Who can stop Inter Milan from retaining the Serie A title?

Once upon a time in Italy, Juventus was the ultimate powerhouse in the top flight, clinching a whopping nine Scudetto titles in a row.

But with the once-almighty Old Lady suffering a steep fall, the crown has been repeatedly passed from one head to another over the past four years.

Whether this should be deemed a positive indicator of the quality of the competition or a concerning sign for Italian football is a debate for another day. Still, it certainly made for a fertile field of compelling storylines.

From Antonio Conte ending Juve’s winning dynasty he helped usher in 2021 to AC Milan prevailing in a title race for the ages in 2022, who could forget about Napoli’s historic triumph in 2023 or Inter Milan winning the title on the back of a Derby della Madonnina victory?

But while the previous four champions have all endured ill-fated title defenses, could Simone Inzaghi’s men finally break the curse and kickstart a genuine winning dynasty, or will they suffer the same fate as their predecessors?

Let’s analyze the Nerazzurri’s chances of clinching their second title in a row while identifying their most threatening rivals in the battle for the Scudetto.

The Defending Champions Inter Milan

When looking back on the previous four doomed title defenses, there do appear to be several common aspects between them.

Of course, aside from the result.

For instance, three of them started with a managerial change in the summer. Juventus ill-advisedly replaced the experienced Maurizio Sacchi with a rookie Andrea Pirlo, while Conte opted to leave Inter on a high note in 2021.

This was followed by the influential departures of key stars Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.

Finally, one cannot overstate the impact of the blow Napoli sustained when Luciano Spalletti resigned from his post.

On the other hand, Milan was the exception, as their collaboration with Pioli continued following their Scudetto triumph in 2022. With all due respect to the Rossoneri, they were widely considered overachievers who weren’t truly tipped to replicate their feat.

So, while the previous four champions were somewhat impeded by the circumstances following their respective triumphs, this is hardly the case for Inzaghi’s Inter.

The Beneamata have prolonged their fruitful partnership with their manager while maintaining their core intact. Inter has even strengthened their squad by adding quality depth in the shape of Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi, Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Spanish goalkeeper Josep Martinez.

Therefore, Inter has all the requirements to win a second league title in a row, but could anyone rise to the occasion and give the Nerazzurri a run for their money?

The Potential Challengers

Last season, Inter marched towards the finish almost uncontested. Juventus initially emerged as a genuine challenger, but a mid-season collapse put a premature ending to all hopes of a thrilling title race. Therefore, the Old Lady and the rest of the field have been tirelessly working on bridging the gap with the reigning champions.

Juventus had enough of Massimiliano Allegri’s rigid style of play and decided to put their fate in the hands of Bologna’s miracle-maker Thiago Motta. The Italo-Brazilian will bring his “high risk, high reward” mentality to Turin, and will be looking to implement the sort of compelling football that the Bianconeri faithful have been yearning for.

The Juventus management is also doing its bit by providing the young tactician with a host of new signings, including the likes of Douglas Luiz and Khephren Thuram. However, the main challenge for Motta will be delivering immediate results. After all, in the Old Lady’s book, settling for second best is never an option.

Threat posed by Milan

Not too dissimilar to the Bianconeri, Milan has also decided to part ways with a manager who delivered fabulous results in the past before descending to mediocrity. So with Paulo Fonseca replacing Stefano Pioli, the Rossoneri are aiming for a breath of fresh air within a club that became stagnant over the past two years.

The Diavolo have already made some interesting signings like Alvaro Morata and Strahinja Pavlovic, but perhaps these additions remain insufficient to trouble their neighbors with a serious Scudetto charge.

Based on their shockingly contrasting results from the previous two campaigns, how will Napoli fare this season is anyone’s guess. But if there’s one manager who can squeeze the best out of last season’s biggest underachievers, it has to be Antonio Conte. 

With four Scudetto triumphs from his last five Serie A seasons, the former Chelsea manager might just be the biggest game-changer in the league this term. The Napoli management have also duly signed defenders capable of interpreting Conte’s three-man backline system, but it remains to be seen if the team will gel in due time.

Roma’s surprise package

Finally, Roma could be the surprise package of the season. Daniele De Rossi already displayed encouraging signs on the sidelines after replacing Jose Mourinho in the second half of the previous campaign.

So with a full pre-season under the belt and exciting new additions to the squad like Matias Soulé and Artem Dovbyk, the Giallorossi might pose a challenge for the traditional Northern superpowers. However, they must prove they have the right mentality to go all the way rather than pressing the auto-destruction button when the going gets tough.

Conclusion

Despite the challengers’ best attempts to catch up with the reigning champions, it must be said that Inter remain in prime position to successfully defend their Serie A crown. 

Juventus, Milan, Napoli, and Roma have all made admirable attempts to close the gap, and we could even witness an interesting battle for the top spot.

Yet, the Nerazzurri boasts all the right tools required to emerge victorious once again. This includes top-notch players across the field, quality depth, vast experience, a competent manager, and most importantly, a consistent project architected by arguably the best club director in the business, Giuseppe Marotta.

That being said, Inter might not have the same comfortable cushion they enjoyed last season. Hence, Inzaghi’s most challenging task this term might well be injecting motivation into his players’ veins and preventing them from resting on their laurels, as a few setbacks along the way could provide a hungry contender with a golden opportunity to dethrone the reigning champions for the fifth year in a row.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Nicolo Campo