THIS TIME, IT'S NO JOKE.
LAZIO-INTER AT THE OLIMPICO. INTER ARE ORDERED TO WIN.
Key match for Benitez: the Nerazzurri to think without worries about Champions League and Club World Cup.
Reja: "We need a perfect match."
Benitez closes 2010 in Italy with a risk of being -16.
From Lazio to Bremen and to Club World Cup. Because if they skip the strike and if Milan win all...
Appiano Gentile - Molowny, as never before. When Rafa Benitez recalls the former coach and sporting director of Real Madrid by his last name, he has always been considered his mentor more or less. "Slowly, one thing at a time." So one game at a time and patience are overused phrases in football and this time it is. First Lazio, then Werder Bremen and then Club World Cup. Big plan for a distant future.
Headache Although in 2010 Inter will end 2010 with a few braking (5 defeats in 35 league matches). Another calculation has already risen spontaneously because if things go wrong tonight, and if there is a strike, and if Milan were going to win all 3 games remaining this year with Inter not playing a single game. If, if, if, yes but the possibility of starting the new year with -16 from the top will give them headache.
Pharmacy Lazio Better try to take a pill against Lazio. Who for Inter has been a nice pharmacy. Numbers are in order to give you some ideas. Lazio have not beaten Inter in the league, including home and away, since December 21,2003 (2-1 at the Olimpico) Inter have won 8 and drawn 5. Again, Lazio haven't scored against Inter in the league for more than 2 and a half years and last to succeed was Rocchi in March 29, 2008 (1-1 in Rome).
Who's up and down But those are just numbers. Because in the meantime much has changed at least comparing to last season. A year ago, after 14 matches, Inter had 35 points not 23 and in the contrary, Lazio had 14 less points than they do today (no one has improved by this much in Serie A). In addition to this, tonight Delio Rossi will have only Meghni and Garrido unavailable while Benitez will have the usual dozen of injured players, plus one disqualification of Eto'o and it is understood that it won't be a joke anymore to extend the winning streak.
Formation choices But Benitez will ask for his "survivors" and then he will make the next game in the Champions League where he must also think about bringing back some of the injured (Chivu, Mariga and maybe Milito) in Abu Dhabi. Already this evening, however, at least Muntari will return and he is a candidate to start from the beginning in place of Thiago Motta with Cordoba (tired, but there's optimism) playing on the wing. Unless Benitez prefers to have the Colombian in the middle then he would exclude Materazzi and use Santon on the right or even Natalino. And with 4 big absences, including Julio Cesar, Inter's defense has now discovered te opposite: it is still the best in Serie A but it is tied with Lazio's and Chievo's.