Seven games decide Scudetto season

Weekend of significance ends in Lazio questioning Inter’s title credentials as draws ensures Scudetto finale will be a little bit spicier

Football is in essence a sport as exciting as any other. It not only brings one the emotions of excitement, joy, pain, controversy, friendship and rivalry, but can really make a fan pull back their hair and scream! I have done this on numerous occasions, as I guess most of you have. This is more the case when two top clubs are fighting. Not for relegation, but for a championship. In Serie A, one club seems to play with ‘freedom’, the other with graft and organization. The first club is Roma, 65 points, the second is Internazionale, 69 points.

On Saturday, the Eternal City may have filled up with thousands of AS Roma fans who found themselves supporting their dearest rivals SS Lazio, as they hoped the Biancolesti inflicted a defeat on Roberto Mancini’s Inter Milan side. A victory would have tasted sweet for Roma, and brought them within a point of Inter. However, Inter being Inter, they survived wave after wave of Lazio attacks, and held on for the draw. Roma, who had kicked off earlier, could only manage a draw with a battling Cagliari side who warmly welcomed the point in their relegation battle.

In the end, the weekend of significance didn’t really change anything in the title race. With seven rounds to go, Inter still have their four-point lead over Luciano Spalletti’s Roman gladiators, but their performance against Lazio was an unconvincing one. Tomasso Rocchi ran the Inter defence ragged, and Goran Pandev’s technical skill around the box caused the Nerazzurri numerous problems.

If signs of an Inter collapse are being manifested, you only have to look at the claims by Jose Mourinho’s agent that Inter patron Massimo Moratti held talks with him in the last week to take up Mancini’s post in the summer. Have Inter given up on the title before the season had ended? I’m not one to agree that discussing a manager’s position when their is no vacancy is healthy.

Serie A enters its final furlong. Roma have the ostensibly tougher games, against the likes of Udinese, Sampdoria and Torino who will all provide stern tests. Inter face Atalanta away (conquerers of Inter’s neighbours AC Milan last weekend), Fiorentina at home, and then a potentially tricky away tie at Parma on the last day of the season.

For both teams, the title could be won and lost when the sides take on the Champions League-chasing pair of Fiorentina and Udinese on the weekend of April 13th. Inter must also play Lazio in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, a tie that will really test their squad over two legs while Roma on the other hand face an easier game against Catania in the the other semi clash. But the games against Torino and Sampdoria could prove potential banana skins for the Giallorossi.

Roma still need to travel to Manchester to play out their second leg with United and the season will be shaped out by how they decide to approach that 2-0 deficit.

Whatever the outcome, expect high intensity, high emotion, and erratic results. This will certainly be the most interesting seven weeks of the Scudetto race. To top it off, Inter could even play Roma in the Coppa Italia finale come May. And that really would be the icing on the cake.

Arrivederci

Inter’s remaining fixtures
Apr 6: Atalanta (A)
Apr 13: Fiorentina (H)
Apr 20: Torino FC (A)
Apr 27: Cagliari (H)
May 4: AC Milan (A)
May 11: AC Siena (H)
May 18: FC Parma (A)

Roma’s remaining fixtures
Apr 5: Genoa (H)
Apr 13: Udinese (A)
Apr 19: AS Livorno (H)
Apr 27: Torino FC (H)
May 4: Sampdoria (A)
May 11: Atalanta (H)
May 18: Catania (A)

Results Week 31

Cagliari – Roma 1-1
Catania – Torino 1-2
Empoli – Sampdoria 0-2
Genoa – Reggina 2-0
Juventus – Parma P-P
Lazio – Inter 1-1
Livorno – Siena 0-0
Milan – Atalanta 1-2
Napoli – Palermo 1-0
Udinese – Fiorentina 3-1