Serie A midseason report and awards: Race for the Scudetto better than ever

With the Serie A season at the midway point, here’s a look at who’s impressed, who hasn’t and what 2018 has in store.

Italy’s top flight has been enthralling through the first four months of the 2017-18 season. A tight title race and Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup are just two of the big storylines so far this campaign. In a country where soccer and controversy are forever linked, it’s been a season of contradictions, marked by a series of ups and downs.

The Scudetto race has primarily involved three teams (Napoli, Inter Milan and Juventus) who have spent the past few months jockeying for first place in Serie A. While Juventus, the defending champions, and Napoli, preseason favorites of many pundits, were no surprise to be at the top of the table, Inter’s form has come as a pleasant shock.

Napoli started off the campaign very well, until hitting a snag in recent weeks, only to regain their footing after Inter suffered their first loss of the season in the form of a 3-1 defeat to Udinese. Weeks earlier, Napoli’s 1-0 loss to Juventus at home had dealt them a temporary psychological blow and their elimination from the group stage of the Champions League also didn’t help. A minor injury to star player, winger Lorenzo Insigne, highlighted Napoli’s lack of depth. With Serie A abandoning its traditional two-week break for Christmas, it will be interesting to watch how Napoli, and fellow title contenders negotiate the congested fixture list over the next few weeks.

Juve have had their own issues since the season kicked off in September. The defense is no longer unbeatable (as demonstrated by their two defeats this season) and injuries to goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon haven’t helped the Old Lady. While the focus among the Bianconeri seems to be winning the Champions League, the team have stayed competitive domestically.

In the fight for a top four spot have also been fourth-place Roma and their city rivals Lazio, just a rung below them in the standings. Both could still contend for the title, particularly Roma, who have a game in hand. Other teams looking for a spot in Europe are sixth-place Sampdoria as well as surprise sides such as Atalanta, who have lit up the Europa League this season, and with Bologna.

AC Milan have also been surprise, but for the wrong reasons. The Rossoneri spent lots of money on new players during the summer transfer window, but none of it has equaled success. The club sacked manager Vincenzo Montella recently and replaced him with Gennaro Gattuso. It remains to be seen if the coaching change will result in more wins over the coming months, but the early signs aren’t promising.

Meanwhile, fighting to avoid dropping down to the second division (aside from last-place Benevento, who have nearly no shot at staying up) are newly-promoted sides Spal and Verona, while Genoa and Crotone are dangerously close to the relegation zone. The picture of who will be able to avoid relegation will come into clearer focus over the coming months, although it’s possible that more teams get sucked into the battle.

With lots that could still happen as the season enters 2018, here are our award-winners so far …

Best team: Inter Milan

Inter Milan coach Luciano Spalletti has already been compared to Jose Mourinho for the way he’s got Inter playing this season. While the Special One coached Inter to great success just a few years ago, Spalletti has yet to win anything. Nonetheless, the Nerazzurri could very well win the title come May after going on a 16-game unbeaten run the past four months. Involved in no other competitions other than the Coppa Italia, Inter can focus on the Scudetto, while Juventus are in the Champions League and Napoli have to play in the Europa League. Inter suffered their first loss of the season on Dec. 16 (3-1 to Udinese), but look for them to keep fighting for the title down the stretch.

Best manager: Maurizio Sarri (Napoli)

While Spalletti has gotten lots of credit for propelling Inter to new heights, it’s the Napoli manager who has got his team playing the most entertaining brand of soccer. Sarri’s tactics are all about intelligent movement. Plays usually start deep in their own half. The use of triangles and short passes, an integral part of their possession game, allow Napoli to move the ball quickly into the opponents’ half. This allows the midfield and attack to link up. The series usually results in an attacking play. All this passing also tires out opponents, who find themselves having to chase around for the ball and disrupt their own shape. One problem persists with Sarri’s tactical revolution. None of it will matter unless Napoli win the title. 

Biggest disappointment: AC Milan

AC Milan have been a major bust. They’re currently languishing near the middle of the table. If Gattuso fails to right the ship, expect several players to jump. Topping that list is goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had threatened to leave over the summer, as well as former Porto star Andre Silva, who could be looking for the exit door after just one season. While they can still qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning the Europa League, there seems to be very little chance AC Milan get that far. One ominous stat to ponder: AC Milan’s seven defeats through 17 matchdays is the same number as at this point in 1981-82, when they got relegated. At the same time, the club have also come under fire from UEFA, which determined the Rossoneri are in violation of Financial Fair Play. AC Milan have incurred losses of 255 million Euros in the past three seasons, more than the 30 million Euros allowed. The team could face sanctions, including a ban from European competitions.

Next: Italy fail to reach Russia 2018: Where do they go from here?

Best signing: Borja Valero (Inter Milan)  

Inter Milan may feature great talents such as goalkeeper Samir Handanovic and striker Mauro Icardi, but it’s often the unheralded players that get a team on the path to success. For Inter, that player has been Spanish-born midfielder Borja Vallero. Acquired from Fiorentina this past August, the 32-year-old has been impressive in the middle of the park. The quality of his passing, and his ability to progress the play forward, have helped Inter’s midfield in the creation of scoring chances, something that has resulted in more wins for the team.

Biggest overachievers: Lazio 

There are a few teams that could be considered for this one. Sampdoria certainly look reborn, while Bologna are playing solid soccer under coach Roberto Donadoni. But Lazio have been the biggest surprise. After downing Juventus before the start of the season in the Italian SuperCup, the Rome-based side have certainly excited their fans. Led by striker Ciro Immobile, there’s no limit to how well Lazio can play. They’ve been inconsistent at times, something that can hurt them in the table, but they’re good enough to beat anyone on any day.

Most endearing 14-game losing streak: Benevento 

Yes, little Benevento. Making their first ever appearance in Serie A this season, the Campania-based club was stuck at the bottom of the table with zero points through 14 matchdays. A 2-2 draw against AC Milan in Gattuso’s debut, on a stoppage time goal by goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli, made for the sweetest of upsets. In a season where nothing is certain, Benevento’s first point remains the only bright spot for a club that will very likely be relegated at the end of the season.

Craziest haircut: Radja Nainggolan (AS Roma) 

You can’t hand out awards without giving a player credit for his hairstyle. While Serie A has a few contenders for craziest hairdo, the winner — by a hair over Napoli captain Marek Hamsik — is Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan. The Belgian international not only has a crazy cut (he calls it the “Ninja”), he loves to give them, too.