Napoli fail to make ‘bonus’ game pay as uncertainty swirls at top of Serie A | Nicky Bandini

Antonio Conte characterised it arsenic Napoli’s “bonus” game, a escaped swing, the mistake they could yet afford. A 2-2 gully astatine location to Genoa near a bitter taste, aft having taken the pb successful some halves, but this was nary clip to panic. “Before this we needed 7 points to triumph the Scudetto,” said Conte. “We took one, truthful present we indispensable triumph our past 2 games.”

It sounded truthful simple, enactment similar that, but we had conscionable been reminded of wherefore it volition not be. Genoa astatine location was expected to beryllium the astir straightforward of Napoli’s remaining fixtures, against opponents with nary objectives near to play for.

Conte’s squad were afloat of confidence. Scott McTominay collected Serie A’s Player of the Month grant earlier kick-off, past sent Romelu Lukaku done to marque it 1-0 aft a 4th of an hour. Genoa’s archetypal equaliser was a fluke. Alex Meret blocked Honest Ahanor’s header astatine the adjacent post, but the shot ricocheted disconnected the woodwork and connected to the keeper’s genu earlier rebounding into the goal.

The concern appeared to person righted itself successful the second-half, erstwhile McTominay, yet again, released Giacomo Raspadori to marque it 2-1. The Scotland planetary demanded a prevention with a well-struck thrust of his ain soon afterward. But successful the 84th minute, Genoa’s substitute full-back Aarón Martín swung a transverse into the Napoli country from the left. Johan Vásquez headed location for 2-2.

Giacomo Raspadori celebrates aft putting Napoli 2-1 up against Genoa. Photograph: Ssc Napoli/Getty Images

Conte has told america for months that his squad is overachieving, reminding america perpetually they finished 10th past play and occurrence should not beryllium taken for granted. He did it again connected Sunday, saying Napoli remained “two steps distant from an nonsubjective cipher could person predicted astatine the start.”

His communicative tends to gloss implicit definite details. Napoli spent adjacent to €150m connected transportation fees past summer, and a deficiency of European shot has benefited them. He deserves tremendous recognition inactive for sustaining a rubric propulsion aft losing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia successful midseason, but determination tin beryllium country present for nuance.

Some volition consciousness that Conte made mistakes adjacent connected Sunday. The determination to commencement Stanislav Lobotka, little than a week aft helium injured an ankle against Lecce, appeared to backfire erstwhile the midfielder had to travel disconnected aft conscionable 10 minutes. It is not the archetypal clip Conte has been accused of trying to bring a Napoli subordinate backmost excessively quickly.

Or was the existent mistake the 1 made by pundits and fans who fto themselves judge Genoa would rotation over? The visitors’ manager, Patrick Vieira, was asked astatine full-time whether helium had been motivated to springiness his erstwhile team, Inter, a helping hand. “Our objective,” helium replied, “was to cod points.”

The overarching connection of this Serie A play was that cipher should number chickens earlier they hatch. Juventus thought they were astir to instrumentality a immense measurement towards securing Champions League shot connected Saturday, arsenic they led Lazio 1-0 astatine the Stadio Olimpico, earlier Matías Vecino equalised successful the 96th minute.

These teams had started the play level successful 4th connected 63 points. Bologna, 1 behind, had mislaid to Milan connected Friday night. Roma, besides connected 63, look a tricky crippled distant to Atalanta connected Monday.

Honest Ahanor of Genoa celebrates aft his header led to an ain extremity by Napoli’s Alex Meret. Photograph: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images

A triumph for Juventus, successful different words, mightiness person felt decisive. Fortune appeared to beryllium smiling erstwhile their goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio gave distant a punishment for bringing down Taty Castellanos successful the 87th minute, lone for replays to uncover that the striker had tally from an offside position. That content was strengthened erstwhile Boulaye Dia’s close-range changeable crashed disconnected a station 5 minutes later.

But Manuel Lazzari forced 1 much transverse into the box, Castellanos headed crossed extremity and Di Gregorio could lone propulsion the shot into Vecino’s path. Lazio’s supporters erupted for an equaliser that mightiness yet assistance them a way to the Champions League, but for present has fixed their rivals Roma an accidental to leap up instead.

An astonishing array of outcomes stay imaginable with conscionable implicit 2 rounds of games near to play. Even Milan, who look Roma adjacent weekend, aft their Coppa Italia last against Bologna connected Wednesday, person not fixed up anticipation of an improbable 4th place.

One reflection we tin marque now, though, is that Juventus’s assignment of Igor Tudor successful March has not filled successful each the cracks that emerged nether Thiago Motta. The Croatian has been praised for delivering much combative performances – the erstwhile Bianconero midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi credited him past week with restoring the team’s “soul” – yet his 1.71 points per crippled truthful acold are less than his predecessor’s 1.79.

Under Tudor, Juventus person fto leads gaffe against nonstop rivals – Roma, Bologna and present Lazio. A needless reddish paper for Pierre Kalulu, who swung an limb astatine Castellanos with 30 minutes remaining connected Saturday, lone reinforced a consciousness that excessively galore of these wounds are self-inflicted. Tudor’s consequent instauration of the 19-year-old midfielder Vasilije Adzic, lone to instrumentality him disconnected again 9 minutes later, furthers an content of muddled thinking.

Ought we to assistance the manager immoderate grace, arsenic helium grapples with what has not been a straightforward dressing room? Douglas Luiz, the €50m summertime signing who has made 3 appearances totalling little than 30 minutes connected the transportation since Tudor took charge, made caller headlines implicit the play with a unrecorded quality connected Twitch successful which helium said that “I miss Aston Villa, guys. I miss playing astatine Villa Park, I miss everything — it’s ever successful my heart.”

Randal Kolo Muani scores for Juventus successful the 1-1 gully with Lazio. Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

The subordinate backtracked successful a consequent Instagram story, insisting helium was not angling for a instrumentality and that “one indispensable not confuse nostalgia for a tendency to spell back. I emotion Juventus and americium wholly concentrated connected our objectives.”

In amongst each the drama, Juventus mightiness decorativeness this circular inactive successful rod presumption for that last Champions League spot. Saturday’s gully moved them 1 constituent up of Roma, and they clasp a head-to-head tie-breaker implicit Lazio, acknowledgment to a triumph successful the reverse fixture earlier this season.

The Giallorossi volition determination up if they bushed Atalanta, but a gully successful that crippled would marque things messy indeed. Roma and Juventus drew some times they faced disconnected this season, but successful a three-way necktie with Lazio a mini-table of results betwixt each of them would beryllium applied. Here, Claudio Ranieri’s squad would prevail connected extremity difference, due to the fact that they bushed Lazio 2-0 astatine location backmost successful January, wherever Juventus lone won 1-0.

It each adds up to a tantalisingly unpredictable extremity to this season, with a committedness of much uncertainty beyond. Juventus play successful the Club World Cup this summer. If they determine not to proceed with Tudor adjacent play – the nine has not committed itself either mode frankincense acold – would they not privation to regenerate him earlier that begins, to springiness his replacement the longest-possible run-up to the adjacent Serie A campaign?

Among the galore scandalous rumours swirling astir is simply a proposition they mightiness effort to bring backmost Conte, hoping helium tin reconstruct them to the apical of Serie A conscionable arsenic helium brought them retired of their post-Calciopoli wilderness 14 years ago. What a “bonus” section that would be, to this play of endless intrigue.