By Xinhua
Rome : Italian soccer team Inter Milan’s derby win over cross-town rivals AC Milan at the weekend left most Italian observers convinced that the team is heading for its third straight championship title.
There are still two games to go before the halfway point in the season, but Inter’s 2-1 victory over AC Milan Sunday means it is sure to be on top of the Serie A table when that point arrives.
As all the sports dailies noted on Monday, teams which win the so-called “winter” championship generally go on to win the real thing four or five months later.
Also, having been knocked out of the Champions League already this year, Inter’s title bid will suffer from no European distractions.
After his team notched up its third straight derby win over AC Milan, owner and president of Inter Massimo Moratti said with relish that his glittering collection of highly paid stars was now “a machine that works”.
The figures bear him out. In 37 Serie A games played in 2007, Inter has lost just one. Its points tally is 92, compared to 70 by the next best.
Commentators note that this is due partly to Inter’s deep ranks of top class players, which mean it can carry on regardless when one or more stars are injured. Then there is the technical ability of the coach in rearranging the team to suit the players available.
“There are no defects in this team,” commented La Repubblica.
Inter’s phenomenal record in 2007 inevitably invited comparisons with that of Milan, which despite winning the FIFA Club World Cup last week in Japan is struggling in the domestic championship and has only won four games this season.
“Inter showed they were better than the world champions because of the number of chances they created, for their continuity and the determination with which they climbed back up the hill,” Gazzetta dello Sport said.
Even though most media observers seemed sure Monday, Inter had the title race practically in the bag, AS Roma capitain Francesco Totti – scorer of nine goals in his last ten outings – was determined to contest that.
In a letter written by the player to Corriere dello Sport, he played up his own team’s chances and said: “We mustn’t worry about Inter’s run. We have to face our own championship and at the end of the season we’ll see who’s best”.