After months of grand anticipation, the new Serie A campaign is finally upon us. Although we still have to cope with the nonsensical Mercato rumors for another couple of weeks, at least we’ll be able to simultaneously enjoy the action on the pitch in what promises to be a fiery season in Calcio.
Hence, with less than 24 hours separating us from the first kickoff, it’s time to foreshadow how the final league table will look by the end of May in our yearly Serie A preview and predictions (which will inevitably land way off the mark).
So will Napoli consolidate their rule over the Italian peninsula? Can the Northern Trio reclaim their crown? Or will a central superpower emerge from the heart of the capital?
20. Frosinone
Manager: Eusebio Di Francesco
Top Signing: Riccardo Marchizza
Key Player: Giuseppe Caso
Last season, Frosinone dominated the Serie B title race from start to finish, earning a well-deserved return to the top flight. This was the culmination of the brilliant work conducted by Fabio Grosso and the club’s management over the past couple of seasons.
Nevertheless, the 2006 World Cup hero surprisingly decided to resign from his post. The club resorted to former Sassuolo and Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco whose career has been on a major downhill over the past five years.
The 53-year-old will be adamant about redemption, but his task will be a daunting one given the lack of quality within his ranks, at least compared to other clubs.
Frosinone have even lost the services of Roberto Insigne who was an instrumental member of the squad last season, while the club’s top-scorer Samuele Mulattieri returned to Inter as his loan stint expired. The Serie A newcomers have hardly signed prominent names thus far.
While their heart and determination remain undoubted, this might prove insufficient to ward off a swift relegation
19. Verona
Manager: Marco Baroni
Top Signing: Federico Bonazzoli
Key Player: Darko Lazovic
Last season, Verona pulled off a miraculous save from the abyss. The club spent the vast majority of the campaign lying in the bottom Three. Eventually, they found the right recipe at the most crucial part of the season and managed to collect just enough points to force a relegation playoff against Spezia.
The Gialloblu emerged victorious in a dramatic affair, extending their stay in the top tier. Nevertheless, the club’s transfer campaign hardly inspires confidence. Top signing Federico Bonazzoli remains a mercurial talent, but he’s coming off a forgettable campaign.
The management hired Marco Baroni who oversaw Lecce’s escape last season in what can only be deemed as a wise call. Though, it may not be enough to salvage the 1985 Scudetto winners.
18. Lecce
Manager: Roberto D’Aversa
Top Signing: Mohamed Kaba
Key Player: Federico Baschirotto
Jostling with relegation has always been part of Lecce’s tale during their stay at the top flight. Last season, Baroni’s men did enough to evade an immediate return to Serie B. But with their manager and club captain (Morten Hjulmand) both gone, the Giallorossi could struggle to replicate last season’s feat.
Till now, Youssef Maleh is the most renowned new arrival at the Via del Marre in a transfer campaign that hardly inspires confidence, even if some swear that young defensive midfielder Mohamed Kaba could be the next breakout star.
Baroni (now at Verona) and Lecce could both pay dearly for their summer divorce.
17. Cagliari
Manager: Claudio Ranieri
Top Signing: Tommaso Augello
Key Player: Gianluca Lapadula
Just when you think he’s out, Calcio pulls him back in! This is the story of Italian football’s most beloved manager, Claudio Ranieri.
At the age of 71, fate brought the Tinkerman back to Sardinia to write yet another glorious chapter by leading Cagliari back to Serie A at the first time of asking. In a heart-warming scene, the Italian manager couldn’t hold back the tears of joy when his side won the Serie B playoff.
Nevertheless, the time of celebration is over, as the veteran tactician must now navigate his club’s path towards the safety zone.
The Rossoblu possess a decent squad for a newly-promoted club and enough firepower in the shape of Gianluca Lapadula and Leonardo Pavoletti. Thus, they should be able to collect just enough points to land above the relegation zone.
16. Genoa
Manager: Alberto Gilardino
Top Signing: Mateo Retegui
Key Player: Kevin Strootman
In a twist of fate, Genoa have regained their rightful spot in the top flight while their crosstown rivals Sampdoria fell to the Serie B abyss on the back of a doomed campaign.
Luckily for the Grifone, the squad has the backing of American owners who are determined to restore some of the club’s old pride and glory. Signing an Italian international striker in Mateo Retegui was a declaration of intent from a club that enjoyed a productive summer campaign.
For his part, Alberto Gilardino is proving to be a competent operator in the dugout, and he should have the right tools at his disposal to avoid another calamitous relegation for the Ligurians.
15. Salernitana
Manager: Paulo Sousa
Top Signing: Boulaye Dia
Key Player: Antonio Candreva
After two successful campaigns in the top flight, Salernitana are now a Serie A mainstay. This summer, the club’s theme on the market has been “confirmation”. The Granata secured the permanent signings of Antonio Candreva, Boulaye Dia and Lorenzo Pirola who were all on loan at the Arecchi Stadium last season.
Therefore, Paulo Sousa can count on a flourishing chemistry in a solid, if not spectacular, project.
So we can expect more of the same from the Southerners who might occasionally prompt relegations fears, but will eventually have enough star power to overcome them.
14. Monza
Manager: Raffaele Palladino
Top Signing: Georgios Kyriakopoulos
Key Player: Gianluca Caprari
Last season, Monza were the ultimate Dark Horse in what was the club’s maiden Serie A campaign. The Lombardian side stunned some of the big boys, including Juventus (Twice!) and finished in the middle of the pack. They were even pushing for a European berth at one point.
Nevertheless, Raffaele Palladino lost some key players during the off-season, including Stefano Sensi and Nicolò Rovella who were on loan last season, in addition to the brilliant Carlos Augusto who set the left flank ablaze in his Serie A debut campaign. The Italo-Brazilian signed for Inter this week.
On the other hand, newcomers like Danilo D’Ambrosio and Roberto Gagliardini will hardly inspire the Biancorossi faithful.
Therefore, replicating last season’s heroics won’t be a simple task at all.
13. Bologna
Manager: Thiago Motta
Top Signing: Sam Beukema
Key Player: Riccardo Orsolini
In theory, selling a 34-year-old striker for 10 million euros is supposedly a shrewd piece of business. But by allowing Marko Arnautovic to join Inter, Bologna will deprive themselves of the services of a top-notch hitman who also acted as the Bona Fide leader of the squad.
Thiago Motta also lost several other key players in Andrea Cambiaso, Roberto Soriano and the criminally-underrated Jerdy Schouten. The Emilians pulled off some interesting deals on the market, poaching the likes of Sam Beukema and Ndan Ndoye.
But in hindsight, the Rossoblu now possess a weaker squad compared to last season, even if they can still rely on the brilliance of Riccardo Orsolini and Lewis Ferguson.
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12. Udinese
Manager: Andrea Sottil
Top Signing: Brenner
Key Player: Sandi Lovric
Udinese are almost in the same boat with Bologna. We’re talking about a club that was threatening to make a leap in quality, but instead, it ended up parting ways with several key players.
This term, Andrea Sottil won’t be able to count on the likes of Roberto Pereyra, Becao and Destiny Udogie, while Lazar Samardzic will most likely follow suit despite the recent debacle that sabotaged his transfer to Inter.
In fairness, the Zebrette bolstered their ranks with decent additions, including Brazilian striker Brenner and gigantic Italian bomber Lorenzo Lucca.
Nevertheless, Udinese are unlikely to pose a threat to the usual suspects in the European race as they did during the earlier part of last season when they occupied an advanced position.
11. Empoli
Manager: Paolo Zanetti
Top Signing: Emmanuel Gyasi
Key Player: Tommaso Baldanzi
Although we mentioned Tomasso Baldanzi as the club’s key player, it should be taken with a pinch of salt. But in truth, Empoli rely first and foremost on the group rather than individual brilliance, even if they possess some scintillating talent among their ranks.
The Tuscans parted ways with Fabiano Parisi and Nicolò Cambiaghi – two fabulous young stars in their own right – but they also mustered a host of new players who add both quality and depth to Paolo Zanetti’s ranks, the likes of Filippo Ranocchia, Daniel Maldini, Matteo Cancellieri and Emmanuel Gyasi.
Empoli may not have enough in the tank to push for a European spot, but we foresee a comfortable mid-table finish.
10.
Manager: Alessio Dionisi
Top Signing: Luca Lipani
Key Player: Domenico Berardi
This week, Domenico Berardi’s name is being heavily linked with Juventus. But as long as the 29-year-old remains on Sassuolo’s books, he will always be the ultimate talisman and the most celebrated icon at the club.
Until now, the most significant departure has been Davide Frattesi who made a career step-up by signing for Inter. The Neroverdi also sold Rogerio to Wolfsburg. Nevertheless, Alessio Dionisi still has the right tools at his disposal, and it will be interesting to see how he’ll integrate the club’s new wonderkid, Luca Lipani, into the group.
Sassuolo beat off competition from top Serie A clubs to secure the 18-year-old’s services from Genoa. So keep an eye on the midfielder, along with fellow teenager Simone Pafundi.
9. Torino
Manager: Ivan Juric
Top Signing: Raoul Bellanova
Key Player: Nikola Vlasic
It’s been a while since Torino settled on a manager for a considerable period of time. But after two positive campaigns, The Granata and Ivan Juric have decided to extend their fruitful collaboration.
The Croatian manager continues to snap up his former Verona pupils. After snatching the services of Ivan Ilic in January, he has now been reunited with Adrien Tamezé. The club also maintained Nikola Vlasic and Nemanja Radonjic on a permanent basis while striking a deal with Cagliari for Raoul Bellanova.
Moreover, Toro managed to maintain all of their key players from last season, perhaps with the exception of Aleksey Miranchuk who returned to Atalanta following the expiry of his loan stint.
Therefore, we expect a solid campaign from Torino who could establish themselves as outsiders in the Top 7 race.
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8. Lazio
Manager: Maurizio Sarri
Top Signing: Daichi Kamada
Key Player: Mattia Zaccagni
With Sergej Milinkovic-Savic making his landing in Saudi Arabia and Luis Alberto likely to follow suit, Lazio’s midfield will be almost unrecognizable next season. The capital side conducted decent business, luring in Daichi Kamada and Nicolò Rovella, but it remains to be seen if these acquisitions will plug the major gap in the middle of the park.
Moreover, the Biancocelesti will participate in the Champions League, forcing Maurizio Sarri to rotate his troops. But does the veteran tactician have enough depth at his disposal to navigate between domestic and European commitments?
After finishing as runner-ups last season, the Eagles could be set for a comprehensive demotion.
7. Fiorentina
Manager: Vincenzo Italiano
Top Signing: Fabiano Parisi
Key Player: Nicolas Gonzalez
Last season, Fiorentina were on the cusp of tasting European glory, but eventually fell short in a Conference League final that they should have won. The Tuscans will take part in the same tournament for the second season running, but this time around, Vincenzo Italiano will be able to rely on additional quality and quantity within his ranks.
The Viola bid Arthur Cabral and Igor farewell, while Sofyan Amrabat is still heavily linked with an exit. Yet, the management strengthened the squad by signing the likes of Fabiano Parisi, Lucas Beltran, M’Bala Nzola, Artur Melo and Yerri Mina in what has been a sensational transfer campaign.
These additions could help the Florentine club consolidate its place in the European zone.
6. Atalanta
Manager: Gian Piero Gasperini
Top Signing: El Bilal Touré
Key Player: Teun Koopmeiners
After dropping out of the Top 7 in 2021/22, Atalanta have now reclaimed what became a customary European berth since Gian Piero Gasperini’s appointment in 2015.
Much to the dismay of the traditional Serie A big boys, The Orobici aren’t planning to vanish anytime soon, and the club’s current transfer campaign tells as much. It only took the Provincial club one year to register an astronomical windfall on Rasmus Hojlund who has now joined Manchester United for a whopping 75 million euros.
La Dea replaced the young Dane with El Bilal Touré and Gianluca Scamacca while keeping the majority of the squad intact. They also revamped the left flank by selling Joakim Maehle and signing Sead Kolasinac and Mitchel Bakker, while deciding to bet on Charles De Ketelaere following a painfully disappointing campaign in Milan.
Consistency pays dues.
5. Roma
Manager: José Mourinho
Top Signing: Houssem Aouar
Key Player: Paulo Dybala
This term, José Mourinho is out to prove that the ill-fated third-season syndrome is merely a myth created by the media. The Special One will be looking to storm the Champions League zone for the first time since landing in the Eternal City.
For his part. Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto did his bit, striking gold on the market. The Giallorossi signed two of the most sought-after free agents in the form of Houssem Aouar and Evan Ndicka, while also adding in the enigmatic Renato Sanches.
Nevertheless, the capital side still hasn’t secured a competent replacement for the injured Tammy Abraham, while they remain overly reliant on Paulo Dybala. On the pitch, La Joya might be the most talented individual in Italian football, but his injury struggles are well-illustrated at this point.
I Lupi could bounce between Europa League and Champions League spots throughout the season.
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4. Milan
Manager: Stefano Pioli
Top Signing: Tijjani Reijnders
Key Player: Rafael Leao
Among the top Serie A clubs, Milan have been by far the most active. The Rossoneri brought in about eight new signings, partially funded by Sandro Tonali’s €70M transfer to Newcastle United.
New Milan director Geoffrey Moncada and company hit the ground running, signing the likes of Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tijjani Reijnders, Samuel Chukwueze and Yunus Musah. The club also maintained the services of the key trio: Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao.
In what could be the year-zero for the Rossoneri, the club might be unable to genuinely compete for the Scudetto title with a host of players still adjusting to their new surroundings. Yet, securing a Top-Four finish could be a reasonable objective and a step in the right direction for a side that underwent a resounding revamp.
3. Juventus
Manager: Massimiliano Allegri
Top Signing: Timothy Weah
Key Player: Federico Chiesa
This summer, balancing the books has been the unmistakable main objective for Juventus. The club is determined to trim the squad and collect some cash in an unapologetic fashion.
Timothy Weah arrived to replace Juan Cuadrado on the right flank, while Angel Di Maria left Turin following a solitary campaign. For his part, fallen club captain Leonardo Bonucci has become an outcast in the house that he once ruled.
But despite the lack of newcomers, the Bianconeri showcased signs of improvement in pre-season and a certain hunger that was alarmingly absent on several occasions last season.
If Federico Chiesa restores his optimal physical condition and Dusan Vlahovic regains his clinical touch, Massimiliano Allegri’s men can finish on the Podium, or even push for the title amidst the lack of European commitment.
2. Napoli
Manager: Rudi Garcia
Top Signing: Nattan
Key Player: Victor Osimhen
When Rudi Garcia was first offered the Napoli job, one must wonder what was his initial reaction: Did he immediately jump on the opportunity to take the reins in what could well be the biggest gig of his managerial career? Or did pause for a second thinking “This could be a tremendous mistake?”
Either way, the Frenchman will lead the reigning champions in their title defense following Luciano Spalletti’s resignation. The good news is that the club has thus far rejected Arabic proposals coming in Victor Osimhen’s direction, maintaining the elusive partnership between the Nigerian and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
On the contrary, the Partenopei were forced to part ways with unyielding South Korean defender Kim Min-jae as Bayern Munich activated his release clause. The club replaced him with Nattan who’s yet to be tested on European soil. Great many things could depend on this Brazilian hidden package.
All in all, Napoli remain a formidable squad, but they could just miss out on an unprecedented back-to-back Scudetto triumphs.
1. Inter
Manager: Simone Inzaghi
Top Signing: Marcus Thuram
Key Player: Lautaro Martinez
From the goalkeeper role to the centre-forward and everything in between, Inter have lost key players throughout the board. Despite adding some interesting names to the fold (Thuram, Frattesi, Cuadrado, Sommer…) one might say that the Nerazzurri are noticeably weaker this term without the likes of Milan Skriniar, André Onana, Romelu Lukaku and Marcelo Brozovic.
Yet, Simone Inzaghi arguably possesses the pound-for-pound best squad in Italian football. After missing out on the Scudetto trophy in his first two attempts, the manager will be hellbent on securing his maiden league trophy and delivering the club’s much-anticipated second golden star.
On paper, the Beneamata are arguably the favorites to clinch the title, but it remains to be seen if the revamped squad will maintain its composure throughout the grueling schedule and smoothly navigate its way to the finish line.
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