Inter Milan ended the record reign of Juventus Turin (2012-2020) by winning the 19th scudetto in its history Sunday after the draw of Atalanta Bergamo (1-1) on the lawn of Sassuolo. It has been eleven years, since the historic league-cup-Champions League treble of José Mourinho's Nerazzurri in 2010, that Internazionale had no longer been Italian champions. This trophy, secured four days from the end of the Serie A season, is even the first for the Milan club for ten years and victory in the 2011 Italian Cup.
This is the first time that a foreign-owned team - Inter has been controlled since 2016 by the Chinese group Suning - has won the Italian Championship. And this at the end of a tormented season behind the scenes because of the financial problems of Suning, looking for several months for an investor to rebalance accounts in the red. On the ground, this return to the foreground bears the mark of the demanding Antonio Conte, 51, crowned Italian champion for the fourth time as a coach after his three victories with Juve (2012-2014). Since his arrival in the summer of 2019, the man with clear eyes and a volcanic character has built a team like the rough defensive midfielder he was: catchy, solid, efficient.
ELEVEN RANK WINS
The first season of the Conte era was that of recovery with a place of vice-champion in Italy behind Juventus, crowned for the ninth time in a row, and a final lost by nothing in the Europa League, against Sevilla (2 -3). The second was good: after a mixed start to the season in terms of results, the team has been in commando mode since December and the pitiful elimination from the group stage of the Champions League. The Nerazzurri have since shown a little less ambition in the game but have found a new cohesion and a formidable efficiency.
The victory against Juventus (2-0), in January, served as a psychological shock by giving credibility to the "scudetto mission". Predicted by AC Milan at mid-term, Inter then crunched the Rossoneri (3-0) in February during an impressive and undoubtedly decisive series of eleven successes in a row (January 30 to April 11) which disgusted and left the competition behind. This coronation has a particular taste for the Slovenian goalkeeper and captain Samir Handanovic, the oldest among the holders, who had only experienced setbacks at Inter since his arrival in 2012.
THE FALL OF JUVE
But this title owes above all to certain players who arrived in the last two seasons and who grew up under the advice of the "pneumatic hammer" Conte: the powerful Romelu Lukaku, real spearhead of the team, his partner in the attack Lautaro Martinez, the metronome Nicolo Barella, the recruit with the legs of the late Achraf Hakimi. This triumph of Inter seals the end of a golden cycle for Juventus and the failure of the bet Andrea Pirlo, propelled on the Turin bench last summer without coaching experience to replace Maurizio Sarri, yet champion.
His Juventus, favorite on paper, has never found a balance, between a Cristiano Ronaldo still as effective (current top scorer) but also not very soluble in the collective, a Paolo Dybala too absent, "senators" on the decline (Chiellini, Bonucci) and irregular recruits.
After his nine consecutive titles, which marked the return to the first white of the "Old Lady" after the episode of the scandal of "Calciopoli" and the relegation to Serie B (2006), Juve will have to fight to stay in the Top 4 synonymous with the Champions League next season. On this qualification, or not, probably depends the future of Pirlo. This C1 is Inter's new challenge: it will be ten years (2011/12 season) that the Nerazzurri have not reached the round of 16.
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