The Italian Serie A prepares to resume after a brief winter break. Rivals remain in touching distance at both ends of the table, it has been a half-season of little surprises in Italy. After 18 rounds of Serie A action, this is how the season has unfolded so far.

Juventus Dominance Continues

When the leading club domestically purchase the standout performer Gonzalo Higuain, of the previous season little is likely to change. Juventus are sitting top of Serie A at the midway stage.  The Bianconeri look primed for a sixth consecutive Scudetto.

Juventus, by contrast, have grown year on year, breaking Serie A transfer records and conscientiously providing a future for the team beyond the founding fathers of winning cycle. Their business acumen and shrewd recruitment has made Juventus as powerful and influential as they have been at any time since the late 1990s. 

Juventus had a tremendous summer spending, where the purchases of Gonzalo Higuain, Miralem Pjanic, and Marko Pjaca resulted in a net expenditure of around €150 million. Additionally, the signings of Juan Cuadrado and Mehdi Benatia on loan, as well as the free agent acquisition of Dani Alves completed the influx of quality players into the club. These purchases were balanced by the departures of Pereyra, Zaza, and of course Paul Pogba to the Premier League, with Morata also heading back to Real Madrid.

Juventus has remarkably won all their home games this season. They have been dominant this season with Dybala improving match after match.

Clubs Pushing For Champions League

Second-placed Roma, remains one the few improvements of a Serie A set to make another half-hearted title challenge. Edin Dzeko has proved plenty of his critics wrong this term with 13 goals.

With Champions League football back at the San Paolo, Napoli took their eye seriously off-the-ball early on domestically, but cling onto a qualifying place for next season’s competition.

One of the more positive stories for Serie A this term has been the apparent resurgence of AC Milan, particularly as new coach Vincenzo Montella has done so with little money. Despite results sometimes exceeding performances, the Rossoneri even threatened to make a Scudetto challenge. But some disappointing results raised questions as to whether they will make a push for Champions League football come May. Instead, Milan are set to play a part in the season’s race for Europa League qualification, with Torino and Atalanta battling it out with their more illustrious rivals.

Down the road at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, it has already been a season of relative turmoil at Inter, with Frank de Boer lasting barely three months in the coaching hot-seat and captain Icardi trying to start a civil war with the club’s ultras.

Sneaking up almost unnoticed in recent weeks into fourth are Lazio under Simone Inzaghi, striker Ciro Immobile – back in Italy permanently after a loan spell at Torino – providing a cutting edge missing last term.

It will be a difficult few months for Roma and Napoli who are falling short. Both teams are losing important players due to the African Cup of Nations.

Italy Moving Toward Glory Days?

The tide does appear to be turning in Italy. Perhaps the performance by Sassuolo, more and more clubs are putting faith in local talent. Atalanta, Torino and Milan, in particular, are huge success stories in this regard. Exciting players are coming through in every position.

Bernardeschi and Belotti in particular have gone to the next level this season and if this group is starting to make the likes of Marco Verratti and Lorenzo Insigne look like veterans. After Juventus made the much-hyped Moise Kean the first player born in 2000 to get a game in Serie A, 15-year-old Genoa striker Pietro Pellegri then became the joint-youngest player ever to make his debut in Serie A, matching the record established by Amadeo Amadei in 1937.

Enthusiasm is high in Milan at the moment. The first trophy of Vincenzo Montella’s career was also the club’s first in five years. Getting the better of Juventus for a second time this season not only felt like just reward for the work put in thus far, but served as ulterior confirmation that Milan are on their way back. Montella won’t, however, be receiving the same support as Stefano Pioli in the January transfer window.

Italy coach Giampiero Ventura certainly has a lot to smile about.

Picture Courtesy: Al-Jazeera, Meridian