Milan, a poker of reactions | Palladino, top-notch numbers
After every defeat, the Rossoneri have always responded with a win. The Neapolitan coach leads Bologna to victory, while Como's miserable streak against Inter continues. Juve: the comparisons nail Spalletti.
Three teams are within three points (Lazio 29, Inter 28, and Roma 27) with a changing of the guard in fourth place between Como and Milan (now 5 points behind the top spot and 1 point ahead of Como). The 2-2 draw in Florence shows Juventus are in top form (they overcame the deficit twice) but still have a weak position in the standings.
COMPARISONS - Indeed, 18 points out of 33 available are too little for Juventus' ambitions. After 11 matches, Spalletti is one point behind Tudor's Juve, three behind Thiago Motta's, and a full eight behind Allegri's last-placed side, who, on Matchday 11 of the 2023-24 season, won 1-0 at the Franchi against Italiano's Fiorentina (Miretti's goal).
PARTNERSHIP - Lautaro Martinez is still sidelined, but the Esposito-Thuram partnership worked wonders against Como. This is also only the second time this season that Chivu's two starting strikers have found the net together. It was the first time in Inter's 5-3 win over Udinese (Thuram and Pio scored a goal each, making it 3-2 and 4-2, respectively).
BLACK BEAST - Inter are increasingly a black beast for Cesc Fabregas. Seven previous meetings between the league and the cup have yielded six Nerazzurri wins and one draw, with just five goals scored and a whopping 17 conceded.
REACTION - With the win in Genoa, Milan overtakes Como and takes fourth place, a spot in the Champions League. This season, the Rossoneri have lost four of their 15 matches: only one in Serie A (at home to Bologna) and three in the Europa League (at home to Benfica and Ferencvaros and away to Bournemouth). Two side notes. Each of their four defeats has been followed by a win: against Lecce, in Udine, and in Genoa after their three European defeats, and against Inter in the derby after their 4-2 defeat to Bologna. They have played 15 league and cup matches this season: in their seven home matches, the Rossoneri have earned 12 points (average 1.71) compared to 15 in their eight away matches (average 1.87).
ROME BUM BUM - In his second year as Roma coach, Gianpiero Gasperini has returned to being an attacking prophet. Last season, his Roma team scored "only" 78 goals in 49 games (an average of 1.59). They're now averaging nearly three goals per game: 41 goals in 15 matches between the league and the Champions League, for an average of 2.73. Their defense needs some work: in 2025-26, they conceded 45 goals (less than one per game), now—thanks to the defeats against Real Madrid and Manchester United—they're at 18.
BALL, WHAT NUMBERS! - Only Cesc Fabregas is younger than Raffaele Palladino among the 20 Serie A coaches. Palladino, with his 16 points in seven games, has revived Bologna, which under Tedesco had only drawn in its first four games. The truth is that Palladino—who has only ever coached in Serie A after two apprenticeships in Monza's youth teams—has never missed a beat. Having replaced Stroppa in September 2022, he led Monza to two comfortable relegation campaigns, including prestigious victories. Then came an excellent sixth-place finish with Fiorentina (with the added bonus of a Conference semifinal) and last year a successful replacement for Juric at Atalanta (with Atalanta being pulled from 13th place and dragged to seventh). Now, another quick stint as a coach (his third in five Serie A seasons) and a truly impressive points average, considering Palladino hasn't yet led a major club. He's collected 223 points in 142 games, averaging 1.57. Stefano Pioli—to quote a coach who has also managed teams like Inter and Milan, even winning a Scudetto—has a lower average (1.42, the result of 503 points in 353 games). Palladino was a brilliant idea from the Berlusconi-Galliani duo: he arrived in Monza as a player in the spring of 2019, but various physical issues prevented him from playing. A few months later, however, he was hired as a youth academy assistant at the Brianza club. He spent a year in charge of the Under-15s and one with the Primavera before taking over the First Team from Giovanni Stroppa. And then, at a very young age, he took flight into senior football.