So far, it has been one of the best seasons for Inter in a long time. The side coached by Simone Inzaghi, despite some big changes in the roster over the summer, is currently leading the Serie A table with 48 points after 19 games. Compared to last season, Inter improved their performances in the league but also kept their spot in Europe as the Nerazzurri advanced for the third year in a row to the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League and they will face Atletico de Madrid in February.
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After the elimination from the Coppa Italia this season (lost 2-1 to Bologna), Inzaghi's team will mainly focus on the Scudetto race, as Inter are trying to win it for the first time under the former Lazio manager, as he failed to win in his first season in charge when city rivals AC Milan won and last season, when Inter ended up third behind Napoli and Lazio.
We all witnessed an incredible Napoli campaign last season, especially in the first part of the season, when the team coached by Luciano Spalletti impressed everyone around Europe before the 2022 World Cup break. Comparing Inter's numbers this season to Napoli's last season, there are not many differences, showing how well Inter are performing in the current 2023-24 season. However, their incredible numbers might not be enough to win the Serie A title.
Napoli, in the first part of the 2022-23 season, registered 50 points in 19 games, with 16 wins, two draws and one defeat. Inter have 48 points (15 wins, three draws and one defeat). Looking at the goals scored and conceded, the numbers are even closer. At the midway point, Napoli conceded 14 and scored 46 while Inzaghi's team conceded only nine and scored 44 so far. Juventus, currently second in the Serie A table, scored 29 goals and conceded 12.
The main difference between this season and the past one is Juventus as the Bianconeri are close to the top of the table (only two points behind Inter), despite the side coached by Massimiliano Allegri scoring much less than Inter but conceding also fewer goals than Spalletti's Napoli in the first part of the campaign. After 19 games played in the 2022-23 season, Napoli had an advantage of 12 points on AC Milan, second in the table at the time. That's the main difference between this and the past season. Inter are performing amazingly, almost as good as Napoli, but the title race is still exciting thanks to Juventus's resurgence.
Looking at the fixtures, Juventus have the chance to close the gap in the coming weeks as Allegri's team will face Sassuolo, Lecce and Empoli before the big match against Inter at San Siro on Feb 4. Inter, on the other hand, will play against Monza and then will have to face Lazio in the semifinal of the Italian Supercup the weekend after. If Inter win, the Nerazzurri will play against the winner of the other semifinal between Fiorentina and Napoli on Jan. 22, adding some fixture congestion.
After the Supercup, Inter will play Fiorentina before Juventus at San Siro. After winning against Verona last weekend, Inter won't be back at their home stadium before the key game with Juventus. Also, if the Bianconeri win the next home game, they will have a chance to arrive at the key clash as Serie A leaders, though Inter will have one game in hand. Despite Inter's great start to the season, the Nerazzurri have a key month ahead to figure out their chances to win the title. Numbers, sometimes, are not enough when you have an opponent like Juventus right on your heels.
