Who will win Serie A 2022/23?
Udinese's story was fun for a while, but the 2022/23 Serie A season has been all about Luciano Spalletti's dazzling Neapolitans.
Napoli have not only set the standard in Italy, but many in Europe have marvelled over their majesty so far this season. Now, quick starts aren't anything new for Spalletti's side. They started last season superbly before fading down the stretch. Nevertheless, there's a distinct feeling of something special happening in Naples this time around.
They'll return to action in 2023 at the top of the table and will be vying for their first Scudetto triumph since Diego Maradona was in town. Their current advantage is hefty, but the competitors will grow stronger as the season progresses.
Here's a rundown of the situation at the top of the Serie A table.
Napoli
Dominant in Serie A and close to perfect in Europe, it's been a majestic start to the 2022/23 season for Napoli.
The club underwent a massive overhaul in the summer as their three protagonists departed the club for pastures new. The exits of Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens meant expectations were relatively low for Spalletti's side heading into the campaign, but the club's summer arrivals have helped thrust Partenopei into a new realm.
Kim Min-jae was Serie A's standout defender before the break, while Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been nothing short of revelatory in replacing Insigne. Giacomo Raspadori has also been productive after joining from Sassuolo, but his minutes have dwindled since the phenomenon that is Victor Osimhen returned from injury.
Spalletti's Napoli are a glorious side to watch: they build play superbly and press fiercely meaning they control contests with and without the ball. They've looked by far and away the best team in Italy thus far, but a long road lies ahead.
Squad depth could be an issue down the stretch, especially in defence.
AC Milan
The Scudetto holders have quietly gone about their work thus far with Stefano Pioli failing to deviate from the ideals that helped Milan to their first Serie A title in a decade last season.
Milan are a balanced 4-2-3-1 outfit whose savvy recruitment is envied by pretty much everybody in the division. Pioli has done an excellent job in the fashion capital, and they're currently Napoli's closest contenders for the title.
The Rossoneri haven't been quite as secure at the back compared to last season, but their centre-back partnership of Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu is arguably the best in Serie A. It's certainly the most athletic. Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao are the superstars in attack, while Olivier Giroud has the tendency to produce the goods when it matters most.
This calm and well-coached Milan side just has the knack and it wouldn't be a surprise to see them take Napoli all the way during the second-half of the season.
Juventus
Any calcio lover must be bewildered as to how Juventus are in the position they're in. Massimiliano Allegri's so-called 'football' is so tough to watch and it wasn't long ago when the wily Italian pragmatist appeared to be on the brink in Turin.
However, the Bianconeri rattled off six straight wins in Serie A before the break, including statement triumphs in the Derby d'Italia and over Lazio, to leave them in third and ten points adrift of the league leaders.
Allegri has done an admirable job given Juve's absence of stars, and the introduction of youth has been key to the club's resurgence. The likes of Fabio Miretti, Nicolo Fagioli, Matias Soule and Samuel Illing-Junior provided a spark, and they'll soon be complemented by Paul Pogba, Federico Chiesa and Angel Di Maria.
Juve's superstars have barely seen the field this season and they should evolve into a much more watchable outfit when these names return to the fold. Still, surely they can't compete for the title, right? Not this Juventus team.
Lazio
Maurizio Sarri's Lazio have been a pleasant surprise this season given their lack of spending in the summer. Sarri's first season at the helm was a foundation-layer, and the Biancocolesti are certainly building upon those progressive ideals in the manager's second campaign.
Considering that he had to juggle Serie A with the Europa League group stage, Sarri has done an excellent job in leading Lazio to fourth place in the league table given the size of his squad.
The Biancocolesti are playing some wonderful stuff under his guidance, and they've already secured big wins over Inter and their fiercest rivals in the Derby della Capitale this season. Sarri has come up with innovative solutions to deal with Ciro Immobile's absence with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic enjoying yet another stellar season in the capital.
Former Hellas Verona playmaker Mattia Zaccagni is also thriving in a more prominent role, while Felipe Anderson is playing some of the best football of his calcio career.
Inter
The return of Romelu Lukaku convinced many that Inter would be right in the middle of the Scudetto race this season after they were pipped to the post by the Rossoneri last time out.
However, injuries meant that the brutish Belgian barely featured before the World Cup as Inter enjoyed an indifferent start to the 2022/23 season.
The reason for their early demise was hard to pinpoint, but there's no doubt that Lukaku's absence played a role. However, Simone Inzaghi's side were able to secure a couple of big victories before the break which leaves them in a relatively promising position heading into the second half of the season. They're currently fifth and 11 points off the leaders.
Don't right them off just yet.
Prediction
The neutral will be willing Napoli on as they go in search of their first Scudetto since 1990. Luciano Spalletti's side look, by some distance, the best side in the division but the effects of a winter World Cup are yet to manifest.
Nevertheless, this is certainly Napoli's title to lose and many of their protagonists didn't even feature in Qatar. They should be fresh and raring to go once Serie A returns at the start of 2023.
In terms of leading contenders, Milan's serenity and balance means they'll be there or thereabouts, while Inter are poised for a second-half resurgence. Lazio's European commitments will likely compromise any serious title charge, and then there's Juventus.
The Old Lady has no right to be in the Scudetto discussion, yet here we are. They're in absolute disarray off the field, but their on-pitch performance drastically improved just before the World Cup. Will that momentum carry over as Allegri welcomes several big names back to the fold?
Still, for 90min, this should be Napoli's title.