Antonio Conte’s side suffered a damaging home draw vs Sassuolo in midweek, which leaves them trailing leaders Juventus by 11 points
Wednesday was hugely significant in the Serie A title race, as Inter Milan and Lazio dropped points against Sassuolo and Atalanta respectively.
Antonio Conte’s troops were held to a 3-3 draw by their bogey team, while Simeone Inzaghi’s side blew a 2-0 lead against Gian Piero Gasperini’s effervescent outfit to lose 3-2.
The upshot of those results is that Juventus, much-maligned for their performances this season and especially in the last fortnight, now have a four-point lead over Lazio at the top of the table, with Inter a staggering 11 points behind having played a game fewer.
Conte, for his part, may not give in until there isn’t a mathematical chance of catching the Old Lady, such is his iron-willed nature. However, even he has to admit the Nerazzurri are rank outsiders to claim their 19th Serie A title and a first since 2010’s treble-winning campaign.
The former Chelsea boss made five changes to the side that defeated Sampdoria 2-1 on Sunday, a win that put them six behind Maurizio Sarri’s team. One of those changes saw Victor Moses start at right wing-back with Antonio Candreva dropping to the bench until his introduction in the final 15 minutes.
Given the sheer workload placed on the widemen in Conte’s system, the manager has tended to start his wide options every other game before substituting each one in the second-half of games.
Aided by the increase in the number of substitutions to five, the expectation is for the Chelsea loanee to feature in most, if not every, game between now and the end of the season.
In isolation, four points from two league games isn’t the worst return in the world, particularly as Inter secured a point against a Sassuolo side that have been a thorn in their side for the last few campaigns. Since 2015, the Black and Greens have won seven of 11 meetings between both clubs.
This year, however, Conte has masterminded four points from the head-to-head and maybe the tide is about to turn in this tussle. On Wednesday, they edged the encounter and probably deserved to win.
Moses, on his return to the starting line-up, was the busier of Inter’s wing-backs, offering his usual energy and drive down the right flank, even if there was little end product to match his liveliness down the wing.
He had the beating of his man (completed all four attempted dribbles) and won six of eight total duels on the night. As is often the case, and a continued source of frustration with the ex-Nigeria international, the final ball was lacking. He created nothing on his forward forays, although it wasn’t for the want of trying; Moses attempted eight crosses against Sassuolo but none found a teammate – he either couldn’t beat the defender on the near post or his attempts were blocked.
Cristiano Biraghi on the opposite flank had fewer touches but had a more telling impact on the game. The Italian created a shooting opportunity, completed two crosses, and even scored before half-time to put the hosts 2-1 up at the San Siro.
Candreva, who replaced Moses with 15 minutes to play, assisted Borja Valero’s strike and missed an opportunity to put Conte’s team 4-2 up, moments before Giangiacomo Magnani made it 3-3.
Missed opportunities have been the story of Inter’s season so far. They play really well most weeks but have tended to tire after bright starts before conceding after the interval, and especially in games’ closing stages.
They picked up a 2-1 win over Sampdoria on their league return but had to hang on late on after seeing their 2-0 lead halved after half-time. Against, Sassuolo, the 2010 Champions League winners failed to hold on at 2-1 and 3-2 while failing to put away chances on both occasions to increase their advantage.
Their inability to finish off games, as well as their soft underbelly, is why they find themselves so far behind Juventus, who haven’t been spectacular this term either.
Indeed, the Expected Points table shows Sarri’s team and Lazio should be third and fifth respectively and are both significantly outperforming their xPTS.
Inter, according to Understat, should have been second behind the incredible Atalanta heading into the weekend, but both sides instead find themselves separated by four points in third and fourth in reality.
So, should Conte and his side throw in the towel given the current 11-point deficit from Juventus?
The ex-Italy boss’ head will likely concede the title but his heart will want to soldier on until it’s impossible to succeed. Sarri’s team have hardly pulled up trees all year and have been on the receiving end of fans’ opprobrium for their below-par showings for the most part.
They still have to play Milan, Atalanta, Sassuolo and Lazio in successive gameweeks in July, before ending the season vs Roma in early August. Five games against opponents capable of stunning the dominant Juve means that the title remains a possibility, although the fact three of those matches are at the Juventus Stadium means it could be a fool’s errand for the chasing pack.
For Inter and Conte, their run-in isn’t as challenging, and they’ll need to go on a consistent run of results to put pressure on the leaders. However, games against Napoli and Gasperini's men to end the season will be tough assignments.
If Moses and co. are still in the hunt by then, both fixtures against technically strong sides could determine the outcome of the title if Juventus slip up in the coming weeks.
There’s a feeling the race in Italy is far from over, and perhaps the so-far underwhelming Moses can finally come up trumps for the Nerazzurri as they chase Sarri’s unrecognisable troops.
