BEVERLY HILLS, March 09, (THEWILL) – In a contest between the two highest-scoring sides of the 2020/2021 season in Italy’s Serie A, Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan and Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta, the appropriately named defender Milan Skriniar scored the lone goal that Milan needed to climb back up to six points clear at the top of the league’s standings on their race to the Scudetto.
It was a satisfying win from a tough and tight fixture because it helped Inter extend their winning streak to seven league games as they push for a first title since 2010 and provides some buffer zone of comfort against the chasing pair of city rivals AC Milan, on the one hand, and defending champions Juventus, on the other.
It was necessary for that gap to be maintained as second-placed Milan beat Hellas Verona 2-0 on Sunday to chip three points off Inter’s lead while Juve came close to 10 points off top spot, with a game in hand, after a 3-1 win over Lazio on Saturday with Cristiano Ronaldo as a second half substitute.
Conte himself was particularly relieved with the victory, as he admitted in his post-match comments: “Knowing that the closest direct pursuers had won it’s inevitable that there was pressure, these are three important points.”
There are only 13 games left in the season and the free-scoring Atalanta, who have chalked up a season-high 60 goals so far, remain outside the Champions League berths in fifth place. They have become as keen as ever to grab as many victories as they can to close the points gap towards a top-four slot and the assurance of elite football in Europe next season.
That was why it was a tough loss to swallow for Gasperini, whose side are one point off fourth-placed Roma: “We put in a great performance and lost on a corner.
“Against Inter and Juventus we always lack that little detail we don’t yet have, but we are close.”
This season, the prolific duo of Romelu Lukaku with 18 goals and Lautaro Martinez with 13, have seen I Nerazzurri reach 63 goals in the league alone. That was why a clash between these sides was always going to be determined by the efficiency of the backline. In the end, that was what gave it to Inter as Gasperini’s admission revealed.
The strength of the defenders on both sides meant that chances were few in the first half. The keepers got into the fray too to keep matters goalless and as that stretched into the tie, the coaches intervened with changes to seize the advantage and find the opener.
Gasperini went with Josip Ilicic when he withdrew Ruslan Malinovskyi for Atalanta after the interval and Conte sent in Christian Eriksen to take the place of Arturo Vidal in the Inter lineup. That latter decision was the key to Inter’s victory as the Dane’s corner provided the assist for only Skriniar’s third goal in the league this season.
The ever-present threat of Belgian forward Lukaku almost resulted in a second for Inter just before the hour mark, but Argentine centre back Romero slid in for a timely intervention to deny the striker his 19th of the season.
Conte rationalised the victory with his catchy summary: “One goal but we missed sensational opportunities. It was a very tactical match.”
Gasperini’s Atalanta will take consolation from their tactics at the back that keep the results respectable though it broke their four-match winning run in Serie A. They remain in the running in the Champions League as they chase Roma while hoping to continue their scoring spree ahead of their appearance at final of the Italian Cup.
However for Inter, the Scudetto is all that they have to play for this season as their unceremonious exit for all European commitments leaves them nothing else to do. It means they can claim a domestic title by the season’s end with the consistency they have maintained, Lukaku’s clinical display in front of goal and Conte’s tactical mind working behind the scenes.
The question now is can they? What will come of them if there are season-ending injuries to their striking pair of Lukaku and Martinez? Do they have the extra burners to stay title hopefuls if there is a dip in form and either of the chasing pair of Milan and Juve catch up? How long will they stay competitive if they lose a couple of the 13 matches left in the season?
Whatever the next 13 fixtures bring, Conte’s side only needs to keep their consistency on the level it has been all season, and it will be unthinkable that the Zlatan Ibrahimovic-inspired Milan side and the Ronaldo-led champions Juve will catch up enough to take the title from their grasp. They will have to wait another season to challenge again for the top flight title in Serie A.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
