Serie A: 5 Worst Title Defences With Napoli Set to Miss Out on Europe Next Season

• SS Napoli won their first Serie A title in 33 years last season
• Manager Luciano Spalletti left the club after the triumph
• The club is on course to finish eighth or below this season

There was joy in the city of Naples last year after Napoli won their third Serie A title, their first since the 1989/90 season inspired by the late Diego Maradona.

Title-winning manager Luciano Spalletti left the club after an issue with club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis, and the team has not remained at their usual best even though they kept their top stars.

They sit eighth with 51 points and two games to spare, with AC Monza in 12th still having the mathematical possibility of finishing ahead of them in one of the worst title defences ever, per World Soccer Talk.

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Sports Brief looks at the five worst Serie A title defences ever based on league finishes the following season.

Five worst Serie A title defences

1. Juventus

Juventus are Italy's most successful team, with 36 league titles. They also hold the honour of the worst title defence. The Old Lady won the 1960/61 title, edging competition from Inter Milan. In the 1961/62 season they finished 12th.

2. Hellas Verona

The club won the Italian title only once in the 1984/85 season and has deflated since then, beginning with their title defence season. They finished 10th and avoided relegation by five points during the 15-team league and two points per win season.

3. Inter Milan

Inter Milan won back-to-back titles between 1952 and 1954. In the 1954/55 season, they finished eighth, 12 points behind eventual winners and rivals AC Milan, who won the title with 63 points. However, they qualified for the inaugural Inter City Fairs Cup, now the UEFA Europa League.

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4. Napoli

The last time they won the Scudetto before last season's triumph, the Neapolitans also defended it poorly. The 1990/91 season was their title defence year, but talisman Diego Maradona was banned for 15 months for substance abuse. They finished eighth on the table.

5. Cagliari

Per Total Italian Football, Cagliari are the only team outside of mainland Italy to win the title, and they won it once in the 1970/71 season. Their defence year was the 1971/72 season, in which they finished seventh due to an injury to central striker Gigi Riva.

Napoli line up Osimhen’s replacement

Sports Brief reported that Napoli have lined up Victor Osimhen’s replacement, who is expected to leave the club this summer after four years of being with them.

His compatriot Victor Boniface and Girona striker Artem Dovbyk are two of the players lined up to replace him, with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain interested in him.