Lazio draw level with Inter at the top. Milan and Juve are struggling to get going
Here we are again, after the long international break, assessing the league situation. The cards – those drawn from the sixth-round deck – are looking increasingly favourable for Inter, who are reminiscent of Tadej Pogacar (or Paul Seixas at the Giro di Lombardia) as they champ at the bit, eager to launch their first attack. The finish line is a long way off, of course, but we already know how it will end. Just look at the Slovenian’s fierce gaze, his rippling muscles, and his overwhelming desire to take flight.
Here is Inter, who in half an hour on Saturday swept aside a vulnerable Parma, giving off the same sense of strength. A superior strength. Some might argue that the Emilia-Romagna side, with Gilardino on the bench for the first time, were perfect sacrificial lambs. And that further tests are therefore needed against tougher opponents. Such as the Belgian side Brugge, whom we’ll face as early as tomorrow in the Champions League at San Siro.
A valid point – perhaps things are different in Europe, but here, in our fragile footballing republic, that’s just how it is. So much so that Chivu can afford to leave out the likes of Barella, Bastoni, Lautaro and Akanji, and bring back Calhanoglu following his injury. It was confidence well placed, because the Turkish player, sealing the match with the penalty that made it 2–0, was able to ease back into the game without any pressure.
And what about the attack? Even without Lautaro, the Pio Esposito–Thuram partnership is a force to be reckoned with. And indeed, Parma’s defence panicked, immediately gifting Susic the opening goal. Then Thuram, a devastating force, who scored the third, did the rest. Chivu’s deep bench makes Inter irresistible. On top of that, there’s this fierce aggression that makes you forget the old lapses of the past, when Inter used to go off the rails due to an excess of creativity. That was a different story. In this one, they’re all artists but also incredibly hard-working.
That’s why Pogacar springs to mind: because Inter’s rivals are good, but not good enough to hold their own against them. Como v Roma – almost a play-off between the two underdogs – ended 0–0. The first goalless draw of the season. A somewhat inconclusive result, more favourable to Gasperini than to Fabregas because the Giallorossi (following a controversial sending-off for Malen) were down to ten men for forty minutes. Roma did well – solid and focused – but their engine isn’t quite as powerful as Inter’s. The same goes for Como, who, despite playing well, lack the killer instinct of Lautaro and his team-mates.
