Serie A 2020 review: Cristiano Ronaldo-led Juventus, the Milan clubs, Atalanta and more

Juventus have had a dominant run in the Italian top-flight in the past decade, having clinched nine successive titles in as many seasons. The team that boasts of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala bagged the title again in the 2019-20 season for a record ninth time in a row. But the start to the following campaign has been a struggling one for Andrea Pirlo and his men with the Allianz Stadium outfit sitting grumpily at the third spot in the Serie A standings. 

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Serie A 2020 review: Juventus clinch Serie A title, AC Milan's meteoric rise 

Juventus led the Serie A standings for a major part of the campaign during the previous season under Maurizio Sarri. But the Old Lady was always seemed threatened by Inter Milan with Antonio Conte at the helm. Nevertheless, Juventus clinched the title, although with an advantage of a single point with Inter Milan finishing second in the competition. 

On the other hand, AC Milan provided an insight into what was in the box for the following campaign. Having signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic in January this year, the club managed to finish sixth in the competition, ensuring a berth in the Europa League. Fast forward to this day and AC Milan are leading the Serie A charts. 

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Milan news: The resurgence of Milan clubs in Italy

Ibrahimovic's inclusion in the side has provided an unimaginable boost to the San Siro outfit. This season, the former Sweden striker has managed 10 appearances, netting 11 times across all competitions. 10 of these goals have come up in Italy's domestic competition, playing a key role in his side's one-point lead over Inter. 

Inter Milan have also buckled up after marginally losing the Serie A title to Sarri last season. Conte has been extremely reliant on the attacking duo of Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku, who have combined for 21 goals already. The Belgian forward alone has scored 15 times across all competitions. 

Inter's exploits in the Serie A were overshadowed only by their Champions League blunder. The Nerazzurri were shown the door by Shakhtar Donetsk after being held to a goalless draw on the final matchday of the group stage. Inter finished fourth in a group that had the likes of Real Madrid and Borussia Monchengladbach, apart from Donetsk.

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Serie A season review: Cristiano Ronaldo and Co look to topple AC Milan 

Juventus sit third on the Serie A table, trailing by four points to Stefano Pioli's men. But the Bianconeri cannot yet be ruled out of the title race completely. Juventus have magnificent prowess in attack, led by the likes of Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata.

The absence of Ronaldo for a few games following his coronavirus contraction did spell trouble for Pirlo. But Juventus have since recouped well and now look to challenge AC Milan for the top spot. Ronaldo has overtaken Ibrahimovic as the current leading goalscorer already. Notably, the defending Italian champions are the only team, alongside AC Milan, to stay undefeated in Serie A after 13 games this season. 

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Serie A 2020 review: The rise and fall of Atalanta 

The previous season saw the rise of Atalanta as arguably the fiercest attacking side in the Italian top flight. The team led by Gian Piero Gasperini netted the most goals in the competition, 98, which is 17 more than second-placed Inter Milan. The team's attack was instrumental in their third-place finish at the end of the previous campaign. 

However, this season Gasperini has struggled to replicate previous season's heroics. The team languish at the seventh spot in Serie A, 10 points adrift of the top spot. Atalanta barely managed to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League after Luis Fernando Muriel's late strike against Ajax, while also aiming to at least manage a top-four finish in the domestic competition. 

Image courtesy: Cristiano Ronaldo Instagram