Napoli have built a comfortable lead over the other Scudetto contenders, but Milan, Juventus, and Inter maintain some hope, as coach Luciano Spalletti has a reputation for abating in the second half of the season. The Partenopei have collected 5 more points compared to 2021/2022.
On the other hand, as Gianluca Di Marzio points out, it’s almost a false myth that’s easy to debunk. The gaffer indeed nosedived twice from January on while helming Inter. Though, those are the only two instances in his last five Serie A campaigns.
The boss collected 41 points in the first 19 rounds in 2017/2018 and then just 31 in the remaining fixtures. Plus, there was a nine-point gap between the initial haul and what he and his side amassed in the backend of the schedule the following season.
However, Spalletti has had multiple balanced campaigns, and he picked up 39 and 40 points in the two halves of the most recent one with Napoli. He improved slightly with Roma in 2016/2017 and 2005/2006. Instead, there was a clear dip the following year.
Looking at the data, the Azzurri will primarily have to pay attention to Milan and Juventus. Stefano Pioli is known for finishing strong, as he did also at Chievo, Bologna, Fiorentina, and Lazio. He had a slight decline only in his first season with the Rossoneri.
Massimiliano Allegri has built up steam along the way seven times during the course of his career, at times markedly so. He experienced minor swoons only when Juventus secured the title early. Instead, Simone Inzaghi is on the opposite end of the spectrum, as his sides have almost always relented down the stretch.
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