Conte’s Napoli inches closer to the Scudetto with a hard-fought win in Lecce. Meanwhile, Ranieri’s third straight 1-0 victory with Roma has them eyeing a Champions League spot—a scenario that seemed impossible just five months ago.
Just last week, after Roma edged Inter at the San Siro, I wrote that modern football proves one thing clearly: a manager accounts for about 50% of a team’s chances of success. Not 50% of the team, but 50% of what determines whether that team can win or even compete to win. Obviously, football is played by the players—without quality on the pitch, no coach can perform miracles. But it’s equally true that some coaches are uniquely capable of maximizing that talent and fitting it into a cohesive, competitive unit. At the top level, success is built on fine margins—enhancing strengths, hiding weaknesses, and obsessing over the details. That’s where elite managers make the difference.
Antonio Conte inherited a Napoli side that, two seasons ago, had cruised to a dominant league title under Luciano Spalletti. But last year? A disaster. The reigning champions finished 10th with just 53 points, 16 off fourth place and a staggering 41 behind league leaders Inter. With an average of 1.39 points per match, it was the worst title defense in recent Serie A history. A merry-go-round of managers—Garcia, Mazzarri, Calzona—only made things worse.
Now, with three games left this season, Conte has Napoli rolling at 2.2 points per game. If they win out, they’ll finish with 86 points—33 more than last year. Even if we stick to strict comparisons, at this same point last season (35 games in), Napoli had 51 points. This year? 77. A +26 swing that could still grow, considering Napoli only earned two points from their last three games last season.
Their latest victory—a narrow 1-0 in Lecce—was a gritty, mature display. Facing a team fighting to avoid relegation, Napoli defended their lead with composure and humility. It was their second consecutive 1-0 win away from home, following a similarly cagey result in Monza. Sure, it may not be thrilling, but in the words of the old Latin saying pecunia non olet (“money doesn’t stink”), points don’t need to be pretty—they just need to count.
And when it comes to winning ugly, Ranieri’s Roma are writing the book. The 1-0 win over Fiorentina was their third straight by that scoreline—after doing the same to Inter and Verona—and their eighth 1-0 win of 2025. Ranieri’s side remains unbeaten in Serie A this calendar year, with their last loss coming on December 15, 2024, in Como. Since then: 19 straight unbeaten, and counting.
Comparing Roma before and after Ranieri’s arrival feels like looking at two completely different teams. Before he took over (through Matchday 12), they were floundering—just two points above the relegation zone. Since then, they’ve averaged 2.17 points per game, nearly matching Napoli’s title pace, and have climbed into a tie for fourth with Juve and Lazio. All this, despite losing their star man, Paulo Dybala, to injury—forcing Ranieri to rethink the lineup and redefine roles over the past six matches.
Roma before Ranieri’s arrival:
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Roma after Ranieri’s arrival:
PartiteVittoriePareggiSconfitte231553 Gol fattiGol subiti 3615
The most striking stat is the defensive solidity Ranieri has instilled in his team: under his management, Roma have conceded just 15 goals in 23 matches—a dramatic improvement after allowing 17 in the first 12. That’s an average of 0.65 goals conceded per game, making them the best defense in the league, tied (unsurprisingly) with Conte’s Napoli, who are allowing 0.7 goals per match since the start of the season. In Italy, it’s well known: defensive strength is the foundation of success.
It’s a stunning transformation, driven by the quiet brilliance of a manager who had announced his retirement from coaching just months ago—only to return out of pure love for the club that raised him.
Ranieri and Conte—two coaches who prove that great managers aren’t just a factor in success. Sometimes, they’re the difference between irrelevance and glory. One is chasing the Champions League. The other, the Scudetto.
L’articolo Serie A: Conte and Ranieri Keep Flying High proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
