If Sunday’s Serie A clash between Inter and Napoli was meant to clarify who the frontrunner for the title is, it did the opposite. In fact, the eventful game that took place at San Siro showed us all the best skills of both sides, but also their issues. Inter weren’t able to keep their advantage twice during the game, after scoring the opening goal of the night with Federico Dimarco before Scott McTominay’s equalizer, and then again in the second half when the Scottish midfielder scored his second goal of the game after the penalty of Hakan Calhanoglu. It turned out to be a weekend that didn’t change much for the title race as Cristian Chivu’s team kept the three point advantage on AC Milan, which drew 1-1 at Fiorentina earlier on Sunday, and the four-point gap on Antonio Conte’s side. We can now expect all three to compete until the very end of the season, and don’t forget about AS Roma, just four points off the top.
The match between Inter and Napoli highlighted the Nerazzurri’s struggles against Conte’s side. Manuel Akanji was unable to contain Rasmus Højlund, and Inter’s defense was particularly culpable for Napoli’s second goal, when Akanji, Luis Henrique and Yann Bisseck all stood still and failed to react. Failing to protect their lead on two occasions was not what Chivu wanted, and the series of individual mistakes suggested Inter were maybe too nervous to see out such a crucial match, especially given their struggles against top opponents.
There is no match between Inter and Napoli without Conte involved, as he received a red card in the second half after the penalty awarded to the home team. Conte was furious with the decision of the VAR to call the referee for a penalty, but his reaction showed again that this game will never be one like others for the former Inter manager.
Napoli were able to play one of their best games of the season despite the injuries that are deeply affecting the roster, lastly the one of David Neres who couldn’t travel to Milan on Sunday while Inter confirmed again their issues this season against the big teams, as they failed to win against Napoli both times (one draw, one defeat) and lost to AC Milan and Juventus in the first part of the season. AC Milan, meanwhile, drew twice over the past week but remain close to the top of the table and could benefit from the return of the Champions League next week, as both Inter and Napoli will play the final two matches of the league phase later this month. It’s predictable that the two teams will lose some points in the coming weeks, and this is why their little margin can become a big factor in the near future.
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