All around Europe leagues are coming to a close, and if you're like most of my friends you've only really been paying attention to England. If that's the case then you're really missing out. This year has been one of the stranger years in Italian football, but it's made for one of the more exciting finishes.
All season long Inter has been the talk of Italy. They've got the coach, they've got the players, and they're the returning champs. Last season they won the league by 10 points over rivals Juventus and Milan, however this season the cracks have begun to show.
It's never been an easy road for Jose at Inter. He's not made many friends within the Italian media and he's even alienated some players. It's widely known that he's not fond of Balotelli's work ethic. However the club has talent, (although like much of the Italy, they're aging), and they were always expected to be atop the table.
What is surprising is the surging Roma. They finished last season 6th in the table and few expected them to mount a serious challenge to Inter, having made few serious changes to last season's roster, (However they did sell one of their major play makers to Liverpool, Aquilani). One change has been the loan of Luca Toni. Toni is well known in Italy having starred at Fiorentina and Palermo, however his switch to Bayern didn't go as planned, and he found himself back in Italy, and surprisingly atop the table.
Meanwhile such illustrious clubs as Juventus and AC Milan find themselves in a rather precarious position. Much talk has been made of Liverpool's struggles this season and how they are likely to miss out on the Champions League, but just as shocking as Liverpool missing out, is the fact that Juventus is sitting 7th and may miss out on Europe altogether. Not what a club who brought in the likes of Diego over the summer was expecting. I must admit that I do find it interesting that Juventus recently approached Rafa Benitez at Liverpool about being their manager. That's simply trading one incompetent manager for another.
There are just 4 match days left in Serie A, and Milan who sit in third are all but eliminated. It's going to come down to the surprising Roma and Inter to battle it out for the top spot. I'll be pulling for Roma who sit a point up on Inter as we speak. I must admit to having a soft spot for Riise, Totti, and De Rossi. In fact, my Riise Liverpool jersey still hangs in my closet.
Both clubs have favorable schedules to close out the season (however Inter still have to deal with Barca in the Champions League), but I'm hoping Inter stumbles, Jose gets fired, Rafa heads to Real or Juve, and Jose makes his way to Liverpool. It's a dream I know, but with the Americans selling Liverpool, we can finally dream.
