Who is the main favourite to win the Scudetto? Former famous Italian coach is clear, Napoli will not defend the title

Will Napoli defend the title in 2023/24? Not according to former famous Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi. In his opinion, the Scudetto will be contested between the two Milanese clubs, with Inter being the more successful, based on his predictions.

Naples came through the 2022/23 league season in a truly magnificent fashion. With 90 points, it was in first place in Serie A and won the Scudetto again after 33 long years.

Moreover, it had a very solid 16-point lead over second-placed Lazio and the Partenopei secured the championship title a few rounds before the end. However, in the Coppa Italia, the charges of Luciano Spalletti, who will no longer coach Napoli, only reached the eighth round.

In the Champions League, Napoli fell short to AC Milan, to whom they lost in the quarter-finals after 0:1 and 1:1 results. However, even these disappointing early eliminations dwarf the title win.

The question remains whether the Partenopei can defend their championship in the coming season. It is very good news that two key pillars have not left the club – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, although in the case of the latter it is still uncertain whether he will head to PSG.

On the other hand, defender Kim Min-jae has left Naples, Tanguy Ndombélé has returned to Tottenham from a loan spell and Piotr Zielinski has been linked with a transfer to Saudi Arabia.

Spalletti’s departure could also be a significant hit, of course, the Partenopei also have a new sporting director. And these are not insignificant factors that may affect at least the start of the season before everything comes together.

The new coach factor

This is despite the fact that new coach Rudi Garcia has experience of winning titles. In 2011, he dominated Ligue 1 and the Ligue Cup with Lille, but otherwise he hasn’t won any trophies. And he has coached teams like Lyon, Marseille and AS Rome.

Fans were thus upset by his arrival in Naples. It is true that the original list included names like Christophe Galtier, Luis Enrique, Julian Nagelsmann and Gian Piero Gasperini.

However, the Partenopei reached for Garcia, who last coached Al-Nassr. However, the Saudi Arabian outfit’s management sacked him, and the row with Cristiano Ronaldo was just the icing on the cake, according to reports at the time.

And what also does not add to his coaching credentials are the words of former Lyon sporting director and legend Juninho, who described him as the worst person he has ever encountered in football.

Inter appear to be the biggest favourites, Arrigo Sacchi is clear

“Whoever has just won the Scudetto is usually considered the favourite for next season. This is an unwritten rule in football. Last year it was the case of Milan and this year Napoli. But I’m not sure that this year this rule will be confirmed,” Sacchi said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I think Inter is the serious favourite. Even more than Napoli. Both Milan clubs are trying to strengthen to match Napoli. But both are doing it in different ways. Inter will have at their disposal a large part of the team with which they reached the Champions League final. They are negotiating the arrival of Lukaku and after the departure of Brozovic they brought in Frattesi and Marcus Thuram,” he said of Inter.

AC are not strengthening much, but…

Sacchi, however, does not feel good about the current events in Milan. There have been many major changes at the club. Gerry Cardinale, as owner of AC’s owner RedBird Capital Partners, has sacked Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara.

This has had a big impact on the internal affairs of the club in terms of the concept for the future. The players themselves were also very concerned, and needless to say how much this move upset AC fans. Furthermore, neither of the two men mentioned above have still been fully replaced.

The club decided to put the job of sporting director in the hands of general manager Giorgio Furlani and chief scout Geoffrey Moncada. Coach Stefano Pioli will also have a say. In Maldini’s place, the club’s management has promoted Antonio D’Ottavio, the club’s chief youth scout.

He has worked closely with Moncado in recent years and has become his right-hand man. And to make matters worse, Sandro Tonali has joined Newcastle. The man who was to be the face of a long-term project to return AC Milan to the European spotlight.

“Olivier Giroud was important for the team, but he is a year older and we don’t know what his contribution will be. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic have arrived, but they are foreigners and playing their first season in Serie A, so they need time to adapt,” Sacchi pointed out.

“Stefano Pioli has to be sure to give his team a clear identity and leave the tactical adjustments alone, just go back to the style and ideas he had when he won the Scudetto,” the former AC coach concluded.

Serie A, AC Milan, La Gazzetta dello Sport