With the decade-long domination of Juventus long over, Italy's Serie A is more wide open than ever, and it has made for a fascinating season with drama, excitement and unpredictable twists up and down the table.
The Scudetto battle was one for the ages, as AC Milan just pipped rivals Inter Milan to the Serie A league crown.
The two Milan clubs, now mostly recovered from their long hibernation, were frontrunners for the title across the final months of the season. Juventus had a horrid start to the season, but the Old Lady has since recovered to secure a Champions League berth.
The relegation battle was fascinating as well, with four teams in the mix down the stretch for the three spots. Ultimately, Cagliari, Genoa, and Venezia were sent down to Serie B.
Here's a full overview of the Italian top flight, updated on the final day of the season on May 22.
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Serie A Scudetto title race
The race for the 2021-22 Scudetto was one of the most exciting in recent memory. Three teams sat with a realistic chance to finish atop the table, including the two Milan clubs back where fans believe they belong.
AC Milan ultimately took home the crown, finishing two points clear at the top. Inter Milan ran out of steam down the stretch of the season, a horrible month of February ultimately dooming the club. Napoli was in the hunt through the middle portion of the season but never truly challenged through the final two months, finishing seven points back.
| Place | Team | PTS | GP | GD | Next Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | AC Milan | 86 | 38 | +38 | — |
| 2. | Inter Milan | 84 | 38 | +52 | — |
| 3. | Napoli | 79 | 38 | +43 | — |
Another league title for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to add to the collection 😎 pic.twitter.com/j5mmaiheA3
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 22, 2022
Serie A Champions League race
While Juventus never challenged for the Serie A title, the Old Lady were able to secure Champions League play next season. Juve finished 16 points back of title-winners AC Milan, but nursed a six-point gap above fifth-placed Lazio that proved decisive.
AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Napoli will also see Champions League play next season.
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| Place | Team | PTS | GP | GD | Next Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.* | AC Milan | 86 | 38 | +38 | — |
| 2.* | Inter Milan | 84 | 38 | +52 | — |
| 3.* | Napoli | 79 | 38 | +43 | — |
| 4.* | Juventus | 70 | 38 | +20 | — |
| 5. | Lazio | 64 | 38 | +19 | — |
| 6. | Roma | 63 | 38 | +16 |
* = qualifies directly for next season's UEFA Champions League
Serie A European places
In addition to the four Champions League spots there are three other European berths:
- Europa League (2): 5th place & Coppa Italia winner
- Europa Conference League (1): 6th place
Fifth place in the Serie A table automatically qualifies a team for the Europa League no matter what, with Lazio snatching European play. Then, after that, there are different scenarios at play.
The second Europa League place is reserved for the Coppa Italia winner. Inter won the Coppa Italia final over Juventus, and has already qualified for the Champions League, so this Europa League place will go to the sixth-place finisher in the Serie A table, with Roma taking the berth.
Because of that, it also emans the Europa Conference League berth is pushed to the seventh place team, which Fiorentina grabs.
Atalanta missed out on European play next season, finishing three points out of the top seven.
| Place | Team | PTS | GP | GD | Next Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.* | Juventus | 70 | 38 | +20 | — |
| 5.** | Lazio | 64 | 38 | +19 | — |
| 6.*** | Roma | 63 | 38 | +16 | — |
| 7.**** | Fiorentina | 62 | 38 | +8 | — |
| 8. | Atalanta | 59 | 38 | +17 | — |
| 9. | H Verona | 53 | 38 | +6 | — |
| 10. | Torino | 50 | 38 | +5 | — |
* = Champions League berth
** = Europa League berth (automatic)
*** = Europa League berth
**** = Europa Conference League berth
Serie A relegation battle
The bottom three teams in Serie A will be relegated to next season's second-division Serie B competition, and it was a heated race to the finish.
Venezia and Genoa were destined for the drop to Serie B for some time, but the last spot was up for grabs until the final day of the season.
A surge by Salernitana gave the club control of their own destiny on the final day, but a 4-0 defeat to Udinese left the club hoping for help. It came as Cagliari, who needed to win to stay alive after Salernitana's defeat, could only muster a 0-0 draw on the road at bottom-placed Venezia, which confirmed that Cagliari became the third club relegated to Serie B, and Salerniana stayed up..
| Place | Team | PTS | GP | GD | Next Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | Empoli | 41 | 38 | -20 | — |
| 16. | Spezia | 36 | 38 | -30 | — |
| 15. | Sampdoria | 36 | 38 | -17 | — |
| 17. | Salernitana | 31 | 38 | -45 | — |
| 18.* | Cagliari | 30 | 38 | -34 | — |
| 19.* | Genoa | 28 | 38 | -33 | — |
| 20.* | Venezia | 27 | 38 | -35 | — |
* = relegated to second-tier Serie B