Serie A, the disappointed. How they can change their destiny – Corriere.it

They came back with a smile and something already, but they were greeted as usual: with a handshake and a look at the clock, because time is running out, guys. And the chances of leaving a mark, in some cases of risking reconfirmation and being forgiven, are less and less.

The specific weight of matches increases and in football sometimes a big night is enough to suddenly change the landscape around you: good news for latecomers like the AC Milan player De Ketelaerethe nostalgics like the Interista Lukakuthe emotional ones like the Juventus player Vlakhovic or those who seem to have their heads elsewhere like the Lazio Milinkovic and the Romanist Abraham. For different reasons, none of them near the high bar of expectations. Because of this it takes a step forward, of those who leave the opponent in place. Along with recriminations, regrets and also criticisms.

If there was a ranking of Serie A disappointments, De Ketelaere would be at the top: zero goals, 1 assist, 16 games started on the bench, only glimmers of the class that recognizes him. All weighed down by the purchase price tag (35 million) that crushed the 22-year-old Belgian. A dynamic that is certainly not new: a normal thing, the same that happened to me – explains Sandro Tonali a Dazn —. He has been paid a lot, he has been hired to solve matches and he is paying for the pressure of being in the spotlight. a great player who needs to find confidence again, we have to help him. He has to go well a game and then we will see the real De Ketelaere.

Meanwhile, the new Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco managed to put a smile back on CDK, author of a key play in De Bruyne’s 3-2 goal that knocked Germany down in a friendly on Tuesday, after the 3-0 win against the Netherlands. Romelu Lukakuwho gave way to the AC Milan player on the pitch, instead closed the first two games of the new course with 4 goals (hat-trick against Sweden and a goal against the Germans): after the index finger in front of the mouth to silence the criticisms, this time the The Inter striker used music to launch his message via social media, with a rap song with an eloquent title: Only God can judge me.

Romelu beat him a few shots, after all the goal against Porto which is worth his qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But the longest injury of his career limited the impact of the most awaited return of the championship: it was supposed to be the (low-cost) hit of the year, instead now Lukaku to Inter a question mark for next year. And in the championship there is still a Champions League qualification to be achieved, a goal that is not so obvious for a team that has lost one game out of three, without Big Rom’s return bringing a turning point, on the contrary: the couple with Lautaro far from the glories of the championship season.

Dusan Vlahovic has also returned from his retreat in Serbia with a lighter heart. For him, as for Lukaku, there was a disappointing World Cup to leave behind and a national team to take back in hand. Goal centered, with three goals in 108′ between Lithuania and Montenegro (brace) and the sigh of relief for the news about his friend and assistant Kostic, who did nothing and will be with Verona on Saturday. Now I want to go back to the league and continue in the same way at Juventus – relaunched Dusan -. There was a bad period, but now everything is fine: 8 goals in Serie A, but only 2 in 2023, are a figure that casts doubts on the future, for Juve who paid 80 million for him, but also for him. And the passing of time does not clarify the doubt as to who is right: as for Abraham, who aims in the year of Euro ’24 to say goodbye to Mourinho and return to the Premier League. Or for Milinkovic, who seconded an intermittent star in Lazio. There is also a season finale for them to make it up to them with some heavy goals. To move hearts. And the market too.