It’s an incredibly thrilling Serie A season, filled with sudden bursts and patches, highs and lows, across all latitudes.
At the top, the draw between Napoli and Inter at the Maradona Stadium confirms an unstable but lasting equilibrium, a true reflection of a battle defined as much by moments of brilliance from the stars as by unexpected slip-ups from those who seemed to have found the right rhythm.
Dimarco’s goal in the first half was poetry in motion, a masterful free kick that curled perfectly under the crossbar. But just when Inter seemed in control, they lost momentum and ended up dropping two points—points that, in a direct clash, would have been worth double. It’s hard to quantify where Napoli’s relentless drive, mirroring their head coach’s mentality, begins and where Inter’s lack of killer instinct—so crucial for a technically superior team when ahead—ends.
Between the two fighting for the top spot, even the third contender, Atalanta, failed to take advantage. A 0-0 home draw against Venezia was a massive missed opportunity to close the gap further. For La Dea, this was the second consecutive slip-up at home after another goalless draw against Cagliari two weeks ago. In total, that’s four points lost (or thrown away?) against relegation-battling teams that should not have troubled the Bergamaschi. Considering that Atalanta is currently three points behind league leaders Inter and two behind Napoli, the math is simple: had they won those two home games, Gasperini & Co. would be leading the league alone. That’s enough to make them kick themselves, though in Bergamo, they seem more inclined to arguments than regrets—perhaps the fallout from the conflict between the coach and Lookman is still affecting the squad, and at this point, who knows if it ever will be resolved?
Atalanta’s schedule for the next six matches is brutal: Juventus, Inter, Fiorentina, Lazio, Bologna, and Milan. Anything is possible—it could be glory, a step forward toward history, or it could be a collapse that undermines all the progress made so far by a team that already knows its leader wants to leave at the end of his contract, maybe even sooner.
At one point, with Atalanta lagging behind Napoli and Inter, it seemed like the title race had become a two-horse race. But missteps by the top two teams put La Dea back into the mix, making it a three-way battle. Today, looking at the standings, the Scudetto race is officially a four-way fight. Juventus, despite a full-blown crisis surrounding the Motta project (at least, that’s what their recent Champions League and Coppa Italia eliminations suggested), took advantage by beating Verona, moving to just six points behind the top. The direct clash against Atalanta at the Stadium next Sunday will reveal whether Juve is there by chance or if they can truly stake their claim in the Scudetto race. “Until the end” is the Bianconeri fans’ slogan, while the club’s motto has always been “winning is the only thing that matters.” The fusion of these two could create the most unexpected comeback of all…
Someone who has already been studying the manual of impossible comebacks with keen interest is Ranieri’s Roma. The Giallorossi have now gone ten consecutive matches unbeaten in the league, climbing from the specter of relegation to the dream of a Champions League spot in just two and a half months. With a hard-fought, narrow victory over Como Fabregas, Roma leapfrogged Milan in the standings and now sit four points from a Conference League spot, seven from the Europa League, and nine from fourth place, which grants Champions League qualification. It’s still a big gap, but at the start of Ranieri’s tenure (not coincidentally, he was named Serie A’s Coach of the Month for February), the deficit to the Champions League zone was 18 points—double the current margin. The feat is almost impossible, but on the bench sits a man who, when it comes to Mission Impossible, is second (maybe) only to Tom Cruise…
And then there’s Milan. Everything seems lost. The Supercoppa victory now feels like a mere flash in the pan. The great leader, Conceicao—the strong figure meant to stabilize a volatile locker room—now seems like a child drifting aimlessly in a sea full of sharks. The problem is that the most ferocious sharks (for him) seem to be the ones wearing a peculiar suit, one that resembles his beloved Portugal’s, but with the Milan badge on the chest…
