By Andrea Caropreso
Index
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The 2024–25 Serie A season has come to a close, with Napoli crowned Italian champions for the fourth time in their history. It was a thrilling race that went down to the wire with Inter, but ultimately Napoli’s solid defense prevailed. A milestone also credited to Antonio Conte, who once again delivered a masterpiece and joined the pantheon of coaching greats. For him, it’s now three different clubs with which he’s lifted the trophy—an absolute guarantee.
The Key to Success
We could argue that the best team won, not necessarily the strongest. Inter, under Inzaghi, were tipped as favorites at the start, but wasted too many points—partly due to the toll of the Champions League—and with someone like Conte on your tail, there’s no room for slip-ups.
Napoli reached the summit of Italian football after a rocky start, beginning the season with a loss in Verona. Club president De Laurentiis acted quickly in the market, bringing in Lukaku and McTominay. The Scottish midfielder truly shifted the balance, scoring 12 goals in his Serie A debut season—a feat not seen from a midfielder since Hernanes at Lazio.
Napoli’s Scudetto was a triumph of consistency, perseverance, and the ambition not just to return to the Champions League after finishing tenth last season, but to aim for the top. President De Laurentiis achieved this while keeping the club’s finances in order—his second title in three years. Now it’s time to celebrate, although the future of leader Antonio Conte seems far from Naples. Conte is expected to remain in Serie A, with strong indications pointing to a return to Juventus.
Juventus in the Champions League
In the end, through much hardship, Juventus managed to salvage their season—at least in part. The Bianconeri clinched a much-needed Champions League spot in a chaotic match against Venezia, who now bid farewell to Serie A after one season.
Juve went down early, fought back to lead 2–1 at halftime, only to concede again via yet another counterattack. It took a calmly converted penalty from captain Locatelli to seal the win, sparking joy among the players. It’s almost strange to see a historically dominant club like Juventus celebrating a fourth-place finish in such fashion.
Now it’s time for evaluations. The club must decide who remains part of the project to return Madama to the top, and who will depart. Coach Tudor is likely to step aside, making room for Antonio Conte to return and finish what he started 11 years ago.
Fiorentina snatched a Conference League spot once again at the expense of Lazio, who ended their disappointing season with a loss to Lecce. Meanwhile, Roma settled for an unexpected fifth place—unthinkable back in November before Ranieri arrived.
Relegation Battle: Lecce in Paradise, Empoli Says Goodbye
Empoli, Venezia, and Monza will make way for newcomers in next season’s Serie A. While relegation was almost inevitable for the latter two, Empoli’s drop is a letdown. The Tuscan side had shown promise early on, with goals from Esposito and Colombo hinting at a season beyond a survival battle. But D’Aversa’s men fell at home to Verona and bid farewell to the top flight.
The hero of the day was Lecce, led by Giampaolo, who pulled off a stunning feat—not just staying up, but winning heroically in Rome against Lazio with 10 men. After Pierotti’s first-half error left them a man down, the match looked like climbing Everest. But Coulibaly’s goal was enough to send Lecce to paradise. Watching from heaven, no doubt celebrating, was Graziano Fiorita, the club’s legendary physiotherapist to whom the entire team dedicated the win.
By Andrea Caropreso
