Italian Serie A preview: Inter Milan – SSC http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Napoli-c40003 (Part 1)
Serie A will be back tonight after a three weeks break. Good thing the first half of season 2010/11 was an enthralling ride. While 10 games will be played tonight, it’s Inter Milan-Napoli that’s the best of the lot.
With the arrival of flamboyant Leonardo, Inter will start playing attacking football. Napoli are already renowned for their attacking approach, and the game promises to be an action packed affair.
New start for Leonardo and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan
Leonardo – the former AC Milan manager and fan favourite – wearing Nerazzurri stripes, it still looks surreal. Such is the nature of football nowadays, and one must get used to it. The Brazilian tactician has decided to captain the ship that is stuck right
in the middle of the Atlantic storm. He must now ensure the safety of his men with a Champions League qualification. A tough task but a mathematical possibility.
Leonardo is in for a rough ride. Nerazzurri are supposed to play eight games this month. Such a hectic run of fixtures will put the Nerazzurri season back on track or simply destroy it. A good positive start is expected to say the least. With all pundits
and journalists waiting with their pens poised, Leonardo would be under immense pressure to deliver. No manager would fancy being in his shoes – except for Jose Mourinho maybe.
On a positive note, history is firmly in the favour of the Nerazzurri. Inter have taken on Partenopei 67 times at San Siro and emerged victorious a whooping 46 times, 14 games ended in stalemates while Azzurri triumphed a measly 7 times. Leonardo would do
well to draw inspiration from these statistics.
As things stand, Nerazzurri are seventh in the league with 23 points from 15 games. In spite of the fact that Leonardo’s men have played two fewer games, they lag behind AC Milan by a 13 point margin that could be impossible to mount. A champions League
finish will merit a celebration.
Azzurri eye ancient glory
The last time Napoli were so close to the Serie A summit was when a certain http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Diego-Maradona-c11160 was ‘wowing’ the fans at Stadio San Paolo. A lot has changed in 20 years though; Partenopei have been there – third tier of Italian football – and back again. Owing
much to the fantastic work of Aurelio De Laurentiis, Neapolitans can finally dream Scudetto again.
Simply put, Napoli have been a far better side than Inter Milan this season. However, having said that, the New Year should bring with it, higher ambitions. A victory against the reigning Champions would start the second part of the season in a fitting manner.
Walter Mazzarri’s men have 33 points from 17 games; just three points off the summit. While a defeat would not be a disaster, a victory is necessary to keep pressure on the league leaders. It is often said that defences win you titles, and the Azzurri defence
has conceded 17 goals; a goal per game. Mazzarri must tighten the s***w at the back if he is to harbour any hopes of registering an unexpected title triumph.
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