We’re hard-pressed to remember a domestic race that was as one-sided as this season’s Serie A. With Juventus banished to Serie B after last spring’s match-rigging scandal, and AC Milan and Fiorentina docked significant points at the outset, Inter began the season with a head-start, and just kept expanding its lead.

Indeed, Inter’s dominance qualifies it for the record books, as its whopping 97 points for the season marks a record for a major European league! Along the way, Adriano (left) and Inter lost just once in Serie A, and had the scudetto all but locked up by New Year’s.

Still, with AC Milan girding for the Champs League all along, this eventually became something of a memorable season in Italy after all. Roma also reappeared as a force and finsihed a clear second place in Serie A under manager Luciano Spaletti, with Francesco Totti also bouncing back from last season’s serious leg injury to re-emerge as a force. A numbing Champs League quarterfinal setback vs. Man United, when Roma was destroyed 7-1 in the second leg, put a bit of a damper on the proceedings, but an Italian Cup win erased the sting.

Expect a more interesting race in Italy next season, with Juventus reappearing after dusting off the competition in Serie B, AC Milan not docked points at the outset, and Totti-led Roma all gunning for Inter on a more-level playing field.