Serie A findings: Round 16 – What we learned from this week’s fixtures (Part 2)
Juventus are AC Milan’s only real Scudetto challengers
AC Milan are on course to winning Serie A for the first time since the 2003/04 season. As things stand, Rossoneri are six points clear at the top following 16 rounds of football. Inter Milan had won the league five times in a row but arrival of Rafa Benitez
at the helm of Nerazzurri has seen things take a turn for the worst.
With Inter struggling to make a real impact and Roma still recovering from a disastrous start, Juventus FC have emerged as the real Scudetto challengers. Granted, the likes of Napoli, Lazio and Palermo are doing fantastic work on the domestic front but it’s
arguable whether these emerging sides can keep up with the league leaders. The aforementioned sides do not possess the ideal squad depth and the balance required to mount a serious title challenge and a Champions League qualification would be a huge achievement.
Meanwhile, some inspired work is being done at Old Lady headquarters. With the arrival of Luigi Del Neri and an ambitious management, Juve are hitting the headlines for the right reasons for a change. The acquisition of Alberto Aquilani and Fabio Quagliarella
have added some much needed creativity to Bianconeri attack and Juventus are only two signings away from being Champions League hopefuls.
However, having said that, AC Milan remain the league favourites for now but Juventus cannot be discounted. Judging by the fighting spirit shown by Bianconeri players last night against Lazio, Juve will pounce on any slip-ups that AC Milan make and Rossoneri
would do well to keep complacency out of their game.
AS Bari to get relegated
Galletti had an amazing season last year and finished a highly respectable 10th in their comeback season. The minnows had a supremely talented squad with the centre back duo of Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Ranocchia playing in the heart of defence.
However, the Bonucci was sold to Juventus while Ranocchia returned to his parent club Genoa. The two transfers made all the difference. In their absence, Bari have conceded a staggering 25 goals so far in just 16 games – compare that to 49 goals Galletti
conceded in all of 2009/10 season.
As things stand, Galletti are the bottom placed team in the league with just 10 points from 16 games. In recent times, Bari have lost to AS Roma and AC Milan despite playing well. Lady Luck is clearly not on Galletti’s side. With little chances of improvement,
Bari are relegation favourites and only a miracle will save them.
Cut-throat competition for European places
Serie A is the most competitive league in Europe. With just 10 points separating second placed Juventus from 13th placed Bologna, European places, Europa league spots in particular, are up for grabs and it will be almost impossible to predict
who will finish in the top seven places.
While Juventus, Milan, Lazio and Napoli are favourites to finish in the top four, As many as eight teams are fighting for the three Europa League spots available.
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