Legendary former AC Milan defender Mauro Tassotti believes that tomorrow’s derby between Inter and AC Milan has important Scudetto implications, but that Inter can still be in the race even if they lose and fall ten points behind.
Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, the 61-year-old gave his thoughts on the significance of tomorrow’s first derby of the season in the Serie A table.
Inter have enjoyed a fairly strong start to the Serie A season, with three draws and a loss against Lazio meaning that in total they have dropped nine points from their first eleven games as they look to defend last season’s Scudetto crown.
Their city rivals, however, have done even better for themselves, dropping only two points by drawing with Juventus and giving themselves a seven-point gap at the top alongside fellow fast starters Napoli.
The Nerazzurri can reduce the gap to four points with a win, a potential watershed moment in the title race, but they could also fall behind by ten points if they are to lose.
Tassotti sees all of these possibilities as very significant, but he does not believe that there is any result which will settle the Scudetto race this early on.
“I hear that there is still time to change the ranking and that it is still early, and I agree on this up to a point,” he stated, “The gap is already starting to appear. And if Milan wins, it would become very important.”
He went on that “Right now, that’s why for the season, the favourite is Milan, but Inter show up with the Scudetto on their chest. And Inter should not be excluded from the fight for the title even if they find themselves ten points behind.”
Tassotti also named Nicolo Barella as the Nerazzurri’s key player, stating that “For them he is a fundamental player, I like him very much. Complete, with a huge heart and great technical and tactical qualities. An excellent element for Inter and the national team.”
