Serie A title playoff a tantalising prospect as weary Inter stumble
Inter players applaud their fans after their injury-time defeat at Bologna.
Photograph: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters
'The season does not end here,' repeated Simone Inzaghi at full time: to Sky Sport, to Dazn, to anyone who would listen. An undeniable truth, seeing as there are still five rounds to go, yet the more he said it the more you started to wonder who he was trying to convince. Himself? His players? Beppe Bergomi back in the studio?
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Why should he even be troubled by this idea? His team were still top of the table. A 1-0 loss to Bologna meant Inter finished the weekend level on points with Napoli, but officially they remained ahead courtesy of Serie A's second tie-breaker. Both head-to-head meetings ended in 1-1 draws, but the Nerazzurri's goal difference is far superior.
Related: European football: Orsolini last-gasp bicycle kick dents Inter's title charge
Unfortunately for Inter, those details matter less than they used to. A rule introduced two seasons ago states that if two teams competing for the title, or to avoid relegation, finish level on points, the matter must be settled with a playoff.
We saw the impact immediately, Spezia and Verona playing a 39th game in 2022-23 to decide who should drop to Serie B. The regulations have since been tweaked, so a relegation playoff today would be settled over two legs. A title decider, however, would still be a one-off game, played at the home of the team that holds the tie-breaker. If this 'spareggio' ends in a draw after 90 minutes, it goes straight to penalties.
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A tantalising prospect for the neutral fan. Curiously enough, Inter were involved on the only previous occasion that a Serie A title was decided with a playoff, back in 1964. They lost to Bologna, 2-0.
Did the ghosts of that defeat haunt them this weekend at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara? Or were Inter simply not good? Bologna are an excellent side, who have overcome the summer departure of manager Thiago Motta, as well as key players Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori, to become even stronger under Vincenzo Italiano. Yet Inter were far below their best on Sunday. They looked tired.
Who could blame them? The Nerazzurri are still competing for three trophies and, as Inzaghi has often reminded us, have their eyes on the Club World Cup this summer as well. They won a draining Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich last Wednesday and have a Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Milan coming up on the same day this week.
'We're definitely tired,' acknowledged Nicolò Barella at full time on Sunday, noting how Piotr Zielinski's calf injury had reduced rotation options in midfield. 'There is tiredness, but we are not backing down. One defeat is not going to change the mentality we have built these last few years.'
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Inter demonstrated their resolve in the triumph over Bayern, always responding in key moments of the tie. When the Bundesliga side equalised late in the first leg, Davide Frattesi immediately put his side back in front. After Harry Kane scored to bring the aggregate scores level again at San Siro, Inter struck twice in the following 10 minutes.
How much did they have left in the tank, though, for this game against Bologna four days later? Inzaghi changed only two members of his starting XI, Joaquín Correa replacing Marcus Thuram – reported to have suffered a mild thigh strain – up front and Carlos Augusto swapping in for Federico Dimarco at left-back.
Bologna are a confrontational side under Italiano. From the start they were attacking Inter down the wings and especially through Dan Ndoye.
His inclusion ahead of their top scorer, Riccardo Orsolini, on the right of a 4-2-3-1 was a surprise. But Ndoye is a right-footer, allowing different angles of attack than his left-footed teammate. His centre for Thijs Dallinga, after beating Francesco Acerbi to the byline, might have been the clearest chance created all match. The Dutchman's close-range shot was blocked by Benjamin Pavard.
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Neither team seemed willing to take undue risks. Bologna were not short of motivation, chasing a Champions League spot of their own, but dared not unbalance themselves. Inter appeared content with a point in what was probably the trickiest game left, on paper, on their league calendar.
Both truths were reflected by players' positions as Juan Miranda launched one final long throw towards Inter's box in the 94th minute. There were seven defenders, plus the goalkeeper, inside the penalty area, contesting the space with just four Bologna players.
Lecce 0-3 Como, Monza 0-1 Napoli, Roma 1-0 Verona, Empoli 2-2 Venezia, Milan 0-1 Atalanta, Bologna 1-0 Internazionale.
Monday fixtures postponed: Torino v Udinese, Cagliari v Fiorentina, Genoa v Lazio, Parma v Juventus
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Yann Bisseck, introduced to shore up Inter's back line just moments earlier, rose to head clear, but succeeded only in flicking the ball across his own box. Orsolini, also on from the bench, met it at the back post with a scissor-kick into the bottom corner.
This was the Italian's 12th league goal of the season, his best-ever return, and further fuel to the fire of those who believe he ought to be starting for the national team. He did not even make the squad for the recent Nations League quarter-final against Germany.
Not that anyone was worrying about that on Sunday. Orsolini's goal lifted Bologna back to fourth, pending Juventus's game against Parma, which had been scheduled for Monday night but now has been postponed with three other fixtures following the death of Pope Francis.
The goal was celebrated, too, down in Naples. These have been tense days for Napoli, who won 1-0 at Monza on Saturday. They were not impressive, against opponents who sit bottom of the table, but Scott McTominay's second-half header – his ninth Serie A goal – was enough to secure all three points and further reinforce his status as a fan idol. Not since Marek Hamsik has a Napoli midfielder been so prolific.
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But comments made by Antonio Conte suggested the manager has already arrived at a familiar place of frustration. 'During my eight months at Napoli,' he said at his pre-game press conference, 'I've come to understand there's lots of things you can't do here.'
He revisited the theme after the match. 'Whoever hires Conte always says: 'finish first or second', even if they finished 10th last season,' the manager told Dazn. 'It's not enough to fight for Europe, the ambitions and expectations always rise.'
Pressed on the subject again at his press conference, Conte said: 'There has to be a serious plan, not just the fruit of miracles. I have great affection for [Napoli's owner Aurelio] De Laurentiis and his family, and we will talk. But the Neapolitan fan wants to win, and if they don't win they get nasty. I don't want to be massacred …
'I have to protect myself. If we can, then we will do it together. If not, then it will have been a beautiful journey.'
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All that was before Inter lost, putting Napoli's title hopes back in their own hands. On paper, the second-placed club have the easier run-in, with Torino, in 10th, the highest-placed of their remaining opponents. But trips to Lecce and Parma, both fighting for top-flight survival, could be pitfalls. Before Saturday, Napoli had not won an away game in three months.
Inter still must face both Rome clubs, each chasing a Champions League spot, albeit those games are both at San Siro. The greater concern for Inzaghi's side is simply that fatigue will be fatal.
This Serie A season, as he reminded us on Sunday, is not over. To the contrary, it is poised for a very dramatic finish indeed.
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