The league leaders face a crucial test at San Siro against Allegri’s Milan, who just a few months ago seemed destined to replace Conte at Napoli. And this isn’t the only case of “swapped benches” in this round of fixtures.
The big match of Serie A’s fifth round will be Sunday night’s Milan vs. Napoli. For the reigning champions, who are already alone at the top of the table after four straight wins, it will be a fundamental test to further boost their Scudetto ambitions.
Looking at the standings, it’s a true head-to-head clash — a fact worth emphasizing given how Milan’s season started. After a disastrous previous year that saw them crash out of European competitions and open this campaign with a shocking home defeat to newly-promoted Cremonese, it seemed like the prelude to another nightmare season.
Instead, Allegri’s team has rebounded with three consecutive wins, climbing to nine points, just three behind Napoli, who remain the only side with a perfect record.
Because it’s a direct clash, the match will literally be worth double. With a win, Milan would catch Napoli at 12 points, but a defeat would push them six points back and likely cost them ground against other rivals, many of whom face more favorable fixtures on paper this weekend.
Early in the summer, when it seemed Conte was set to leave Napoli, Allegri was considered the front-runner to replace him. In the end, president De Laurentiis convinced Conte to resist Juventus’ attempts to bring him back, and everything stayed as it was.
This means Sunday’s showdown at San Siro will, in some ways, feel like a personal derby for the coach from Livorno.
In midfield, fans will be treated to a head-to-head battle between two global icons of the game who chose Serie A to close out their careers — two of the biggest names in the summer transfer window.
On one side, the 40-year-old Luka Modrić, still performing and influencing games like a player ten years younger. On the other, Kevin De Bruyne, younger but with a recent history of injuries that ultimately led Manchester City to let his expiring contract run out.
Even if neither is at the peak of his career, having players of this caliber is a luxury for Serie A, a league that has gradually lost both prestige and technical quality over the years. Their early performances have already proven their value.
An interesting note: there will be no former players on either side — a rare occurrence in a high-profile clash between two Italian giants.
Elsewhere in this round, Juventus vs. Atalanta will be fascinating to watch. Both clubs surprised many over the summer with their coaching choices.
For Juventus, Igor Tudor was clearly a second option after their strong push to bring back Conte fell through. Similarly, Ivan Jurić was a fallback solution for Atalanta once it became clear that Gian Piero Gasperini would be leaving the club.
And just like with Allegri and Napoli, there’s another twist of fate here. Tudor himself came very close to coaching the team he’ll now face.
Had Conte accepted Juventus’ offer, the domino effect would have been remarkable: Allegri would have taken over Napoli, and Tudor would, in all likelihood, have become Atalanta’s head coach.
L’articolo Serie A: Milan vs. Napoli – When Coaches Could Have Sat on the Opposite Bench proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
