For a second on Monday, it felt like Milan will lose ground on Napoli and Inter in the title race. They turned it around against Torino and now are back at the top of the table.
Napoli are tied with the Rossoneri, with Inter just a point behind after their impressive 4-0 win over Como. In the same gameweek, Napoli beat Juventus in what a massive game for Antonio Conte’s side. All three title contenders came up with massive performances
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In a way, this is arguably the most competitive Serie A title race in years. That is not just because there are three teams competing for the Scudetto but also because there is no one clear favourite to win the league.
As Inter now recover under Cristian Chivu, Napoli are dealing with the pressures of playing in the Champions League. Milan are enjoying the advantages of no European football but with Max Allegri only months into the job, he is still getting to grips with the squad. This is turning the title race into a very interesting dynamic, with all three competitors probably having pretty good squads.
Some weeks ago, Roma also found themselves in the race. They have fallen away as their squad simply has too many holes to play the Gian Piero Gasperini way but the Giallorossi too are only four points behind league-leading Milan. Losing to both Napoli and Milan has proved costly but otherwise, they could’ve been in the race despite obvious squad problems.
In the past, the race would usually have two teams and by December, fans would be able to identify a favourite. That favourite would eventually go on to win the league too. Even if the title race would drag on, it would be about two teams and not three. That is why the Serie A this season just feels different.
None of Milan, Napoli or Inter can slip up. This is because of the teams behind them and how they can latch on to any opportunity.
Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN