Why no Serie A champion has retained their Scudetto since Juventus’ nine in a row

There was a time in the 2010s when the champions of three of Europe’s top five leagues seemed to be close to pre-determined.

Paris Saint-Germain won seven out of eight Ligue 1 titles between 2013 and 2020, Bayern Munich won eight of eight Bundesliga titles in the same timeframe, and Juventus completed a streak of nine in a row that had begun with their 2011/12 triumph, their first since their return to Serie A after their 2006 demotion.

But while PSG and Bayern have continued to dominate in France and Germany, interrupted only by Lille in 2020/21 and an invincible Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24, the honours in Serie A have been much more widely shared.

Since Juventus failed to make it 10 in a row when missing out to Antonio Conte’s Inter in 2020/21, no Serie A champion has successfully defended their crown.

The list of champions in the 2020s reads: Juventus, Inter, Milan, Napoli, Inter, Napoli and Inter again.

So, why has no club been able to go back to back since Juventus – and why have they been unable to sustain their previous dominance?

It’s fair to say that Inter have taken over as Serie A’s most successful team by winning three of the past six titles. Over those six seasons, they have accumulated more than 50 points more than anyone else and have also made it to a couple of Champions League finals.

But their initial success under Conte was unsustainable. Financial pressures prompted the sales of Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi in 2021, just months after winning the league.

By the time those sales were signed off, Conte had already stepped down, knowing full well what was coming in the transfer market. They could have been in serious bother without balancing the books.

And so the door opened for someone else to clinch the subsequent Scudetto. Up stepped Inter’s city rivals, AC Milan, for their first league title since 2010/11 and, surprisingly, only their third of the century.

Milan won the 2021/22 Serie A by finishing just two points above Inter. In reality, it was something of an overachievement by a squad that was nowhere near the level of their two most recent to win the league, and a coach (Stefano Pioli) who just a few years later spent the first portion of this season stuck in the relegation zone, underachieving with Fiorentina.

Milan dropped to fourth the following season, some 20 points behind Napoli. The new champions (for the first time in their history without Diego Maradona) had been runners-up a handful of times before, as had their coach Luciano Spalletti, but were inspired to the title by the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen and Kim Min-jae.

Napoli played some brilliant football that season, but Spalletti went out on a high and took a sabbatical. Their succession plan was misguided as his replacement Rudi Garcia only lasted until November of the following campaign.

It hadn’t helped that Kim, after being a revelation in his debut season, was snapped up by Bayern Munich via a release clause in the summer, without being adequately replaced.

But even so, Napoli were well off the pace. They turned to ex-Watford boss Walter Mazzarri in Garcia’s place and he only lasted a few months too. Former assistant Francesco Calzona came in to see out the season as Napoli drifted to a 10th-place finish and Inzaghi’s Inter returned to the top of the tree.

Ironically, Napoli’s under-performance in 2023/24 played some part in them being better equipped for another title challenge in 2024/25. With the fearsome combination of appointing Conte and having no European football to distract them – not to mention Scott McTominay taking Serie A by storm – Napoli were able to pip Inter to the title by a single point.

Conversely, it hasn’t gone as far down to the wire this time around. Inter made it over the line this weekend with three games to spare with a 2-0 win over Parma, pulling 12 points clear of Napoli.

So, will Inter be able to break the current trend and retain their title next season? They haven’t managed that feat since Jose Mourinho’s reign, back when their current coach Cristian Chivu was in their playing squad.

There were some doubts about Chivu’s credentials for the job when he replaced Simone Inzaghi in the summer, only being able to count upon 13 games of managerial experience with Parma from the previous season after his initial coaching work with Inter’s youth teams.

In all honesty, Inter weren’t entirely convincing over the course of the season – you may remember their Champions League exit at the hands of Bodo/Glimt – but they have capitalised on the flaws of their opponents and built up the lead they needed.

Conte’s future at Napoli was up for question over the summer, so there was a degree of instability from the off. He ultimately committed, but has had to deal with significant injury issues in his squad – marquee signing Kevin De Bruyne missed 19 league games with a hamstring injury, and Lukaku wasn’t able to play until January – that have undoubtedly played their part in Napoli being unable to defend their title.

Factor in a late deterioration in form for AC Milan, who under returning ex-title winner Massimiliano Allegri looked like Inter’s closest challengers, and the Scudetto became Inter’s to lose.

As such, they will start next season as favourites to defend their title. Much will depend on how the transfer window unfolds and whether the champions once again need to regenerate their squad. The fact they have had the second highest average age within their lineups this season (behind, incidentally, Napoli) could catch up with them.

As for Juventus, when will they be in a position to challenge again? Regeneration from their successful era has proved difficult. Initially, that was particularly true of their defence, but this season, their main problems have stemmed from their strikers – despite being highly rated by former clubs – not being reliable.

Yet there have been signs of improvement under Spalletti. Could they come back into play next season for a title challenge? There is work to do.

Elsewhere, could Como become title challengers in the future? With the sheer financial weight behind them and Cesc Fabregas’ burgeoning reputation as a coach – and one who is committed to their project – it might not be impossible, even if it remains unlikely.

And fellow European contenders Roma need a big summer of backing for their boss Gian Piero Gasperini, who has struggled to replicate the style of play he engendered at Atalanta during his first season in charge, before they can think of having an outside chance of the title.

Right now, nobody knows where the trophy is heading next season. Of course, that’s true for any competition, but after nine years of one side’s dominance, it’s intriguing that Serie A has become anyone’s guess.

Inter will be favoured in the predictions as things stand, but if there’s one thing that can be predicted at the top end of Serie A these days, it’s unpredictability.

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