Surprise package Sassuolo continued to strengthen their position at the top echelons of the Serie A on Sunday after beating Inter 1-0 away, paving the way for Napoli to be crowned winter champions for the first time in almost three decades.
Back in February 2014, a Walter Samuel goal saw Inter claiming all points at stake against Sassuolo who were making their first showing in Serie A at the time.
Seven months later Inter annihilated Eusebio Di Francesco’s team 7-0 but the story was different last weekend as Domenico Berardi scored the winner from a penalty deep into stoppage time.
Few believed that Sassuolo could follow in the footsteps of Fiorentina and Lazio this season and beat Inter in Milan.
Sassuolo were coming from unimpressive back-to-back draws against Verona and Frosinone before facing Inter.
But thanks to their success, Di Francesco’s men have now extended their unbeaten run to five games (two wins and three draws) to go sixth with 31 points.
Their home game in hand against crisis-hit Torino will be played on January 20.
Sassuolo fired on all cylinders at the start of the campaign, beating none other than Napoli on the opening day 2-1.
They stayed unbeaten in their first six outings but then a Massimo Maccarone goal interrupted Sassuolo’s blistering start as they were defeated by Empoli 1-0 away.
But they soon got back into gear and the win over Napoli was followed by remarkable victories over big guns Lazio and Juve before outsmarting Inter in their last outing.
Many pundits reckon Sassuolo’s position is no fluke and the side’s positive results are no sheer coincidence. It is clear that the careful planning of club supremo Giorgio Squinzi is leaving the desired dividends.
Quick return
In their maiden season in the top flight, Sassuolo finished 17th with 34 points, just two clear of the drop zone.
Midway through that year, Di Francesco, a former Roma and Piacenza winger, was replaced by the much-travelled Alberto Malesani. But the latter’s stint was short-lived and a few weeks later, Di Francesco was reinstated into his job.
Sassuolo lifted their game by several notches and finished the campaign in a creditable 12th place with 49 points.
The coach had made the difference and at one point speculation was rife that Di Francesco could join either Fiorentina or Roma in the off-season.
However, he decided to stay put and pursue with his mission of gradually improving the fortunes of the modest club.
With Di Francesco on the sidelines, Sassuolo were transformed from also-rans into a solid team that could challenge for a place in the Europa League... if they keep the good work going.
Sassuolo are playing with great confidence irrespective of who their opponents are. On Sunday, they defended for long stretches but also had their moments and created a few scoring chances before they got the breakthrough in time added on.
Inter were left to rue their luck but Sassuolo got the reward they deserved for their efforts and the three points meant they kept clear of more quoted sides like Milan and Lazio in the race for UEFA slots at the end of the season.
If Sassuolo beat Torino later this month they will soar to fifth place, level with Roma.
Di Francesco is keeping his players grounded. He knows his team cannot be bothered with relegation any longer and if they keep their focus and tackle one game at a time, this could indeed turn out to be their year.