🥇OneFootball Awards | Conte, Italiano or... Who is the best manager? 👀 | OneFootball

As tradition dictates, Christmas is also a time for taking stock, making judgments, and so, right on cue as every year, the OneFootball editorial team pauses to look back at what happened in Serie A in 2025.

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It’s time to make our choices and celebrate those who truly made a difference, by awarding the prestigious OneFootball Awards. Let’s start with the best coach.

1️⃣ Maurizio Sarri (Alessandro De Felice)

Fifteen months after his resignation, Maurizio Sarri has once again embraced the Lazio project. Or rather, the Lazio environment. Yes, because faced with far greater difficulties than those encountered in his first stint and the unpleasant surprise of a blocked transfer market, the Tuscan coach chose to once again commit to the biancocelesti colors, confirming his desire to lead the team despite countless challenges.

Out of Europe and without the possibility to act in the transfer market and bolster the squad with players more suited to his style of football, after the revolution of the previous summer with Baroni’s arrival and the high-profile departures of Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson, and Ciro Immobile, Sarri is dealing with problems related to the quality and size of a non-ideal squad for his footballing philosophy and numerically thin, transforming a team destined for anonymity into one capable of being an outsider in the race for a European spot.

The victory in Parma was emblematic in this sense, as were Provedel’s clean sheets. Sarri’s imprint is evident and has reignited the enthusiasm of a disappointed fanbase, which has been rekindled above all by the work and strong words of their Commander.

2️⃣ Antonio Conte (Alessio D'Errico)

After a disastrous season that knocked Napoli out of European competitions and drained the enthusiasm of an entire city, Antonio Conte proudly rebuilt the dignity of a team humiliated across Italy and Europe. Brick by brick, he built a path that he himself called a "miracle," managing to challenge Inter for the Scudetto until the end, bringing home the fourth Tricolore in Napoli’s history.

In the summer, he recommitted to Napoli and in the second half of the year, despite signings that have yet to fully deliver and a wave of injuries, he remains attached to the top of the table, showing great tactical flexibility. This last aspect is probably the most surprising of a Conte 2.0 who only needs to shed the label (rightly) given to him for his often insufficient European results.

3️⃣ VINCENZO ITALIANO (Diego D'Avanzo)

The risk that Bologna would become a one season wonder after Thiago Motta was very high: Vincenzo Italiano took the bench and "changed everything so that nothing would change". In fact, he changed Bologna’s trophy cabinet with the 2024/25 Coppa Italia: the first trophy since 1999 (Intertoto Cup).

Last year’s Champions League run shouldn’t be misleading – let’s remember the win against Dortmund – nor should the 9th place in the league: with just 8 more points, Juventus qualified for the Champions League. But above all, Vincenzo Italiano is entertaining the fans: an attacking style (albeit less extreme than what we saw in Florence) that satisfies and pays off, because Bologna is always in the Europa Zone. However, their wage bill remains only the 11th highest in Serie A: whose merit is that? We already know.

4️⃣ Antonio Conte (Emanuele Garbato)

Veni, vidi, vici. Napoli hadn’t won two titles in the same season since the days of Diego Armando Maradona, and he managed it with disarming ease. The Scudetto in his first year after a tenth-place finish, a house specialty enriched by the January sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But beyond his usual ability to turn a team around in a few months and lead them to the title, there’s much more in the coach’s work.

The Azzurri wore many different tactical outfits, constantly giving up key players to injury. In emergencies, he found creative solutions to bounce back; after setbacks, he managed to regroup and become more solid than ever. Antonio Conte took one of the most important clubs of the last 10 years and turned it into the team to beat. 2025 was a year of dominance, and in 2026 the brilliant evolution will need to be shown in Europe as well.

5️⃣ Davide Nicola (Marco Alessandri)

Okay, he’s not a front-page name and probably never will be. But what a job – once again – Davide Nicola has done. First, he secured safety for Cagliari without much trouble, who now seem to be having some issues with Pisacane.

Then came the Cremonese masterpiece, at least up to this point. A newly promoted team with 21 points after 16 matches, playing attractive football, sitting 9 points above the relegation zone, and having revitalized Jamie Vardy, who arrived in Serie A at the venerable age of 38. In between, a series of surprising and pride-worthy results, above all the 2-1 win at Milan on their debut. Perhaps an underrated coach, but certainly a valuable one. Well done!

6️⃣ Raffaele Palladino (Matteo Rimoldi)

Taking over from Vincenzo Italiano at Fiorentina was no easy task. Sky-high expectations, a demanding fanbase, and ambitious ownership made it a tough test for anyone. Yet the big leap from Monza didn’t scare Raffaele Palladino: on the contrary, it inspired him.

The brilliant start to the league convinced even the most skeptical from the outset, setting the tone for a season that ended without trophies but was full of positives. The revival of Moise Kean under his guidance, the Conference League semifinal lost to Betis, and above all the sixth place in Serie A, the best result compared to Italiano’s last two seasons, say a lot about the work he’s done.

What partially tainted his chapter in Florence was the contract termination at the end of the season, also due to friction with Pradé, who was then sacked a few months later. But Fiorentina’s horror start this season only further highlights how good a job Palladino did.

If we add to all this his arrival on the Atalanta bench after Juric’s dismissal, the picture is clear: Palladino could have been a lost bet after leaving Monza, but instead, with competence and humility, he’s proving he can handle even more ambitious clubs. No doubt about it: top marks.

7️⃣ Claudio Ranieri (Vincenzo Visco)

Claudio Ranieri has left a profound and decisive mark on Roma’s recent resurgence. His return was not just a technical choice, but an act of stability and vision at a delicate moment. Ranieri restored order, giving back identity and confidence to a lost group, working first on their minds and then on their legs. That’s how Roma restarted: compact, solid, aware of their strengths. The results have certified the journey.

In the calendar year, the Giallorossi are the team that has collected the most points in Serie A, returning to the top of the league and consolidating themselves as a benchmark. But Ranieri’s greatest legacy was looking ahead. He prepared the ground for the future, indicating and supporting the choice of Gian Piero Gasperini as his successor. A well-thought-out handover, which delivered to the former Atalanta coach a structured, fertile Roma ready to grow even more.

8️⃣ Antonio Conte (Damiano Benzoni)

Winning a Scudetto in Naples is hard, DEFENDING a Scudetto in Naples is a unique feat: if anyone feared that Spalletti’s departure might sink the Partenopei, Antonio Conte has shown everyone that he hasn’t lost the touch that has seen him win trophies wherever he’s gone. The 2024/25 title was a masterpiece of tenacity and teamwork, in true Antonio Conte style, and what’s most convincing about the new era is how the Salento coach is managing to maintain performances even this year, despite many injuries and the need to change formations.

Of course, there are still issues to resolve, such as the coexistence of KDB and McTominay when the Belgian returns from injury. But in a league without a clear leader, Napoli is keeping pace and Conte even seems to have changed his skin, finding himself defusing controversies and reinventing himself – out of necessity – yet again.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 CARLO HERMANN - AFP or licensors