Inter and Juventus are clearly the two most impressive teams after the first four games this season. It seems too early but we might have a Derby d’Italia for the Scudetto. Inter is chasing the second star in Inzahi’s third season. On the other hand, after one of Allegri’s most difficult years, Juventus is looking fresh and has the luxury to focus on only one goal.
Simone Inzaghi’s Inter is flying high after the first month of the new season. The Nerazzurri are standing alone at the top of the table with four wins out of four fixtures. In these games, Inter scored 13 goals, while conceding just one. And the icing on the cake was the spectacular 5-1 win versus local rivals AC Milan.
The team is showing a much more compact face, limiting the possibilities in front of Sommer – something that was lacking in the previous campaign. In front of the goal Lautaro is deadly, Thuram is playing like he has been with the team for years, and the midfielders are also as dangerous as Inzaghi could want. The Champions League final might have given Inter the much-needed push to reach its full potential. Now it’s up to the team to show if this form can be maintained during the whole season.
Inter lost a lot of crucial players during the summer campaign. Onana, Skriniar, Brozovic, Dzeko, and Lukaku looked impossible to replace. Other players who have been in the club for many years, such as D’ambrosio, Handanovic, and Gagliardini also left. However, the management did a fantastic job of giving Inzaghi what he wanted – two players for every position. In the Derby della Madonnina the coach made three substitutions right after Milan scored for 2-1. Inter immediately regained control and the third goal came a few minutes later. Last season Dzeko-Lukaku was probably the only substitution that definitely retained and even pushed the quality of the team during the game. This year, Inzaghi has options that could make him dream in all competitions. It is up to him to handle the task and keep everyone in the team motivated.
Napoli are still struggling to find their rhythm under the new coach. Milan showed that they are behind Inter in terms of quality for now and have an enormous task in the Champions League. However, another team emerged and looked sharp and focused in the first weeks of the season. And that is Juventus.
The Bianconeri were shaken by a lot of drama outside the field during the previous campaign. As much as they became used to such scandals in the last decades, it influenced the team’s performance. After being thrown out of Europe Juventus found themselves in an unusual situation. Allegri’s team has only one real competition to focus on. Something that has not happened to the Turin club in a while. As much as that is a negative from a financial point of view, it could to miracles for the squad.
Allegri is an experienced coach who knows how to get the most out of a united group. Vlahovic and Chiesa look better than ever after both struggled with injuries last year. The coach also made sure that they felt they were the center of the project. Allegri shifted to a traditional 3-5-2 with Chiesea and Vlahovic playing up front. Both are scoring and assisting, playing with great joy. Juventus probably does not have Inter’s quality and depth, but not playing in Europe gives a huge domestic advantage.
The Seria A campaign is a marathon and not a sprint. But the first laps are showing that two teams have prepared for the beginning slightly better than the others. Allegri and Inzaghi both start their third year in charge of Juventus and Inter and have the same target. We could be looking at a great episode of the Derby d’Italia with the Scudetto on the line.
