'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Last Saturday, as the final whistles blew just moments apart in Udine and at the famous San Siro in Milan, football fans watching on in Italy and from afar could finally pause for breath.
With AC Milan fans able to celebrate the crowning of their side as this year's winter champions even before old rivals Juventus had played their nineteenth game the following day - where they coasted to a 2-0 victory at home against Bologna - it felt like a truly seismic moment for Italian football.
For nine years, the Old Lady of Turin have dominated the world of calcio, yet this year things had felt different from the very first moment that a ball was kicked back in September.
Even a heavy defeat at home to Atalanta on Saturday could not derail a Rossoneri side who bear next to no resemblance to the team which had struggled so badly in the lead up to Christmas in the previous season.
For the red half of Milan, however, there is an understanding that the time to sit down and look back on how far the club has come will be in May, when the curtain falls on what looks set to be the most dramatic ending to an Italian domestic season in over a decade.
This is because they are far from the sole contenders for the 2020-21 Scudetto. City rivals Inter and Juventus are two of the sides in a dangerous peloton who look set to push them all the way to the finish line, each with their own roles to play in the drama of this year's Serie A ensemble.
AC Milan
In a season packed with intriguing storylines, the revitalisation of the Rossoneri has been symbolic of the shifting landscape of football in Italy.
Spearheaded by the real-life Benjamin Button that is Zlatan Ibrahimović, the Milan giants have risen from their lowest point just twelve months ago, when the gap between themselves and their traditional rivals was a positive chasm.
However, the arrival of the thirty-nine year old Ibrahimović last January marked the beginning of a resurgence which will be talked about for years to come.
Milan had become a shell of their former selves in the years since their last title win in 2011, with their name becoming associated with crisis and mismanagement amongst the same commentators who had once acclaimed them as a model club to be used as an example for others across the world.
Their return to what was once familiar territory at the top of the standings has therefore been a welcome one for those who pine for a return to the most competitive days of Serie A seen in the league's heydays before the turn of the millenium.
One man who deserves immense credit but often goes under the radar in a Milanese spotlight dominated by the towering figure of Ibrahimović and the adulation which he attracts is their manager.
Stefano Pioli had come to be seen as little more than a journeyman by pundits who sought to deride him when Milan entrusted him with his current job, which makes the success that he has led his team to all the more remarkable.
Even in light of this context, however, at a club like Milan, his legacy will ultimately be defined by his ability to bring trophies back to San Siro.
And the task is now becoming steadily more realistic but remains an immense hurdle to cross in the face of such heavy competition.
Internazionale
Only two points behind Milan lie their city rivals, a club who have already re-familiarised themselves with the upper echelons of the Serie A table in recent times. But have just as much hunger for the day that they can finally hold the league title aloft once more.
The Nerrazzuri have in fact waited a year longer for title success than Milan, with their last Scudetto coming in 2010, but their involvement in this year's race is rather less of a shock.
After appointing the expertise of former national side coach Antonio Conte in the summer of 2019, who crucially also boasts three Scudetto wins with former club Juventus, Inter had positioned themselves as the strongest contenders to the Old Lady's throne in recent times.
Conte's experience was seen as the final piece in a jigsaw which would project them onto a new level and leave them with legitimate aspirations to end the Juventus monopoly.
It has therefore come as something of a surprise to Interistas that the current standings have their direct competitors for this year's title as Milan and not their Derby d'Italia rivals from Turin, although plenty of time remains for that to change between now and the end of the season.
Juventus
Whilst this may be a season of transition for the Turin giants, Juventus boast the most experienced and expensive squad of the contenders and undoubtedly remain a leading candidate for this year's title.
Manager Andrea Pirlo is a relative novice at the helm of a global footballing institution like the Old Lady, having himself only retired from playing as recently as 2017.
However, the experience gained over the course of his storied playing career ensures that Pirlo has plenty to offer to his new position.
And whilst performances this year have been rather less consistent than those to which Juventus tifosi have become accustomed over the last decade, there have been moments where his side have shown glimpses of what they may become if Pirlo is given enough time - most notably the dominant away performance in Barcelona which sealed their place at the top of their Champions League group.
Even in light of their difficulties, if the Bianconeri can produce those sorts of performances on a more regular basis between now and the end of the season and continue to bear the fruits of an ageless Cristiano Ronaldo hungry for a first capocannoniere award for league top scorer, then a tenth successive title undoubtedly remains on the cards.
The Outsiders
Even though the three most successful clubs in Italian football history are clear favourites to take the league title, it is by no means impossible that another team could catapult themselves into the mix after a good run of form.
Chief among this group are Roma, who currently sit third in the standings and come off the back of a strong opening to the season.
Their talisman has been a rejuvenated Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and if they continue to utilise his abilities in the way that they have been then thus far then they may well find themselves in the reckoning come May.
A major potential stumbling block for any Roman ambitions, however, is that it looks increasingly likely that Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko will be leaving the club this month after a falling-out with head coach Paulo Fonseca, and his void would be an extremely difficult one to fill.
Three more teams with ambitions to move up the standings are Atalanta, Napoli and Lazio. And each have significant merits as well as drawbacks which make their involvement in the race a tantalising prospect.
Atalanta will have to cope with the loss of their captain, Papu Gomez. Yet their famous attack has shown no signs of slowing down even amidst his ostracization by coach Gian Piero Gasperini and subsequent move to Sevilla.
It will also be interesting to see how they balance domestic hopes with their rapidly approaching showdown against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Napoli, meanwhile, have been driven by their exceptional wingers Lorenzo Insigne and Hirving Lozano. But their lack of an elite central striker may count them out in the long run.
Finally, Lazio have shown signs of recovering last season's form over the last few weeks. But they still suffer from a lack of squad depth and in a congested season such as this one, they may consequently be expected to tail off in the later weeks.
One of the very few causes for unison between the divided, often hostile fanbases of Italian football clubs is the shared desire for a strong and competitive Serie A.
As such, this season has so far proved to be a breath of fresh air for the league's millions of followers, with so many different storylines unfolding throughout.
The key to this development, however, is that it does not appear to be a mere flash in the pan.
From the young stars of Milan to the meteoric rise of Atalanta, each of Italy's top clubs have reasons to be optimistic for what is yet to come, and each will hope to feature in title races for the foreseeable future.
Whilst this season may be reaching its conclusion in just a matter of months, there is a growing feeling that this is not just one solitary season to remember, rather that it is emblematic of a lasting renaissance for Serie A and Italian football.
