Inter are all but out of the Scudetto race if they are to lose the derby to AC Milan this evening, as falling further behind would be a major risk in quest to defend Serie A title.
This according to today’s print edition of La Stampa, who highlight the importance of maintaining proximity to the top of the table throughout the table if the Nerazzurri are to defend last season’s Scudetto crown.
The newspaper points out that Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi managed an historic Scudetto comeback as a player, winning Serie A in the 1999-2000 season by coming back from a nine-point deficit late on in the campaign, finishing ahead of Juventus by a point on the final day.
However, La Stampa emphasizes that this is less common that teams going behind by a decent margin early on in the campaign are never able to fully recover, and suggest that this is the likeliest outcome should Inter fall ten points behind Napoli and Milan in this evening’s derby.
Seven points at this stage is by no means enough to rule Simone Inzaghi’s side out of contention to defend the Scudetto, and a win would take them within four points of at least one rival, but a ten-point margin would require a dramatic comeback over the rest of the season.
