Serie A regains its former glory.

Not as passionate as the Premier League (England), not as glamorous as La Liga (Spain), and not as free-flowing as the Bundesliga (Germany), but Serie A (Italy) is gradually restoring its status as a league worth watching.

Inter (right) and Napoli create an exciting two-horse race - Photo: Reuters

In the early hours of May 13th (Vietnam time), Atalanta defeated AS Roma 2-1 to officially secure a place in next season's Champions League.

Competing on all fronts.

Specifically, Atalanta currently sits in third place with 71 points, seven points ahead of fourth-placed Juventus, with only two rounds remaining in the league. Above them, Gasperini's team is also exactly that number of points behind league leaders Napoli.

The season is now over for Atalanta. They've secured a top-four finish, but their hopes of winning the title are over. However, Atalanta is the only team with a relatively relaxed final two rounds. With all other major leagues already decided, the Serie A title race becomes the most exciting competition in May, with so many overlapping races.

At the top of the table, Napoli are only one point ahead of Inter Milan. Napoli have the advantage in terms of fixtures, as Inter Milan still have to face Lazio in the last two rounds. Meanwhile, Napoli only face teams far inferior in quality, namely Parma and Cagliari. However, both of those teams are desperate for points in the relegation battle. Therefore, it will not be easy for Napoli to secure all six points.

That's the championship race, but in the top 4 race, the competition has now expanded to 6 teams. It includes the 4th-placed team, Juventus (64 points), down to the 9th-placed team, Fiorentina (59 points), sandwiched between them are Lazio, Roma, Bologna, and AC Milan.

In the relegation battle, only Monza is currently guaranteed to be eliminated. The rest, from 14th place (Cagliari) to 19th place (Empoli), are still locked in a fierce fight to avoid relegation.

The appeal is making a comeback.

Up to round 36, the average attendance per match in Serie A this season is approximately 30,700. This is a welcome figure for Italian fans. For nearly 20 years, Serie A has been in decline, most clearly demonstrated by the decreasing attendance at matches.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the average attendance at Serie A matches was only around 25,000 people. This is an extremely low number, considering that in the 1990s, attendance was consistently above 30,000 per match, sometimes even approaching 40,000. Not only did the number of fans in the stands decrease, but the number of people watching Serie A on television also declined significantly.

The decline of Serie A paved the way for a golden age for La Liga and then the Premier League. Serie A stars flocked to other leagues, as did top coaches. Over the past decade, fans have witnessed top Italian coaches like Ancelotti, Conte, and Sarri move to the Premier League. This is not to mention a new generation of younger coaches like De Zerbi and Maresca...

In terms of star players, the days when Serie A was the birthplace of the Ballon d'Or are long gone. The last time a Serie A player made it into the top 3 of the Ballon d'Or was in 2019 – with Ronaldo playing for Juventus. Before that, the last time something similar happened was in 2007 (Kaka).

But after a period of extreme decline, Serie A has shown signs of improvement in recent seasons. As the overall standard of the league becomes more consistent, Serie A has escaped the predicament faced by the Bundesliga and Ligue 1: the dominance of a single, overly strong club. Their last three seasons have seen three different champions. And this season, Napoli and Inter Milan have created the most exciting two-horse race among European leagues.

Meanwhile, on the continent, Inter Milan has reached the Champions League final for the second time in the last three seasons. Who would dare say Serie A is inferior now?

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/serie-a-lay-lai-vi-the-20250514102213592.htm