What are Juventus missing in order to truly contend for the Scudetto? How far away from title contention are AC Milan, really? Is there any saving Roma? What can underdogs Napoli, Atalanta, and Fiorentina do to bolster their chances of competing for the Serie A title…or, in Napoli’s case, winning it all?
Before Matchday 14 gets underway in the Italian top flight this weekend, let’s take a look at the biggest need for each team to address in a future transfer window.
Napoli
Napoli have been one of the most impressive turnaround stories in European football this season under manager Antonio Conte, and they have such a strong starting XI that it’s hard to pinpoint a weak individual starter.
Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour have been decent additions to deepen the midfield, Romelu Lukaku has been a stylistic upgrade on Victor Osimhen at striker, and, of course, Alessandro Buongiorno has lifted the team so much both defensively and even with the ball at his feet.
Probably the biggest thing that will help Napoli down the stretch of the 2024/25 Serie A season isn’t actually a new signing, but rather one of their two talented right wingers stepping up and playing at a star level.
Matteo Politano is the starter across from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but he actually has fewer assists (zero) to backup David Neres’ three, while both men have only scored once each.
Neres is chomping at the bit, and Antonio Conte should have a low threshold to intervene and switch his starters on the right flank. If Napoli can get one of them to perform as at least a top three player at the position, then the Partenopei will strengthen their status as title favorites.
Atalanta
Atalanta have one of the most ferocious attacks in European football and haven’t lost a game since Sept. 24, with only two draws within that same time span. Gian Piero Gasperini has turned Ademola Lookman, Mateo Retegui, and Charles De Ketelaere into the most fearsome trident in Serie A.
When you look at it, though, Atalanta need to do a better job of defending. There’s always going to be a bit of a tradeoff between attack and defense in any ideal Gasperini-coached side, and the injury to Giorgio Scalvini certainly hasn’t helped.
Even with Scalvini set to return soon, Atalanta would still benefit from adding another center back to create a trio with Scalvini and veteran Bernat Djimsiti. Atalanta have the worst defense (16 goals conceded) of any Italian team in a European place, and they have to address that.
Inter Milan
Inter Milan have the best goalkeeper in Serie A, the league’s best striker duo, a midfield that has been the league’s deepest for years, and a group of defenders that is the envy of most teams around European football.
But if there is one area that Inter Milan can improve the most with a smart upgrade, then it is the right wing back spot. Neither Matteo Darmian nor Denzel Dumfries are bad players, per se, but they are clearly the weakest links in an XI that is filled with world-class or borderline world-class players.
Whereas Federico Dimarco brings the perfect blend of athleticism and technical quality on the left side of the attack, Dumfries has been severely lacking technically and is no longer a starer for Simone Inzaghi due to his inconsistent form; if anything, Inter should have sold him this past summer.
Fiorentina
Fiorentina have been on fire this season under a man who is quietly one of Europe’s best breakout managers, Raffaele Palladino. The Viola have resuscitated the careers of David de Gea, Moise Kean, and even Dodo this season while fielding some of the most talented up-and-coming players in Serie A, such as center back duo Pietro Comuzzo and Luca Ranieri.
Amidst all the high-flying attacking talent and even the emerging pieces in defense, there is actually one weakness in the attack that is based on a star player Fiorentina lost this summer, current Juventus man Nico Gonzalez.
The Argentinian right winger was a skillful, goal-scoring, left-footed right winger, and Fiorentina could use that as a counterweight to Kean. Currently, Colpani has often been utilized on the right side, but he is more of a playmaker.
If Fiorentina can land another electrifying left-footed with goals in his boots, which isn’t an easy need to fill, you’d have to say that they would then have the squad balance and star power to go toe-to-toe with literally anyone in Serie A.
Lazio
Serie A is a more fun league when Lazio are banging home the goals, and only Inter Milan and Atalanta – who quite literally have the best striker groups in European football – have found the back of the net more frequently than the Biancocelesti.
Gone are the days of Ciro Immobile leading the line, and here are the days of long-time Serie A standout Boulaye Dia combining with Valentin Castellanos and Mattia Zaccagni in an electric Lazio attack that even features eight assists from breakout left back Nuno Tavares.
The weakness for Lazio is, if anything, the defense, and while Mario Gila has been a decent addition next to Alessandro Romagnoli, I’m not quite sure the two of them work together as a pairing,
Lazio need someone more commanding as a starter, and if I had to pick one of Gila or Romagnoli to bench, I’d actually argue that Romagnoli’s time as a starter for a top team in Serie A is done; he’s more ideally a third center back.
Juventus
All of the above teams are on 29 or 28 points in Serie A from first to fifth, so Juventus aren’t far behind in the title race on 25 points. But they are quite clearly second rate in comparison to Atalanta, Napoli, Inter Milan, and Lazio when it comes to their attacking output, even after poaching Nico Gonzalez from the Viola.
Juventus obviously need more attacking firepower next to the inconsistent Dusan Vlahovic and the blindingly promising Kenan Yildiz. It doesn’t matter which position Juve get the help, because they honestly need multiple players.
Heck, Juve could use a player at every attacking position, but their most immediate needs are a striker who can push Vlahovic for starts and a legitimately world-class left winger who can sufficiently replace – and, hopefully, exceed – Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa.
AC Milan
Obviously, AC Milan don’t require any attacking reenforcements after adding two solid Serie A strikers in Alvaro Morata and Tammy Abraham to the league’s best winger quartet in Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao, Noah Okafor, and Samuel Chukwueze.
Behind them, though, AC Milan have needs literally everywhere else besides goalkeeper and left back. They could use another anchoring midfielder to truly replace Ismael Bennacer, as well as another starting-caliber center back to add to the mix.
But the biggest need has to be at right back. Davide Calabria’s replacement Emerson Royal has been, quite frankly, a downgrade, and anyone who watched him flounder at Tottenham could have predicted that.
If Milan don’t get serious about signing an actual top right back, they are going to have a harder time than they think when it comes to repeating as Champions League customers in 2025/26.
Bologna
Everyone knew Bologna would be in for a decline after losing Thiago Motta, Riccardo Calafiori, and Joshua Zirkzee from their fairytale 2024/25 campaign to reach the Champions League, as they literally lost their three most important men.
Bologna’s attack is still quite good with Santiago Castro performing almost as well as Zirkzee, and Jens Odgaard and Riccardo Orsolini are both highly underrated. But the defense is poor, with no legitimate Serie A-caliber option at right back and even 2024/25 star Jhon Lucumi struggling a bit at center back.
Udinese
With the most goals conceded of any team in the top half of the table, the Friulani aren’t going to stay in the Serie A top 10 for much longer. They have needs pretty much everywhere, and Florian Thauvin’s resurgence has been the only consistent reason to tune in to an Udinese game this season.
The biggest gaping hole is in the middle of the park. Udinese don’t have a single center midfielder who merits starting right now, which becomes even more problematic when you note that they play with three of them in a 3-5-2 formation.
Empoli
Only Lecce (six) have scored fewer goals in Serie A this season than Empoli, who need to give young striker Lorenzo Colombo a lot more help. They have one of the worst playmaker groups in all of European football behind Colombo, giving the 22-year-old forward just about no support.
If Empoli can’t unearth a hidden gem from somewhere to serve as a 10 or a support striker, then it won’t matter how many goals they prevent this season with their strong defense; they’ll plummet down the table without someone who can create chances centrally.
Torino
Torino usually have solid wing backs who support the team out wide in both phases of the game, but, this season, their best wide man is a rapidly declining Valentino Lazaro.
None of their options are worth starting in Serie A, with Norwegian Marcus Pedersen looking like a particularly weak player on that right-hand side. Without better wide players, Torino will continue to play into opponent’s hands with congested fields that are unable to truly catch teams on the break.
Roma
Roma are toiling in 12th despite having a talented squad of attacking players, and that’s because they have no clear plan from their ownership group after cycling through two managers this season, ultimately settling on legend Claudio Ranieri in the hopes that he can be their savior.
The Giallorossi went for name brands instead of building the squad, and now they have deficiencies scattered across the team. Roma need to sign a modern left winger and change their formation to a 4-3-3 to get with the times, because Stephan El Shaarawy in 2024/25 just isn’t it.
Parma
Parma have allowed 21 goals this season, but their center back pairing isn’t all that bad. The real issue is their fullbacks, specifically right back Woyo Coulibaly, who struggles to win possession and has earned just 0.6 key passes and 0.6 dribbles completed per game despite only being marginally effective defensively.
Verona
Verona have been a disaster this season, and they can consider themselves lucky that they are not in the relegation places because they have, by far, the worst defense in Serie A with 32 goals allowed in 13 games. This is only a step above Crotone-bad.
Lorenzo Montipo has usually been a solid goalkeeper in Italian football, but he has the worst post-shot expected goals of the season with nearly 10 goals allowed above average – four more than the next-worst, Emil Audero.
There are so many problems beyond Montipo – Verona have no playmakers or left back, their midfield depth is atrocious – but if Montipo doesn’t step up, it doesn’t even matter who else plays because they’ll concede two goals before the game even kicks off. Even Rui Patricio is wincing at this decline.
Lecce
Lecce have scored just six goals this season. They aren’t even averaging a goal every two games. Without Gabriel Strefezza carrying them, Lecce are a disaster, and they can consider themselves as poor as the relegation candidates.
Like Juventus, Lecce could use upgrades literally everywhere in the attack, including on a well and truly finished Ante Rebic, but they have to start somewhere, then they need to go for a new striker. Nikola Krstovic isn’t a terrible player, but he doesn’t have the finishing touch or off-ball instincts to be the main man up top.
Cagliari
Cagliari have to find a way to rebuild their midfield. There isn’t much in that unit, besides Razvan Marin, that looks like it belongs in a starting XI at the Serie A level.
Genoa
Genoa have fallen hard after selling Albert Gudmundsson to Fiorentina, which is expected. They are better talent-wise than their ranking of 17th in Serie A suggests, and they should be able to move up some slots if they can add a couple of better center backs.
This team hasn’t been the same since Radu Dragusin went to Tottenham last winter. Genoa should consider goalkeeper a close second in importance, too, because long-time Serie A backup Pierluigi Gollini’s keeping chops seem to be just as suspect as his rapping is.
Como
Como are the latest side to come up to Serie A with snazzy new ownership and big-name investment, but, as usual, the bloat doesn’t match the actual production on the pitch.
While Como could use new fullbacks on either side – Alberto Moreno is well and truly past it and should have never been signed – the most concerning area of weakness is, like so many clubs in the bottom half of the Serie A table, a non-existent midfield.
Everyone knows that you need the right blend of personalities and requisite technical standards in midfield to compete in Serie A, and Como don’t have anywhere close to that. Hence why they now can’t compete.
They did a poor job of planning at the position this summer, an they are paying for it dearly.
Monza
Monza have a host of quality starters in Serie A with plenty of experience, and despite losing their best attacking player in Andrea Colpani, their central attacking trident has actually been decent this season.
Again, as with Coma, Cagliari, and so many others, Monza find themselves in the position they are in because they cannot keep possession, transition attacks successfully, or hold their formation in midfield.
Matteo Pessina is Monza’s best midfielder, and he hasn’t been playing anywhere near a starting-caliber level in this league this season. If Monza can’t get at least one good midfielder this winter, they can kiss Serie A goodbye.
Venezia
Look, there’s not a whole lot that can save Venezia from relegation, and anyone who looked at the Serie A squads before the season could have told you that they were going to be in for a world of hurt this season.
But if there’s one thing that can help propel Venezia to miracle and stay in the top flight, then it’s signing at least one quality wing back. Neither of Venezia’s current options are cutting it, which limits them in their back three formation. Just one guy who can progress the ball, create chances, and win possession would be a gift from the heavens.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.