Five reasons why Napoli will win the Scudetto this season

5. Carlo Ancelotti returns as manager

The Serie A summer manager shuffle may give Napoli its biggest advantage over the competition. Napoli’s two main competitors for the Scudetto, Juventus and Inter Milan, each start the season with new managers.

Former Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri joins Juve after a year with Chelsea. Sarri replaces Massimiliano Allegri, who ended his run with the highest winning percentage in Juve’s history. Allegri instituted a defensive style of soccer, so fans often called him plain and boring. Sarri is the complete opposite. Sarri’s teams usually play a high-paced, attacking style that fans have dubbed “Sarriball.” Juve’s top players need to adjust to the new style, so they may struggle early this season.

Inter faces a similar issue with new manager Antonio Conte. The players must adapt to Conte’s rigid and defensive 3-5-2 system. Inter played with a traditional four man backline last year. Inter also starts the season with a bunch of new faces, including Romelu Lukaku. With so much change, don’t expect Inter to hit its stride until the second half of the season.

Napoli enters the new season with consistency at the manager position. Carlo Ancelotti returns to Napoli as a capable tactician who adapts his playing style to his players. Last year, Ancelotti transitioned from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 to fit his attackers. This season, there won’t be much of a change in playing style.

With the same manager and most of the same players, Napoli will not struggle with an adjustment period. Expect Napoli to get off to a quick start and never look back.