The 2025/26 Serie A season has barely begun, yet it has already served up a compelling cocktail of surprises and stark disappointments. While expectations were high for certain perennial contenders, the initial three matchdays have dramatically reshaped the early landscape, particularly highlighting the contrasting fortunes of two Italian giants: a resurgent Juventus and a floundering Inter Milan.
Juventus: The Unforeseen Ascent
Before a ball was kicked, Juventus entered the season shrouded in a cloud of skepticism. Lingering questions about transfer market missteps and a perceived lack of depth led many to temper expectations for the club with 36 Scudetti to its name. Yet, under the astute guidance of coach Igor Tudor, the Bianconeri have defied the pundits, launching into the season with a perfect record after three games. Their recent victory over Inter Milan, secured with an undeniable will to win and the decisive contributions of burgeoning talents like Yildiz and Adzic, was particularly telling.
It`s a familiar refrain in Italian football: never write off Juventus. Despite initial doubts, Tudor`s squad has quickly established itself as an early contender, proving that passion and raw talent can, at times, eclipse pre-season narratives.
While Antonio Conte’s team (Fiorentina), heavily bolstered in the summer, was widely anticipated to be among the frontrunners, it is Juventus that has seized the mantle of early-season surprise. Alongside a formidable Napoli side, enriched by the class of Hojlund and playing breathtaking football, Juventus stands tall at the summit of Serie A.
Inter Milan: A Precipitous Decline
The same can emphatically not be said for their cross-city rivals, Inter. What Juventus has gained in momentum and confidence, Inter has shed in dramatic fashion. The defeat to Juventus, conceding four goals and bringing their tally to six in just three matches, followed a dispiriting home loss to Udinese. This leaves the Nerazzurri six points adrift of the league leaders and, more alarmingly, signals a continuation of a downward spiral that began much earlier in the year.
Inter`s recent history reads like a sporting tragedy, with a litany of high-profile failures stretching back to spring: the Coppa Italia (lost to Milan), the Scudetto (ceded to Napoli), the Champions League (eliminated by PSG), and the Club World Cup (beaten by Fluminense). To call it a “curse” would be too simplistic. This disturbing trend, carrying over seamlessly from one season to the next, points not to supernatural intervention, but rather to a series of fundamental, systemic errors—from questionable coaching appointments to a puzzling transfer market strategy.
The Chivu Conundrum: An Inexperienced Hand at the Helm
At the heart of Inter`s current predicament lies Cristian Chivu, the man entrusted with steering the Nerazzurri ship. Appointed despite a lean managerial resume—just thirteen Serie A games and a prior history solely in youth coaching—Chivu embodies the club`s current crisis. His primary challenge appears to be a rather paradoxical one: attempting to overhaul the team`s style and fortunes without fundamentally altering its core personnel.
The lineup against Juventus starkly illustrated this issue. The starting eleven largely comprised the same players who had experienced the bitter taste of defeat at the close of the previous season. The solitary new face was Akanji, thrust into action immediately after Bisseck`s recent defensive blunders (raising the eyebrow-worthy question of why Crystal Palace`s €32 million offer for the latter was reportedly declined). Even Chivu`s in-game substitutions raised eyebrows, seemingly contradicting the club`s supposedly “expensive” summer investments:
- Midfield changes saw Zielinski preferred over Diouf and Sucic, with the latter only appearing in the 82nd minute.
- On the flanks, the veteran Darmian was called upon instead of Luis Henrique, a player for whom Inter reportedly shelled out a hefty €25 million.
- The decision to withdraw Lautaro Martinez, even on an off-day, while trailing 2-1, and replace him with Bonny instead of Esposito, further fueled speculation about the coaching staff`s tactical vision.
The prevailing sentiment is that Inter`s summer needed not merely squad depth, but a seismic shift among the starting eleven. A fresh injection of talent, enthusiasm, and energy was desperately required to banish the disillusionment and tension that had clearly taken root. Instead, Chivu seems to be attempting a footballing rendition of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa`s “The Leopard” – to change everything so that nothing changes. But here, it appears he aims to change *nothing* (not even a few key players) in the hopes that *everything* (the game, the results, the defensive solidity, the atmosphere) might suddenly improve. One must wonder if such a strategy, under an inexperienced coach, has any realistic chance of success. The current trajectory suggests otherwise.
Market Misfortunes: A Failure to Reinvent
Beyond the tactical chessboard, the club`s transfer market philosophy looms large. The primary need was for substantial changes to the starting lineup, not just a roster of expensive reserves. A different approach to strengthening the defense was crucial, as was a deeper evaluation of the goalkeeper situation, with Sommer`s position under scrutiny. The failure to address these fundamental areas, opting instead for continuity with a squad many perceive as having reached the end of its cycle, has left Inter vulnerable.
Napoli, in contrast, effectively integrated new talents like Hojlund, demonstrating how a well-executed market strategy can inject renewed vigor and lift a team to new heights. Inter`s approach, focused on marginal additions rather than transformative ones, has left them clinging to the past, rather than confidently striding into the future.
A Crossroads for the Nerazzurri
Inter Milan finds itself at a critical juncture. The string of poor results is more than just a bad run of form; it`s a symptom of deeper structural and philosophical issues within the club. The combination of an inexperienced coach attempting a revolution with the very same soldiers who fought and lost the previous battles, coupled with a transfer policy that failed to deliver the necessary seismic shifts, paints a bleak picture.
The team urgently requires an immediate reversal of this alarming trend. Without decisive action – be it a significant tactical re-evaluation, a more assertive use of new, expensive talent, or a willingness to make difficult personnel changes – Inter risks not just another trophyless season, but a prolonged period of struggle to regain its competitive edge in a Serie A that is clearly not waiting for them.
Gideon Holt 
Elton Marrow