"Leave it to a 20-year-old, with three Serie A starts under his belt, to provide a most perceptive analysis of the Italian top flight as we head into a new year. The most difficult thing to do in this game, said Francesco Pio Esposito on Sunday night, is to stick the ball in the net. He was speaking in praise of his Inter teammate, Lautaro Martinez, whom he set up for the decisive goal in a 1-0 win away to Atalanta."
"Pio Esposito had barely entered as a second-half substitute when he was gifted possession by an opponent, Berat Djimsiti. Instead of taking the chance on himself, he froze the last defender and released Lautaro to score with a side-footed through-ball. This has been an up-and-down season so far for Inter, still working out who they want to be six months into Cristian Chivu's tenure as manager."
"Yet Sunday's win still means they end 2025 on top of Serie A, despite having played one fewer game than half of the division. Milan are only a point behind, and Napoli two, with Juventus (four) and Roma (six) still also very much in the hunt. But if this might as Suzy Campanale predicted last week be a season in which the champions wind up crawling across the finish line, then Inter are for now the ones wiggling fastest."
Francesco Pio Esposito, a 20-year-old with three Serie A starts, praised the difficulty of scoring and created the decisive assist for Lautaro Martinez in a 1-0 win at Atalanta. Pio Esposito received possession from Berat Djimsiti, froze the last defender and released Martinez with a side-footed through-ball. Inter have had an inconsistent season under Cristian Chivu, losing four league matches including games against Juventus, Milan and Napoli, and were eliminated from the SuperCoppa by Bologna. Despite that, Inter finish 2025 top of Serie A with games in hand, closely trailed by Milan, Napoli, Juventus and Roma. Goals are scarce across the league, and Martinez remains an efficient finisher.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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