3️⃣ points as Juventus strengthen Scudetto hopes with Inter win | OneFootball

It was a big night in the Scudetto race as Juventus beat Inter 2-0 behind closed doors on Sunday.

Here are three points we took from the game …

Beginning to click

This was the first Juventus performance of the season where you thought; yes! Here is a side managed by Maurizio Sarri.

It hasn’t been a smooth transition with the former Napoli boss, who made no secret of wanting his side to move the ball quicker.

He got exactly that on Sunday night. Their passing – front to back – was quick, direct and sent with purpose every time.

Everybody was perfectly balanced and knew their roles, when to move, when to sit and it was a joy to watch.

The Bianconeri still have a way to go but this was more than one step in the right direction.

Lacking something special

Antonio Conte has done a remarkable job to turn this Inter into title challengers, but against Juventus, the gap in know-how was evident.

It felt like they didn’t really know how to manage the game, whether to sit back and counter or press and force turnovers. In the end they did neither.

There is no shortage of talent among their ranks, Nicolò Barella, Lautaro Martínez and Romelu Lukaku to name a few, but managing crucial games like this often relies on experience.

Inter are just starting their journey under Conte. They were unfortunately shown up by players with ‘been there, done that’ mentalities.

Is this reality?

We completely understand why this game was played behind closed doors, but that didn’t make it any less surreal.

This was a huge game in Serie A. One that could potentially decide a title with six points separating both sides before kick off.

But the empty stands gave us overwhelming pre-season feels. You could hear everything – from players talking, to coaches complaining and even the ball thudding between sender and receiver.

Safety will and should always come first. This, however, was undoubtedly was a small window into what European football will become in the coming weeks.