It’s been another fascinating season in the Italian top flight.
For the second successive campaign, Serie A was the most compelling of all the established leagues in Europe – certainly, as far as this SBOTOP observer was concerned.
That doesn’t mean it had the most quality, of course, but because so many of the outfits were evenly matched, the outcome of many a contest and position remained too close to call.
So, who can I name as my top three managers of the season?
Well, that was actually far more straightforward.
Luciano Spalletti – Napoli
Should the Italian, who has decided to take a year sabbatical from the game, never return to football ever again, he will always have the freedom of the city of Naples.
For in guiding Napoli to their only title triumph since those spearheaded by the late, great Diego Armando Maradona, he made a whole football religion believe again.
After finishing third in his first campaign at the club, Spalletti led them to the one they craved the most – the Scudetto.
You didn’t need to study the pre-season Serie A betting odds to know this was unexpected.
Remember, this was a team which, last summer, said farewell to a club legend in the shape of Lorenzo Insigne who departed for pastures new after 337 appearances (and 97 goals) as an attacking midfielder.
Defensive lynchpin Kalidou Koulibaly also headed out of the exit door.
Spalletti had his plans though, overseeing a tactical evolution and recruiting superbly.
In came Giacomo Raspadori from Sassuolo and Tanguy Ndombele from Spurs, who proved important players during 2022/23, although the signing which made the biggest difference was the 11.5 million Euros capture of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Dinamo Batumi.
Christened ‘Kvaradona’ by the Napoli faithful, in honour of the great Maradona, the Georgian winger helped to usher in a new and glorious era in Naples, filling the gap left by Insigne quite brilliantly, scoring 12 goals and making ten assists.
And then, of course, there was Victor Osimhen whose 26 league goals ensured he won the Capocannoniere as the league’s top scorer.
For the doubters who felt Napoli may run out of the steam in the second half of the campaign following the World Cup, another huge statement came in January when they hammered Juventus 5-1 and Osimhen netted a brace.
They never looked back after that as Napoli conquered all before them domestically with Spalletti at the helm, eventually finishing 16 points clear at the summit.
The fact he has just been named Serie A Manager of the Year, his third such accolade following back-to-back successes in 2006 and 2007 (with Roma), speaks volumes.
Simone Inzaghi – Inter Milan
Regardless of whether they can upset the odds and win the Champions League this weekend, Inzaghi is making his mark with Inter Milan.
He has already guided them to back-to-back Italian Super Cup and Coppa Italia titles this term and last, along with a second and third place finish in the league.
All this despite the club being forced to be far less lavish in the transfer market than under his predecessor Antonio Conte, who departed when it became apparent he was not going to be backed as lucratively as he demands.
Throughout his career, Inzaghi has been something of a cup specialist, winning seven of the eight finals he has contested as a manager.
His lone defeat (as Lazio boss) was in the Coppa Italia against Juventus in May 2017, although he gained revenge a few months later with a 3-2 result in the Supercoppa.
He has been consistent despite much change at the club off the pitch and, as it stands, I would not bet against him delivering another Serie A title to the San Siro-based men in blue and black next term.
Raffaele Palladino – Monza
I started to take more of an interest in newly promoted Monza last September when, under the helm of Palladino – promoted from the youth team after the harsh sacking of Giovanni Stroppa – the club from Lombardy enjoyed a magic moment they will never forget.
After 40 seasons in Serie B, not to mention some in Serie C, it was an historical moment when the city’s football club reached the promised land but they certainly weren’t expecting this so soon.
For this wasn’t just Monza’s first ever victory in the division in their 110-year history after five straight defeats and one draw, but it came against a name synonymous with the magic and mystique of Italian football, the ‘old lady of Turin’.
It was also Palladino’s first game as manager.
At that stage he had not formally begun studying for his Uefa Pro Licence– he would be accepted on the course at Coverciano three days later – but had already claimed a win over Italy’s most domestically successful side.
Since then, they have never looked back, with a raft of Serie A highlights – including a daw with Inter and a league double over Juventus – and secured survival with weeks to spare, eventually finishing in a respectable 11th spot.
That is quite a feat.
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