We have only just entered the final month of the Serie A season, but the league title was officially decided this weekend as Inter Milan claimed their 20th Scudetto.
Simone Inzaghi’s men wrapped up the championship in exactly the way they would have wanted, beating arch-rivals AC Milan 2-1 on Monday night.
Inter’s early coronation has in part been due to Juventus’s collapse in the second half of the season, and they were held to a 2-2 draw on Friday by relegation-threatened Cagliari.
Meanwhile, Bologna took a giant step towards Champions League qualification as they picked up an impressive 3-1 win at Roma, as Atalanta and Lazio also secured victories to remain in pole position for European football next season.
Mail Sport’s Alvise Cagnazzo takes a look at 10 things we learned from this weekend’s Serie A action…
Inter Milan claimed their 20th Italian title on Monday night by beating arch-rivals AC Milan
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Inter’s smart work in the market key to title triumph
There has never been real uncertainty: Inter were always destined to win this year’s Scudetto.
As early as September, Inter gave the clear impression of playing a championship different from that of the other teams, obtaining an incredible series of results, shattering every statistical record.
The spine of their team that includes Yann Sommer, Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez has given the club the foundation to dominate from the outset.
Inzaghi’s team wrapped up the title on Monday through goals from Francesco Acerbi – the trusted centre back that shows no signs of slowing down – and Marcus Thuram, who has proved to be the ideal replacement for Romelu Lukaku.
Inter CEO Beppe Marotta used the summer transfer market smartly, making free transfers rather than splashing the cash to build a squad that Inzaghi could take to the next level.
His strategy has paid off, and now Inter can enjoy the final weeks of the season with all the pressure lifted off them.
Francesco Acerbi is now 36 but is still going strong and scored Inter’s opener against Milan
Marcus Thuram also got on the scoresheet, and he has been the perfect replacement for Romelu Lukaku
Allegri must accept blame for Juventus’ struggles
Two goals conceded in six minutes, a total abandonment of the game, no physical duels won, zero shots on goal in 45 minutes, and an inability to make three consecutive passes. Juventus really were that bad in the first half against Cagliari.
Juventus had not conceded two goals from penalty kicks since 2004-2005, but they managed exactly that on Friday.
‘I wanted to change them all,’ Allegri admitted after the game, and he could not hide his frustration on the bench – a common theme in recent weeks.
Allegri is essentially disappointed in all his players but seems to have forgotten that he is the coach.
The Italian manager is a chameleon who has lost the ability to change color to camouflage himself, and even if he decides to include all the attackers available on the pitch, the team never appears dangerous, confirming a serious structural flaw.
Against Cagliari, the team was fortunate to rescue a point, and Allegri must accept responsibility for their dire performances in 2024.
Massimiliano Allegri is still trying to shift the blame for Juventus’s poor performances
Napoli hit a new low
The defeat against Empoli marks Napoli’s lowest point since last year’s Scudetto win.
Their two Brazilian defenders Natan and Juan Jesus could not contain Empoli’s giant striker Alberto Cerri.
Cerri netted the winner inside four minutes, bringing the entire Napoli defence to its knees to end their hopes of earning a Champions League spot.
Only rubble remains of the stellar team that won the Scudetto 12 months ago and today the club is in a serious crisis.
None of the January signings have improved the team, and the tactical plan devised by manager Francesco Calzona is not working. The third coach in nine months has not improved the team’s performances, with no players reaching their potential this season.
Napoli have lost charisma, personality and balance, and appear to have no confidence of pulling off a positive result heading into matches.
Many players know they will leave at the end of the year, such as Victor Osimhen, Natan, Juan Jesus and Giovanni Di Lorenzo, and this creates an emotional rift that is difficult to manage.
Napoli were beaten by Empoli this weekend and look set to lose some of their star players this summer, including Victor Osimhen (pictured)
Adli’s fury shows all is not well at AC Milan
Yacine Adli was taken off by manager Stefano Pioli during the Milan derby and could not contain his anger as he kicked out and destroyed a water bottle holder.
His reaction highlighted the cracks appearing in the AC Milan dressing room.
After their elimination from the Europa League, Milan lost a historic derby to hand the title to their nearest rivals.
Upon leaving the field in the 68th minute, Adli lost his cool to make his annoyance clear to Pioli.
In his place, Pioli sent on Ismael Bennacer, but his introduction did little to change the momentum of the match.
Adli can have few complaints about being substituted, as his performance once again suggested that he is a good player but not a top one yet following a difficult outing against Barella and Co.
He made a number of errors as he was hounded by Inter’s midfield, but perhaps he was angry with Pioli’s tactical plan that did not get the best out of him.
The pressure is building on Stefano Pioli at AC Milan after a difficult week for the club
Yacine Adli (right) was furious when he was taken off in the second half of the Milan derby
Luis Alberto is irreplaceable at Lazio
When Luis Alberto decided to increase the tempo of the match there was nothing Genoa could do about it, as he scored the only goal in Lazio’s crucial 1-0 win on Friday night.
Luis Alberto celebrated his strike by kissing the Lazio badge, showing his love for the club he has represented for the last eight years.
He is the difference-maker for Lazio – the charismatic heir of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – but he recently announced he will leave the club at the end of the season.
The Spanish attacking midfielder can be problematic to manage, but he is an outstanding player who earns his team 15 points every year.
The former Liverpool star is the beating heart of Lazio, and remains their best technical player in the final third of the pitch.
Club president Claudio Lotito will do all he can to keep Luis Alberto at Lazio, knowing he is impossible to replace.
Manager Igor Tudor also wants to convince Luis Alberto to stay, but getting him to change his mind won’t be an easy task.
Luis Alberto pointed to and kissed the Lazio badge after scoring on Friday, but still looks set to leave the club this summer
A star is born at Bologna
Oussama El Azzouzi is a 22-year-old midfielder who can become a bright star in European football.
He was born in Holland but is of Moroccan nationality and Bologna took a gamble on him when they signed him from Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise, despite El Azzouzi only playing at the club for one year where he scored just twice in 34 games.
El Azzouzi has moved from club to club in recent years, having started out with Groningen’s youth team before switching to Emmen and on to Union Saint-Gilloise.
But he may have finally found a home at Bologna. He has still only made 14 appearances for the Italian club, but he has emerged as a bright talent and earned a place in Morocco’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.
Against Roma on Monday, he scored an extraordinary acrobatic goal, and his chest assist for Joshua Zirkzee’s goal was elegant and intelligent – the type of touch that put Zinedine Zidane on the map at Juventus in the 1990s.
Oussama El Azzouzi (pictured) scored a fine goal against Roma and looks like a star in the making
Another Maldini lighting up Serie A
Daniel Maldini – the son of AC Milan legend Paolo – continues to amaze.
This time the Monza striker was unable to win the match against Atalanta, but he did bring his team back into the game with a late goal.
He played for about 30 minutes on the left, with movements worthy of the best Paulo Dybala, and in the 89th minute his right-footed shot ignited Monza’s hopes, while he also hit the post.
Maldini has emerged as the perfect impact substitute for manager Raffaele Paladino, increasing the pace of the match when he comes off the bench and generating panic in the opposition defence.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men failed to handle Maldini, and were a little fortunate to cling on to a 2-1 win at the end.
Maldini must now be pushing for a start, having proven his quality time and time again this term.
Daniel Maldini is starting to follow in the footsteps of his famous dad and scored a fine goal this weekend
De Ketelaere is reborn
Charles De Ketelaere returned to the scoresheet for the first time in two months against Monza, but he has also shown he can impact games without finding the back of the net.
His goal on Sunday set Atalanta on their way to a 2-1 win, and the Belgian playmaker, who is on loan from AC Milan, is keen to stay at Atalanta where he has made clear progress this year.
Gasperini deployed De Ketelaere in the space in Monza’s midfield, and they were unable to get a grip of his movement throughout the game.
De Ketelaare is still developing physically, but already has the technique and intelligence of a high-class player.
He is the player that Atalanta could build a team around for the future, but first they must seal a place in the Champions League by finishing in the top five.
That won’t be easy, and if they fall short other top clubs could swoop in to land the attacking midfielder this summer.
Charles De Ketelaere (left) got back on the scoresheet for Atalanta on Sunday, and the club will be desperate to keep him this summer
Verona edge closer to great escape
The 93rd-minute goal scored by Diego Coppola could confirm the achievement of a historic salvation for Verona after they beat Udinese 1-0 on Saturday.
No one gave the club a chance of staying up heading into 2024, particularly after they had to sell a number of players to balance the books in January.
But those who have remained have stepped up to the plate and played with pride to achieve some incredible results.
Coppola also found the net away at Napoli earlier this season, and his second goal for the club has lifted Verona three points clear of the bottom three with five games to go.
Another hero is manager Marco Baroni, who is performing close to a miracle to give his team the best chance of remaining in Serie A for another year.
Diego Coppola was Verona’s hero as they moved a step closer to safety with victory over Udinese
Cerri is Empoli’s hero after years of disappointment
Alberto Cerri’s career is a swing of emotions that is very reminiscent of that of many talented Italian players who, due to injuries and defeats, have never managed to reach their true potential.
The former Juventus prodigy has lived a nomadic career, moving from club to club without ever finding the right fit for him.
At 28 years old and the height of his maturity, he finally played the best match of his career, scoring a strong and precise header for Empoli that downed Napoli this weekend.
His effort in training earned him the trust of manager Davide Nicola to start him in one of the most important matches of Empoli’s season, and Cerri delivered by scoring the match-winning goal.
The Italian striker would like to do much more, but a muscle problem ended his match after 20 minutes, another unfortunate setback for Cerri to deal with.
Still, Cerri finally seems to have found the right club for him at Empoli, and he may still have key role to play in trying to keep them in Serie A this season.
Alberto Cerri scored the winner against Napoli and looks to have finally found a home at Empoli