Serie A

Attempting the breakaway: Inter have stepped on the gas

Thanks to a victory over Pisa and Milan’s 1-1 draw against Roma, Chivu finds himself four points clear and poised to extend the lead. February will be busy, but the fate of this long Scudetto race will be decided in the spring.

On the evening of November 23, 2025, Inter had just recorded its fourth league defeat. San Siro was red and black as Max Allegri won the derby thanks to a strike from Pulisic; after 12 matches, Chivu found himself jostling in fourth place, three points behind league leaders Roma. It wasn't a crisis, but there was a serious question over consistency. Amidst chatter and debates, Inter got serious started grinding out points. They began an unstoppable winter run**: in the nine matches following the derby, the Nerazzurri racked up eight wins and just one draw** (a 2-2 home clash with Napoli), storming back to the top of the table.

Over these two months, Inter grew in performance, becoming incredibly pragmatic and lethal against their toughest opponents. By the end of matchday 22, they sit top with a four-point lead: Milan were held at the Olimpico by Roma, Napoli fell 3-0 to Juventus, while Inter staged a gritty comeback against Pisa to finish with a resounding 6-2 win. What is currently a "hypothetical" breakaway is looking more and more likely looking at the upcoming fixtures. Chivu has hit foot firmly on the pedal, ready to try for the breakaway. Who will try to catch up?

Balancing other competitions with the league

A fierce battle between the ‘cousins’, that’s shaping up to be the story of the 2025/26 season. Napoli have temporarily fallen back, while Roma and Juventus also have to watch out for an ambitious Como side led by Fabregas. Inter and Milan have managed to open a small gap at the top. By March, the race for the finish line will start to take shape but first comes a tricky February full of hurdles to navigate.

Chivu’s schedule is packed: the Champions League has added a playoff fixture to a month that already includes five league matches (including the March 1 home clash against Genoa), as well as the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa quarterfinal against Torino. Of course, squad depth and energy will be crucial. The Romanian coach has skilfully managed the group’s qualities, rotating players across multiple roles. Çalhanoğlu’s return is expected soon, while Dumfries will require a bit more patience; in the meantime, Inter have shown they have credible alternatives and players capable of blending with the core of the starting XI. The Champions League crossroads drains resources, but the league focus remains clear in the minds of both players and coach. The points amassed so far are proving extremely useful, and aside from the big February 15 clash with Juventus at the Meazza, most of the month’s fixtures are against mid-to-lower table teams. Inter’s plans allow no room for distraction.

The story of the last two seasons

Compared to the 2024/25 Serie A season, after 22 matchdays Inter find themselves with two more points (52 versus 50); last year, Inzaghi was chasing Conte at -3, while now it’s Chivu setting the pace, with Milan four points behind, Roma and Napoli nine back, and Juventus ten adrift. A useful comparison comes when looking at last season’s difficult February: in the second month of 2025, the Nerazzurri managed only two home wins (against Fiorentina and Genoa), a last-minute draw in the derby with Milan, alongside heavy defeats to Fiorentina (the postponed first-leg match) and Juventus at the Allianz Stadium. Then, on March 1, came the draw at the Maradona in the direct clash with Napoli, which kept Inter just one point ahead, with no chance to pull away in the title race.

Going back one more season to 2023/24**, the one that brought Inter their most recent triumph, it was marked by an unstoppable run in the second half of the campaign**. The decisive break came between February and March: Allegri’s Juventus tried to keep up, staying close through the winter, but on matchday 22, a home draw against Empoli allowed Simone Inzaghi’s side to reach 57 points and pull clear of Juventus, who remained at 53. The next game brought a title showdown with their rivals: at San Siro, Gatti’s own goal sealed a +7 lead, kicking off Inter’s unstoppable march toward the 20th Scudetto in the club’s history.

Milan and other rivals: will anyone catch up?

Inter are pushing forward while Milan stay close behind. With their draw against Roma, the Rossoneri have gone 21 league games unbeaten, a record for this season among Europe’s top leagues. Seasons are often decided around March, and Massimiliano Allegri’s approach is proving effective, with his team trying to match it. Milan’s advantage of not being involved in the cups will become more important in the spring, but the upcoming schedule still needs careful handling. In the next few weeks, Modrić and his teammates face Bologna away and Como at home before the crucial derby on March 8. There are plenty of big matches ahead: Milan are chasing a Champions League spot, but the Scudetto race remains wide open.

Roma and Napoli sit on 43 points, with Juventus just behind on 42. The top of the table may be out of reach, but the trio chasing the Milanese teams remains clearly in the picture. Napoli, out of the Champions League, can now focus fully on preparing for each league match week by week. Gasperini and Spalletti hope to go as far as possible in Europe, but they also need to stay sharp in the hunt for a top-four spot. Lurking just behind is Fabregas’ Como, ready to disrupt the plans of anyone above them.

Among the title contenders, Inter have made the first move, Milan are closing in, and the others are fighting to keep up. Will it be a runaway, or a tight race all the way to the finish line?

(Photo Getty Images)