The Derby d’Italia. Widely regarded as the most prominent game on the Serie A calendar, involving two of Italian football’s chief powerhouses. With a sparkle of trickery and a delightful chip over a desperate Julio Cesar, Claudio Marchisio wrote himself into Bianconeri folklore as he scored one of the most important goals of his career to date to give victory to Juventus.

The wild scenes of celebration that ensued, which were replicated as the full time whistle sounded around the Stadio Olimpico in Turin on Saturday night, illustrated just what victory meant. Having closed the gap at the top to just five points, Ciro Ferrara and our boys now have the chance to hunt down the Champions and overhaul Jose Mourinho's side at the top of the standings.

During the build up to the weekend, I billed this fixture as make-or-break for Juve. Had the outcome been the reverse, we would have fallen 11 points behind the leaders and our title dreams all but ended. However, following victory, we now have a realistic opportunity to chase down our rivals. Will we now have the belief that has been lacking in recent weeks, and help rejuvenate the side to push on and become genuine title contenders? The victory has shown that Inter are human, and can be beaten. With Mourinho being sent to the stands and seeing his side bossed and bullied in every department of the pitch, it was very much a feeling of schadenfreude.

After capping off a quite simply brilliant performance with a terrific goal, Claudio Marchisio has proven just how important he is to this side. As a home-grown talent it is all the more pleasing, and I sincerely hope he becomes an integral part of the squad for many years to come.

The Final Word

With a superb performance to match such a fantastic result, can we replicate such high standards in mid-week for yet another blockbuster fixture against German giants Bayern Munich? With a place in the last 16 of the Champions League at stake, let us hope that we can use the momentum from this weekend going into the all-important clash.