Tag Archives: inter

All change at the top in Europe: Juve, Real Madrid & Inter lose their coaches

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Now that all the European leagues have finished and the trophies have been handed out and all the confetti from the winners’ celebrations has been cleared away, you’d think there’d be a short break where we could all get our breathe back. Yet a few managers at some of Europe’s top clubs have had other ideas and decided now was the perfect time to create even more drama. How did they create this drama? Well, they all decided that now was the ideal time to fall out with their owners and walk away from their jobs.

Heavy-hitters Real Madrid, Juventus and Inter Milan have all waved goodbye to their managers in the last few days. Plus, as reported on Sky Sports, there are many in the know saying that Mauricio Pochettino at P.S.G. is deeply unhappy and could be on his way out.

It’s now created a merry-go-round of in-goings and outgoings at some of Europe’s elite clubs. So now with many top jobs vacant, and many top managers available to fill those vacancies, the football rumour mill has gone into overdrive with tales of who’s going there or who’s going where.

Juventus

It was a real surprise last year when Juventus decided to make Andrea Pirlo their manager. Pirlo had been one of the coolest looking midfielders to ever play the game and could ping the ball around the pitch with a seemingly effortless accuracy. He was a true legend of ‘Zebre’. Yet, he’d never even managed a team before he was given one of the biggest jobs in the whole of football. 

Predictably it didn’t go as well as the Juventus back-staff had hoped and Pirlo was recently let go. ‘The Old Lady’ didn’t wait long though, and have secured their old manager, Massimiliano Allegri on a four-year contract. Only time will tell if it will it be a happy reunion for the two.

Real Madrid

It has been a weird season for Real Madrid, with them always seemingly just on the edge of disaster, and yet they still managed to get to the semi-finals of the Champions League and take the La Liga race to the last day, where they were narrowly pipped at the post by great rivals Atletico Madrid.

However, a good example of how far the club have fallen this year is that when Spain compete at the postponed Euro 2020 this summer, it will be the first time in history that no player from ‘Los Blancos’ will be in the squad. It was no surprise then, that Madrid and their manager, Zinedine Zidane, split up a few days ago.

So, will the now unemployed Zidane take one of the other top vacancies? There’s talk that he wants the French national job, but with current boss Didier Deschamps being in the good books since that 2018 World Cup win, it would take France having a turgid tournament for him to get it. That’s not something that looks that likely to happen though, with the best betting sites having them priced as the favourites at 9/2.

It’s always a relief to know that if you are betting on sport, you’re getting the greatest odds and sign-up offers and that’s where AsiaBet comes in. They’ve also got a handy guide so you can find value in the football betting market, meaning that they might help you find a true dark horse to back in the Euro’s.

Inter Milan

Inter Milan have had a fantastic season in 2020/21. As was reported here in Euro Fantasy League, they managed to win their first Serie A title since 2010. You’d think that it would be happy times then for the winning manger, Antonio Conte, but nope. In true Conte style he has instead fallen out with the board at Inter over the lack of funds available and has washed his hands of the club, walking away.

Pundits now reckon he could be a shoe-in for the vacant Tottenham Hotspur job, but many are disputing this, saying that Spurs don’t have the transfer funds available for Conte, who’s a known heavy-spender. Maybe if Pochettino does leave P.S.G. and goes back to Spurs, then Conte could slot in at the Paris club, as there’s no doubt that he’d have bags of cash to chuck around at players there. However it does play out, it’s all change at the top in Europe.

The best Fantasy Serie A Game!

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Fans of Italian football and supporters of clubs such as Milan, Juventus, Atalanta and other clubs including league champions Inter can create, compete and challenge their friends at the most popular Fantasy Serie A game www.fantasyseriea.com for free.

For several years now, www.fantasyseriea.com has led the way as the most competitive and popular Italian fantasy football game. The 2020/21 season saw Inter’s Romelu Lukaku finish as the top ranked fantasy football player and he was followed by Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lukaku was a key player as Inter finally won the Scudetto. As for Juve, CR7 was influential in driving the club to finish in the top four and to secure a Champions League berth. It was not an empty season for Cristiano because he was able to win the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana. It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo will remain with the Bianconeri for the 2021/22 season.

For now, fans will be enjoying both Euro 2020 (though it is being played in 2021) as well as the Copa America. Keep an eye on the exciting and challenging season ahead if you are an Italian fantasy football fan. Check out the stats for the best Fantasy Serie A football players here www.fantasyseriea.com/statistics/players and remember to invite your friends for a fun challenge!

Top 5 Fantasy Serie A players for 2020/21 season

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It doesn’t take a lot of guessing to figure that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter’s hero Romelu Lukaku are among the best ranked Fantasy Football players for the 2020/21 season.

Below is a list of www.eurofantasyleague.com EFL’s and www.seriea-fantasy.com top ranked players for the past season:

1) Ronaldo: Who else? The Juventus star finished as the highest ranked fantasy football player in Serie A. Ronaldo’s stats were simply extraordinary! He started 31 league games and made 2 appearances as a substitute. Cristiano scored 29 goals and provided 3 assists while receiving only 3 yellow cards for a total of 117 EFL Fantasy Points. It is hard to bet against CR7 scoring goals and plenty of them indeed! The Portuguese superstar helped Juve finish in the top four to secure a Champions League berth.

2) Lukaku: Inter’s attacker had a phenomenal season providing 24 goals and 11 assists in 32 starts in Serie A. He made a further 4 appearances as a substitute. Lukaku achieved a total of 114 EFL Points. Lukaku was one of the main reasons Inter ran away with the league title. The Belgian is considered one of the top goal scorers in the world and he proved why during the 2020/21 season.

3) Luis Muriel: Atalanta’s Colombian attacker had a remarkable season as a super-sub. Muriel ended up with 102 Fantasy Points mostly accumulated from restricted minutes because of competition with Duvan Zapata (his fellow Colombian striker). Muriel scored 22 goals and gave 8 assists in just 16 starts, however, he made a further 20 appearances as a substitute. One remarkable stat to look for from Muriel’s season: Muriel did not finish a single league game he started so the Colombian did not have a single 90 minute appearance in Serie A during the 2020/21.

4) Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Roma’s midfielder Mkhitaryan is perhaps a surprise name on the best 5 fantasy football players’ list for Serie A but he fully deserved making that list. He tallied a very respectable 10 assists (third most in the league) to go along with an impressive 13 goals in Serie A. He was certainly Roma’s most impressive player for the 2020/21 season. He finished with 96 EFL Points.

5) Achraf Hakimi: Hakimi was certainly one of Inter’s most influential and impressive players for the 2020/21 season. The former Real Madrid and BVB (on loan) player scored 7 goals and provided 8 assists. Hakimi also helped Inter keep 13 clean sheets. He ended up with 92 EFL Points.

Don’t forget to check the most popular Fantasy Serie A game: www.fantasyseriea.com where you can create your team and compete against everyone from friends, family, classmates and co-workers!

From Messi to Salah- The Best 11 Players of the 2020/21 season

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The football season in Europe is almost over with just 1 more week left for the major leagues. There are sure to be some exciting finishes especially in Spain where either Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid will be crowned champions.

As for England, congratulations to Manchester City who are the new champions, and in Italy Inter finally ended Juventus’ domination of the league in style.

But which players have shone and proved themselves this season above all others? And did you have any of these stars in your fantasy teams? The formation used is a 4-4-2 one and the leagues used are the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak- Atletico Madrid 116pts

Sometimes the points are very close between players but not a chance for Jan Oblak who has again underlined himself as one of the best goalkeepers in world football. Oblak has amassed 116 points and kept 18 clean sheets with only 24 goals conceded. He may just win the Spanish title this weekend too.

Defender: Achraf Hakimi- Inter- 92pts

Usually we see the same players in best teams of the season lists so it is refreshing to see the talent of Inter defender Achraf Hakimi make this list. Hakimi has certainly been one of the driving forces behind Inter’s title charge and was able to help to keep 13 clean sheets. However Hakimi has never been afraid to come forward and his stats are quite stunning- He has scored 7 league goals and also assisted in another 8. He made 23 points more than the next Inter defender.

Defender: Kieran Trippier- Atletico Madrid 90pts

Kieran Trippier has proven himself this season even if Atletico don’t win the league this weekend. He has been solid and superb and really grown as a player in defence. He hasn’t scored any goals but that isn’t his job, although he has set up six of them. But he has been part of a defence that has conceded 13 goals and has 16 clean sheets to his name. In short he has been Atletico’s best defender and few would have seen that coming.

Defender: Ruben Dias- Manchester City 75pts

Ruben Dias has just been named as the footballer’s writer’s defender of the season and really that came as no shock. Dias has been absolutely brilliant and his defending has been key as to why Manchester City were able to win back the title from Liverpool. An absolutely stunning season from Dias.

Defender: John Stones- Manchester City 75pts

John Stones, the revelation who upped his game several levels to keep his place in the Manchester City line up and won a title along the way. Possibly Stones’ best season as a professional player. Helped to keep 13 clean sheets and also scored 4 goals.

Midfielder: Mohamed Salah- Liverpool 118pts

Mohamed Salah is getting better by every year even when Liverpool dipped and saw their title easily taken away from them, Salah still scored the goals. 22 goals and 4 assists, Salah may just end up as top goalscorer for this season in the Premier League.

Midfielder: Bruno Fernandes- Manchester United 114pts

Bruno Fernandes hasn’t just had a terrific season he has changed Manchester United. If you want to know how and why United finished as runners-up in the league and are in the final of the Europa League look no further than the excellent Fernandes. He has scored 18 goals and assisted in another 12. Worth his weight in gold.

Midfielder: Marcos Llorente- Atletico Madrid 100pts

Atletico have been brilliant and consistent for the first time in La Liga since 2014 and Marcos Llorente has been outstanding in midfield with his anticipation and his superbly taken and timely tackles. Llorente has scored 12 goals and assisted in another 11.

Midfielder: Henrikh Mkhitaryan- Roma 92pts

For Roma this has been a season of what could have been but Mkhitaryan has had one of his best seasons of his career and has stayed reliable and consistent. He has contributed in an impressive 22 goals scoring 12 along the way.

Striker: Lionel Messi- Barcelona 130pts

Lionel Messi is one of the greats but did anyone really expect him to have the most points in European Fantasy League this season? At the beginning of the season he wanted to leave Barcelona but he stayed and they won the Copa Del Rey, not the best standard for the club. But Messi is Messi and he kept scoring and creating chances and has netted an amazing 30 goals and assisted in a further 9.

Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo- Juventus 117pts

The Messi and Ronaldo rivalry lives on despite their ages, they are ranked as the two best strikers in European Fantasy League. Ronaldo will end the Serie A season as top goalscorer and create a record- no other player has finished top of the goalscoring charts in England, Spain and Italy before. No league title for Ronaldo this time but he did win the Coppa Italia and will be raring to go next season. He has scored 29 goals and assisted in another 3.

Inter Milan are champions of Serie A for the first time in 11 years

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Finally Juventus’ domination of the Serie A championship has ended and Inter are the new champions! It has been a deserved title and Antonio Conte’s team have been far the best side in the league especially since January. Before then they were neck and neck with Milan but they faded and Inter roared on to win their first scudetto since 2010.

The title officially became Inter’s on Sunday when 2nd placed Atalanta failed to beat Sassuolo with that game ending in a draw. This is Inter’s first title since the glory days of Jose Mourinho 11 years ago.

This is Inter’s 19th league title and in fairness to the other teams they were head and shoulders above them. Since March it became a question of when Inter would win the title and not if. In the end just minutes after securing the title Juventus who had won 9 in a row congratulated their rivals. It would have been painful for Juve not to make it 10 in a row but then again they have had time to contemplate that not happening this season since they were so far behind. The Old Lady may not qualify for next season’s Champions League, though they are in 3rd place now it is still very close.

Antonio Conte explained Inter’s philosophy in winning the title, “The team really developed in that sense, and in a season you must be able to take different approaches to be unpredictable. You cannot always just attack or always defend, it’s about knowing when to push. That’s where we improved, in reading the game and knowing those moments. A team cannot press for 90 minutes non-stop. The opponents in Italy study you and find ways to neutralise your strengths. If you are patient and wait for the right moment to strike, and have a team that is in good shape physically, you know that sooner or later the opposition will lose intensity.”

The player who is arguably Inter’s best of this title winning season Romelu Lukaku had this to say about winning the league. “I am so happy for all the Inter fans in the world, for the team, the staff, the President and everyone. It was a wonderful year for us, I am truly proud to play for Inter. I wanted to come out here and celebrate along with the people. I told my friend this was the best way to experience it, to be there with the fans. For me and many of my teammates, this is our first league title, so it’s a moment we wanted to share with them.”

Let’s take a look at the 3 key players who did that bit extra in ensuring Inter became champions of Italy.

-Milan Skriniar

Milan Skriniar hasn’t always got the plaudits this season but the defender has remained consistent and very solid throughout the title winning campaign. He has amassed an impressive 71 points and been part of a defence that has helped to keep 13 clean sheets. On top of that he has been dangerous at set-pieces and has scored 3 goals this season- all important ones that changed the game.

-Achraf Hakimi

Achraf Hakimi really came into his own in the middle of the season and the latter stages when it really mattered. Hakimi reminds one of Roberto Carlos in that his defending was swashbuckling and determined overlayered with intelligence but he wasn’t afraid to attack either to score goals and set them up. Hakimi has been one of the best defenders in Europe this season no doubt. He has contributed to an incredible 13 goals in Serie A alone, scoring seven of them.

-Romelu Lukaku

And of course there is Romelu Lukaku who has had a glittered career and yet this is his first league title with a club. Lukaku will be a legend now with Inter fans. His runs into the opponents half, his fantastic goals and his overall contribution will live long in the memory banks. Lukaku will probably finish as runner up to Cristiano Ronaldo in the goal scorers charts but he has still won the most important title for sure. Lukaku has scored 21 goals and assisted in another 10 in an incredible season for him and it is fitting that he has picked up 100 points in the fantasy rankings just as Inter have won the league title.

This was a title much like Manchester City’s in the Premier League which was won in truth by the brilliant defence. Attack has been the key of course to each teams titles but the overriding factor has been how the defence has played. In the rankings for example just for Inter we can see that 5 from the top ranked 8 players are defenders and that doesn’t include goalkeeper Samir Handanovic who is currently the 3rd best ranked player in the team.

Congratulations then to Inter for a fantastic title. The season isn’t over yet though and the clubs next game will be at home to Sampdoria on Saturday.

Do you have what it takes to challenge the best Serie A Fantasy Managers? If you’re for it, play fantasyseriea.com!

 

 

 

Inter race 11 points clear and can win Serie A title this weekend!

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The 11 year wait for Inter is almost over as they are so close now to winning the Serie A title after a stagnant decade. Antonio Conte’s team have been far the best side in the league and with 79 points they are 11 points in front of Atalanta who themselves have had a fantastic campaign.

One of the stories emerging out of this Serie A season is that Milan or even Juventus could miss out on the Champions League next season. Milan’s poor form has seen them slip to 5th and Juventus are now in 4th place. Though 3rd placed Napoli are on the same points (66) as both Juventus and Milan so it is certainly going to be a close call and should go down to the wire.

For Inter it has been a nervous month of April with each game finishing with just one goal for Conte’s team. Last weekend Inter recorded their 24th win of the season with a very narrow 1-0 victory at home over 10th placed Verona. Verona came into the game having having lost their last 3 in a row and of course Inter were the huge odds on favourites being at home.

However as it transpired this game looked to be finishing in a 0-0 stalemate before Matteo Darmian settled scores with just 14 minutes remaining of the match to get all three points for Inter in a weekend in which Juventus drew and Milan lost.

Verona made life difficult for Inter and that’s what can happen when you have nothing to play for. Verona will  be safe this season but also won’t be able to qualify for European football for next season and they actually had more goal attempts than Inter with 12 in total. Although the difference in technical quality was still telling given that Verona managed just 1 shot on target compared to Inter’s four.

Achraf Hakimi who has been so consistent this season assisted in Darmian’s goal and the player finished well to send the team into fits of joy. True the league isn’t over yet, but you take a look at the expressions of the players and coach and you knew that they knew that it was.

Inter could win the title this weekend when they play Crotone away from home. Although if they win they would still need to wait for Sunday on May 2nd to see how Atalanta perform when they play Sassuolo away from home.

Such is the excitement though that Inter owner Steven Zhang has flown in from China to witness the title celebrations. Surely if it is not this weekend it will be the next?

The Super League fallout seems to have gone quiet and Inter were one of the 12 teams who signed up to the doomed competition. Even though respective FA’s and UEFA said that teams would be punished this hasn’t been the case yet and maybe the associations will now wait until the end of the season. One of the punishments could see Inter banned from Europe for one season which would be unfortunate for them, instead they will be hoping for just a fine.

Stay tuned next weekend as we could be celebrating an historic league title for Inter.

Are you a Serie A expert? Can you defeat the top Serie A Fantasy Managers? If you think so, play fantasyseriea.com!

Inter go 11 points clear of Milan with 9 games to go

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Surely the Serie A title will be Inter’s now after they pulled 11 points clear at the top. Milan could only draw 1-1 at home to Sampdoria and Inter won at the weekend and then followed that up with their 22nd win of the season on Wednesday evening when they beat Sassuolo 2-1. Inter have won their last 10 games in a row and have simply been fantastic this season- and they will be deserved champions it seems.

Let’s take a recap on Inter’s last 2 games in the league.

This past weekend Inter played Bologna away from home in what is never an easy game for any club in the league. Bologna are in 11th place but have always made it tricky for teams visiting and they did so once again for the champions elect. In the end it took a solo effort from Romelu Lukaku to settle the game just after the half hour mark. Lukaku.

Inter were technically the better side but Bologna had their chances although they did go quieter in the 2nd half. It was Lukaku’s goal that won the game in a 1-0 win and it was Lukaku’s 20th goal of the season as he tries to catch up with Cristiano Ronaldo. It was hardly a vintage performance from Inter, but it’s all about those 3 points and they were able to achieve that at the weekend.

In midweek Inter played Sassuolo this was a game that was originally scheduled a few weeks ago but a Covid outbreak in the Inter side put paid to that and so it had to be carried over. Inter won the game 2-1 through the usual suspects of Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.

Lukaku opened the scoring after just 10 minutes after a cross by Ashley Young, Lukaku sweetly headed the ball in. It was a first half in which Inter played good football and looked like the better team and they went in 1-0 up at half time.

Inter doubled their lead half way through the second half when Lukaku broke clear and played the ball to Martinez who made no mistake in scoring his 15th league goal of the season. However just before that break Sassuolo really should have been awarded a penalty. Indeed the away side got the better of Inter in the 2nd half and were much the better side and were unlucky to have not at least drawn the game in the end, even though they were able to pull a goal back with five minutes to go.

Inter coach Antonio Conte had this to say after Inter’s latest victory, “We had to become more determined, more focused in every situation, as well as more resilient. There are games like today where we can be up against teams with no pressure and if we are more clinical, we can score five or six goals. Sassuolo kept it open to the end, even if they scored only when Milan Skriniar was off the field. I congratulate Sassuolo, as they came here to play their game and this performance shows how much we’ve grown. With this attitude, we’d still be in the Champions League.”

This weekend Inter will play 18th placed Cagliari at home and will be the favourites to win that one, although the away side are battling relegation, though they haven’t won a game in over 5 weeks.

Are you a Serie A expert? Can you defeat the top Serie A Fantasy Managers? If you think so, play fantasyseriea.com!

 

Superstar Martinez could be heading for Barcelona as Inter approach Aguero

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Name who has been the best player for Inter this season as they try to win their first scudetto in 11 years and most people would say Romelu Lukaku. But Lautaro Martinez wouldn’t be too far behind after a stunning season.

The 23 year old Argentinian has really impressed this season and even last summer he was starting to attract the mega clubs of European football. The fact that Inter should win Serie A this season is spearheaded by Martinez’s fantastic statistics for Antonio Conte’s side.

Martinez has scored 14 league goals so far from 27 games and has 16 overall from 37. He is projected to be the next star of world football when it comes to strikers. One could suggest that Martinez is the type of player that started slow in his career, if we compare him to Kylian Mbappe but Martinez has all of the qualities to become just as good as Mbappe and perhaps even beyond. In short Inter have quite a star on their hands.

It is thought that the likes of Bayern Munich, PSG, Manchester City and Barcelona are very interested in taking the player and one would have to wonder how much for? The pandemic has brought prices down for now, but one would still presume that Martinez’s price tag could be between £100-150m. Can Inter afford not to sell at that price?

Manchester City are on the look out for a striker as veteran forward Sergio Aguero has announced that he will be leaving the club after 10 years playing at the Etihad. Obviously a straight swap is out of the question but City might be able to offer Aguero plus £120m, and that could be tempting for Inter. True Aguero is pushing on for age now but he is still sharp and alert and would score goals in Serie A.

There have been rumours that Inter have been looking at Aguero for his quality and experience although the one drawback is the amount of times he has been injured over the years. Still Aguero leaves the Premier League having scored the most goals ever for an overseas player and that could seal the deal with Inter.

PSG seem to have bottomless pockets and that would be quite a capture for the French champions who could, in effect, over the most money to Inter.

However one would have to suspect that if Martinez was going to leave the San Siro it would be to go to the Camp Nou and link up with his countryman Lionel Messi. Barcelona still want Neymar to return but surely going for youth would be the correct move for the Catalan club.

As for Martinez he may be tempted to stay at Inter and try and deliver the club the Champions League. Ultimately though the final decision will come down to Inter and if big money is offered this will be a huge test for the club who will probably be forced to sell.

As for this season, Serie A took a break for the past 10 days due to the international games. But Inter resume their title challenge away to Bologna on Saturday. Presently Inter are 6 points ahead of 2nd placed Milan and have a game in hand.

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Inter head towards Serie A title without kicking a ball as Juventus stall

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Inter did not play at the weekend as their game with Sassuolo had to be called off because of a recent outbreak of Covid-19 within the Inter squad. After tests on Monday it was revealed that Inter now has a clean bill of health but the game had to be postponed as a measure of safety.

There would be good news and bad news for Antonio Conte’s side this week. With no game they could sit back and watch how Milan and Juventus fared, the only two clubs now who could take the Serie A title away from them.

Milan looked like they were going to draw away to Fiorentina but they won 3-2 in a thrilling game and that was the disappointing news of the weekend as Milan are now just six points behind. However of course Inter has an extra game to play. But the great news from Inter’s perspective was that Juventus lost.

It was the Old Lady’s 4th loss of the season and it was a shock as it came at home to Benevento in a game that finished 1-0. Juve had 23 goal attempts and Benevento only had 1 shot on target for the goal the whole game. Media in Italy have said that’s it for Juventus and their title chances and the club has now fallen 10 points behind Inter and played the same games.

The postponement of the Sassuolo game means that Inter will have had a 3 week break until their next game which is against Bologna away from home. Although all of Inter’s players will be involved in the up and coming international matches over the next 10 days or so.

Best performing players for Inter

Let’s take a look at the best performing players for Inter so far as they try to win an historic league title. We will look at the best positions.

Goalkeeper: Samir Handanovic 51 pts

Samir Handanovic has been the regular goal keeper and has started 27 games keeping 10 clean sheets. He has managed to keep clean sheets on 37% of his appearances so far. He is currently the number 1 ranked goalkeeper in Italy and overall ranks in at number 9 over Europe’s major leagues. Three from his last five games has seen the shot stopper keep clean sheets.

Defender: Achraf Hakimi 63pts

Hakimi is 8 points ahead of the next Inter defender Milan Skriniar. Hakimi reminds one of an all round player much like the Real Madrid great and indeed former Inter player Roberto Carlos in that he isn’t afraid to come forward and score goals. His stats are fantastic and Hakimi has been involved in 10 goals in the league so far scoring six times. His value is just 7m and he has been one of the best players in Serie A this season.

Midfielder: Nicolo Barella 38pts

For all of Inter’s greatness this season it has to be said that their midfield talent at least for obtaining points has not been their strongest. Still Nicolo Barella has had great moments this season. He isn’t ahead on the most assists but he has still set up 5 goals and he has also scored a further three. His value is 7m.

Striker: Romelu Lukaku 88pts

Some people will claim that Romelu Lukaku has stiff competition as Inter’s best striker from Lautaro Martinez but that simply isn’t true. While Martinez is a brilliant striker and will get even better at this moment Lukaku is Inter’s number 1 and there can’t be any doubts about that. Lukaku is currently 23 points ahead of Martinez and has scored 5 goals more and has 19 currently. He has also assisted in a further 8 goals and is simply having his best season as a professional player. Lukaku ranks 2nd in Italy behind Cristiano Ronaldo and overall ranks in at 4th. His value is 10.5m.

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Inter take huge step to the title after Martinez heroics and Milan loss

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It was game where Inter were clearly the superior side at the weekend, but it was game against Torino away from home that looked destined to finish 0-0. However in the second half the duel opened up and Inter ran out 2-1 winners to record their 9th win in a row and 20th overall this season.

For this game Conte switched to a 3-5-2 packing out the midfield and happy to advance Achraf Hakimi. The usual two were up front in Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez and they would once again repay their coaches’ faith.

The first half ended goalless but was still an entertaining affair and the home side were really forcing the game and controlling the pace. Indeed Inter the champions elect had zero  with 8 shots on target altogether, 4 from each side. Whilst the game was very exciting it did have a feel about it that this wasn’t going to be Inter’s day. The threat was that it could all become quite tense and a match that Inter are very capable of winning could have ended the wrong way. Torino simply were going for the win.

But in the second half everything changed dramatically and Inter were awarded a penalty. Lukaku stepped up to take it and put Inter in the lead but it was a lead that would be short-lived. Antonio Sanabria equalised for the home team just 8 minutes later and looked to have salvaged something from the game with 20 minutes left given of course that Torino are battling relegation this season.

However there would be a final sting in the tail and joy for Inter when Alexis Sanchez who has found form in the past month set up Lautaro Martinez to score what would be the winning goal of the game.

The good news continued for Antonio Conte’s side as 2nd placed Milan lost 1-0 at home to Napoli and so the gap is now 9 points. The threat is seemingly coming from Juventus who are in 3rd place and have 55 points, but a game extra over Inter, win that and they would be 7 points behind.

Fabio Capello predicts the league winners

Italian legend Fabio Capello has predicted who will win Serie A this season and he has chosen Inter. Capello said: “I have been saying it for weeks that Inter have won the championship. I have been saying this since Milan lost against Spezia and I reconfirm it today.”

All at Inter will be keeping quiet about such talk but Capello has spoken, and he is rarely wrong.

Lukaku v Ronaldo

The top goalscorer in Serie A has come down to 2 players now. The boots are off and it is Cristiano Ronaldo v Romelu Lukaku. Ronaldo has finished as top goalscorer in the Premier League and La Liga and he would love to complete a unique treble. Ronaldo was denied last season by Ciro Immobile but the Juventus forward is in the driving seat this season and at the weekend he scored a hat-trick.

Ronaldo has 23 goals so far and Lukaku is 4 behind on 19. Any one of the two really can finish as the top scorer. If Inter win the Scudetto knowing Ronaldo he would take some heart by finishing as top scorer, but with the way Inter score goals who knows who will finish on top? This is how the bookmakers see it.

Cristiano Ronaldo 1/4

Romelu Lukaku 5/2

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