Serie A has been the most intriguing of the top 5 leagues in recent years. After Juventus ceased to dominate completely, several powerful teams at once claimed the title every season. But now the situation has changed and forecasts on dailysports.net unanimously consider Napoli to be the favorite of the tournament. The Neapolitan club for 24 rounds managed to accumulate an 18-point advantage over opponents, which is almost impossible to catch up. And this is not at all an accident, since there are a number of legitimate reasons for such success.
Strong defense and weak competitors: the secret of success
After unsuccessful seasons with Gennaro Gattuso at the head of Napoli, Luciano Spalletti was invited, who is the main creator of the current success. In the first season, the coach fought for the title until the last rounds, finishing third, and in the second season, he led the race of leaders. A number of factors contributed to this:
- Solid defensive game. Napoli have conceded only 15 goals in 24 rounds of the current season. This is the second highest among all teams in the top 5 leagues in Europe. Only Barcelona was able to miss less, the gates of which in 23 rounds of La Liga were hit only 8 times.
- Sharp attacking line. Victor Osimkhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia have become a real ‘well of goals’ for Napoli. Together they scored 29 of the 55 goals for the team. And if the Nigerian had previously rescued the Neapolitans (14 goals in the 21/22 season, 10 in 20/21), then the Georgian turned out to be the discovery of the year.
- Inter decline. After winning the title in the 20/21 season, Inter could not repeat the success, although they performed better than skeptics expected (second place in the 21/22 draw). The predicted decline came just for the current season.
- Unsuccessful Milan series. Having become the champion, Milan faced a crisis caused by both player injuries and coaching miscalculations and psychological problems. After all, becoming a champion after many years without trophies, it is difficult to maintain the reputation in the face of increased competition. The consequence of this was a series of defeats and draws in the winter of 2022/2023.
- Juventus tricks. The Turin club has been caught tampering with accounting records in order to comply with financial fair play. For this, he was deprived of 15 points in the standings, which was a psychological blow. If not for the fine, the old signora would have been second, having at least 50 points in her assets (and not 35).
Luciano Spalletti’s well-executed game, combined with bad seasons for the main opponents, are the main reasons for Napoli’s success. Finally, the Neapolitans have every chance of winning the championship.
Will Napoli take the title in Serie A?
According to the forecasts of Dailysports and other experts, Napoli is the undisputed favorite of Serie A. Only a miracle can prevent them from becoming a champion. Indeed, in the remaining (at the time of writing) 12 rounds, it is almost impossible to lose an advantage of 18 points. Even if they lose key matches (with Lazio, Milan, Juve and Inter), the gap will be reduced by only 12 points, but it is unlikely to be completely lost. Therefore, the most likely outcome of Serie A this season is the Napoli championship with a margin of at least 8-10 points.
