Fabio Capello believes Inter are the clear favourites for the title this season, despite Juventus cutting the gap by two points. A 1-0 win over Roma gave the Bianconeri a seven point gap over Milan, while Inter’s 1-1 draw with Genoa saw their lead cut to just two points at the top of the table. Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello explained why he still thinks the Nerazzurri are the clear cut favourites for the title, and are in a race with themselves:
Juve breathing down Inter’s neck again: does -2 make them imagine a long Scudetto fight?
“The victory against Roma is important, it shortens the distance at the top, but I remain of my idea: regardless of the standings, I still don’t see a real head-to-head. For me Inter are still only racing against themselves: if they play as they know, and if no extraordinary and unpredictable events happen, Inzaghi’s team is the favourite, simply because they are stronger. Of course, Allegri is still talking about the Champions League objective, but he believes in the Scudetto and he’s right to believe in it: the DNA of Juve, which I know well, says that his team will fight until the end. And it can only get better…’.
In the end, however, there is only a draw separating them: do you really see such a marked difference?
“Inter have more quality in all parts of the pitch. And it is, above all, deeper in the substitute options: the Scudettos are also won from the bench. In front, the Nerazzurri may only have one basic pair, and Arnautovic does not have the same synergy that Lautaro has with Thuram, but the four-five forwards that Juve can rotate, for now, have not made the difference. Even this time with Roma the goal came from the work of a midfielder, and often in the past the team has saved itself from set-pieces, with skill, nastiness and… Gatti’.
Did you hear what Acerbi said? Inter don’t like Juve playing hide and seek over the Scudetto, as the Bianconeri would have spent a fortune unlike the Nerazzurri, who were ‘forced’ to go ahead with free transfers.
“To be fair, Juve haven’t spent all this money this season…. And then going ahead with expiring contract players is not a bad thing, in fact it is a sign of competence: Inter should be proud of this way of proceeding and being more and more attractive. This is how a high quality squad was built with the various Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Thuram…’.
Could the Inter stumble at Marassi, however, have given Juve a decisive boost in their pursuit?
“Saturday’s match teaches us that even a team as well-equipped as Inter can suffer when the opponent plays with speed and aggressiveness as Genoa did, pushed also by the enthusiasm at home. It can be a key for those who want to put Inzaghi in trouble, but against Gilardino’s team, Allegri also suffered”.
Where does the ‘Max factor’ lie in the Scudetto race?
“Allegri has a virtue called humility. The knowledge that he doesn’t have the strongest team, but he works to grow game after game starting from this awareness. And he does it by inserting more and more young players, the latest Yildiz: in this way the whole team can improve with less pressure on them, but always with constancy: all this is the merit of a coach who is managing the material at his disposal very well.
And where, instead, is Inzaghi’s merit?
“Simone is also managing to make his players perform at their best, and above all in the right position. Last year I said that for me Calhanoglu should have been the regista on a permanent basis: Brozovic had great running, but he touched the ball many more times than the Turk. Bravo to Inzaghi for noticing this and finding this decisive solution. And bravo also for wanting Acerbi: the Lazio fans did him a favour by pushing him away, but Inter really needed a central player with personality capable of leading the whole defence.
Between the Super Cup and the Champions League, however, Inter will play more games than Juve…
“A variant to be considered, especially if Inter were to go ahead in Europe. But, as said, the Nerazzurri squad is more varied. Turnover is important with all these commitments, as long as it is not as drastic as Inzaghi did in the last Champions League. Rather than changing seven or nine in one go, it’s better to limit yourself at the start and use the changes: they are five, they are many…’.
This, however, is also a societal challenge.
“And here the balance is clearly in Juve’s favour: without going into the debt situation of the two clubs, also in light of Elkann’s stance, thinking about the future the ownership in Turin is much more solid than the one in Milan.
But will the winter market at least change the balance of power?
“Juve were banking a lot on Pogba, they will have to plug this loss by taking a player in the middle. But, for what they have built up in recent years, Inter are so far ahead in midfield that it won’t be a purchase that bridges the gap’.
