5 key observations from the first half of the 2016/2017 Serie A season

Already in another class, Juventus are even more formidable with Higuain’s arrival. (Photo: Eurosport)

18 rounds down, 20 to go. Juventus, Roma, Napoli, Lazio, and AC Milan occupy the top five spot in the table. Meanwhile, Fiorentina and Inter continue to have their ups and downs whilst Crotone’s debut season has been an exercise in frustration. The Serie A season has currently gone on hiatus for the Christmas break, but there are still plenty of talking points regarding the first half of the present campaign.

So what have we learned from part one of the current Serie A term? Let’s have a look.

Both AC Milan and Inter still have a long way to go, but Milan appear to be on the right path…

2011 was the last time a team other than Juventus won the Scudetto. It goes without saying that AC Milan and Inter have been left in the dust as the Bianconeri have surged ahead. The Rossoneri haven’t featured in the Champions League, let alone the Europa League in three seasons. Meanwhile, the Nerazzurri did feature in the Europa League, only to crash out after finishing bottom of their group.

Neither side are currently in a Champions League spot. And neither team have been exactly a model of managerial stability over the past five years. Inter have gone through a whopping nine coaches since Jose Mourinho won the Treble in 2010 before landing on current boss Stefano Pioli. Meanwhile, Milan have seen five since Massimiliano Allegri’s sacking in January 2014. That obviously will not help an already struggling club establish any kind of identity and be able to fully challenge for some major silverware.

They’ve fallen well behind in Serie A, and have been playing catch-up ever since. This season, however, Milan in particular have made some major inroads. Vincenzo Montella’s men at one point were in third spot, and had beaten Juventus for the first time in over four years. They’ve slipped up a bit as of late but boast quite a few promising young players in their ranks: M’Baye Niang, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Manuel Locatelli, and Alessio Romagnoli.

As such, they definitely appear to be on the up and up, and have made a clear statement by clinching their first title since 2011 when they beat Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana on Friday evening.

…whilst Inter’s road is not so certain

The same can’t be said for Inter. Already this season, they have gone through three coaches, and the Serie A term is barely at its halfway point. They were expected to qualify from a Europa League group with only Southampton really being their most serious challenger. However, they managed to lose to teams like Israeli outfit Hapoel Be’er Sheeva and Czech side Viktoria Plzen en route to crashing out. Frank de Boer arrived in the hopes to right the ship. He lasted less then two months before Lazio’s Stefano Pioli was brought in, and so far, the ex-Biancocelesti man has yet to truly make any kind of impact.

Time, however is on his side. Or at least it seems to be – assuming he’s given that opportunity. Last season, Inter were in good shape – for at least half of that Serie A campaign. But after the winter break, they rapidly went downhill and barely scraped by to secure a Europa League berth. Currently, they find themselves in seventh spot, but have strung together three wins on the trot. If they can continue in that vein of form then who knows, they may be able to salvage a decent finish.

Juventus are in a league of their own…

No team have ever won six straight Scudetti. Il Grande Torino perhaps came closest, but were thwarted by the tragic events of the Superga air disaster, which virtually wiped out the entire team. Juventus, at the end of the 2016/2017 Serie A campaign, are a definite lock to be the first. Massimiliano Allegri’s side have not  been at their very best this term. There were losses to Inter, Milan, and most disconcerting a 3-1 trouncing by Genoa. Juventus have not conceded three goals in Serie A in well over two years.

But despite that, they continue to grind out result after result, including a 1-0 win over their nearest title rivals Roma. They now sit four points clear of the Giallorossi – and they have a game in hand. For all intents and purposes, it appears that the Scudetto race is pretty much a done deal, assuming, of course, they suffer a shocking collapse like Inter did after the Christmas break.

…and try as they may might, Roma (and Napoli) are still light-years behind

Roma have shown signs of improvement this term, as have Napoli. But unfortunately, they are not there just yet. And it does not look like they will be there this season. Nonetheless, they have helped to make Serie A a lot more interesting, and fans and neutrals alike surely will hope they can keep helping to make Italian football more competitive.

Sometimes the sky really is the limit…

Or sixth spot, as Sassuolo have found out this term. The Neroverdi, who were promoted to Serie A in 2013, managed to finish in sixth. An impressive achievement, indeed. That got them into the Europa League for the first time in their history. Unfortunately, things have not gone smoothly for Eusebio Di Francesco’s men. Injuries have taken their toll as well, and Sassuolo now sit closer to the relegation zone than being anywhere near competing for European football. Seems like the sky really is the limit.

So, what else will we have in store for the second half of the season? We will have to wait until January to find out.