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…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/who-can-stop-inter-milan-from-retaining-the-serie-a-title/
Author : Michel Sakr
Publish date : 2024-08-11 14:56:00
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