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The return of the seven sisters?

In recent seasons we can see the regular presence of seven clubs at the top of the ranking: Juventus, Inter, AC Milan, AS Roma, Lazio, Napoli and Atalanta. A fact that can remind us of the early 2000s when also seven transalpine clubs competed for the tops of Serie A. Back to this phenomenon which tends to reappear in the Italian championship.

The era of the seven sisters or the nostalgia for Calcio in the 1990s / 2000s

The expression “seven sisters” appeared between the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s to designate the seven clubs in the fight for the Scudetto. Among them were Juventus, Inter, AC Milan, AS Roma, Lazio, Parma and Fiorentina. All these clubs were, for the most part, financially supported by important industrial groups or by big businessmen. Among the clubs supported by large industrial groups there was AC Parma owned by Parmalat, a Parmesan company specializing in dairy products. The Roman clubs were owned by two powerful businessmen: Franco Sensi, oil mogul for Roma and Sergio Cragnotti on the Lazio side. Juventus and Inter, supported respectively by the Agnelli and Moratti families, not to mention the AC Milan of the media mogul Silvio Berlusconi completed the landscape at the top of the Serie A. Thanks to these large-scale financial support, football Italy found itself under the domination of seven powerful vying each season for the Scudetto. Competitiveness verified when looking at the Serie A record from 1998 to 2001 where four different clubs will win the Italian league title (1998: Juventus, 1999: AC Milan, 2000: Lazio, 2001: AS Roma) .

A trend that is reappearing?

In recent seasons we can see the reappearance of this phenomenon with seven clubs pulling the plug for European places in Serie A: Juventus, Inter, AC Milan, AS Roma, Napoli, Lazio and Atalanta. We can date the return of this trend since the 2016/2017 season when all these clubs finished in the top 7 of the championship. Rebelotte the following season where we see exactly the same phenomenon. The 2018/19 season sees the arrival of a surprise guest at the top of the standings, Torino who finished in 7th place ahead of Lazio 8th before the latter regain their place in the top 7 during the 2019/2020 season. to restore the “order of the lords” in Serie A by allowing us to find the seven ladies in the first seven places in the standings. Over the last four seasons, we have therefore had a top 7 three times consisting of Juventus, Inter, AC Milan, Napoli, AS Roma, Lazio and Atalanta. This season again these clubs monopolize the first seven places in the standings, suggesting a slight “no man’s land” of six points between 7th Lazio with 40 points and 8th Sassuolo with 34 points.

A good thing for Serie A?

If we take a liberal view, we can say that the permanent presence of seven clubs at the top of the Serie A table is a good thing for Italian football. This should help stabilize the biggest clubs and thus give us big posters and an intense fight for the Champions. An important development of the powerful which would thus make it possible to sell Serie A more easily and more expensive abroad. However, if we take a more egalitarian and socialist look, we can ask ourselves whether the gap between the best clubs and the rest of the league is a good thing for Serie A. The danger of a too large gap between the top 7 and the other clubs could quickly provoke a two-speed championship if this is not already the case and thus compromise the credibility of Serie A in the middle and at the bottom of the table.

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