📝 Serie A grades: Roma, Atalanta shine, Milan, Lazio flop 😱
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
The 2024/25 Serie A comes to a close, and it does so with a simply crazy Sunday. Juventus, coached by Igor Tudor, secures a Champions League spot at the end of a very tough match at the Penzo against a Venezia side that, on the other hand, bids farewell to the top flight just twelve months after promotion.
Joining the lagooners (and Monza) is also Empoli, which is relegated four years after their last drop and thus completes a horrible second part of the season. Back to Europe: Lazio's harakiri, losing at home and missing out on European competitions, while Roma does everything possible but once again sees the Champions League slip away.
In short, a lot has happened this year. Let's try to summarize it all in the season report card.
No question, the highest grade goes to Antonio Conte and his Napoli. It's true, if Pedro hadn't scored twice at San Siro, if Inter had been more focused in the league, if Brescianini had arrived instead of McTominay... If, if, and if.The truth is that Napoli didn't shine, but to win a Scudetto you need to be switched on from the first (in this case, second) matchday to the 38th. There were shortcomings from their rivals, but the Azzurri were excellent at taking advantage of them.
A season hard to describe for the Giallorossi, who were fighting relegation up until Juric was replaced. Then? Well, Claudio Ranieri arrived, who not only restored order but also built a team capable of never losing since December 15.No one did better than Roma in 2025: 49 points in 20 games, thanks to 15 wins, 4 draws, and only one loss, that one in Bergamo. A real feat, only missing the cherry on top of Champions League qualification.
What to say about the Dea? The best compliment you can give is to call them boring. By now, a Champions League spot surprises no one—and in fact, there's talk of regret over the Scudetto. But people forget where Atalanta was just a few years ago. Nothing but applause for the Percassi family, Gasperini, the team, and the whole environment.High marks also for Como and Genoa, who secured safety well in advance. Como were stars in the January transfer window but stayed true to Fabregas' football. Genoa started terribly and were at serious risk of Serie B, but everything changed with Patrick Vieira's arrival. It wasn't a given for either club.
Survival train for Verona, Cagliari, Parma, and Lecce. It's hard to grade clubs fighting for survival, because the minimum goal—staying in Serie A—is also the maximum to aim for.In the end, the seasons of these smaller clubs deserve praise. Verona was inconsistent but almost always out of the drop zone; Cagliari survived with a matchday to spare; Parma and Lecce pulled off miracles on the final day, with away wins in Bergamo and Rome. All things considered, a solid pass.
A complex season for Raffaele Palladino, who finishes 6th and secures the Conference League, but remains heavily criticized by the Fiorentina faithful. Objectively, though, it's hard to criticize the Viola's season, as they're not better than those above them in the table and went out of the Conference in extra time against a simply stronger team.Bologna, on the other hand, lived a dream called the Coppa Italia and celebrated a trophy after 51 years. The hangover before and after the final in Rome, however, cost them the Champions League, which is why we can't give the Rossoblù a higher league grade. Still, the season itself is a 9.
A shame, because we all grew a bit fond of Di Francesco's Venezia and the magic of the Penzo. The lagooners, however, simply didn't have the means to stay up. Still, Venezia fought until Locatelli's penalty. It wasn't enough—too many missteps, errors, and—above all—only 9 away points (the only club never to win away). But a 10 out of 10 for the Penzo fans, who yesterday thanked the team for their effort and sang well past the 90th minute. Well done.Same grade, but very different feelings for Torino and Udinese. Mediocre seasons, as has become the norm: 44 points each, finishing 11th and 12th. A terrible finish for Torino, with just one point from their last five. Udinese, meanwhile, lost 8 of their last 10 Serie A games. Why not have fun—and let fans have fun—until the end?
Can the second-placed team and Champions League finalist get a 4? Yes, if in the penultimate round they had yet another chance to secure the Scudetto and threw it away. The grade should be higher, and we know it, because Inter gave us a point-by-point race to the 38th matchday and really scared Conte. No one denies Napoli's triumph was a masterpiece, but the general feeling is that Inter dropped too many points along the way, and it really mattered. The grade, then, is for the focus Inter showed in the league, very different from the magic nights in the Champions League.And Juve? True, they secured 4th place in the end, but here too we must analyze a season that started with great expectations and a lavish transfer market, only to end in chaos. Missing out on the Champions League was not an option, and it will add 60 million to the Bianconeri's budget, a sum that will be useful to start over once again. The good news? A familiar face might soon be back on the bench...
Yesterday morning, we never would have expected Empoli to be in Serie B. Opta gave Lecce only a 9% chance of survival. Sure, the Salentini pulled off a miracle at the Olimpico, winning with 10 men against 11 for most of the match.But Empoli's self-destruction at home against Verona was costly. If Venezia lacked quality, the story was different for the Tuscans, as seen in the first part of the season. Add to that the handling of the Coppa Italia semi-final with Bologna, which was "sacrificed" in the name of survival...
Oh, Lazio. The Biancocelesti lose at home to Lecce and in one fell swoop say goodbye to the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. An incredible end to the season for Zaccagni and company, who a month ago were dreaming of the Bilbao final and a Champions League spot, and now find themselves out of everything.At one point, the lead over Roma was +15, a gap completely overturned to a final -4. Baroni's job is at risk, and honestly, it's a shame, because much of Lazio's season was exciting. But in football—and especially in Rome—results are what count.
Who knows if this is a goodbye or—worse—if we won't see Monza in Serie A for a while. Nesta's words don't let Biancorossi fans sleep easy, and Fininvest has already hinted at wanting to sell the majority stake.Monza was never really in the fight for survival, and the January transfer window took away the last chances from a group that finished a full 16 points behind 17th-placed Lecce.
A more than low grade for the Diavolo, protagonist of the worst season in recent memory. The campaign started with big proclamations under Fonseca and two prestigious wins in the derby and at the Bernabeu against Real. Then came a change in direction and Conceicao's arrival, who immediately brought a Supercoppa.But in Riyadh, Milan's season also stopped, as from that moment on nothing went right, except for the Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter, which was then wasted by losing to Bologna in the final.
Behind all this was a ghostly management, Ibrahimović's questionable media moves, and poor decisions on every front. They start again with Tare as sporting director, but also from a season without European qualification (and thus no European revenue) and the likely departures of top players, with Reijnders, Leão, Theo Hernandez, and Maignan never so close to leaving. To be clear, mistakes can be made in a season, but there are ways and ways. The Rossoneri fans deserved better.
📸 CARLO HERMANN - AFP or licensors
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