Napoli's hunt for the Scudetto begins in disguise

With the inevitable dose of uncertainty that comes with a championship still dealing with the open transfer window, a seemingly impossible habit to break, Serie A is restarting under the banner of transformation . Of last season's first eight teams, only two have maintained their coaching management, making it virtually impossible to plan for next season—a perfect exercise to while away a half-hour under the beach umbrella, but by its very nature, unproductive. It becomes more interesting to try to interpret the motivations behind the clubs, between those who chose to take risks and those who opted for conservatism , knowing full well that only the final page of the thriller will reveal who was right.

Five macro-themes to start from, destined to intersect and clash in the long novel of the championship.

The first, inevitable, concerns Napoli and the urgency of their confirmation . Antonio Conte was seduced by the promises, kept, of Aurelio De Laurentiis on the transfer market. It seemed like everything was there, then fate intervened, removing Romelu Lukaku from the scene. The Belgian is no ordinary player. He never has been in his career and never will be for Conte, a visceral bond. Last year, Napoli played to the rhythm of their center forward's breathing, as much as McTominay's. A championship attacked, physically attacked. His game has changed over the years, but numbers show he was still one of the best center forwards in the tournament, even finding those crucial goals that detractors often pointed to as his Achilles heel. Depending on how long he's out and how Napoli manages to replace him (with all due respect to Lucca), we'll understand what will happen to the Italian champions, who are also struggling with European attrition.

Some have chosen the courageous path to challenge the Azzurri throne. But the moves of Inter, Juventus, Roma, and Atalanta are still very different. Inter's courage is born of surprise, of the shock following Inzaghi's departure and the 5-0 defeat in the Champions League final , two blows that came at the end of the season against all odds. This shock has spawned others, from the attempt to sign Fabregas to the Calhanoglu affair, with the Lookman affair topping it all off. A question mark, however, remains over a team led by a coach, Chivu, in his first experience as Serie A coach since the summer retreat. It was reasonable to assume a change in the squad, but instead Inter has remained essentially the same, with a few reinforcements in attack and little else.

Juventus have made a complete change at the management level, leaving Igor Tudor's job intact. He's finally reached the opportunity he's been waiting for since he hung up his boots. He'll have to prove that with the same ingredients (or almost) as Thiago Motta, it's possible to create a different dish—a challenging task, but not an easy one. Roma have chosen the coach with the most impactful trademark of the entire league, the architect of a miracle so significant it's remained that way for almost a decade. Gasperini gives a lot and demands just as much on the transfer market. He's known for raising his voice when things aren't going his way, but in Bergamo he was a guarantee of quality, where quality means a Champions League finish, something the Friedkins have been longing for for years. And Gasperini's legacy has been so powerful that it's prompted Atalanta to seek out his most faithful emulator: the management has chosen to ignore Ivan Juric's recent past, trying to look beyond it, an almost dogmatic choice.

But there are also those who have chosen to return to caress old photos, more or less faded, hoping to revive the memory: AC Milan, with the recall of Massimiliano Allegri after eleven years, seeking stability after a season on the Portuguese rollercoaster of the Fonseca-Conceição duo; Lazio, found itself with the transfer market blocked after having announced with great fanfare the return of Maurizio Sarri , whose figure is even going beyond the concept of coach, identifying himself with Lazio itself as there is no other hold that the fans welcome; finally, Fiorentina, who returns Stefano Pioli to Serie A and will go in search, for the umpteenth time, of that Conference League triumph that has not yet arrived .

And there's also hope of finally finding a middle class in the league capable of enjoying themselves and entertaining others : Bologna is already something special, aiming to remain firmly in the European zone, with Italiano's work on the pitch and that of the Sartori-Di Vaio duo; Torino, with a fan base that has been shouting at the owners for years and nurturing the dream of returning to Europe but still has to contend with a certain melancholy; and Genoa, which aspires to something more than comfortable survival; Como, which with millions and tactical alchemy seeks to overthrow the established order.

Even at the bottom of the table, some have chosen to gamble: Parma with Cuesta and Cagliari with Pisacane , young coaches with strong ideas to leave the monotony behind, and to some extent Lecce, chasing a fourth consecutive relegation with a team like Di Francesco, coming off two relegations. It will be a hot final rush in the transfer market for Verona, who must rebuild at least half their squad with departures (Coppola, Ghilardi, Tchatchoua), free agents (Duda, Dawidowicz), and serious injuries (Suslov). Two of the three newly promoted teams have changed: Inzaghi left Pisa for Gilardino in a handover that has the air of the 2006 World Cup, while Nicola will be chasing yet another relegation win in Cremona, like those actors who are called upon to play the same part over and over again even when they deserve a little more. Sassuolo appears to be ahead of the other two and is giving Fabio Grosso a great opportunity to shine. Welcome back, championship.

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