Inter marching towards the title: Calhanoglu and Barella are the Nerazzurri's game changers

Napoli - Inter was a particularly demanding encounter for several reasons: the significant aura of Stadio Diego Armando Maradona shared by both club and coach, an opponent revitalized by recent changes in the coaching staff, the pride and quality of the reigning champions in front of their home crowd, and the defensive crisis in Simone Inzaghi's team.

The game proved tough and challenging, especially in the first half, but then transformed into an emphatic 3-0 Inter victory that blew away all the expectations and concerns. The result doesn't tell the whole story, but a good portion of the credit for the visitors' success goes to the midfield duo of Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella.

Inter in orange splash all over Vesuvius! Nerazzurri take no prisoners against Napoli

With every passing day, the Turkish playmaker becomes increasingly decisive. Numbers speak for themselves: he has scored in four of the last six Serie A games, accumulating as many goals in the last month and a half as he did in the previous 39 league appearances, which is an enormous feat. His strike broke the deadlock at the end of the first half and completely changed the match's mood. His opener made the home crowd restless and switched all the pressure firmly on Walter Mazzarri's side. Initially, it seemed Napoli's surges were destined to culminate in a goal, but when the scoreboard read 0-1, the Serie A table-toppers assumed all the momentum.

A couple of stats tell the story of Calhanoglu's genius, besides his flawless penalty record since playing in Italy. Napoli is the 18th team against the Turk has scored a goal from outside the box. In the last five years, only Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City is ahead of him in the top five European leagues. Indeed, the Belgian has led the chart for the best long-range scorers in Europe since 2018, and just behind him are James Maddison and Hakan himself.

Now we take note of the player who perfectly played the ball for Calhanoglu in the action leading to the first goal. The dynamic Nicolo Barella initially grappled with a couple of misplaced passes but then suddenly showcased his brilliance in assisting his partner with a refined touch just outside the box. Assists are already an integral part of Barella's game, but in Naples, he's added a goal, too.

He was unlucky to hit the post in Inter's Champions League game against Benfica, but he didn't lose his focus.

"I thank my teammates a lot. They supported me in a difficult moment, something that had never happened to me before. Plays weren't coming off for me. Nothing was working, but my teammates showed confidence in me and made me feel better. This goal is for my teammates, my family, my wife, and my daughters."

And then: a well-played pass from Lautaro Martinez from the left, a mazy slalom dribble, and the ball found its way behind Alex Meret. And what a liberating celebration, too! Since October 2022, at the Giuseppe Meazza against Salernitana, Barella hadn't got a goal and an assist in a single Serie A game. Understanding that Inzaghi's midfield pillars are the two mentioned players plus the experienced Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the fellow Italy international Davide Frattesi, clarifies that wresting the top spot in the league from Inter won't be easy. And then there's Yann Sommer in goal, and the pairing of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram in attack. Inter will need some stopping this season.

Looking at other big teams in Serie A, it's difficult to see who could produce some sort of consistency needed to go all the way and win the title. Simone Inzaghi has got his team firing on all cylinders.

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 14

Friday

Monza - Juventus 1-2 (0-1)

/Carboni 90+1 - Rabiot 12, Gatti 90+4/

Saturday

Genoa - Empoli 1-1 (1-0)

/Malinovsky 37 - Cancellieri 67/

Lazio - Cagliari 1-0 (1-0)

/Pedro 8/

AC Milan - Frosinone 3-1 (1-0)

/Jovic 43, Pulisic 50, Tomori 74 - Brescianini 82/

Sunday

Lecce - Bologna 1-1 (0-0)

/Piccoli 90+10 - Lykogiannis 68/

Fiorentina - Salernitana 3-0 (2-0)

/Beltran 6 pen, Sottil 17, Bonaventura 56/

Udinese - Verona 3-3 (2-1)

/Kabasele 16, Lucca 30, 72 - Djuric 37 pen, Ngonge 61, Henry 90+7/

Sassuolo - Roma 1-2 (1-0)

/Henrique 25 - Dybala 76 pen, Kristensen 82/

Napoli - Inter 0-3 (0-1)

/Calhanoglu 44, Barella 61, Thuram 85/