Inter’s victory over Napoli had the feel of a title race classic, while Juventus and Milan exposed familiar shortcomings despite their summer spendingAlready as the words were being spoken, Cristian Chivu started to bristle. “Scontri diretti” translates to “head-to-head clashes”. The term is commonly deployed in a football context as a shorthand for those high-stakes games between teams who are expected to finish close together in the table – much like “six-pointers” in the English game.Chivu’s Inter finished 11 points clear atop Serie A last season, his first as their head coach, but caught criticism along the way for an early Champions League exit and underperformance in some scontri diretti. Inter lost four out of six games against Napoli, Milan and Juventus. Their only win, at home to the Bianconeri, came after Alessandro Bastoni deceived a referee to get Pierre Kalulu sent off. Continue reading...
Xabi Alonso was keen to bolster his midfield options (Picture: Getty) Chelsea have pulled out of a deal to sign former PSG midfielder Renato Sanches on a free transfer, according to reports in France. The Blues failed to bolster Xabi Alonso’s midfield options on transfer deadline day despite selling Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City. Chelsea were in talks to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco and Manu Kone from Roma as Fernandez closed in on a move to the Etihad Stadium but both deals collapsed. The failure to sign a new midfielder has left Alonso ‘a little bit short’ this season, according to Manchester United legend Gary Neville, with Reece James and Malo Gusto both utilised in that area of the pitch in Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal. Exclusive Premier League previews Get ahead of the start of the season with our weekly football newsletter. Sign up now for free. Chelsea reportedly expressed interest in signing Georginio Wijnaldum on a free transfer after the summer window closed but the ex-Liverpool star ended up joining Saudi side Al-Ittihad. According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea also considered a deal for Sanches as cover for the departed Fernandez following his exit from PSG. Sanches, who played in the Premier League for Swansea City back in 2018, is looking for a new club after being released by the Champions League holders. Former Bayern Munich and PSG midfielder Renato Sanches (Picture: Getty) The 29-year-old former Portugal international started his career at Benfica before joining Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in 2016. Much was expected of Sanches at that stage but he failed to realise his potential, only making 27 appearances for PSG since arriving in the French capital four years ago. Sanches has spent the last few seasons on various loan spells in Italy, Portugal and Greece and would have been keen on a move to Alonso’s Chelsea. Chelsea sold Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City (Picture: Getty) But Stamford Bridge bosses pulled the plug on any possible deal and have decided to put their faith in the current midfield options at Chelsea. Asked whether he felt Chelsea were a touch short in the midfield areas after the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, Alonso said: ‘We have several options and we need to find the right balance. ‘We believe we have the quality and competitiveness necessary for the entire season and to face every opponent.’ {"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Alonso: Chelsea made to 'hurt' by Arsenal during 2-1 defeat","contentUrl":"https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2026\/09\/07\/4710295427016078709\/480x270_MP4_4710295427016078709.mp4","description":"1-0 up. 2-1 loss.","duration":"T6M45S","height":270,"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.dailymail.com\/1s\/2026\/09\/07\/07\/111091357-0-image-a-105_1788761969650.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-07T07:19:25+0100","width":480} To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page window.addEventListener('metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded', function(data) { if (typeof(data.detail) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === 'undefined' || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === 'undefined') { return; } var player = data.detail.carousel.el_; var container = player.closest('.metro-video-player'); var placeholder = container.querySelector('.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder'); if (placeholder) { container.removeChild(placeholder); container.classList.add('metro-video-player--related-videos-loaded'); } }); But Arsenal legend Ian Wright criticised Chelsea’s decision not to sign a new midfielder towards the end of the summer transfer window. Assessing Chelsea’s title aspirations, Wright said on Sky Sports: ‘I think their front three will pose problems for many teams, but it ultimately hinges on the midfield. ‘I truly believe they must have anticipated that Enzo was likely to leave, [Andrey] Santos departed earlier, and they attempted to secure Lamine Camara fr
Newcastle fan Raul Kohli believes Nick Woltemade's presence was missed in the 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. Nick Woltemade could have been used in that game. The German forward featured from the bench in Juve's 1-1 draw against AC Milan at the weekend, but failed to make an impact in his 20-minute cameo.
ISAAN KHAN: Raya warned that Arsenal know they can beat anybody in the league and hailed the injection of confidence running through his side from lifting the Premier League title last season.
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