Serie A this season: The battle of the “Godfathers”

03/11/2025 22:03:00 FieldFrenzy

It is quite astonishing that this marks the first occasion where the three experienced managers Antonio Conte, Max Allegri, and Luciano Spalletti have all been active in Serie A in the same season, despite having collectively managed more than 1,300 matches in the league.

With the appointment of Spalletti replacing Igor Tudor, Juventus inevitably leaned back toward valuing experience. After a long title drought since 2020 and several ambitious but failed projects with young coaches, the "Old Lady" ultimately placed her faith in Luciano Spalletti, a well-respected, composed, and victorious manager. Since Conte’s successful era at just 43 years old (Juventus from 2012 to 2014), the Scudetto has consistently been won by seasoned managers, demonstrating that experience remains a crucial quality for ultimate success in the tactically intense Serie A.

The gathering of the trio Conte - Allegri - Spalletti in the 2025-26 season is extraordinarily special. It’s quite surprising that although they have collectively sat on the Serie A benches for a staggering 1,309 matches and earned a total of 2,553 points, this is the first season they all compete simultaneously. Regarding points achievements, Allegri leads with 1,030 points from 515 matches, Spalletti follows closely with 996 points from 559 matches, while Conte has accumulated 527 points from 237 matches.

The trio of “Godfathers” Allegri - Conte - Spalletti face off together for the first time

Fate has repeatedly prevented this three-way confrontation. They nearly achieved it in 2009, when Spalletti was dismissed by Roma after just two rounds, Conte made his Atalanta debut in round 5, and Allegri was still in charge at Cagliari before being sacked in April 2010. Later, both Conte and Spalletti spent many years coaching abroad or leading the Italian national team, which kept the trio from appearing together in Serie A.

Their head-to-head history also holds some interesting details. On December 7th, the Napoli vs Juventus match will mark the first official managerial duel between Antonio Conte and Luciano Spalletti in Serie A history. They have only met once before in a friendly in 2017, when Spalletti’s Inter defeated Conte’s Chelsea 2-1 in Singapore. Meanwhile, other pairwise clashes have been intense: Napoli’s coach Conte holds an advantage over Allegri (5 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses), while Allegri has a slight edge over Spalletti (6 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses).

The presence of these three "great architects," each with their distinct football philosophies, simultaneously leading the top three title contenders promises to turn this season’s Scudetto race into a classic and highly anticipated tactical battle.

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