Our Serie A power rankings are back after a brief hiatus and SSC Napoli remain out in front after Luciano Spalletti’s men continued their 100% winning record through matchdays five and eight with Salernitana and Cagliari still struggling at the other end of the table.
After the Sardinians and Hellas Verona, the Granata are the latest team to have changed coach with Fabrizio Castori relieved of his duties and the heartbreaking image of him alone on the seafront after receiving the news that he has been replaced by Stefano Colantuono.
Our rankings after the eighth round of games.
1. Napoli (-)
Next match: at Roma, Sunday at 12 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
The Partenopei remain at the summit after their wins over Cagliari, Fiorentina and Torino with a defense that has only shipped three goals in Serie A all season with closest rivals and fellow unbeaten side AC Milan already on seven.
2. AC Milan (+1)
Next match: at Bologna, Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Stefano Pioli’s men did it the hard way but remain unbeaten after coming from behind to beat Verona at home after away wins over Spezia and Atalanta which keeps them within two points of Napoli and five clear of bitter rivals Inter in third.
3. Inter Milan (-1)
Next match: vs. Juventus, Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Simone Inzaghi suffered defeat on his return to Lazio as Inter boss and that loss, coupled with a draw against Atalanta and a win over Sassuolo, has seen the champions drop firmly behind Napoli and rivals Milan in our standings.
4. Lazio (+4)
Next match: at Hellas Verona, Sunday at 9 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
Home wins over Roma and Inter sandwiched a blowout loss to Bologna which perfectly encapsulates the madcap nature of Maurizio Sarri’s famed style of management which is finally starting to garner big results in Serie A but remains as inconsistent as ever.
5. Roma (-1)
Next match: vs. Napoli, Sunday at 12 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Losses to Lazio and Juventus have seen Jose Mourinho’s men drop behind the top two by seven points while Inter remain two clear in third as the Portuguese has discovered the limitations of his squad in big matches.
6. Juventus (+5)
Next match: at Inter Milan, Sunday at 2:45 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
After getting back to winning ways against Spezia, victories over Sampdoria, Torino and Roma have followed with the picture now looking a lot brighter for Massimiliano Allegri as his Juve side are unbeaten in five in Serie A after a slow start.
7. Atalanta (-2)
Next match: vs. Udinese, Sunday at 6:30 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
A thumping win over Empoli has Gian Piero Gasperini’s men back on track after a draw with Inter and a loss to Milan which leaves La Dea just inside the European places as they continue to struggle to recapture their most prolific form.
8. Fiorentina (-2)
Next match: vs. Cagliari, Sunday at 9 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
It has been a tough run for Vincenzo Italiano’s side which is reflected in their slight drop in our rankings as Viola have lost two of their last three after their Inter defeat with Venezia away a particularly disappointing setback from their point of view.
9. Udinese (-2)
Next match: at Atalanta, Sunday at 6:30 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
Now five without a win in Serie A, at least Luca Gotti’s men have started to arrest that slide with draws against Bologna and Sampdoria after losing to Fiorentina but Atalanta, Inter and Verona promise to be tough tests as well.
10. Bologna (-)
Next match: vs. AC Milan, Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side are an oddity with underwhelming results like a 4-2 defeat to Empoli followed by a brilliant thumping of Lazio and then a mediocre draw with 10-man Udinese having led going into the final 10 minutes.
11. Torino (-2)
Next match: vs. Genoa, Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
No wins in four now and although narrow defeats to Juve and Napoli point at their being tough to beat, a 1-1 draw with Venezia shows that they equally struggle to do enough to win at present.
12. Empoli (-)
Next match: at Salernitana, Sunday at 9 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
An encouraging win over Bologna has been followed up by a logical defeat to Roma and then an absolute pasting from Atalanta which leaves them relatively safe in midtable but with work to do.
13. Hellas Verona (+2)
Next match: vs. Lazio, Sunday at 9 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
Igor Tudor’s new manager bump is over after Verona crumbled to Milan, but they are already in a much better position than when he took over with a 4-0 drubbing of Spezia the highlight from the three most recent outings.
14. Venezia (+4)
Next match: at Sassuolo, Saturday at 12 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Draws with Torino and Cagliari were finally turned into all three points against Fiorentina, and it is a win which will have done Paolo Zanetti and his players the world of good.
15. Sassuolo (-2)
Next match: vs. Venezia, Saturday at 12 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Things started well for Alessio Dionisi and his men with a 1-0 win over Salernitana but they have since lost to Inter and drawn with Genoa.
16. Spezia (+1)
Next match: at Sampdoria, Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Six goals conceded over two games against Milan and Verona made the recent clash with Salernitana vital and Thiago Motta got his team over the line to pick up three vital points while Fabrizio Castori got the chop.
17. Sampdoria (-3)
Next match: vs. Spezia, Friday at 2:45 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Three losses from four and a draw with Udinese has put Roberto D’Aversa in danger with the loss to Cagliari more concerning than recent defeats against Juve or Napoli.
18. Cagliari (+1)
Next match: at Fiorentina, Sunday at 9 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
A draw with Venezia was followed up by a win over Sampdoria as Walter Mazzarri finally appears to be making progress with this squad and has them on the verge of exiting the relegation zone.
19. Genoa (-3)
Next match: at Torino, Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET (Paramount+)
Still without a win under new ownership, three draws from four should not be disguised a progress when those draws have come against the teams that need to be beaten to earn the points to move up the table with a particularly alarming Salernitana loss.
20. Salernitana (-)
Next match: vs. Empoli, Saturday at 9 a.m. ET (Paramount+)
Castori paid the price for a costly defeat to Spezia despite a win over Genoa and while the team is clearly out of their depth in most encounters, it is impossible not to feel sorry for the man who has now made way for Colantuono’s return.
