It has long been said that you can accurately judge the standard of your domestic top-flight by how well (or otherwise) your national team is faring.
That is probably no longer the case, such is the diverse array of players the world over who ply their trade across the globe.
As far as Italy is concerned, that is probably a good thing as the Azzurri are currently struggling and may yet, however unlikely, miss out on qualifying for the World Cup for the third successive time.
Back to domestic matters, though, and my view, first expressed a few years ago, remains as strong as ever: that Serie A provides the most compelling title race in all of Europe’s big leagues.
For sure, the quality of the upper echelons of the Italian game is not what it once was. But that actually only enhances the spectacle for the neutral.
Take AC Milan, for example. When they last won the title in 2022, pipping city rivals Inter, it was far from a vintage Rossoneri.
The same is true three and a half years on, but under the astute management of Max Allegri, who has the know-how and experience of a multiple title winner, Milan find themselves at the summit and, possibly, will be in the title mix this term. The fact that they have no European football to occupy most of their midweeks will surely only help over the six months ahead.
Then there is Napoli, the reigning champions. Antonio Conte guided them to the title last term, helped by the fact they also had no European combat to focus on.
Few would argue they were better than Inter Milan over the course of nine months, but they were able to edge ahead when it mattered, and Conte has strengthened well this summer to ensure they should stay amongst the leading contenders.
As for Inter themselves, last term Simone Inzaghi’s men juggled the title race and Champions League, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, only to be unfortunate and end up empty-handed across the board.
No sooner had the curtain come down on the season, the club was turned upside down even more as impressive manager Inzaghi quickly departed, and there is still a suggestion that the emotional upheaval they experienced at the end of the last campaign will take some time to get over.
They have, however, recovered sufficiently to put themselves into the title discussion again this term.
Add in Roma to the mix, a club which has been boosted by the arrival of Gian Piero Gasperini – who worked such wonders at Atalanta – and there are tangible reasons to believe this season’s title race could be the most exciting, and genuinely close, in all of the major leagues.
As it stands, Inter and Roma are locked on 24 points with Milan and Napoli just two behind (Bologna are only one adrift in fifth), so there is plenty of scope for Serie A 2025 highlights just 11 games into the 38-match campaign, which is set to return following the final international break of the year.
While the two Milan giants and Napoli’s credentials are largely known, the emergence of Roma may come as a surprise to some.
It was in the summer of 2016 that Gasperini began the story that would ultimately make him something of a household name across Europe.
Given time and the resources he required, he made Atalanta synonymous with himself. For a club so often seen as an elevator one – bobbing up and down between Serie A and Serie B – he gave stability and strength and a true identity to their play. Although the personnel would change over the years, the attitude did not. It delivered the Europa League but also countless other great results and performances during almost a decade in charge. They had the odd dalliance with dreams of the Scudetto over that time, but the closest they ever got was a third-place finish on a number of occasions.
Now, just maybe, the veteran Italian will be able to bring joy and delight to the club from the capital, who have craved a title for so long – 2001 was the last time they secured the “holy grail”, since when they have been runners-up on no fewer than nine occasions.
Just imagine. So basically, what this SBOTOP scribe is saying is trust our Serie A 2025 betting odds – no one outside the current top four, not even Juventus, who are currently in sixth, and have just appointed 2023 title winner Luciano Spalletti, are going to win the league this season.
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