Juventus were crowned Serie A champions for the eighth consecutive time, the first for new signing Cristiano Ronaldo, as they dominated domestically in 2018/19.
Napoli were right behind the Bianconeri, and qualified to the Champions League together with an impressive Atalanta and pazza Inter.
Torino and Lazio also had positive seasons, as did Sampdoria, who were led by Capocannoniere Fabio Quagliarella.
The season in which Juventus president Andrea Agnelli explicitly wanted to win all trophies, aiming for the Treble, ended up being the Bianconeri’s worst since 2014. Sure, Juve got a historic eighth consecutive Serie A title. That’s it. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t replace the likes of Alessandro Matri, Mirko Vucinic, Carlos Tevez, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain and so on and so forth, just to secure the Scudetto. Winning the Champions League was the main aim, and Juventus went all in, having just one focus, but crashing out after being outplayed by a youthful Ajax team has to be a classed as a big disappointment.
Moving on from Maurizio Sarri was always going to be difficult for Napoli, and overall Carlo Ancelotti’s side had some great moments, but being knocked out of the Coppa Italia and the Europa League was a disappointment. Napoli had a great Champions League campaign, going inches away from knocking out, now finalists, Liverpool in one of the toughest groups in the competition. Securing a comfortable second spot in Serie A early on was also admirable. It just wasn’t quite as exciting as playing fantastic football, and fighting for the Scudetto until the very end, as they did last year.
The miracle is complete, Atalanta are in the Champions League for the first time in their history. An incredible accomplishment, and one richly deserved for La Dea. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men struggled in the opening few fixtures of the Serie A campaign, but then started playing a wonderful brand of football, aesthetically pleasing and productive, scoring more than anyone in Serie A and overtaking everyone on their way to third, as well as a trip to the Coppa Italia final. A season that will live long in the memory of the La Dea faithful.
The most Inter way to do it. But do it they did. The Nerazzurri managed to qualify for a second consecutive season in the Champions League under Luciano Spalletti, thanks mainly to a nerve wrecking final game against Empoli with everything at risk of being thrown away. In the end, having been third for most of the season, and beating AC Milan twice, it was deserved.
Flirted with the chance of a top four finish and at one point were up to third, but the many lows overshadowed the highs and the Rossoneri were unable to reach the Champions League promised land. Gennaro Gattuso’s men crumbled in the latter part of the season, nullifying all the good results put together in the first three quarters of the campaign.
Unlucky in the Champions League, disastrous in the rest of the campaign, complimented with some terrible off field management. There was no growth whatsoever from last season’s Champions League semi-final. Crashing out of the Coppa Italia after a 7-1 defeat to Fiorentina was the pinnacle of disappointments in terms of what happened on the pitch. But it’s what happened in between Boston and Rome that made fans particularly angry. Monchi left after acknowledging the transfer window had been a mess, Eusebio Di Francesco was sacked as results were terrible, then Claudio Ranieri came in to restore order and reach the Champions League. It wasn’t to be and and perhaps the biggest faux-pas of all – the handling of Daniele De Rossi’s potential contract renewal, ending up with the legend leaving the club, can only be described as an all time low.
One of the big surprises of the season. A step away from making it to Europe, even flirting with Champions League qualification. A great job by Walter Mazzarri, but a bittersweet taste in the end, as Torino were left with nothing. Definitely punching above their weight, especially considering the pre-season expectations. In the end, a well built team, a clear idea from the coach, and great spirit made a tough opponent for everyone throughout the season.A consistency that put them ahead of the likes of Sampdoria and Lazio. However, a European spot was just a few points out of reach, and while sad for many fans, they can remain satisfied overall after seeing the true Torino spirit return.
One of the biggest disappointments of the season in Serie A, considering how well they had done last year. But then again, lifting the Coppa Italia means they are just one of the two Italian clubs who have won silverware in the 2018/19 campaign. Not bad at all for a club like Lazio. Simone Inzaghi can be happy with what his side has achieved in his three seasons in charge.
Fabio Quagliarella’s 2018/19 campaign will go down in the history of Italian football as one of the best for a striker, especially of his age. The same cannot be said about Sampdoria’s season. They flirted with Europe for a while, only to crumble in the latter half of the season, as they always do, making the only objective of the year to get the Captain to score.
One of the best teams in 2019, erasing the memory of the terrible football and results seen under Filippo Inzaghi. Sinisa Mihajlovic deserves a round of applause, he revitalised Bologna and managed to put together the seventh best points tally since January, and managed to keep the Rossoblu up.
The will to go all the way in Roberto De Zerbi’s revolution was ended before it even began. De Zerbi brought an entertaining, attacking brand of football to the Mapei Stadium, but after a fun and positive first half of the season, the departure of Kevin-Prince Boateng was testament of the lack of ambition. A European finish remained just a dream, and the level of Sassuolo’s football went down drastically, and the lack of motivation became evident.
One of the dullest teams of the Serie A season, crammed full of mediocre players and with three different coaches this season. Udinese were kept alive by Rodrigo De Paul, and managed to keep their place in top flight relatively comfortably in the end.
After earning survival in the final moments of last season, the objective in the 2018/19 campaign was a more comfortable mid-table finish. Leonardo Semplici carried on his work perfectly, making the most of his players and managing another great season, in front of some of the best fans in Italy, consistently filling up the Stadio Paolo Mazza and driving their team forward.
A solid, almost perfect first half of the season, fostered by Roberto Inglese and Gervinho’s goals was followed by a horrendous second half. In the end, though, coach Roberto D’Aversa got the job done. With great defending, and pace on the counter, Parma managed to secure safety after being newly promoted.
Many expected Cagliari to raise the bar this season, but Rolando Maran’s men couldn’t manage it. The main reason was bad luck with injuries. Despite that, Cagliari had some great moments, being one of the toughest sides in Serie A, they managed a comfortable mid-table finish, and did so with a recognisable brand of football. Playing to their strengths with the physicality and quality in the air of their midfielders and the main man, Leonardo Pavoletti.
The boos from the Stadio Artemio Franchi after the final game of the season were deserved, as one of Fiorentina’s worst ever sides just about managed to stay in Serie A. An embarrassment of a season for the Viola, despite making it to the semi-final of the Coppa Italia. We should expect a revolution.
The fans interrupted their protest to help the team stay up, but Genoa in the second half of the season were one of the worst teams in Serie A, going inches away from relegation, which they probably deserved. A lot will have to change in the summer.
Despite playing a lovely brand of football, entertaining and attacking, Empoli’s defensive issues and overall inconsistency was too much, and the Tuscan club eventually had to surrender and were relegated to Serie B after just one season in Serie A. They go down having tried their best, and if not for Samir Handanovic’s heroics in the final game against Inter, it could have been every different.
Simply didn’t have the squad to truly attempt to stay in Serie A, and it was clear from the start that the Ciociari would return to Serie B quickly. The only reason they managed not to be bottom of the table was Chievo’s abysmal season.
Relegated from the start of the season pretty much. Financial issues, points deduction, Giampiero Ventura’s short-lived stay. It was a disaster. They never gave the idea they could truly try and stay up, piling up defeats and crumbling as the season continued, despite having more Serie A experience than other teams. A huge disappointment.
