Family gatherings at the home of Giancarlo Inzaghi, father of Serie A managers Filippo and Simone must be a spectacle. Simone is the younger of his sons but he’s the one whose burgeoning reputation as a coach has been enhanced because his Inter Milan side are marching towards the Scudetto, into the Coppa Italia final for the third year in a row and date Atletico Madrid in the Uefa Champions League knock out rounds.
Nicknamed ‘Superpippo’ for his penchant for finding the net – he netted 197 goals in 466 games, including 25 for Italy’s national team, older son Filippo was the more celebrated footballer but his coaching career hasn’t yet taken off. His Salernitana side are bottom of Serie A standings. Dishing out fatherly advise or coaching tips with one son as number one and another last must be becoming dicey for Giancarlo.
Fresh from playing title rivals Juventus off the park despite the respectable 1-0 final score, Simone’s Nerrazzuri must on Saturday negotiate the potential banana skin that is Daniele de Rossi’s AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. The Romans are enjoying a mini revival under de Rossi with Monday night’s 4-0 victory over Cagliari the 2006 World Cup winning midfield holder’s fourth victory in a row.
Filippo was once accused by the great Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson of being ‘permanently offside’. It was a tribute to the 2003 and 2007 Uefa Champions League winner’s gift for improvisation. Superpippo will need more of the same when he tries to follow up on last week’s goalless draw at Torino by grabbing all the soils at home to fellow strugglers Empoli on Friday night.
The outstanding fixture of match day 24 is the clash between AC Milan and Napoli at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. AC Milan are just eight points behind leaders Inter Milan who also have a game in hand, so there is no room for error when Stefano Pioli’s side battle a Napoli outfit still missing the services of Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen who is featuring for the Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
FRIDAY
Salernitana v Empoli
SATURDAY
Cagliari v Lazio,
AS Roma v Inter Milan,
Sassuolo v Torino
SUNDAY
Fiorentina v Frosinone,
Bologna v Lecce,
Monza v Hellas Verona,
Genoa v Atalanta,
AC Milan v Napoli
MONDAY
Juventus v Udinese