Serie A midseason report: Are Inter Milan for real or will Juve win again?

Inter Milan have come on strong so far this season, but can we really count out Juventus when it comes to winning the Serie A crown?

Serie A entered the annual Christmas break with a neck-and-neck title race between eight-0time defending champions Juventus and surging challengers Inter Milan.

Juventus ran away with the league title last season, something not likely to happen over the next few months should Inter Milan, along with fellow potential challengers like Lazio and Roma, keep winning at their current pace.

Juve manager Maurizio Sarri said that despite the defeat to Lazio earlier this month, his team has the talent and will to win the scudetto.

“After watching the training sessions, I am confident [in Juventus],” the first-year manager told reporters. “Anyway, we must respond on the pitch. All the points are important, so all the games are important. I understand from a journalistic point of view that some matches will be emphasized, but I repeat; all games are important. Points are crucial.”

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The last three months have rendered a few partial verdicts. Here’s a look at who’s tops, and early busts, halfway through the season.

Best team: Juventus

The hype over Inter aside, Juventus remain the team to beat in Italy. Winners of the last eight league titles, Juve have dominated throughout the decade, rebounding from the match-fixing scandal that dogged them years earlier.

Under Sarri, Juventus have continued to win games at a blistering pace, although their sights are set on the Champions League, a trophy that has eluded them. Juve’s star-studded roster (they could field two competitive starting lineups) remain tough and dominant.

It remains to be seen if they can win it all again. The title race will hinge on whether one can defeat the other. The sides meet on March 1 in Turin in a match that certainly will carry with it title implications. Juventus got the best of them this past October, posting a 2-1 win at the San Siro.

Best player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) 

Yes, still. While there have been murmurs from some doubters, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be in top form. His recent goal against Sampdoria exemplifies the level he can still reach and it could very well be one of the best he’s ever scored … and that’s saying a lot.

Ronaldo and his gravity-defying ability is one major reason Juventus are so strong. Think his former club Real Madrid is jealous? What about rival Lionel Messi? Despite being 34 years old, Ronaldo is still tied for fourth in Serie A in goals (10) and his underlying numbers are strong (third in the league in expected goals).

Honorable mention is paid to Lazio’s Ciro Immobile who leads the league in goal with 17 and has added five assists. Immobile is averaging more than a goal per 90 minutes – though six of those 17 goals have come on penalty kicks – and he leads Serie A in xG.

Best manager: Simone Inzaghi (Lazio)

It’s not Juve’s Maurizio Sarri or Inter’s Antonio Conte. Instead, the honor, so far, goes to Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi.

Lazio, currently third in the standings, have been on fire as of late. Lazio have won their last eight matches, are unbeaten in 11, and have not lost since a 1-0 defeat to Inter on matchday 5.

Under Inzaghi, the team has been winning matches and making a bid for the title. At the break Lazio are six points off the leaders, but have a match in hand.

Inzaghi, now in his fourth year at the club as manager, has gained attention from other clubs, and while he could very well use this season’s success to springboard elsewhere, he knows that Lazio has unfinished business.

Amassing 36 points in the first 16 games equaled a club record set during the 1973-74 season, the year they last won the title. It’s a good sign for Inzaghi, but there are plenty of games yet to play and anything can happen.

Biggest disappointment: Napoli

Where do we start? Although Napoli reached the round of 16 in the Champions League, the team has suffered in Serie A. Coach Carlo Ancelotti was sacked earlier this month, but that did little to change the team’s fortunes. In Gennaro Gattuso’s first game, Napoli fell to Parma at home.

While Napoli was a title contender just a few months ago, the team has fallen on hard times. Sitting in eighth place, 18 points off the leaders, this season is virtually finished. The best they can hope for is a Europa League berth, and that even feels like a huge over-achievement at this stage.

Their hopes for a trophy of any kind are diminishing (the Champions League is a long shot after drawing Barcelona), meaning they will need to go to the drawing board this coming summer.

Best signing: Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan)

The former Premier League star has been on a mission this season to prove he’s still got it. And yes, Romelu Lukaku’s still got it.

The Belgian international has scored 10 goals in his first 16 league matches, making him one of the most prolific strikers in Serie A this season. Should he continue to perform at this level, Inter Milan could very well win the title.

The one thing that has marred Lukaku’s arrival, and the league has a whole, has been the rampant racism exhibited by some fans this season. Monkey chants aimed at Lukaku and other black players have hurt the league’s image, something Serie A tried to address recently after announcing a bizarre anti-racism campaign using paintings of monkeys.

Worst signing: Franck Ribery (Fiorentina)

With the good also comes the bad. Former Bayern Munich striker Franck Ribery was a welcomed addition at Fiorentina this summer, a team with a new owner and hopes of a top four finish. Instead, the team is languishing dangerously close to the relegation zone. And Ribery. Oh yes, he’s injured and out until at least February.

Ribery was by far the team’s best player, but that’s not saying much given how bad the Viola have played. Without the supporting cast of superstars Ribery had at Bayern, he was nothing but a regular player. Without Ribery, expect Fiorentina to slip further down the table and coach Vincenzo Montella possibly out of a job by spring.

Signing the 36-year-old Frenchman was a gamble from the start. His age was an issue in a league that’s gotten more physical the past few years. His injury makes Ribery the worst signing so far.

Biggest overachievers: Cagliari

Taking Atalanta’s place as the surprise side of this season is Cagliari. The club from the island of Sardinia has given Serie A a new Cinderella side for neutrals to root for.

After finishing 15th last year and just barely avoiding relegation, Cagliari, led by Radja Nainggolan, could very well finish top four and earn a spot in the Champions League for next season. Even a berth to the Europa League would be amazing for a team no one thought could finish in the top half of the table.

The Serie A season resumes with matchday 18 on January 5.