Chasers close in as AC Milan falter

A weekend that shifted the balance at the top of the Serie A left AC
Milan with less of a lead and several doubts about their chances to win a
scudetto they last won in 2004.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri tried to sound reassuring after the Devils
crashed 1-0 Saturday at Palermo - worsening the poor showing of the
previous weekend, when they drew 1-1 at home to bottom side Bari.

When the league's 30th round closed late Sunday, the Devils were left
with a two-point lead over holders Inter Milan, who struggled to clinch
an important 1-0 win over visiting minnows Lecce and look forward to a
city derby scheduled for April 2 after a weekend of international games.

Allegri played down the importance of the derby and stressed that "in
any case, we are in the lead and we will be there when the league
resumes."

His veteran midfielder Gennaro Gattuso did not agree with his coach
though, noting that although "the scudetto is still in our hands,
something has changed compared to a few weeks ago.

"We have some problems. Things do not go the right way. They (Inter)
are charged by the (quarter-finals) qualification in the Champions
League. Wins do you well and maybe we are paying for the elimination
against Tottenham.

"We must not waste the good things we did so far, but we also cannot
pretend that everything is fine. Our problem is the difficulty in
scoring.

"In Palermo we played many balls in the box, but never found a
striker ready to score. Myself and (French midfielder Mathieu) created
the most dangerous actions: this means something. We must work on this
and find a solution before the derby."

With Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic still suspended for the big
match, the Devils must hope for improvement from lacklustre strikers
Antonio Cassano and Brazil Pato, who lacked grit and precision in
Palermo.

Inter were also far from impressive against third-from-bottom Lecce,
managing a single goal from Giampaolo Pazzini playing upfront with Goran
Pandev, Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto'o.

"We are happy to have moved so close to the Rossoneri," said Inter
coach Leonardo, a former Milan forward who last May controversially
ended a one-year stint on the AC Milan.

"We go into the tie with Milan in the best possible way, but it will
not be decisive. There will still be 21 points (from seven games)
available after the city derby. All the other games will be as crucial."

The weekend was bright also for Napoli, who moved within three points
of the top and will follow the derby with interest ahead of a tough
home tie with fifth-place Lazio.

Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani scored a brace late Sunday in a 2-1
beating of Cagliari to continue his chase of Udinese's Antonio Di
Natale, who leads him by three goals with a record of 25.

The Udine side are halfway into the scudetto race, trailing Milan six
points adrift and probably still regretting their awful start to the
season - with four straight defeats and a draw.

Their goal is to at least retain the fourth available berth for the
next Champions League, but they may have a say in the race for the title
as they visit Napoli in mid-April and host Milan in the closing game on
May 22 - a week after Inter visit Napoli.