As we approach the start of a new Serie A season, who will be the runners and riders in this latest edition of the Italy’s Premier competition?
This season could be a three-horse race between Inter, Juventus, and Napoli. This series of reports will take a deep dive into each of the club’s title credentials this coming season.
Napoli
Having lifted the Scudetto in 2023 for the first time since 1990, title-winning head coach Luciano Spalletti departed the Neapolitans. During this same summer, they also lost squad members Kim Min-Jae and Elif Elmas. This summer of change was followed up by a record-breaking poor defence of their title. At the end of last season, Napoli ended their campaign in 10th place accruing just 53 points in 38 games.
Despite all this, this season will be different and we will likely see the Partenopei rise again and challenge Inter for the title. But what makes this season different how can a club that finished mid-table suddenly be considered a title challenger? Those reasons will be explained.
The title-winning season, 2022-2023, massively raised expectations and with Spaletti taking the Nazionale job, Aurelio De Laurentiis appointed Rudi Garcia as head coach. Napoli quite quickly realized this was the wrong appointment and Garcia was relieved of his duties in November. In a season of change, a somewhat uninspiring former coach Napoli Walter Mazzarri came in to “steady the ship”. He was gone by February. Francesco Calzona came in to close out a disappointing season leaving the Azzurri 10th and without any form of European football.
Now fast forward to June 2024 and after a series of uninspiring appointments, Napoli and De Laurentiis got their man bringing in four-time Serie A winner Antonio Conte beating Scudetto rivals Milan to his signature. Having last lifted the title four years ago with Inter, Conte is back coaching in Italy. It should also be considered that fortunately for Napoli they have no European football meaning fewer games than their possible title rivals and fresher legs on the pitch.
Concerning the squad at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona it looks increasingly likely they will lose Striker Victor Osimhen to French giants PSG. In response to this, it is widely thought Conte will link back up with Romelu Lukaku who was instrumental in his title-winning Inter side four years ago. It is also now thought they will hold on to their other prized asset Georgian wideman, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
In terms of recruitment into the club, it seems like Conte is getting his way. He has already added experienced full-back Leonardo Spinazzola to his ranks, as well as Alessandro Buongiorno and Rafa Marin to bolster his defensive options. There have also been links to Federico Chiesa and Jakub Kiwior in recent weeks.
Conte already has a strong midfield with Stanislav Lobotka and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa contracted for this upcoming season. The exciting Michael Folorunsho is expected to break into the squad this year after a loan spell at Verona last season. This Napoli team is one of the strongest squads in Italy and with Conte at the helm, he will be able to extract everything from them.
It is still expected that there will be major changes within the squad, as it is well-known that Conte likes things done his way. With these wholesale changes at the club, it may take time to bed in. The only snag may be Conte and De Laurentiis clashing, two men with huge personalities who never back down. However, they may hit their stride before Christmas. Particularly with other title challengers having played a lot more games in the new Champions League format, Napoli’s relative freshness will help.
Ultimately the prediction is after a slow start to the first third of the season, they will finish second behind Simone Inzaghi’s Inter and just in front of Thiago Motta’s Juve.