This year SERIE A has seen a different kind of title race. With AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli, Juventus, AS Roma battling it out for supremacy. The Serie A has seen Juventus dominate for years and years until they were eventually dethroned in the 2020/2021 season. With Inter Milan winning the title. Most pundits believe the Old Lady of Italian football needs an overhaul of its squad.
This year AC Milan are the table toppers with 71 points so far. AC Milan brought in Sandro Tonali a young and promising talent, but they did not make any marquee signing. Surprisingly with their young and energetic squad, they are the league leaders. The Rossoneri last won the title in the 2010/2011 season. To be honest that squad which won the league was unrivaled. Their only surviving member of that team is Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He briefly had a spell in the USA before rejoining the Rossoneri once again. One will say is AC Milan overachieving with their average team? To some extent, they are because the most experienced players in their squad the likes of Giroud, and Zlatan have not really been at their best, yet somehow they help the team to win games. It is amazing how their highest goal-scorer this season Rafael Leao has 9 goals. Lazio's Immobile has 25 goals but Lazio finds itself further down the table. Goals have been hard to come for AC Milan but, they always seem to find a goal to win matches.
Last season's winners Inter Milan currently sit second on the table. But one will remember how they blew teams away with relative ease the previous year. They eventually won the 2020/2021 season with 91points. Inter Milan has 69 points from 32 matches, just seven points short of their previous total at this stage last season. Inter Milan brought in Denzel Dumfries, and then also got Hakan Calhanolgu and a couple of others. But it is Inter Milan with all these supposed big-name signings sit in second spot. It has been a season of swings and turns. At one point Napoli sat top of the table that was at the beginning of the season. Then when Inter Milan went top of the table pundits thought the Serie A title had been decided. But that has not been the case. As Roma, Lazio seems to have withered away as the season has gone by.
Juventus who has been past winners of this competition on consecutive occasions, this year look down and out. Despite the signing of one of Serie A's lethal strikers in the shape of Dusan Vlahovic, they have failed to discover that winning touch. Bringing in Denis Zakaria, as well as Locatelli they have not imposed themselves on the league. They have been inconsistent and underperforming. In their last game, they drew with Bologna at home.
AS Roma were the outside favorites to win the title but eventually they have withered away. Probably because they always seem to have promising talents. But somehow they can't seem to find a way to win matches. Tammy Abraham joining them this season was a gamble Jose Mourinho took. It has paid off to some extent. They currently sit 5th in Serie A. Fourteen points adrift of league leaders AC Milan.
Napoli looked like they were going to pick up the Scudetto, but low and behold that has not been the case. Despite the goal-scoring exploits of their Nigerian striker Osimhen, they have failed to capitalize on the advantage they had at the start of the season. Low key signings were made with a view to beef up the team. Napoli is not goal shy they score many. Lorenzo Insigne and Mertens were also contributing to the goal-fest. One will think their fortunes could have changed with that cheekbone injury to Osimhen. But they kept on winning matches. As to why they tailored off must be due to loss of form. They still have an outside chance with 66 points. Just a few points shy of leaders AC Milan.
SOME KEY STATISTICS TO LOOK AT IN SERIE A
Predicting the outcome it looks like the winner of Serie A could win by two or more points. So far AC Milan has a superior head-to head-record when you compare it with second-place Inter Milan. If you talking about head-to-head goal difference the Rossoneri have the advantage. As said this season looks like the winner could be decided with 2 or 3 games to go.
Rafael Leao has 9 goals this season and somehow AC Milan have bagged points to stay on top. It's weird though as this feat is rarely achieved in a top league. Yes, others have contributed to the goal-scoring department. With Giroud with 8 and a couple of others contributing 1 or 2 goals respectively.
Probably what has helped AC Milan has been shutting teams out. They have 15 clean sheets this season to Inter Milan 14 and won a game more.
Even if AC Milan should win all their matches from now till the end of the season they can only attain 86 points, five points short of Inter Milan's tally of 91 points.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH FROM NOW TILL THE END OF THE SEASON
RAFAEL LEAO- This Portuguese wizard is a sight to behold. With dazzling displays in matches. He scores, and he assists. Scored 9 assisted 3. With AC Milan bang on form, he could be on for some big-time awards soon.
MARCELO BROZOVIC- Despite his stats showing not a lot of goal involvement. He has shone for theNerazzurri. Playing in central midfield he has been superb. Scoring the opening goal in the win over Spezia. What a goal it was.
DUSAN VLAHOVIC- Pundits will say his goal-scoring form for Fiorentina was good. Yes, he has shone for Juventus as well. Scoring goals and showed his quality. One will say he should have stayed put at Fiorentina. But on a whole, he has engineered some superb performances for the Old Lady.
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