Soccer-Serie A weekend talking points

(Reuters) - Talking points from the weekend's Serie A matches.

INTER BACK IN TITLE DRIVING SEAT

All looked lost for champions Inter Milan last month, after one win in seven Serie A matches going into the international break left them in third place, six points off leaders AC Milan.

Doubts were lingering over coach Simone Inzaghi, and whether selling leading striker Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea in the close season was too big a loss for Inter to recover from.

But after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Juventus last weekend - the Turin side's first Serie A defeat since November - Inter beat Hellas Verona 2-0 on Saturday to continue their revival.

Two poor Milan results, including Sunday's 0-0 draw at Torino, coupled with Napoli's surprise 3-2 reverse at home to Fiorentina means Inter are now two points behind Milan having played a game less. The title is back in their hands.

GET FIT IBRA MILAN NEED YOU

With Zlatan Ibrahimovic struggling to recover from a knee injury, Milan are short of inspiration up front at a pivotal moment in their quest for a first Scudetto since 2011.

After Sunday's stalemate at Torino, Milan have not scored in two successive Serie A games for the first time since February 2021 and have netted only four times in seven matches in all competitions.

"We didn't create much but many situations could have become dangerous," Milan coach Stefano Pioli told DAZN. "I can't say anything about the spirit and the determination, we are just missing a spark."

Even at the ripe old age of 40, a fit-again Ibrahimovic could be just the man to reignite Milan's title bid.

VLAHOVIC DOING WHAT HE WAS SIGNED TO DO

It has been a strange season at Juventus.

In many games they have dominated for long spells but have been unable to