The underdogs challenging Inter and Juventus in Serie A: Can Atalanta, Fiorentina or Lazio win the Scudetto?

The 2024-25 Serie A season has started off with some surprising sides making a name for themselves at the top of the table. Napoli’s Antonio Conte is leading the league with 26 points after a solid start of the year, ahead of perennial powerhouse Inter by a single point after some ups and downs from Simone Inzaghi’s side.

Juventus (24) and AC Milan (18 with one game in hand) are slightly behind while AS Roma have had a terrible start to the season, as the club owned by American businessman Dan Friedkin decided to sack two managers, club legend Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric, in less than two months before appointing caretaker coach Claudio Ranieri until the end of the current season. 

But there are three teams that are surprisingly knocking on the door at the top of the table, all tied at 25, only one point behind the Serie A leaders. Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio are the three most surprising sides of the season. Let’s take a closer look at them, how they were able to do it and especially if they can stay up there until the end of the season. 

Is this the year for Atalanta?

Despite winning the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League, Atalanta were, as always, underestimated before the new season started. The side coached by Gian Piero Gasperini is often not considered for the top spots of the table, but season after season they prove all wrong. However, there were some question marks around their summer business, as the Nerazzurri lost Dutch midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who signed for Juventus, while both striker Gianluca Scamacca and defender Giorgio Scalvini missed the first part of the season after their ACL injuries. 

Atalanta signed players like striker Mateo Retegui from Genoa and Nicolo Zaniolo, most recently of Aston Villa, among others, but can also count on Nigerian star Ademola Lookman and the talented Belgian midfielder Charles De Ketelaere in the attacking side of the roster. Atalanta planned year after year in a smart way, since Gasperini was appointed back in 2016. They made all the right steps: European qualification, Champions League’s appearances, first major trophy and now the next step is winning the Serie A title. It might not happen this season, but that’s something that shouldn’t be considered impossible in the future. 

Fiorentina: A new era  

Fiorentina started a new era this season, after former manager Vincenzo Italiano left the club in the summer after losing two UEFA Conference League finals in a row, and former Monza coach Raffaele Palladino was appointed to start a new cycle for the Viola. Palladino, despite some initial struggles, was able to immediately bring his tactical ideas to the team. Fiorentina made some big signings in the summer such as Andrea Colpani and Albert Gudmundsson, but the man of the moment is former Juventus striker Moise Kean. 

The Italian striker had an impressive start to the season with eight goals scored in 11 Serie A games so far, already breaking his personal Serie A record for goals scored in one season. We can definitely expect more in the coming months, as Kean is currently showing what people have been expecting of him for years. Palladino was convinced Kean could shine under his management and he was certainly right: a great news not only for Fiorentina but also for the Italian national team that can now count on him and on Atalanta’s Scamacca and Retegui for the near future. 

Lazio: The real underdogs 

When this summer Lazio decided to part ways with manager Igor Tudor, who replaced Maurizio Sarri only a few weeks before, nobody could expect the impact former Verona manager Marco Baroni could have at Lazio. The Italian coach got the opportunity of his career after many years working for smaller clubs, where he was always able to show his skills. He was just waiting for the big opportunity, and it was only a matter of time before it arrived. 

The Biancocelesti have also made the right transfer choices, as they said goodbye in the summer to club legends such as Felipe Anderson, Luis Alberto and team captain Ciro Immobile. They signed players like Nuno Tavares and former Salernitana attacker Boulaye Dia to replace them as Lazio needed to rebuild a new team and they did it in a short time with a coach that only few could believe in. So far, everything is working out magically, as they are sitting second only one point behind Napoli. Also, in a place like Rome, seeing their city rivals struggling that much as they are, is making Lazio’s season looking even better.