The Napoli Scudetto is the only sure thing in this Serie A

The results of the 33rd day of Serie A

Empoli-Bologna 3-1 1′ auto. Lucumí, 45′ +1 Akpa Akpro, 68′ Cambiaghi, 88′ pen. Orsolini (B)
Udinese-Napoli 1-1 13′ Lovrić, 52′ Osimhen (N)
Atalanta-Spezia 3-2 18′ Gyasi (S), 32′ de Roon, 48′ Zappacosta, 54′ Muriel, 64′ Bourabia (S)
Juventus-Lecce 2-1 15′ Paredes, 37′ pen. Ceesay (L), 40′ Vlahović
Salernitana-Fiorentina 3-3 10′, 59′, 81′ pen. Dia (S), 36′ N. González, 71′ Ikoné, 84′ Biraghi
Sampdoria-Turin 0-2 31′ Good morning, 94′ Pellegri
Lazio-Sassuolo 2-0 14′ Felipe Anderson, 92′ Bašić
Milan-Cremonese 1-1 77′ Okereke (C), 93′ Messias
Monza-Roma 1-1 24′ El Shaarawy (R), 39′ Caldirola
Verona-Inter 0-6 31′ auto. Gaich, 36′ Çalhanoğlu, 38′, 61′ Džeko, 55′, 92′ Lautaro Martínez

The Serie A standings after 33 days

Naples 80; Lazio 64; Juventus 63; Inter 60; Atalanta, Milan and Rome 58; Fiorentina 46; Bologna, Monza and Turin 45; Udinese and Sassuolo 43; Salernitana and Empoli 35; Lecce 31; Spice and Verona 27; Cremona 21; Sampdoria 17

Because the first verdict has arrived but all the others will be decided at the photo finish

Although it may seem strange, the championship did not end with Napoli winning the Scudetto. The hangover of celebrations during these hours will take place on Sunday at the Maradona stadium, and then it will crown a summer of songs with blue, instant moviecommercial initiatives. But in the meantime the tournament continues and smiles back on Inter, who found continuity, goals and protagonism towards the end of the season; on the other hand, Milan held back, pinned down by the moving Cremonese, and Roma also limped a bit, precisely in the sense of the infirmary which continually takes men away from José Mourinho. Lazio rehabilitates itself by beating Sassuolo, more for itself and to consolidate second place, than to prolong the outcome of Serie A attached to the machines. In the end, the luck of Verona that sinks under the Nerazzurri blows is that Spezia does not come out unscathed from Bergamo, while Empoli relaunches well and Lecce still does not close the file. Circumstances, all of which require great calm before making any predictions. Moreover, with a possible extra guest.

Because the water at the throat clings the Cremonese to the A, and offers it a “life” to the video game

There is something irrepressible, ancestral and resilient – in the true sense of the term, not misled by years of bad communication – in Cremonese’s frantic but stimulating search for salvation. Let’s admit that, out of provincial spirit and roots in the 1990s, we sort of chose it as an object of love: but every time the calendar puts it in a corner, it (almost) always finds a stubborn and unexpected way to try to believe it. At San Siro, in front of a hurriedly amassing Milan after the turn over, the usual, teetering descent of David Okereke was about to give birth to yet another miracle, frozen in time expired by the carambola that awards the Rossoneri goal, we don’t know how, Junior Messias. With a prestigious victory at La Scala del Calcio, Davide Ballardini’s eleven would have arrived just four points behind Hellas Verona and Spezia: but even so the late pursuit can still fuel itself, given that the Ligurians will arrive at the Giuseppe Zini stadium on Saturday evening. Will the wings of enthusiasm bear the hoped-for results? Great calm, because until now the already appreciated team under the reins of Massimiliano Alvini has always missed the decisive appointments. And then among the white eaglets there should be someone like M’bala Nzola, capable of making a difference on his own. Still, it’s never too late.

Because, whether his name is Boulaye Dia or Joel Pohjanpalo, someone who scores in series always serves

From the Champions League semi-final with the Villarreal shirt, to the fight for salvation with Salernitana. What went through the mind of Boulaye Dia, certainly required in the summer market, at the time of signing it is not known; what is certain is that the Senegalese striker, who also scored at the World Cup, has adapted very well in the new part, so much so that he drags the Campania players through all the seasons, even taking away the whim of postponing the Napoli championship. Dia scores with right foot, left foot, from outside the area, header, dribbling, robbery: this is what happens, 800 km further north, to the Finn Joel Pohjanpalo, who made headlines for post-match beer more than for four o’clock goals that have taken him to the top of the Serie B scorers, where he is doing everything to save Venice. They are the proven examples that, however much “space” can act as a center forward, a game changer of this type is always useful and, perhaps, necessary. There are those who are ready to argue that Dia and Pohjanpalo will leave Italy for other shores already in the summer, but great calm: the first is in love with Salerno, the second has even taken a house in the Venetian district of San Polo. I’m here to stay.

Because the De Zerbi mania leaves the time it finds, and collides with the poor memory of the most

These days one can only read the global panegyric for Roberto de Zerbi’s Brighton, placed close to the Europe zone in the Premier League standings and returning from objectively astonishing performances, such as the 6-0 at Wolverhampton or the same iron success in the against Manchester United. Between philosophes transcending football and similarities even to Marcelo Bielsa, it seems that global football has found its own new fetish for discussion. It is no longer the time of the Germans, it seems. Nevertheless, great calm it is necessary before crying out for a miracle: not only because even recent results – such as the 3-1 suffered in Nottingham, or the series of draws preceding the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur – say that the settlement in the uptown districts is all anything but consolidated. But also because we already know the coach from Brescia from his years at Sassuolo, where in three seasons he has accumulated an eleventh and two eighth places, despite fielding three strikers of the national team. So enthusiasm is fine, but with juicio: it could be that English football has exalted the playful skills of the Italian coach, but if not, what do we do?

Because the Europe that counts is upon us, and never before has a branch of the championship remembered

Projecting ourselves to the end of the month, even if the exit scenario from the European semi-finals were apparently deficient for the Italian teams (assuming that one will still play in the Champions League final), could we speak of failure? No, and not because Giannis Antetokounmpo says so. It is always necessary to evaluate the starting position, and no one in September 2022 would have sworn that Milan or Inter would have been finalists, that in the Europa League there is the hypothesis of a redde rationem between Juventus and Rome, and that Fiorentina would be the natural favorites to repeat the Giallorossi triumph in the Conference. But with the eyes of the before it is natural to aim at everything: why great calm we say it to Real Madrid and Manchester City, Sevilla and Bayer Leverkusen, Basel and West Ham: at this point in the season, “card” only matters up to a certain point. And the red and black DNA, the individual nerazzurri, the short black and white muzzle, the yellow and red coach and the purple freshness are weapons that have no reverential fear. Go and play it.