Sunday’s Serie A dead-rubber affair at the Gewiss Stadium between Atalanta and Fiorentina will officially drop the curtain on the 2023/24 Serie A season. No matter the outcome, the final standings will remain unchanged, with five Italian clubs set to appear in the Champions League group stages for the first time.
Inter’s Inexorable March to Landmark Scudetto
The third time has been the charm for Simone Inzaghi. In his third season in charge of Inter, the ex-Lazio coach finally got his hands on a long-overdue Scudetto. The Nerazzurri hit the ground running from the get-go and never lost their stranglehold on their 20th Serie A title.
Unfathomably, only relegation boys Sassuolo bested Inter during their championship-winning campaign. Inzaghi’s men avoided defeat in all 36 remaining league outings en route to leaving runners-up Milan a whopping 19 points behind in one of the most formidable title runs in recent history.
Inter did not only top the point charts. They dominated every piece of statistic. Inzaghi’s free-flowing frontline netted a league-high 89 goals, at least 13 more than any other side. But Inter’s all-out-attack approach didn’t take its toll on the team’s defensive duties. With only 22 goals conceded, they were the best defensive unit in the division.
Napoli’s Epic Downfall
This time last year, Naples was a city of festivals and wild parties as Luciano Spalletti ended Napoli’s 33-year Scudetto wait. Fast forward 12 months, dark clouds loom over the Diego Maradona Stadium again. Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis made a triple change in the dugout but to no avail.
Napoli had to settle for an embarrassing 10th-place finish in their title-defending campaign. Having ended the season a mind-boggling 41 points adrift of new champions Inter, the Partenopei equaled an unwanted Serie A record for the joint-worst season as reigning holders in 27 years, replicating Milan’s feat from 1996/97!
After missing out on European football, Napoli are back to the drawing board as De Laurentiis hopes to reignite his faltering squad with the arrival of Antonio Conte. It would be exciting to see how this collision of two giant egos plays out. One thing is certain – it can’t be worse than this.
Season of Farewells
Starting with Jose Mourinho’s dismissal at Roma in January, the 2023/24 Serie A campaign has unfolded as a season of farewells, marked by managerial departures, player retirements, and impending departures.
Milan and Stefano Pioli took separate ways after five years. In addition to the Scudetto-wining manager, San Siro paid tribute to Simon Kjaer and Olivier Giroud after a 3-3 final-day draw against Salernitana.
Elsewhere, Juventus sacked underachieving boss Massimiliano Allegri less than 48 hours after claiming the Coppa Italia trophy. After inspiring Bologna to a history-defining top-four finish, Thiago Motta will replace Allegri in Turin.
Lazio are staring down the barrel of an unprecedented squad overhaul, with Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto, and Daichi Kamada ready to join Felipe Anderson in the outgoing contingent.
While discussing Serie A developments, fans often inquire about the best odds Premier League matches offer for their favorite teams. Manchester United, the most decorated English side, have laid their eyes on Inter captain Lautaro Martinez.
Fresh off winning his first Capocannoniere award, the Argentine could depart Giuseppe Meazza amid his contractual wobble. Several top clubs, including Man United, have lined up in a long queue to prise the 26-year-old out of Inter.