Serie A Unravels: Inter’s Crisis Deepens as Juventus & Napoli Soar

The early weeks of the 2025/2026 Serie A season have served up a potent cocktail of the expected and the utterly bewildering. While Antonio Conte’s Napoli navigates the league with the expected authority of champions, and Igor Tudor`s Juventus defies pre-season skepticism with a flawless start, it is the spectacular collapse of Inter Milan that truly captures the imagination – and the consternation – of Italian football observers. After just three matchdays, the Nerazzurri find themselves in a distressingly familiar rut, a full six points adrift of the leaders, a situation largely attributed to a series of managerial and market missteps.

The Bianconeri`s Unexpected Flight: Juventus Defies Doubts

Before the whistle blew on the new campaign, Juventus was hardly a bookmaker`s darling. Beset by transfer market anxieties – from elusive acquisitions to failed player sales – a sense of cautious optimism, at best, permeated the Turin air. Yet, three games in, the Old Lady is not just walking, she`s soaring, boasting a perfect record. The surprising success is largely credited to Igor Tudor, whose tactical acumen and ability to inspire his squad have already paid dividends. A particularly significant victory against Inter underscored their “extraordinary will to win,” propelled by the burgeoning talents of youngsters like Yildiz and Adzic. While many expected Conte’s Napoli (which has been spectacular in stretches) to be the early season sensation, Juventus, the club of thirty-six Scudetti, has once again reminded everyone that it is a perennial contender, history be damned.

Napoli`s Steady Hand: The Reign Continues

Meanwhile, in Naples, the script reads much as anticipated. Antonio Conte, a manager synonymous with success, has sculpted a side that exhibits both fluid play and ruthless efficiency. Bolstered by the undeniable class of new acquisition Hojlund, Napoli has comfortably established itself at the pinnacle of the league. Their consistent high-level performance serves as a stark reminder of the standards Inter must aspire to, and currently, are failing to meet.

Inter`s Descent: A Familiar Echo of Failure

For Inter, the early season has been less a stumble and more a freefall, a continuation of a “disastrous path” that remarkably commenced in the spring. Last season`s concluding chapters saw the Nerazzurri relinquish the Coppa Italia to Milan, the Scudetto to Napoli, the Champions League to PSG, and even the Club World Cup to Fluminense. These sequential disappointments, unfolding across seasons “as if summer never existed,” point not to some mythical curse, but to a series of glaring, repeatable errors. The finger-pointing inevitably lands on two critical areas: the choice of head coach and the strategy (or lack thereof) in the transfer market.

The Chivu Conundrum: Can You Change Everything by Changing Nothing?

Cristian Chivu, a man with a commendable playing career but a mere thirteen Serie A matches of prior coaching experience, was entrusted with the monumental task of steering Inter. His mandate? To transform the team left by his predecessor, Simone Inzaghi. The apparent methodology, however, has raised eyebrows: he’s attempting to change the team`s dynamics with the exact same players who were integral to the previous season’s disappointments. One cannot help but recall Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa`s famous observation from “The Leopard”: “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” Chivu, with a curious twist of logic, seems to be attempting to reverse this axiom: “Change nothing, not even a single player, so that everything—the game, the results, the defensive solidity, the atmosphere—changes.”

The results, predictably, have been anything but revolutionary. Inter has conceded six goals in just three games, mirroring and even worsening the defensive frailties of the past. Chivu’s in-game decisions have further amplified skepticism. Against Juventus, for instance, expensive summer acquisitions like Zielinski, Diouf, and Sucic were largely overlooked for older, less dynamic options such as Darmian. The decision to substitute Lautaro Martínez, arguably one of their most potent threats (even on an off-day), for Bonny instead of the promising Esposito, also drew considerable bewilderment. Similarly, Luis Henrique, a €25 million investment, has found himself relegated to the bench, reinforcing the perception of a coach hesitant to trust his new, albeit costly, tools.

The Market Miscalculation: A Missed Opportunity for Renewal

The root of Inter`s current predicament extends beyond the touchline and into the boardroom. The summer transfer window, it seems, was a missed opportunity for a genuine overhaul. The club desperately needed “substantial changes among the starters,” not merely bolstering the ranks of the reserves. Freshness, enthusiasm, and energy were required to counteract the palpable disappointment and tension that had accumulated. Critically, the defense remained an area of profound concern, necessitating a deeper reassessment of both personnel and strategy, including the role of goalkeeper Sommer.

The case of Akanji, a new arrival immediately thrust into the defensive lineup following the “disasters” of Bisseck (whose €32 million transfer offer from Crystal Palace was reportedly rejected – a decision now viewed with considerable irony), highlights the frantic, reactive nature of Inter`s recruitment. The team’s core issues persist because the fundamental composition has not evolved sufficiently. Expecting a dramatic shift in performance from the same ensemble, without a radical injection of new blood or a demonstrably different tactical framework that truly empowers them, is perhaps the biggest gamble of all.

The Road Ahead: An Urgent Call for Reversal

The path forward for Inter is fraught with immediate challenges. A rapid “inversion of trend” is not merely desirable; it is imperative. Whether this comes through Chivu finding an effective way to ignite his existing squad, or through further, more decisive interventions from the club, remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the early season narrative of Serie A has been firmly written, and for Inter Milan, it`s a tale of woe that demands an urgent rewrite. The beautiful game, after all, rarely tolerates a team that refuses to learn from its past, especially when its rivals are setting new standards for the future.