Serie A, Europe’s Most Crowded Title Race
Last season’s Serie A title race ended in a photo finish with both Milan teams battling it out until the final day, where the 2021-22 MVP Rafael Leao took over for AC Milan and pushed them to victory against Sassuolo, clinching the title. It was the most exciting title race in Italy for years. Since Juventus’s period of domination has ended, the league has been arguably the most thrilling to follow in the world of football. This season is no different.
Napoli currently sits at the top and is riding the wave of new star man Kvicha Kvaratshkelia after losing their captain, all-time leading goalscorer, and the best defender in Serie A this past summer. Atalanta, long-time overachievers, are just behind them in second but are tied on points with 17 through seven games, and perennial mid-tablers Udinese are only one point behind them in third after stomping Roma 4-0 and Inter 3-1.
Lazio, Roma, AC Milan, Inter, and Juventus follow them from fourth through eighth. Few would have predicted the table to look like this at the first international break. But with just three points separating first from fourth and a seven-point gap between first and eighth, it is safe to say the top half will be in constant flux in the coming weeks.
Rafael Leao, AC Milan’s talisman. Picture from GOAL.com
It has been a mixed bag of sorts for the three biggest clubs in the country. Inter, with the return of 2020-21 MVP Romelu Lukaku, were the title favorites heading into the season. Still, the Belgian’s season has so far been interrupted by injury. The defence has also not been as rock solid as in previous years.
AC Milan once again seem over-reliant on Leao to produce individual moments of quality to win them games, as he did in the Milan derby. However, his presence was sorely missed when he was suspended for the 2-1 loss to Napoli last weekend. They need their biggest summer signing, Charles De Keteleare, to come into his own and provide consistent creativity for them to win back-to-back titles. Juve, meanwhile, is just a mess.
Massimiliano Allegri is clearly outdated as manager, but the club owes him too much money to sack him, but as long as he is in charge, the team will struggle to have enough attacking thrust to win consistently. The man who was supposed to help solve this issue, Paul Pogba, has yet to appear after undergoing knee surgery following an injury in preseason. Juve is in serious jeopardy of missing out on the Champions League if they cannot sort things out in the near future.
Lazio and Roma, two massive rivals, are wildcards. Both are in year two under their managers, Maurizio Sarri and Jose Mourinho, respectively. It is not unreasonable to say that both of these squads could catch fire and win the title. With players like Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham leading Roma and Ciro Immobile and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic leading Lazio, anything is possible. Abraham and Immobile are top contenders for the Golden Boot, raising their squads’ ceilings. However, the clubs are extremely volatile, and a high ceiling also comes with a low floor.
If things go wrong, such as Roma getting smacked by Udinese and Lazio being burned by Danish club Midtjylland 5-1 in the Europa League, the on-field product can be awful. More performances like this and title hopes could turn into finishing outside the European places, a downgrade for both clubs after last season.
Jose Mourinho has built excitement in the Italian capital. Picture from Marca.com
Udinese has been one of the stories of the season in all of Europe so far, but they will struggle to keep up this form as they lack the depth and overall quality of the other sides at the top of the table. However, they have most of the support from neutrals, and there have been crazier title challenges in football. Napoli is rebuilt, and the results have been thrilling. Kvaratshkelia has been a revelation, with six goal contributions in seven games, including the winner against Lazio.
Victor Osimhen continues to be one of Europe’s most electric center forwards. The midfield trio of Stanislav Lobotka, Frank Zambo-Anguissa, and Piotr Zielinski has been bossing games. If all of their key players stay healthy, Napoli can be true title challengers. Atalanta is used to punching above their weight, finishing third three years running from 2018-21. Still, after regressing to eighth last season, not many expected them to be back near the top.
Teun Koopmeiners has led the way from midfield with four goals in seven games, and the defense has performed admirably, with four clean sheets and never allowing more than one goal per game. With no European football to contend with, they should be fresher than most of their contending foes, giving them the top dark horse status.
Serie A is a historic league in a historic footballing country, but it got dull and dry during Juve’s run of nine consecutive Scudetto wins from 2011-20. The excitement is back, though; with so many contenders, it is impossible to predict who will lift the trophy next May. So buckle up, and enjoy the ride.