by It did not take long after Napoli won Serie A in May so that some journalists wonder if their manager would desert them. Antonio Conte had groaned for months on transfer decisions. Even at this time of triumph, his body language around the owner, Aurelio de Laurentiis, remained freezing.
Recent history was suspended in Napoli. Luciano Spalletti resigned after managing the Patenopei To a Scituditto in 2023, heading towards sunset in his newly impregnated fiat panda and citing a “confrontation of the personality” with Laurentiis. But Conte is his own man with his own imperatives. Three months later, it is a rare point of continuity in a league determined to avoid it. Twelve of the 20 clubs changed the manager – a drop, of course, from 14 last summer – including six of the best eight finisters.
Advertisement
In relation: Bayern may not take advantage of the Bundesliga procession, but its rivals are faced with a climbing task
Does stability generate success? If so, Napoli should start as clear favorites. No beginner left and Kevin de Bruyne arrived – a symbol of the ambitions raised for a team that continued its third national title in four years. Incorporating it will require reflection and probably an adjustment to 4-3-3 of last season, but should give variety to one side that has linked too much to Scott MCTOMINAY in the section. De Bruyne is not the only new arrival either. Napoli added the central defender Sam Beukema of Bologna and the Netherlands Noa Lang on the wing. Romelu Lukaku will miss the start of the season with an injury to the hamstrings, but that will at least give the 6-foot attacker 7 inch Lorenzo Lucca a chance to prove his value after joining Udinese.
Who will challenge them? The Inter remains the most likely contenders, even after a humiliating end of the last campaign, when they went from hunts of four trophies not to win any and to be beaten in the final of the Champions League. They have lost no beginning of a largely perceived team as the most talented in Italy and added interesting young talents. The set of Bonny Ange-Yoan has a catchy combination of size and acceleration. Midfielder Petar Sominant is an international Croatia established at 21 years old. The signature of Luis Henrique of Ligue 1, just after being crushed by Luis Enrique of Ligue 1, is poetic perfection.
The big question is whether Cristian Chivu is the right man to direct inter. Hired in a hurry after Simone Inzaghi left for Al-Hilal, he barely had time to know his players before the club World Cup, where the Nerazzurri Released in Fluminense in the first direct elimination round. Chivu has arrived with great will, after winning three Ligue league titles as a player – the last one as part of the Triples 2010. But his previous management experience is limited to 13 games in Parma. Is Romanian the right man to restore the goal and cohesion to a demoralized wardrobe? For the moment, any judgment seems to be a supposition.
Advertisement
Who else could challenge? Atalanta has finished third, but their manager of the last nine years, Gian Piero Gasperini, left for Roma, dropping the curtain on the most successful chapter in the history of the club. His replacement, Ivan Juric, worked under Gasperini as a player and then assistant, potentially equipping it to go from the front with similar tactical ideas. But he inherits a team that has sold Capocannoniere Mateo held back and can still lose Admola Lookman. This pair scored more than half of the 78 goals in the team’s league last season.
The new Gasperini project in Roma fascinates. Can he establish the same principles of the feet before who made Atalanta the winners of the Europa League and the regular qualifications of the Champions League? Despite a fine to break the rules of the financial show, the Roma made movements. The most intriguing capture could be the Brazilian right back Wesley from Flamengo. But there is also curiosity around the Evan Ferguson and Leon Bailey loan signatures of the Premier League clubs, each needing a new start.
Juventus was the other upper side, in addition to Napoli, to keep their manager, although the long delay before confirming Igor Tudor hardly pretended to be a confident choice. Despite a discreet transfer session, there are reasons to believe that they could surprise. A team that aligned the second Youn more and more series to last season will have another year of experience under their belt, as well as Bremer, perhaps the best central defender in the division, back. Juventus is not favorites, but Tudor said that he would not be content to aim for the third or the fourth.
And Milan? Massimiliano Allegri is back, 14 years after managing the Rosseri As a title of Serie A. Luka Modric joined, 22 years after her professional beginnings. Can the Croatian author a memorable more chapter? Tijjani Reijnders and Theo Hernández left, and Rafael Leão took an injury in the victory of the Cup last week on Bari, but there were encouraging signs in this performance. A lack of European football can benefit them.
Advertisement
Could another club surprise? The Como pointed out their ambition as they refused to entertain Inter’s approach to the manager Cesc Fàbregas. They spent 100 million euros in this transfer window, adding a wealth of young talents, including Jesús Rodríguez de Real Betis and Martin Baturina by Dinamo Zagreb.
Bologna must fill the gaps left by Beukema and Dan Ndoye, just as they did a year ago Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee. Fiorentina seemed to be on the right track last season, but will their progress be derailed by the resignation of Manager Raffaele Palladino, replaced by the return Stefano Pioli? Lazio also turned to a familiar face in Maurizio Sarri, but a transfer embargo prevented them from restructuring the team to adapt to its vision.
Among the promoted teams, the Sassuolo de Fabio Grosso was the best equipped to combat relegation, Armand Lauriente and Domenico Berardi have proven basic products in the attack. Andrea Pinamonti is also back for the moment, after reaching double figures on loan to Genoa. Pisa was promoted to play fast football under Filippo Inzaghi but seems to adapt to a possession game with their new Manager Alberto Gilardino. Crémonais hired the specialist in Davide Nicola survival.
Verona can be trained in the battle after another flogging window of their most promising young players, this time the central defenders Diego Coppola and Daniele Ghilardi. Parma, too, was stripped of active ingredients, including Bonny, Simon Sohm and Dennis Man – not to mention the Chivu. Lecce Hope signed Francesco Camarda, 17, on loan from Milan, can strengthen an attack that scored the 27 new league goals last season. Cagliari promoted the coach of the Academy – and the former guardian footballer of the year – Fabio Pisacane to lead his first team, his first high management role.
Advertisement
Above them is a familiar group of teams that seek to continue a mid-table. Kosta Runjaic impressed in his first season of Serie A as a manager of Udinese, but lost the starters Lucca, Jaka Bijol and Florian Thauvin. Torino hired Marco Baroni, who finished seventh with Lazio, and provided him with new avant-garde talents, but there are questions about the balance in the midfield. Genoa has shown a marked improvement under Patrick Vieira but has undergone significant turnover of the squad.
It looks like another season that starts with more questioning points than certainties. This has been the way for things lately in a league where no team has successfully defended a Scituditto for five years. Now Napoli, a club that had won the League only twice in its history before this decade, will have another chance.
