The risk for Napoli to win the Scudetto in the hotel

The results of the 32nd day of Serie A

Inter 3-1 Lazio 30′ Felipe Anderson (L), 78′, 90′ Lautaro Martínez, 83′ Gosens
Cremonese-Verona 1-1 9′ Okereke, 75′ Verdi (V)
Napoli-Salernitana 1-1 62′ Mathías Olivera, 84′ Dia (S)
Sassuolo-Empoli 2-1 11′ Cambiaghi (E), 82′, 97′ pen. D. Berardi
Fiorentina-Sampdoria 5-0 45′ +2 Castrovilli, 62′ Dodô, 66′ Duncan, 76′ Kouamé, 88′ Terzić
Bologna-Juventus 1-1 10′ Orsolini, 61′ Milik (J)
Lecce-Udinese 1-0 62′ pen. Streffeness
Spezia-Monza 0-2 21′ Ciurria, 93′ Carlos Augusto
Roma-Milan 1-1 94′ Abraham, 97′ Saelemaekers (M)
Turin-Atalanta 1-2 34′ Zappacosta, 75′ Sanabria (T), 88′ Zapata

The Serie A standings after 32 days

Naples 79; Lazio 61; Juventus 60; Inter, Milan and Rome 57; Atalanta 55; Bologna and Fiorentina 45; Monza 44; Sassuolo 43; Turin and Udinese 42; Salerno 34; Empoli 32; Lecce 31; Spice and Verona 27; Cremona 20; Sampdoria 17

Because the Napoli party is only suspended, like coffee: there is ‘or scudetto out’ (in Udine)

By paradox of history, Napoli could win the Scudetto… in the hotel. Exactly the one in Udine, on the evening of Wednesday 3 May, should Lazio not conquer Sassuolo’s terrain. It would be the nemesis of the 2017-2018 season, when it was Juventus who won “in the hotel” due to the unexpected defeat of the Neapolitans in Florence (hat-trick by Giovanni Simeone, now blue). If, on the other hand, the team now coached by Maurizio Sarri – ironically, coach of Napoli five years ago – wins, one point would be enough for Luciano Spalletti’s band on Thursday night at the Dacia Arena. The setback for the lack of internal triumph against Salernitana, however, is evident: the after-effects of the party set, which became concrete after the fall from Lazio, remain only in morale. A deserved, obvious, indisputable and irrefutable Scudetto awaits the Gulf and the Neapolitan diaspora in Italy and in Europe: all you need is a further dose of great calm, two days or three. With lots of applause for Salerno’s pride, against those who thought that Paulo Sousa and Boulaye Dia were avoiding force majeure.

Because Inter’s season is already going beyond normal expectations, even without the Scudetto

We must apologize to Simone Inzaghi. To his Inter, often and willingly, hardly anyone gives a penny: but he is a finalist in the Coppa Italia, a semi-finalist in the Champions League (with a derby to face, which in itself is not impossible), settled in fourth place in the league after a good comeback against the listed Lazio. And even the second position is visible. All by recovering Romelu Lukaku, fundamental for physicality and understanding with Lautaro Martínez, and showing off the best Nicolò Barella of the last period. The double weekly clash between Rome and Milan is resolved by them, in the vogue of front touches like in soccer, a few days after the captain and Dimarco have packaged the passage of the round in the cup in color matching. He won’t be Antonio Conte’s steamroller, but this team has gained certainties – André Onana, Henrikh Mkhitaryan – and resources that emerge at the right time: Denzel Dumfries still believes in it, even Joaquín Correa has carved out his own moment. If there is one comment to make to the Nerazzurri, beyond the natural schizophrenia in results and performances (when they matter less), it is an appeal to great calm: not infrequently those who approach the door struggle to look in between, seeking personal success. And no player ever admits he was wrong, justifying himself for having had only one second before kicking to the stars, when he could have passed the ball to someone better placed.

Because Gotti can be Simple, but Simple cannot be Gotti

The engagement in third from last position is more a demerit for Spezia than a prize for Hellas Verona. The quality of the game expressed by the latter says it, often staggering and lately lucky in the combinations with the opponents; this is confirmed by the free fall of the Ligurians, who are losing matches within reach and seem to be entangled in a negative spiral, first of all from a mental point of view. Certainly the change on the bench between a pragmatic coach like Luca Gotti – suited to a 3-5-2 formation that couldn’t be more compact – and an airy one like Leonardo Semplici, who without the forays of the injured Emil Holm decided to spread the wings to 4-3-3 without drawing goals and construct. It’s a shame, because the squad (especially in midfield) is qualitative and the recent tradition of genius on the bench, read Vincenzo Italiano and Thiago Motta, would be worth continuing. Even if the trend at the moment is this, great calm: not only does Empoli’s defeat bring him back into play, and Lecce himself cannot be said to be out of the fray. But the white-shirted eaglets also possess a weapon that, for example, the Venetian yellow-blues don’t have: M’bala Nzola, whose return could pull the team out of the shallows. Had they said that a year ago, nowadays, no one would have believed it.

Because the Grande Torino is an eternal tale and its legend must be reaffirmed every year

On Thursday 4 May, like every year since 1949, Torino Calcio will climb the hill of Superga and pay homage to the immortal version of itself. There was no depression, weather conditions, series of provisional membership that could keep the grenades away from an appointment consubstantial to them: the reading of the names of the Invincibles by the captain, the procession of cars, the scarves and flags carried by all cities that have lost their champions. The years away are now 74, but everything suggests that nothing will be different in the future. A rich literature contributes to keeping the fire of memory high and alive: among the best examples, the “Romanzo del Grande Torino” by Renato Tavella and Franco Ossola, son of the father of the same name who fell, and – more local, more familiar – “Aldo and Dino Ballarin, from his childhood to the Grande Torino” by Barbara Mastella. But in order not to live only on reflected glory, the Torino supporters have been asking the munificent president Urbano Cairo for years to set up a team capable of currently being stationed in the European cups, and perhaps to attempt an assault on the top positions. Is it too much to ask for someone who wears this livery and bears the marks of history on them? There great calmsooner or later, it will end: and the twentieth century says that the exploits of 1976 and 1992 are perhaps still possible.

Why two weekly shifts is better than oneeven if the standings will change little on Thursday

The year of the anomalous World Cup still forces us to have a championship Wednesday, the likes of which we haven’t seen for months. The central field, Roberto Bortoluzzi would have once said on the radio, will be that of Udine where one point will be enough for Napoli – or perhaps not even that – to win the third Scudetto. The Verona-Inter, Atalanta-Spezia, Juventus-Lecce and Milan-Cremonese spins recur, between the Champions area and salvation; the other matches, with Salernitana-Fiorentina and Monza-Roma in the lead, aim to consolidate the current positions and perhaps to express flashes of good play, between coaches of contrasting football philosophies. In short, 48 quiet hours that shouldn’t distort the picture, making the already strong stronger and further lengthening the ranking. For those looking for strong emotions, great calm: the appointment is only postponed by a few days (as for the Neapolitan championship), since Milan-Lazio, Roma-Inter, Atalanta-Juve, Cremonese-Spezia and Lecce-Hellas will be played over the weekend. Only then will nothing be the same again.