Former Italy and Juventus coach Marcello Lippi discussed this season and the title race between the top teams in an interview with Italian newspaper la Gazzetta dello Sport at the Milan Sports Festival earlier today.
“Napoli, Juve, Atalanta, Inter, Lazio, I would say that these are the 5-6 teams that start as favorites. You can’t put as the number one favorite the team that has been winning for 9 consecutive years, the feeling is that the gap between Juve and the others has leveled out.”
He suggested that the Nerazzurri’s work in the transfer market has seem them strengthen themselves the most.
“I think Inter. They have made an important squad of 25-26 players.
“We have seen the advantages that they have with the five substitutions and now another advantage that they will have, despite the fact that they would have gladly done without them, is that they can replace those who have tested positive for COVID with high quality reserves.”
Inter started the season strongly, wining their first two games against Fiorentina and Benevento before suffering a tough 1-1 draw against Simone Inzaghi’s Lazio in Rome.
The Milanese club’s next game is against Stefano Pioli’s AC Milan, who have started the season well also, winning their first three games of the season and qualifying for the Europa League.
Inter will be without six players who have all tested positive for COVID-19.
These players are English veteran Ashley Young, Italian midfielder Roberto Gagliardini, Slovakian defender Milan Skriniar, Romanian goalkeeper Ionut Radu, Belgian midfielder Radja Nainggolan and Italian defender Alessandro Bastoni.
