Napoli win Serie A title: Club claims fourth championship as Conte sets historic record
Napoli secured the Serie A championship on the final day of the season with a 2-0 victory over Cagliari, surpassing Inter Milan by a single point. Antonio Conte becomes the first coach to win Serie A with three different clubs.
Napoli took their fourth Italian league title on Friday with 2-0 decision over Cagliari in a decisive final round. Napoli became champions of Serie A league, having one point in front of Inter Milan as they celebrate a remarkable season with a new coach Antonio Conte after last year's 10th place finish.
The title is Napoli’s second Scudetto in three years and a proud moment for the 55-year-old Conte. With this accomplishment, Conte becomes the first manager in Serie A history to win the league with three different clubs - Juventus (5) Inter Milan (1) and now Napoli. The competition in Italy this season was stiff and Napoli and Conte appeared to have a very rough ride with players obtaining their necessary pieces through a rebuilding season, but Conte and guidance from his summer acquisitions (Domenico Berardi, Dusan Vlahovic) somehow provided an added boost.
Conte's impact and key signings drive Napoli's triumph
After one of the worst title defenses in recent history and three managerial changes in a season, Antonio Conte's Napoli was a club in crisis. Faced with such a disarray, Conte not only provided tactical structure and consistency to the team, but he was able to sign two crucial players, Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku. In fact, McTominay scored Napoli's first goal on Friday, his twelfth of the season, while Lukaku added the second goal, which was his fourteenth goal and lead the league with ten assists.
In Conte's tactical system, Napoli steadied the ship following just their first defeat of the season against Hellas Verona by winning eight of the next nine games. Not even the midseason losses of star players Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen could slow the club down. Conte was able to build momentum for the squad with new leaders that emerged and created a positive tone, making Napoli not only, the most balanced team in the league but also, the toughest defensively.
Inter fall short despite final-day win
Inter Milan went into the last matchday one point behind Napoli, and they temporarily took the lead in the title race when they scored a goal inside the first 10 minutes of their match against Como. Inter ended up winning 2-0, but they ultimately finished second after Napoli won their match as well. Inter Milan’s crowded fixture list, which included runs to the latter stages of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, may have hindered their stability in the league.
For Napoli, not being present in European competition allowed them to dedicate their focus on Serie A. Now, as Inter Milan begin to concentrate on their Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli will turn to their return to Europe’s top competition. The upcoming summer will be key for reinforcing a team that has already overachieved in a short amount of time, and under the guidance of Conte, a world-class manager.
