself and allows the Argentine scorer to shine even more: Martinez goes through the early season period without drops and is the top scorer of Serie A-23/24. 12 goals in 12 games. The Frenchman scored 4 goals and 5 assists (including 3 for his regular colleague).
In the last few rounds Allegri has changed a couple of attackers, but the possibility of seeing a clash like this still remains.
The coaches do not promise brilliant football
Before the match, Allegri speaks flatteringly about his next opponent:
Inter are the favorites in Serie A, as are Milan and Napoli, but anything can happen in a match. We have to try to stay at the top to have an advantage over the team from fifth place [в борьбе за топ-4]. “Inter have been organized for several years in such a way as to win the scudetto. He hasn’t succeeded yet, but he is the favorite this season.
Juventus are keen to fight, but this is unlikely to translate into brilliant double-edged football, mainly due to the philosophy of the mentors.
Inzaghi showed last season that he will not complicate the structure – and if simple throws and long passes bring results, he will calmly accept this nature of the game. He may not be attractive, but he is effective.
The Juventus coach played his best matches almost 10 years earlier. Allegri’s football can be spectacular if there are brilliant individuals: that’s why, for example, Pogba was signed in the summer of 2022. But now there are very few of them in the “old lady”. And Juve’s game, instead of brilliant improvisation, sometimes smacks of a lack of ideas. At least it brings results.
Determine the distance from the rest
Initially it was assumed that two Milan teams would play for the title: both are in excellent shape and have no systemic problems, and the coaches know the team very well. But Milan unexpectedly stopped in the autumn (not without the help of Juve) – and its place was sensationally taken by Juventus.
And the gap with Inter compared to the others is only growing. The Turin team is already 6 points ahead of the Rossoneri, while the Nerazzurri are 8 points ahead. In the 4th round there was already a match that determined the championship leader in the initial period – then Inter won a crushing victory in the derby. Now the time has come for another “watershed”: if Juve wins, they can overcome their opponents and be at the top again for the first time in a long time. If Simeone’s band were to win 3 points it will only confirm their championship ambitions and strengthen their position. The others will have to follow the clash between the best, looking from the bottom up.
