It wasn't so long ago that voicing the idea of Juventus challenging for the Scudetto this season would have seen you laughed out of the room.
Yet, remarkably, they could potentially end the weekend just four points off the summit, and a victory over defending champions Inter would be a decent barometer of just how emphatic their late push is going to be.
Serie A's standout match this week is undoubtedly the Derby d'Italia between Juve and Inter in Turin, with Italy's top flight essentially establishing a pretty firm top four ahead of the international break.
But Massimiliano Allegri's Juve surely won't be content with just settling for fourth spot, and a win on Sunday will show they mean business.
A bedrock for improvement
Even if Juve do end up winning Serie A, Allegri will still have to contend with plenty of critics given their shock Champions League exit to Villarreal.
However, there's little doubt he has presided over a significant improvement since Andrea Pirlo's exit, even if the Old Lady remains more functional than fun.
The most notable aspect of their improved form is Juve's unbeaten streak. They have not lost any of their previous 16 league games, making them only one of two teams across the big five leagues to not suffer a domestic defeat in the past four months, the other being Sevilla in LaLiga.
The omens are good for Inter's visit as well: the Nerazzurri have won just once in 15 trips to Juve and that came way back in November 2012.
Timely break
Simone Inzaghi must have been concerned about Inter's form prior to the international break, which seemingly came at a good time for them.
Over their previous nine Serie A matches, Inter have gained just 11 points and won only two matches – sure, victory on Sunday and another in their game in hand will put them within three points of the summit, but that previous run is hardly a hallmark of champions.
By comparison, Juve have hit the accelerator at arguably the perfect time. Over the same period, Allegri's men have taken 21 points.
The Bianconeri have rocketed into contention by finding consistency when, for the most part, the top three have wobbled, and if they continue their run, Juventus will be hard to ignore in the title race.
Juve, beware!
For all of their recent woes, Inter of course remain a dangerous opponent with a particularly threatening tail.
That's to say Inter do have a habit of finishing strong and not knowing when they're beaten.
In Serie A this season, Inter's 19 points won from losing positions is more than any other team, while they have scored 22 times in the final 30 minutes of games – that's a joint-high with Atalanta, Lazio and Hellas Verona.
Juve ought to heed such a warning – don't get complacent with a slender lead in the latter stages.
A tight affair?
While Inter are the league's top scorers with 62 goals, there's reason to suggest this won't be an unrelenting goalfest… *cue eight-goal thriller*.
These are two of the league's best three defences, while no team has kept more clean sheets than Juve's 13 this term.
On top of that, Juve have proven rather miserly when it comes to allowing goalscoring situations, with their average of 3.1 shots on target concede per 90 minutes being bettered only by Torino.
Inter aren't much worse in that respect, with their average at 3.6 – that's the sixth best in Serie A. Of course, a clinical display in that regard could still lead to plenty of goals, but clearly if there's any area both of these sides have excelled in domestically this term, it's defensively.
Prolific Kevin van Veen hails Motherwell fans
Kevin van Veen revealed Motherwell fans have given him “the chills” with their support during his record-breaking season in front of goal.
The 31-year-old Dutch striker, who signed from Scunthorpe in 2021, scored 29 times for the Steelmen to help them secure seventh place in the cinch Premiership.
Van Veen scored for the 11th successive game during Well’s 3-2 win over Dundee United on Sunday to beat the post-war record set by former Celtic striker Mark Viduka and also break a Motherwell club record set by Hugh Ferguson that had stood for 103 years.
While his future is subject to speculation as his contract is up this summer, he told Motherwell’s official Twitter account how appreciative he is of the Fir Park fans.
He said: “I will remember this (season) forever,
“Whatever is going to happen in the summer, of course we need to see what is going to happen but these fans will be written in my mind forever.
“When they sing ‘Kevin van Veen’ and all that type of stuff gives me the chills.
“People have been so good for me since I arrived here.
“I think a lot of people fell in love with me in my first game and that has continued and maybe even grown over time and I hope I have repaid them and I hope I got them off their seats here and there.
“To get 29 goals for those people who have supported me the way they did, I am so happy that I have gave them something back because they have been amazing to me.”
Newcastle must add strength in depth to compete next season – Eddie Howe
Newcastle will look all over the world to find the players that will give them the depth they need to compete next season, according to manager Eddie Howe.
A first season in the Champions League in 20 years means an increased workload for Howe’s squad next term, and conversations have already taken place between the manager and club officials over resources during the transfer window.
Injuries have stretched Newcastle thin at times this season despite recording their highest Premier League finish since 2003.
Howe felt his side lacked the quality in reserve to win the game in the second half of Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea that brought the curtain down on a memorable first full season in charge for the manager.
With the restrictions put in place by Financial Fair Play rules, he cited qualification for Europe’s top competition as the critical factor in freeing up the ownership to invest in recruitment.
Still, Howe warned the market may not be kind as the club seek to build a side capable of competing on all fronts.
“Yeah we’ve had discussions (on Saturday),” said the manager. “I don’t think (the budget) is ever outlined because there are so many variables to it, but certainly we know where we stand.
“When you’re sat in my shoes, it’s never as big as you want it to be.
“It’s a difficult one because we go into a lot of competitions next year, so we need the depth. I think this year we’ve been light, certainly in certain areas of the pitch. We’ve carried – in the second half of the season – four midfielders.
“You’re one injury away from a very difficult situation so I think we need a little bit more depth.
“We’re not there yet, you could see that (against Chelsea), but we are suffering from injuries. Certainly that’s a concern for us in that we do need to bolster our resources. We can’t be looking at one or two injuries and we’re in a difficult position.
“In the second half we were stretched and maybe lacking the bench that could have changed the game to win it.”
Newcastle won eight of their 10 league games in March and April to take control of their destiny in the race for the top four, but enjoyed just one more victory in their final five, securing their Champions League objective with a game to spare.
Howe pointed to disruption caused by injuries – key players Joelinton, Joe Willock and Nick Pope were unavailable for the game at Stamford Bridge, whilst Alexander Isak and Matt Targett have also missed significant chunks of the season – as something that must not be allowed to derail the team next term.
The visitors struggled after the break against Chelsea despite having had the better of a first half in which Anthony Gordon gave them the lead, later wiped out by a Kieran Trippier own goal.
“We’ve done it all season, we’ve been hugely competitive,” said Howe. “I don’t think we’ve been an easy game for anybody.
“The challenge for us next year is to maintain our standards and mentality, because when you come to these tough grounds, if you’re not robust enough to deal with the challenge, these can be really difficult games.
“The players that we currently have have to be fit and ready to go (next season). They have to be ready to prove how good we are all over again. We start at zero next season. I think that’s a healthy way to look at it.
“If we can add one or two players that make the difference in the transfer market, that would be good news.
“We’ll have our eyes and ears hopefully all over everything, whether that’s teams getting promoted, relegated; all over the world. As I’ve said many times, the market’s going to be difficult.”
New Dundee boss Tony Docherty says ‘it’s time now’ to try hand at management
Tony Docherty insists “it’s time now” to try his hand at management after he ended his long working alliance with best friend Derek McInnes to become Dundee’s new boss.
The 52-year-old was a surprise appointment as Gary Bowyer’s successor on Monday, having spent the majority of his coaching career as assistant to McInnes at St Johnstone, Bristol City, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock.
However, he feels the experience he has gained, allied to 18 years of living in Dundee and his motivation to prove himself as a manager will stand him in good stead as he goes out on his own with the newly-promoted cinch Premiership club.
“Twenty-four years I’ve been coaching,” he said. “I’ve been involved in European competition, I’ve been involved with the national team, I’ve been in the English Championship and the Scottish Premiership.
“I’ll bring passion, authenticity and a work ethic and that’s three ingredients that hopefully will make things work. I’m really, really excited. I’ve learned loads and it’s time now, it’s time.
“I’ve done the hard yards and I think what you get from a new manager is the hunger, motivation and desire to prove people wrong.
“You’re getting all of that with me and you’re also getting the experience and knowledge behind it so hopefully Dundee will get the benefit from that.
“I’ve lived here for 18 years. I know the pulse of this city and I know the passion of the fans. I’m desperate to let them see my team on the pitch and work to get a connection between the team and the fans.”
Docherty came into contention for the Dundee job because he was a coach in the Scotland set-up when Dens Park technical director Gordon Strachan was manager of the national team.
“I’ve worked with Derek for 15 years as assistant and I have had opportunities before but this one feels right for me. I’ve got a real gut feeling about it,” he said.
“Obviously I’ve got a relationship with Gordon Strachan since I worked with him in the national team and I’ve kept in touch with him on a regular basis so I know what the developments are here.
“When the opportunity came up, I spoke with Derek about it. We both knew this day was going to come and he’s fully supportive, it’s totally amicable.
“I’ve had extensive experience – over 750 games as an assistant – and I just felt the time was right for me to go and be the main man and call the shots. I’ve had opportunities to do it before but this one feels right.”
Docherty insists there will be no awkwardness when Dundee face McInnes’ Killie in the top flight next term.
“Not in the slightest,” he said. “Both of us are prepared for that. We’ve spoken about it (Docherty becoming a manager) a lot because we’ve spent that amount of time together.
“Derek’s a really close friend of mine. After my brother, he’s probably the next closest I’ve got so we have spoken about it. It’s something we agreed on amicably, it’s about the development of my career which he is fully supportive of.
“Yes, we’ll lock horns and that first game will be interesting. I think he knows all my tactics.”
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