The home stadium is no longer a winner in Serie A

The results of the 19th day of Serie A

Lazio-Milan 4-0 4′ S. Milinković-Savić, 38′ Zaccagni, 67′ pen. Luis Alberto, 75′ Felipe Anderson

Verona-Lecce 2-0 (40′ Depaoli, 54′ Lazović)
Salernitana-Naples 0-2 (45′+3 Di Lorenzo, 48′ Osimhen)
Fiorentina-Turin 0-1 (33′ Miranchuk)
Sampdoria-Udinese 0-1 (88′ Ehizibue)
Monza-Sassuolo 1-1 (13′ G. Ferrari (S), 60′ Caprari)
Spezia-Roma 0-2 (45′ El Shaarawy, 49′ Abraham)
Juventus-Atalanta 3-3 (4′, 53′ Lookman (A), 25′ penalty Di María, 34′ Milik, 46′ Mæhle (A), 65′ Danilo)
Bologna-Cremonese 1-1 (50′ pen. Okereke (C), 55′ auto. Chiricheș)
Inter-Empoli 0-1 (66′ Baldanzi)

The Serie A standings after 19 days

Naples 50; Milan 38; Lazio, Inter and Rome 37; Atalanta 35; Udinese 28; Turin 26; Empoli 25; Juventus (-15), Fiorentina and Bologna 23; Monza 22; Lecce 20; Spice and Salernitana 18; Sassuolo 17; Verona 12; Sampdoria 9; Cremona 8.

Because a (nicely big) grain of sand in the gears brings down almost any prediction

Just a week ago, as written, the Serie A of the Italian football championship appeared as a clear and extremely readable screen, for the most part. Naples heading towards the title, the gap between the big names in the north and the Romans plus Atalanta decreased but remained marked, no hope of Europe for those chasing behind the lines, unfortunately the three relegated are doomed. Never as in these cases, however, the great calm it is necessary: ​​the first verdict of the appeals regarding capital gains removes 15 points in the ranking from Juventus, to be discounted in the current championship, and has put a lot back into play. It follows that a slot is automatically “freed up” in the next Champions League, for the benefit of Rome, Lazio or Atalanta: as long as the Milanese remain clinging to the second and third step of the podium … objectively contestable. With the same domino effect, one of Udinese, Turin, Fiorentina and Juve itself can think of the Conference League. Unless the Bianconeri’s spirit of revenge makes them win them all, but that’s another matter.

Because the Europe that matters is out of Juve’s reach, and why not

And it’s time to face it. Fifteen penalty points would kill even a bull (with a small t), especially considering that even the minimum – and already deficient – goal of the season, the arrival in the Europa League, now seems to be built with a dozen distances behind . But if Walter Mazzarri’s ride from Reggina (saving with -19) proves that nothing is impossible, the devil’s advocate with a small d reminds us that the penalty had arrived in that case at the beginning of the season. What happened on Sunday evening at the Stadium shows that at least the players at Juve are taking it in the right spirit: just the exact opposite of Inter, who expected a negative reaction from Turin and found it at home, with Milan Škriniar expelled and now separated at home like a temporary member. In addition, Madama boasts many offspring who will do everything to show off and bring the ancient vase to safety: Nicolò Fagioli, Fabio Miretti, in the future Nicolò Rovella and Filippo Ranocchia, the Pedri and Gavi that the new management can afford and that Massimiliano Allegri’s plasma can endow with Gerrardi cazzimma. Great calmtherefore, to take it for granted ahead of time.

Because the surrender of Inter and Milan is called Europe, and the pursuers cannot gloat

Four teams in two points, Inter and Milan down, Lazio Rome Atalanta see the empyrean. Looking with the eyes of the extreme present, the fans of the Italian champions tremble in the last two years, the other three raise their heads with hope. But great calm: looking through the periscope towards spring, when the cycle of post-world preparation will be completed, the hierarchies could go back to the ones shown up to now. Stefano Pioli’s team pays for a market deficit, the tarnish from Qatar and the mono-module with no variants, however it is also targeted by injuries that make alternatives difficult; that of Simone Inzaghi has never found his game and has been betrayed by investments and illnesses, but he counts on a squad and a habit that cannot be compared to his competitors towards the Champions League. Here is the magic word: the surrender of Inter and Milan can also be explained by the objective of making at least a little progress in the current edition of the cup, where in a one-off match anything can happen against Porto and Tottenham respectively. Of course José Mourinho’s Roma are believing it, and Lazio seen yesterday is scary: they are the most team of all, they play sarriously even without Immobile, the starting eleven has changed very little for years. In the long run this counts, on and off the pitch.

Because Atalanta are scoring in bursts and come first in the race for future transfer markets

Among the healthiest teams is Atalanta, who dueled without hesitation with Juve until the crackling 3-3. Perhaps never before has the eleven entrusted to Giampiero Gasperini scored so much in a single period, not even in the golden age when he traveled to even higher ranking thresholds: eight goals against Salernitana, five against Spezia in the Italian cup, precisely three (at home) to Juventus. Regardless of the final placement, when it’s time to rewind the tape of the tournament, the names of Rasmus Højlund and Ademola Lookman will echo among the best signings – indeed, the best discoveries or bets – of the season, foundations for facing the future and guaranteed revenues when the Italian championship, sigh, will no longer be enough for them. Against an ever luxuriant youth sector, capable of turning out the Bastoni and the Scalvini in just a few years, international fishing is also fruitful and with the merit of covering little-traveled paths: of course, what counts is the manager’s ability to understand the times and ways of the blitz, but one wonders why not even the well-known and historic big names (even with more resources) are unable to get there sooner and better towards those who say yes to Bergamo or Leipzig before taking off for the top of the range . Where though – great calm – not infrequently, see Gosens at Inter and several other cases, they don’t perform as well as in the ecosystem that generated them: a clue perhaps takes place in the reduced weight of the “senators” in contexts that are not of the highest order, or a climate that helps to explode without engulfing. But the geography of football also changes according to these assumptions.

Because the field factor no longer counts for anything and how to rejoice outside fantasy football

The numbers, while legible, are not liars. In the last extra-large appointment with Serie A, only Hellas Verona and the overflowing Lazio have won at home; then three draws and five away victories. Some pragmatic, some surprising for statistics and disparities: it’s not the first time this has happened, it won’t be the last. This inverted balance with respect to the unconscious prejudice that sees the hosts as favorites by default has numerous footholds in the evolution of the mentality of those who are hosted, first of all the calendar of the day (and therefore great calm, may not be a paradigm as early as next week). It is not excluded, for example, that the two-year period marked by Covid with the stadiums behind closed doors has contributed significantly to facilitating this new awareness of one’s means, which in front of the level of the zeroed curves animates in equal measure those who count above a fans in its own way “decisive” and those who are not. There is therefore no reason to regret it, if not for the tide of fantasy coaches who hang on the field factor to win or be condemned: it is the championship itself that says that it can, and probably should, do without it.