Inter and Serie A’s Old Lady showing their age

ONE minute from the end of Saturday night’s showdown in Milan between Inter and Juventus, Javier Zanetti, deep in his own half, broke past Alessandro Del Piero in a final attempt to set up an attack that might salvage a point for the home team.

It was a moment that symbolised the past strength and present failings of Serie A.

Zanetti and Del Piero are two of the finest players of their generation, but it’s a generation that has passed on. Del Piero turns 37 next week, and he is now more or less reduced to cameo appearances. But Zanetti, now 38, is not just a first-team regular but has played in every single one of Inter’s 13 matches so far.