Capello on Serie A Title Race: Inter Leads, Juventus and Milan Struggle
Fabio Capello has seen enough. With less than two weeks to go before Serie A kicks off again, the former Milan and Juventus coach is convinced of one thing: the title still runs through Inter.
From his column in La Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello painted a stark picture of the balance of power at the top of Italian football. Inter, in his eyes, remain out in front. Juventus and Milan? Still scrambling.
“The distance between them (Milan and Juventus) and Inter, the champions of Italy, seems difficult to bridge in such a short space of time,” he wrote. With the clock ticking and squads still incomplete, that gap feels less like a crack and more like a chasm.
Juventus: Not a Spalletti team yet
Capello’s gaze first lands on Juventus, now under Luciano Spalletti and trying to rediscover an identity worthy of their history. For the moment, he doesn’t see it.
“Juventus don't yet seem like a Luciano Spalletti side to me,” he warned, a blunt verdict on a team still caught between old habits and new ideas.
There are, though, reasons for optimism in Turin. Capello likes the arrivals of Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegovic, two signings that inject energy and quality into the Bianconeri attack. The problem sits behind them.
For Capello, the defence needs work and the goalkeeper situation is urgent, not optional. “Juve still has a big problem and that is the goalkeeper,” he wrote, making it clear that the current scenario with Michele Di Gregorio feels “irreversible” to him.
Names are circling. One of them is Zion Suzuki, linked with a possible move to Juventus on loan via PSG if his transfer from Parma goes through. Capello, though, looks elsewhere. He points to London.
“So, if a no.1 comes in on loan, I have no doubts about who to bet on: Vicario at Tottenham,” he insisted. The logic is simple: Guglielmo Vicario has already shown he can handle the pressure of a big club and a big city. In Capello’s eyes, that matters more than potential.
Juventus might be tempted to go for a “buffer” solution, delaying major spending on a long-term goalkeeper until next summer. Capello accepts that strategy, but only if the short-term choice is someone proven. For him, Vicario fits that bill better than Suzuki.
Milan: A construction site with no clear plan
If Juventus worry him, Milan trouble him even more.
“Milan look like an open construction site: only the work in progress sign is missing,” Capello wrote, underlining just how unfinished Ruben Amorim’s side feels with the season almost upon them.
The latest news out of Milanello has not helped his mood. Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot, two of the biggest names in the squad, have extended their holidays and are now due back only a week before the league starts. Capello did not hide his irritation.
“Milan are still waiting for two big names in Maignan and Rabiot – by the way, I didn't like the news of their return being delayed by four days at all,” he admitted.
On top of that, the new signings are barely visible. Gila and Ramos have not featured enough to give any real indication of their role, and there is still no clear starting XI that Amorim can call his own. For a coach trying to stamp his identity on a club of Milan’s size, the uncertainty is glaring.
Then comes the Rafael Leao issue, which Capello views as symbolic of the confusion around the Rossoneri. The Portuguese forward publicly talked up his desire for the Premier League. The move has not materialised. The fallout, though, could still arrive.
“Rafa overestimated himself by publicly calling for the Premier League and, if he stays, I would be wary of the San Siro reaction to the first time he fails to run,” Capello warned. It’s a sharp line, and it cuts to the heart of the relationship between a demanding fanbase and a player who must now prove his commitment all over again.
Capello senses disorder at multiple levels. From delayed returns to unclear roles, from transfer noise to tactical identity, Milan look like a team still searching for their reflection.
He pins a key part of the solution on one meeting: Gerry Cardinale sitting down with Ruben Amorim. “I hope that the next meeting between Cardinale and Amorim will bring some order and provide the right boost to sort things out on the market heading into the final 20 days,” he wrote.
The message is clear. Inter are ready. Juventus and Milan are not. With the season about to start and the market window closing fast, the question is no longer who wants to catch Inter, but who is actually equipped to do it.
