INTENSITY IN ITALY

Michael Nardi

With the COVID-19 pandemic restricting many club finances this season, Serie A sides have taken a massive hit in the transfer market, affecting both the strength and overall outlook of each team.

However, with shrewd business from the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Napoli- staples in Italy’s primary soccer league- the trio have made this Serie A season one destined for the history books. Amidst the team’s financial struggles, Inter was forced into selling Romelu Lukaku for £110 million to Chelsea, and in turn brought in Edin Dzeko on a free transfer.

Likewise, Achraf Hakimi was forced to leave for €71 million to PSG, and coming through the door was Denzel Dumfries- a star for both PSV and a key contributor to the Dutch national team in this year’s Euros. However, the biggest blow to the team this season was the resignation of manager Antonio Conte who stepped down due to the negative trend in correlation with the team’s funds. This season, Inter looked to be developing a similar philosophy seen in Lazio’s Simone Inzaghi, who like Conte, uses the 3-5-2 formation.

Moving on to Napoli- an under-the-radar market- with all the attention surrounding which players would stay or go. On loan from Fulham came midfielder Frank Zambo-Anguissa, complimenting the team’s additional loanees in Kevin Malcuit and Adam Ounas to fill out their respective positions.

Napoli’s biggest signing however came behind the bench, with the appointment of Luciano Spalletti taking over for Gennaro Gattuso this past summer. Spalletti has given his new club a new lease on life, successfully restoring the beautiful football Napoli fans have been craving for since the days of Maurizio Sarri.

Last on this list- but certainly not in the standings- comes AC Milan. The team’s summer grew quite busy following the loss of superstar goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The loss of Hakan Çalhanoğlu to their rivals Inter certainly didn't do the club any favors, yet Milan replaced from within, promoting up-and-coming young talents such as Sandro Tonali and Brahim Diaz- tasked to replace the former number ten.

With all these moves being made it was impossible to predict who would win the league and in many cases, Napoli was not even predicted to crack the top four. Juventus lost Cristiano Ronaldo, while the Rome clubs plus Atalanta were seen as too far off to compete. After many ups and downs, we now find ourselves 26 matches in and AC Milan running the table with a slim 2 point lead over Inter Milan- who hold a game in hand. Napoli sits three points back with a game to play as well.

Right out of the gates did Inter look most destined to repeat last year’s championship season. The team has shown signs of possessing the strongest bench of any of their competitors- a testament to their dominance while sampling a mirror image to the squad who has a recent history of winning it all.

However, as with Lazio, Inzaghi’s team has begun to tire near the final stretch of the season due to the physical demands the coach’s style of play requires. Milan and Napoli have taken full advantage of the Nerazzurri’s brisk flaws, picking up crucial points against Inter in head-to-head matchups (Milan- 3 Inter 2 matchday 24 and Inter-1 Napoli-1 matchday 25). It has made this final stretch of matches must-watch television.

Inter’s European commitments have slowly got the better of them as matchday 26 proved, losing 2-0 at home to Sassuolo after a frustrating home loss to Liverpool by the same score in the UCL. Milan on the other hand have failed to take advantage of this golden opportunity to add pressure to the two contenders; drawing 2-2 with bottom feeders Salernitana, following a late Ante Rebić equalizer. With what I have seen recently in terms of each side’s inconsistency and inability to grind out results, I see this league being determined on the final matchdays of the season.

My prediction for the Scudetto this season lies with Inter- who will remain victorious for another season simply because of the depth they hold over their challengers. Inter has not been able to use their new transfer from Atalanta (Robin Gosens) due to injury and this will only add to their attack from left-wing back—as Gosens is one of the highest-scoring defenders in the entire world. There is too much quality from Inter’s bench through the legs of Alexis Sanchez, Joaquin Correa, and Ivan Perišić, with the depth being too much to handle for the other two contending teams. Not to mention Inter’s stellar back three of Alessandro Bastoni, Milan Škriniar, and Stefan De Vrij being one of the best defenses in Europe- only conceding 15 goals when all three have started together this season.

Serie A never fails to surprise with its twists and turns. These three teams are always interchanging for the first spot, but who will we see come May lifting that beautiful trophy in their home stadium?