Save for the delayed match between Atalanta and Fiorentina, the 2023-24 Serie A campaign is essentially over, which saw Inter Milan hoist the Scudetto for the second time in the last four years.
The Nerazzurri dominated en route to winning the domestic crown, as they finished their 2023-24 season with at least a 19-point lead over the rest of the pack. This also means that they will also play in the Champions League next season, with AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta, and Bologna joining them.
Just like every other season, there are so many Serie A 2024 highlights to choose from, and SBOTOP picks the top five.
Inter Milan crowned Serie A champions
Inter Milan managed to win Serie A despite a shaky start because they had to juggle between their European and domestic games. An early loss against Sassuolo and a draw against Bologna saw Inter Milan go neck-and-neck against the likes of Juventus, AC Milan, and Napoli.
But as their opponents started to collapse one by one, the Nerazzurri grew stronger, despite bowing out of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia. They finished the Serie A season with 29 wins, seven draws, and two losses and had a whopping goal difference of +67.
And to top it all off, they also added another Supercoppa Italiana to their trophy case when they defeated Napoli in the final.
Skipper Lautaro Martinez led the way with 26 goals and three assists, while newcomer Marcus Thuram proved to be as good as advertised with 14 goals and seven assists.
The Special One gets the sack from AS Roma
Elsewhere in Rome, AS Roma had an up-and-down year, which is an understatement. Because of their poor start to the 2023-24 campaign, I Giallorossi’s front office decided to sack Jose Mourinho, much to the dismay of their fans.
AS Roma replaced the Special One with a new one in club icon Daniele De Rossi, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because they experienced an upturn in form and even went as far as the Europa League semi-finals, almost beating Bayer Leverkusen.
De Rossi’s tactics made AS Roma better up front, and the numbers don’t lie. Romelu Lukaku, Paulo Dybala, and Lorenzo Pellegrini were all primary beneficiaries, as they combined for 45 goals and 18 assists across all competitions.
Giroud discovers a new position
In his final campaign with I Rossoneri, Olivier Giroud was the team’s top scorer with 17 goals and nine assists in all competitions, but the LAFC-bound star will be remembered more for that one game where he played out of his usual No. 9 position.
In the team’s 1-0 win against Genoa in October, Olivier Giroud had to be the team’s goalkeeper when his fellow Frenchman Mike Maignan was sent off in added time for a reckless foul on Caleb Ekuban and since AS Roma ran out of subs.
As Genoa hunted for the equaliser, Giroud put in a great shift at the No. 1 position, as he made a brilliant last-gasp save to deny George Puscas’ attempt.
AC Milan’s marketing department was quick to capitalise on Giroud’s goalkeeping heroics, as they sold Giroud’s goalie kit after the game. The French striker was also named the best goalkeeper for Serie A’s team of the week for matchday eight.
Juventus, Atalanta get theirs too
Inter Milan were not the only ones who won trophies this season, as Juventus and Atalanta took home the Coppa Italia and the Europa League awards, respectively.
Juventus took down Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final to deny their double hunt, but the latter bounced back by beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final a week later, as Ademola Lookman scored a hat-trick.
Atalanta’s Europa League success is their first major trophy since 1963, and they can cap off their successful season with another league win against Fiorentina on Sunday.
As for Juventus, despite their Cup success, they have sacked Max Allegri and will replace him with Thiago Motta.
Niang saves Empoli from relegation
Empoli will stay in the Italian top-flight next season after they defied the Serie A 2024 odds against AS Roma and because Frosinone dropped their final match against Udinese.
AS Roma’s Houssem Aouar scored the equaliser before halftime to cancel out Matteo Cancellieri’s 13th-minute goal, but M’Baye Niang came to the rescue with his spectacular goal in added time to claim three vital points for Empoli.
Empoli went out on the pitch and celebrated Niang’s goal as if they had won the Scudetto, which is easily one of the best moments of the 2023-24 Serie A campaign.
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