The weekend victories for Napoli and Juventus are worth double because they came against direct rivals…
Napoli secured a great win, sending a strong signal against Atalanta. It was a display of strength, awareness, and determination toward achieving a goal, in a very tenacious and straightforward manner. This was a message, especially to Inter. Beating Atalanta is never easy—they suffered, but they prevailed as a great team does. A victory like this, as you mentioned, feels like it’s worth six points.
As for Juventus, they finally broke free from the nightmare of constant draws, beating a Milan side that, in sporting terms, is still unwell. Conceicao’s “cure” lasted only as long as the Supercoppa—a good thing for them that they won—but it was merely a physiological reaction, as often happens when a coach changes.
Milan has structural issues. There’s something wrong in the locker room—something doesn’t add up, and I’m not buying what they’re selling.
In the direct clash, though, I saw a strong Juventus.
Roma seems to be bouncing back, and their schedule could allow fans to dream of an incredible European comeback…
Ranieri has done the simplest but also the hardest thing, something previous coaches failed to do: he put players in the right positions and gave responsibility to those capable of handling it. The central spine now consists of Hummels, Paredes, and Dybala. Elegantly, he dismantled old hierarchies without making a fuss, restoring balance to the team. It’s sensible: he picked the best lineup and is now waiting for that elusive away win.
However, as of now, I’d say Roma is out of the Champions League race. Over the next two and a half months, they face nine winnable league matches, but they still have to play and win them. Sure, their first big match isn’t until April, but from then on, it’s almost all big matches. Roma needs to maximize points from these upcoming games to be able to handle the final sprint; otherwise, things could spiral out of control.
Let’s put it this way: for now, I think the Champions League is still out of reach. It might become attainable, but they’ll need to rack up a lot of points in these eight or nine games.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, seems to have forgotten how to win after the Bove situation.
They’ve taken a mental hit—both mentally and tactically.
Since losing Bove’s contributions, it’s become clear that he was the team’s linchpin—not just defensively but also offensively. He provided support in defense, was the first to apply pressure, and posed a consistent attacking threat with his runs. I can confidently say that Bove was tactically crucial for Fiorentina.
That said, we’re not talking about a player like Ronaldinho who can singlehandedly shift the balance. So, I’d say Palladino bears some responsibility here. While I’ve praised him in the past, I think he’s been a bit presumptuous, and in soccer, arrogance comes at a cost.
The competition continues to heat up, and Como is making important statements on the field and in the market.
Como also won their late fixture, dragging Udinese further into trouble, as they now sit just six points above the relegation zone.
Cagliari isn’t giving up—in fact, they’re doing well. Parma won’t back down, Como has slightly pulled away, and while Genoa lost to Roma, they had been on a strong run under Vierà.
It’s shaping up to be a real dogfight at the bottom, which is refreshing after years of seeing the bottom three teams almost resigned to their fate from the start, at least two of them. Even Monza has hope now, clinging on for dear life.
All in all, whether it’s the top or the bottom of the table, we’re in for a thrilling and fierce battle right to the very end.
