Twenty-eight games played, ten more to go. Could this be the end of a 10-year dry spell and see the Scudetto finally return to the Italian capital?
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The last time Milan had their hands on the Serie A trophy was way back in the 2010/11 season. Ten years on and with just ten games to go, the race for the title has intensified, and Inter Milan currently leads the pack with sixty-five points and deservedly so, having displayed some breathtaking football this season so far. Since arriving in May of 2019, Antonio Conte has made a visible difference to the Nerazzurri side, and perhaps the signing of Romelu Lukaku was the biggest. The Belgian has proved to be the difference time and again and has slotted home an incredible nineteen times in his twenty-six appearances this season. Another key player behind Inter’s recent success is Argentine, Lautaro Martinez who has a total of nineteen goal contributions in Serie A this season. With these two men combining so well together, the job for any opposition’s defensive unit gets significantly harder, knowing well that any loose ball is pounced on and the smallest of errors often convert to a ball in the back of the net!
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Piling on the pressure on Inter Milan though, are local rival’s AC Milan who have now gone ten years without the Scudetto. After their exit from the Europa League, the Serie A title would be the club’s central focus and with ten games to go, AC Milan have a six-point gap to bridge, if they want to bring the League title to their side of the city. This could be an uphill battle for the Rossoneri’s as they still face teams like Juventus and Atalanta towards the business end of the season. The same goes for the defending champions, Juventus as they find themselves ten points adrift from Inter Milan, a gap that is perhaps far to big even for Cristiano Ronaldo’s wizardry to overturn.
The final stretch is heating up and is attention-grabbing given that all the top three sides have difficult fixtures ahead of them. From here on, it’s about who can withstand the big moments of pressure, who wants it more and which team can find the consistency to see out the season in top gear. Could it be the defending champions who haven’t relented in a while, or could it finally be the year where one of the Milan clubs finally have their hands on the Scudetto? Only time will tell…but we’re glad that time spent promises to be absolutely fascinating!
[Image Credit: Inter Milan]
Shashank Iyer