The Battle for the Top Spot in Serie A: Inter Milan, AC Milan or Juventus?
The Italian league, Serie A, is the toughest league in the world, as the Italians are renowned for their defending. Although it does not get much viewership as the other leagues in Europe, it is quite an interesting battle between the top clubs in Europe. The Italian clubs have shown their potential in Europe as well, while the most success has been achieved by the two Milan sides, AC Milan and Internazionale, and Juventus from Torino.
Although recently other clubs like AS Roma and Fiorentina have shown good quality, the league is dominated by these three big names. This time again, the battle for the top spot would be between these clubs; however, Internazionale would be in the driving seat, especially after an incredible treble winning season, including the Serie A, Champions League and Copa Italia.
Amongst these clubs, Juventus has been the most successful club in Italy, with 27 Serie A titles. However, they have won only two Champions League titles out of seven finals played. Although the club was showing great performance during this decade, everything was ruined when the club was linked with a match-fixing scandal in 2006. As a penalty, two of the Serie A titles, won in 2005 and 2006 under Fabio Capello, were taken away from the club. Also, they were relegated to the Serie B, the lower ranks of Italian football. Although the club took only one year to come back to the top flight, they had to let go of some quality players after the punishment. Thus, despite coming back to Serie A, Juventus has not been able to challenge the superiority of Inter Milan, who actually got hold of some of the players leaving Juventus, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira and Fabio Cannavaro.
AC Milan is the most dominant Italian club in Europe, as they have won seven Champions League titles, out of the eleven finals played. They have also won seventeen Serie A titles, but they have not been too successful in this decade, winning only one title in the 2002-2003 season. Due to certain reasons, Milan is unable to challenge the superiority of the local club, Internazionale, despite their success in Europe and the presence of some world class players.
Internazionale is, without a doubt, the best club in Serie A during the current decade. They were handed the two titles won by Juventus after the scandal, and they have won every single title since then. This makes it five titles in a row for the Inter Milan side, as they have surpassed their rivals, AC Milan, with eighteen titles in Serie A. Apart from that, Internazionale has been successful in lifting three Champions League trophies, one recently under Jose Mourinho. Actually, Mourinho proved to be a golden manager for the club, as they won an incredible treble in just the second season of the manager. Since the relegation of Juventus, Internazionale has enjoyed a rare superiority in Serie A, as they have won the titles with comfort and ease.
Although Juventus has taken a lot of time, they have largely failed to rebuild their team. Similarly, AC Milan has weakened during this time, as Kaka left the side, while many superstars are fast approaching their age limits, with Maldini retiring from football. On the other hand, Internazionale is still a formidable side in Serie A, as they have a lot of quality players all over the pitch. They probably have some of the best defenders and midfielders in their squad, while their strikers are also good enough to help them win big matches.
It seems that this season once again belongs to Internazionale, while Juventus and AC Milan would only be playing for a Champions League spot. However, the youth system of Juventus is the best in Italy, as they have produced some quality players in the past. Therefore, it would not take long before Juventus would be reclaiming their top spot, but they might have to wait for another season. AC Milan, on the other hand, would need a lot of investment if they want to challenge Internazionale for the top spot.
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