Napoli and Inter Milan arrive at the Maradona with completely different emotions and a temporary first place on the line after Milan’s surprising slip against Pisa enables a Scudetto exam to take place.
For Antonio Conte, the match represents a chance to erase the heavy midweek defeat to PSV.
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For Christian Chivu, La Gazzetta dello Sport frames the night as nothing less than a ‘Scudetto exam,’ via FCInterNews.
The paper highlights how Inter “took flight after two painful defeats” against Udinese and Juventus.
In that moment, doubts hovered and whispers of replacements circulated, but instead of collapsing, Inter reshaped their identity.
“That day a different team was born,” Gazzetta writes, crediting Chivu for focusing on mentality and unity before anything else.
Napoli Vs Inter Milan – A ‘Scudetto Exam’
COMO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 23: SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte looks on before the Serie A match between Como 1907 and SSC Napoli at Stadio G. Sinigaglia on February 23, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
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The shift has not required a tactical revolution, but rather a recalibration.
According to the report, Chivu has reduced sterile possession, emphasised quicker vertical attacks and encouraged central runs.
Meanwhile still maintaining elements of the previous structure inherited from Inzaghi.
The concept is continuity, memory and mechanisms preserved.
However, sharpened to serve a more direct and ruthless version of Inter.
With momentum and conviction behind them, the Nerazzurri now enter the Maradona with clarity of purpose. A result tonight would not award a trophy, but it may say a great deal about who truly belongs atop Serie A.
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