The record is both pretty much out of reach - we'd need to go 8-0-0 to break it by one point, and we can only break it, we can't tie it - and really not necessary. We bitch about Inzaghi's tendency to not rotate very much? We complain about the XI not getting enough rest and burning out? If we win the next three games and clinch the Scudetto with five games to spare, I can think of nothing better than seeing an opportunity to give Frattesi, Bisseck, Asllani, and such some real playing time and maybe doing a little experimentation with who plays where (seeing if there's anyone who can play a makeshift CCB post-Acerbi and De Vrij, for instance). We both wouldn't have the stakes up for ourselves, but also we aren't fucking playing anybody either. As things currently stand, here's our remaining schedule and team placements as of today:
MD 31: @Udinese (15th) |
MD 32: Cagliari (13th) |
MD 33: @ Milan (2nd) |
MD 34: Torino (9th) |
MD 35: @ Sassuolo (19th) |
MD 36: @ Frosinone (18th) |
MD 37: Lazio (8th) |
MD 38: @ Verona (17th) |
Four of our last eight opponents are 15th or lower, all of them away from home. Only three games left against top-half opponents. Those games at the bottom are gonna mean a lot more to them than they'll mean to us. Hopefully we're done with this by the derby and then we can use those last five games for experimentation purposes.
Fuck that noise.
I've never said "don't rotate" or "don't play reserves", as that is what a football team should do to keep players fresh (and I more than most have been critical of Inzaghi for not doing just that), and I won't say it now, but we've got plenty reason not to treat the last 8 matches as throaways - namely records.
* Most points in a season (which, as you said, will be very difficult)
* Least goals conceded in a 38 match season (we're currently set to
trounce Juve's 20)
* Most clean sheets (we're at 18, the record is 22)
* Most clean sheets by one goalkeeper (Sommer has 17, the record is 21)
* Most away wins in a season (record is 16, we'd need to win all the remaining 5)
* Best goal difference (record is 72, 13 goals to go)
We've got a real shot at manifesting and underlining this team as something special.
As much as every other fanbase will keep screaming Marotta League untill eternity, they can suck my ass and see this team go down in history with records that will likely never be broken again.
However difficult, and likely we won't beat all 7 (which would be lunacy), we can go do our outmost and go down in history as all-conquering, special Serie A side, or we can pretend we're playing friendlies and be 'just another' Serie A winning side.
This chance doesn't come often, and won't come again, likely. We''ve got no other competitions and no other distractions - I'd much rather go for it (which, in my mind, does not equate to "don't rotate at all") than see it thrown away to watch our reserves run around the pitch all at once.