It has happened four times in Serie A history that the team leading before the final round lost the title: twice Inter, once Milan, and once Juventus. Italian media are going out of their way to portray the Scudetto race between Napoli and Inter as open and uncertain, but almost no one believes it — starting with Inter fans themselves. Betting companies in Italy are also heavily favoring Neapolitans for the title. Of course, there are a few intriguing details in the mix. Cagliari owner Tommaso Giulini is a big Inter fan, and during the Massimo Moratti era, his family owned 12% of Inter’s shares. Giulini also sat on the club’s board for eight years. Also, Giulini has — figuratively speaking — “buried the hatchet” with Napoli. Over the past decade, the two clubs have established good relations, evident in the loans of Caprile, Luperto, and Gaetano. And speaking of Caprile, the Cagliari goalkeeper will find himself in a conflict of interest. He is still under contract with Napoli (currently on a six-month loan at Cagliari) and, intriguingly, he played four matches for Napoli earlier in the season — meaning he is entitled to a bonus if Napoli wins the Scudetto.A curious case of serie a – title deciders without coachesThere’s been no spark between Antonio Conte and Napoli. That’s why rumors of his departure haven’t caused much reaction in the city under Mount Vesuvius. Everyone will be thankful to Antonio for a fourth Scudetto, but no one will cry or raise their voice over his exit. It seems Napoli has already accepted that, after Spalletti, Conte may also leave after winning the title. Things broke down between president Aurelio De Laurentiis and Conte in January, not so much over the sale of Kvaratskhelia, but because the Georgian wasn’t adequately replaced. De Laurentiis and Conte last met privately in February, and the split was essentially sealed then — the formal announcement will come after the season ends. One clear sign of the irreparable relationship is the names of players linked with Napoli as potential reinforcements: De Bruyne, David, Chiesa — big-name players nearing contract ends. These are targets of sporting director Giovanni Manna, under instructions from De Laurentiis, not players on Conte’s wishlist. Everybody knows that Conte and Juventus want to reunite. After Trapattoni, Lippi, and Allegri, Conte will return to Juve, confirming the rule that coaches who leave a deep mark in Turin eventually come back.100 & 108 – Simone #Inzaghi became only the second manager to win at least 100 games with two different teams in #SerieA (100 with Inter and 108 with Lazio), after Nils Liedholm (135 with Roma and 102 with AC Milan). Polyhedric.#TorinoInter pic.twitter.com/J8a79gNCPd— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 11, 2025 Meanwhile, Inter and Inzaghi still haven’t renewed his contract, despite president Beppe Marotta’s hints. Everything has been postponed until after the Champions League final. Al Hilal is out of the race — the Saudi club wanted Inzaghi to join immediately to lead the team at the inaugural Club World Cup. But Al Hilal’s exit doesn’t mean Inzaghi staying is guaranteed. Ironically, the likelihood of Inzaghi leaving is greater if he wins the Champions League than if he loses it. If he wins, Inter wouldn’t be able to offer him just a one-year extension and would have to accept greater influence from the coach in player recruitment — all while the club needs to overhaul at least a third of its roster.##NAJAVA_MECA_8939875##
