Three teams at the top, seven within three points: apart from surprise package Cremonese, all are fighting for Champions League spots.
Matchday five of Serie A brought Napoli’s first league defeat of the season. Antonio Conte’s side fell 1-0 to Milan at San Siro, marking their second loss in all competitions after the Champions League setback against Manchester City. Until Sunday night, Napoli had been the only team still holding a perfect record in Serie A.
While the loss in Manchester came after an early red card left them playing with ten men, this time it was different. In Milan, Napoli played with a man advantage for over half an hour after Pervis Estupiñán was sent off for conceding a penalty.
That penalty — plus the red card — seemed poised to change the course of a match that had, until then, been completely dominated by Allegri’s Milan, driven by a brilliant Christian Pulisic.
Instead, the Rossoneri dug deep, dropping into a very low defensive block and refusing to give Napoli space. It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t easy, but that’s what made the win all the more satisfying. Napoli applied relentless pressure, showcasing their high technical level and strong team identity, yet Milan held on.
Napoli shouldn’t feel too diminished by the result. They recovered well after a dreadful start and probably deserved a draw. Conte’s defense was also depleted, missing key starters like Rahmani and Buongiorno. With the first-choice defenders back, Napoli will almost certainly return to being one of the toughest backlines in the league — and with so much attacking firepower, their overall balance will improve.
The real question, though, is whether Allegri’s Milan is already ready to compete for the Scudetto. My answer: yes.
Milan won’t have European distractions this season, giving them the luxury of preparing one match per week. That could make them this year’s version of last season’s Napoli under Conte — a revelation.
All the ingredients are there: a well-built squad mixing youth and experience, speed and technique, plenty of depth, and, most importantly, Allegri on the bench.
Add “defensive solidity” to that list. After the opening-day draw with Cremonese, Milan have recorded three straight clean sheets and, against Napoli, only conceded via penalty despite being down to ten men.
And don’t forget Luka Modrić. At 40, he’s still head and shoulders above every other midfielder in Serie A. He could play a role for Milan similar to what Andrea Pirlo did for Allegri’s Juventus in 2014-15 — leading the team to a league-and-cup double and a Champions League final.
Sure, Pirlo was 35 then — five years younger than Modrić now — but Milan will play fewer matches without European competition. Plus, Modrić has pure talent like Ricci behind him, already a fixture in Italy’s national team setup, ready to cover for him whenever fatigue inevitably sets in.
Napoli remain my favorite to win the title, especially if they make an early exit from the Champions League. Even so, it’s hard to imagine Conte’s team finishing outside the top 24 in the new single-league format, meaning at least a playoff spot for the round of 32 is likely.
Right behind Napoli, Milan could emerge as their main challenger, even ahead of Inter — largely because of Allegri’s experience compared to Cristian Chivu’s inexperience.
I place great value on the impact of coaches, even knowing that it’s ultimately players who take the field — something Allegri himself has always emphasized.
For that same reason, I see Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma finishing ahead of Ivan Jurić’s Atalanta in the Champions League race. Gasperini is simply a better coach, even if Atalanta arguably have a deeper squad overall.
Roma’s defensive numbers are stunning: just one goal conceded in five matches, with four clean sheets. That’s the best record across all of Europe’s top five leagues. Mancini and N’Dicka are absolute cornerstones, while Hermoso and Çelik have seamlessly rounded out a back three that has been rock solid.
Youngsters Ziolkowski — who debuted yesterday at the Olimpico — and Ghilardi also offer quality depth, ensuring there’s no drop-off when the starters rest.
Roma’s problems are in attack. The club failed to sign the left winger Gasperini wanted, and they continue to deal with Paulo Dybala’s fragility — a player as brilliant as he is brittle. However, Matías Soulé’s rapid development is a bright spot.
Artem Dovbyk’s goal against Verona could prove pivotal. The Ukrainian striker started ahead of Ferguson and may have finally found his rhythm. If he adapts to Gasperini’s system, Roma might have pulled off one of the best moves of the summer by keeping him — even if his stay was more by circumstance than choice.
Dovbyk has always been a prolific scorer. He needs the right environment and the full confidence of his coach to shine. In terms of pure talent, I believe he’s better than Mateo Retegui, who thrived under Gasperini at Atalanta last season.
Football may not follow the rules of logic, but here’s a simple formula: if Dovbyk fully buys into Gasperini’s philosophy like Retegui did last year, he could become the breakout star Roma thought they were getting last summer.
If that happens, Roma would be a favorite to secure a Champions League spot — perhaps even ahead of Tudor’s Juventus.
Juve’s squad is deeper and more structured than Roma’s, but they lack a clear identity. They swing wildly between dominant stretches and inexplicable lapses — sometimes within the same match.
Tudor is a good coach, but not an elite one. That’s why Juve initially pursued Conte’s return over the summer. When Conte declined to leave Napoli, they even tried to pry Gasperini away from Roma — unsuccessfully.
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