Serie A Takeways: Three things we learned from Matchday 29

This gameweek had a bit of everything; Serie A clubs continued the trend of avoiding draws (Torino this season aside) with just two ties in ten matches; the top continued to be top; the bottom continued to be bottom.

Here are the major talking points from a weekend full of calcio.

The top three looks close to being set

No surprise, right? Until this week, it looked like both Lazio and Inter could have made a strong push to capitalise on a late season collapse from one of the sides currently occupying the Champions League places; Stefano Pioli and Simone Inzaghi’s men could have been massive spoilers, just five and three points respectively behind third place.

Unfortunately for them, both drew this weekend.

Lazio couldn’t find a way past a Cagliari defense that conceded an astounding 58 goals this season, whereas Inter needed to rescue a draw away at Torino. Lazio are now six behind Napoli and Inter, eight. Sure, there are still nine games left in the season, and that gap is not insurmountable, but upcoming fixtures aren’t kind for either club. To have any hope, Inter need to see off plucky Sampdoria and basement dweller Crotone before a brutal run including the Milan derby, a game away at Fiorentina, and hosting Napoli - with a trip away to Lazio coming in late May.

Lazio, meanwhile, still have the Roman derby and games against Napoli and Inter to come. If both can defeat Mauricio Sarri’s men and get through their respective city derbies, they may just be in contention, but it would take drops in consistency yet unseen from the top three this season.

The bottom three are historically adrift

Palermo, Crotone, and Pescara are on the verge of some embarrassing history. For one, all but two teams have more wins than the three of them combined. They have three of the four worst defences in the league (only Cagliari prevents a triple here), and Palermo and Pescara are in a league of their own for goals conceded (60 and 66, respectively).

Worst offences in the league? You guessed it – these three sides are number two, three, and four, with 17th placed Empoli standing as the worst offenders. This weekend, they did little to buck the trend. In fairness, Crotone nearly pulled off a shock tie against Fiorentina, but Nikola Kalinic’s last gasp header gave the Viola a narrow win.

Palermo were thrashed 4-1 by Udinese - a side that only had only scored 32 goals in the 28 matches prior - and Pescara helped Atalanta get back on track after last weekend’s thrashing against Inter with a three goal loss. These three sides have one win in their last 15 combined matches.

If that isn’t impressive enough, consider that in the past 12 seasons, only one side had less than 16 points in the first 29 games: 2005-6 Treviso. Until this season, that is, when all three of these teams joined that elusive club.

What’s really still up for grabs?

If the top three seem all but decided - even if the maths doesn't quite back that up just yet - and the bottom three sides are all but relegated, albeit with a bit more numerical certainty, then is there anything left to play for?

The most intriguing races left in the league are certainly for spots two through seven. President Pallotta stated after the game that Roma’s immediate focus is on finishing second and entering the Champions’ League next season. Locked in a battle with Napoli, Roma could use some breathing room between themselves and Sarri’s men, as Pallotta pointed out they gained among the rest of the chasing pack with Lazio and Inter’s draws today.

After the international break may be the perfect time, with Roma hosting Empoli and Napoli hosting Juventus. Meanwhile, Lazio, Inter, Atalanta, and Milan are within four points of each other in the bid for Serie A’s two Europa League spots.

Of the four, certainly only Atalanta can be considered surprised to be in contention, and one of the other three will be bitterly disappointed at the end of the season to not be in European competition.

There are 27 points left to play for; it may be too late for anyone else to get relegated, or enter a Champions League position, but for these six sides, every one might still prove precious.