The strong candidates are still valid but let's not forget that there is no single club that can defend the Scudetto because every season the champions change.
Especially in this case Napoli must pay attention to their internal conditions so as not to be divided from time to time if they really want to make them back to back this season and I think maintaining the current coach is a first step that needs to be prepared especially now that the rumors of Conte who wants to cross to Juventus have also been widely heard.

The 2022 season where they got the Scudetto was proof that the internal must be maintained because after that when their coach left and there were some internal problems in the squad it made the next season not in accordance with their expectations which made them exposed to problems and had to be willing to let Milan return to win the trophy they wanted to defend.

Do not let this season happen the same mistake that actually makes Napoli's rhythm deteriorate and they can only last one season as it happened in the 2022 season.
Very well said, you are quite on the point. Scudetto can be pretty tough to win, but defending it may even be worse when you think of the competition that is in Serie A. Some articles say that Napoli's win is because of discipline and good signings but I don't think just having those two guarantees anything. To win like they did requires a combination of many things, both from the leaders and from the players. I think that with Napoli it could go either way, it depends if they can get those golden dynamics back or not but currently the betting markets still hold them as the favorite last time I checked.

They need a big recovery to make such a turnaround. If you look at the odds for the next season, they are not even in the top 3 predictions for the winner.