Juve, is the scudetto dream alive? The numbers, the schedule and the direct matches

The possibility of returning to talk about it was already in the premises, in the dull draws of the Milanese braking in the early Friday. Are you going to see that if Juve win in Empoli the magic word will return to the scudetto? Not the regrets for the points left on the road, like the 1-1 in the derby, the three even in four games before Empoli, that distant 1-1 in Venice, that defeat with Atalanta, the terrible start with two points in the first four games … Not these regrets, now atavistic: just the word scudetto. For a long time in the last couple of years a braking was enough to hurry to sentence Juve’s failure of the season, now we are at the opposite compulsion: a victory after two draws rekindles everything. And in Empoli Juve won. Therefore?

NUMBERS, COMEBACKS AND FLEXIONS

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Milan’s first place is 7 points away with 11 games to play. Then there is Inter 5 points away but with a game to catch up. Naples and Atalanta are fully part of the picture. That May 5th 20 years ago, born from a comeback of eight points in the last five days (from -6 to +2), left the idea that everything is possible in the epic of the fans. Recent history says that 7 points to recover are an infinite number even with 11 games in front, and the coup de grace is the awareness of not running on one team but on three-four. And to slow down all what do they have to do more than that? Indeed, Napoli teaches: after a decline we start again, so the others who have a decline now probably will start again, while the law of large numbers in this seems to threaten a moment of down for Juve that has not lost in thirteen games. But in the meantime, the arithmetic …

BELIEVE IT AND SAY IT

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“The championship is still long, there are twelve games left, we have to score a lot of points – Allegri said after Empoli -. The championship share is 84-85, even the boys know that the goal is to get into the top four and there are not only those in front, the three of the Ave Maria, but also those behind: Atalanta, Lazio, Fiorentina… ”. Less categorical Dusan Vlahovic: “We go on one game at a time, then in the end what happens happens”. Then Wojciech Szczesny arrives and, in the midst of many more important things about Ukraine, seraphic says smiling: “It’s an instinct, we always take a look. If we make it I don’t know, we are still behind, but those in front are braking a bit and we try, but now we take one game at a time, then where we arrive we arrive. We have the goal of reaching 83 points and that’s it ”. For the more distracted: 83 points means winning them all.

THE DECISIVE MOMENT

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So if we are talking about it, let’s talk about it. We have said about the feasibility of the whole question, but if we really want to play the game, the moment to believe it is here and now. Not to spend the first cliché that comes to mind but because the calendar of the next four games says so, with all the direct clashes in between. Because it is true that Milan have recently lost points with Udinese, Salernitana and Spezia and Atalanta with Fiorentina, Cagliari and Genoa (while Inter, Genoa aside, have lost them only in the big matches with Milan, Napoli and Atalanta. , and that should already mean something). But direct confrontations by definition are worth double, for the points they take away as well as those they give. And the only clash between the top five that will be seen in the last seven rounds is Atalanta-Milan on the penultimate day (almost a déjà-vu).

IF YOU TALK ABOUT IT IF …

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But in these 35 days between now and April 3, there will be three big matches, involving all five top teams: Napoli-Milan next week, after the Coppa Italia derby, then Juve-Inter and Atalanta-Napoli, in the round immediately following the break for the national teams, with all the further unknowns that follow. A line will make sense to pull it then. Juve reaches the challenge with the champions playing at home with Spezia and Salernitana and away with Sampdoria. Milan after Napoli plays at home with Empoli and Bologna and away to Cagliari. Inter arrives at Juve playing at San Siro with Salernitana and Fiorentina and in Turin with Toro. Napoli in the middle between Milan and Atalanta goes to Verona and hosts Udinese. Atalanta before Napoli goes to Rome and Bologna and receives Genoa. If on 3 April Juve’s points of departure will no longer be 7, or 5, or 4, but within one victory away, with seven days still to go, it will be worth talking about it. Let’s get there. Let’s see how.