Lazio surprises with 9 points out of 9, Inter and Roma respond, Napoli and Juve in difficulty

For now only the capital responds to Inter's Scudetto pace. But if Gasperini's Roma was a predictable sparring partner, the surprise is Gattuso's Lazio who scored 9 points out of 9, winning, again narrowly, with 3 goals from the revived Frattesi. And now he faces the test of maturity, in a predictably deserted Olimpico due to the fans' continuing protest towards Lotito, against Amorim's new Milan.

The round after the on-and-off debut in the Champions League includes easy matches for Inter and Como, against Udinese and Parma, more complex matches for Roma and Juve, at home to Turin and Sassuolo, while Napoli's match is more delicate, after three defeats in a row, at Maradona against Bologna. The Olimpico is the main pitch of the fourth day. After the defeat in the Italian Cup against Mantua it seemed like the beginning of the via crucis. and instead Rino Gattuso managed to consolidate a group that seemed to be in disarray thanks to the additions of Frattesi, Pinamonti, Gudmundsson, and the quality of veterans Zaccagni, Taylor, Tavares. Small steps enhanced by Frattesi's rabid desire for revenge after years of forced Nerazzurri 'retirement'. Now he is trying to make the leap in quality because Milan arrives in the reconstruction of Amorim who is benefiting from the inclusion of Gila and, at times, Ramos while Moreira remains a mysterious object for now. The defeat in the derby against Mourinho's Real Madrid does not affect the positive start of Inter, legitimate leaders after the comeback success against Napoli. Now Chivu will rotate his rich squad in the postponement with Udinese who fell after stopping Como.

Roma's furious reaction was eye-opening, leading to the overtaking of Atalanta even without the goals of goalscorer Malen: better attack and better defense for Gasperini who, after the positive but not exciting draw in Istanbul in the return to the Champions League, will have a few days to prepare for the trip to Turin, where last year he found the red puck. It is Napoli that faces the most meaningful test: Como, Inter and Arsenal were tough matches but, despite giving positive feedback here and there, they lost them all and now find themselves chasing with some alarm bells for Max Allegri who cannot miss the appointment with the disappointing Bologna that Tedesco is unable to get going and has held on to a goal from the revived Dovbik to avoid being left with zero points. Max will then have to stem the series of injuries which also deprived him of Alisson, McTominay and Meret. After the modest performance against Milan, Juve also continues to lose pieces: Thuram, Boga, Locatelli and Yildiz will be out for a long time and Spalletti gives confidence to the ex-purged Nico Gonzalez, Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz hoping for Kolo Muani's revival in the goal area. It's a treacherous away match for the Bianconeri because Aquilani's Sassuolo plays with ease, has effective attackers like Berardi and Laurientè with Bowie as the first striker, while behind them Matic's expert direction brings balance. The great protagonist of the season, Fabregas' Como, who celebrated their debut in the Champions League with an exhilarating success over Leipzig, wants to complete the insertion of Kean into a well-oiled mechanism that produces entertainment and results under the direction of Nico Paz. The Parma of the other Spaniard Cuesta, who did not adequately replace the valuable pieces who left on the transfer market, seems destined for a suffering match. There is a desire for redemption in Sarri's Atalanta after the defeat in injury time at the Olimpico, but Pisacane's Cagliari is a dynamic and well-mixed team, and has the same points as the Bergamo team. Kessie should replace the suspended Gaetano, Romano will want to celebrate his decision to be selectable for Mancini's Italy with a great performance. In the relegation zone, a delicate moment for De Rossi's Genoa, last with zero points, who must win in the home match against one of the best teams, Alviti's Frosinone who has found a reliable goalscorer in Raimondo, second only to Malen in the scorers' rankings. For De Rossi it is already an exam not to fail.