On the eve of the first Serie A kickoff, the status of several clubs across the grid is still shrouded in mystery amidst the unclarity surrounding their transfer business as well as their tactical identity under a host of new managers. This factor renders the start of the campaign even more compelling and incredibly unpredictable.
And yet, we just can’t help ourselves from attempting to forecast the final league table with our inevitably doomed predictions. So let’s try to guess where each Serie A club will land by the end of what should be a thrilling campaign in Calcio (at least we’re hoping to get this one right).
20. Empoli
After a dramatic last-gasp escape from the mouth of relegation, Empoli required a substantial transfer market to equip themselves with a squad capable of avoiding last season’s scare. However, loaning Milan and Inter kids (Esposito and Colombo) will hardly prove sufficient, especially when facing even sterner competition this term.
19. Venezia
Venezia returned to the top flight after winning the Serie B playoffs. The last time around, they went straight back to the second tier, and they might be staring at a similar fate as the club has yet to make significant signings on the market, while losing the services of the influential Tanner Tessman could prove to be an agonizing coup for the middle of the park.
18. Verona
What Marco Baroni and his men achieved last season was nothing short of miraculous. The management sold almost every renowned name in the squad in January, replaced them with relative unknowns, but the club somehow managed to survive. But with Baroni off to Lazio alongside Tijjani Noslin, Verona are likely set for another complicated campaign, but they might fall short in their quest to avoid relegation this time around.
17. Como
Como’s historic return to the top flight is hardly a fairytale story. The club has the richest owners in Italian football in the shape of the Hartono family, and they have been flexing their muscles by luring some household names to the Stadio Sinigaglia. However, bringing an injury-prone Raphael Varane and a 41-year-old Pepe Reina could easily backfire. Yet, Cesc Fabregas should have enough talent at his disposal to avoid an anti-climactic swift relegation.
16. Lecce
While others are trying to shake things up, Lecce are relying on consistency to achieve survival for the third Serie A campaign on the trot. With the exception of Marin Pongracic, the Giallorossi have thus far maintained their core along with their manager Luca Gotti whose calm-and-collected approach should drive the club towards the safety zone.
15. Parma
Perhaps many would have expected a newly-promoted club to make several additions to their squad to make themselves better equipped for the top flight, but it should be noted that Parma already possessed a solid squad that is arguably capable of navigating the Serie A waters, as proven by how they managed to annihilate the competition in Serie B last season. Hence, the Ducali have almost confirmed the same squad while making some interesting additions like Matteo Cancellieri and Pontus Almqvist, which seems to be a wise decision in hindsight.
14. Cagliari
Last season, Cagliari were embroiled in the relegation battle, but managed to break away from the bottom in the final stretch under the guidance of Claudio Ranieri. And by appointing Davide Nicola as the Tinkerman’s successor, they surely have the right man to guide them towards another survival, but can hardly aspire for a bolder objective.
13. Genoa
While they kept Alberto Gilardino at the helm, Genoa have lost their goalkeeper Josep Martinez, an international Italian striker in Mateo Retegui, and most importantly, their main talisman from last season Albert Gudmundsson. Hence, it’s hard to imagine the Grifone improving on last term, even though they still have some interesting names among their ranks like Ruslan Malinovskyi and Morten Frendrup.
12. Monza
This season, Alessandro Nesta will sit on a Serie A dugout for the first time in his young managerial career in what could be a make-or-break experience for the Lazio and Milan legend. So it remains to be seen if this will prove to be a launch pad for the former defender as it was for his predecessor Raffaele Palladino. The Biancorossi still have a decent squad, but the departures of Michele Di Gregorio and Andrea Colpani could take their toll on the team.
11. Torino
It feels as if Torino have been knocking on the door of European football for several years now, but are still unable to take that one last leap in quality. While the addition of Che Adams is an interesting one, it remains to be seen how their backline will cope without the departed Alessandro Buongiorno and Ricardo Rodriguez. To make matters worse, Perr Schuurs’ injury abyss has been extended. Moreover, replacing Ivan Juric with Paolo Vanoli is another cause of concern for the Granata faithful given the new manager’s lack of Serie A experience.
10. Udinese
With Alexis Sanchez making his glorious return to the club, Florian Thauvin receiving the captain’s armband and Gerard Deulofeu edging towards recovery, there’s an air of excitement that hasn’t been felt in Udine for quite some time. Therefore, the Zebrette could be set to play some exciting football this season, especially if Kosta Runjaić manages to implement his tactical ideas. Udinese could thus prove to be the Dark Horse of the Serie A season under the guidance of the relatively unsung German manager.
9. Bologna
Following the departure of Thiago Motta, Bologna fans are left to wonder how their team will cope without the architect of last season’s masterpiece. Moreover, the Rossoblu sold their two biggest assets in Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori while Lewis Ferguson will be out for a while with a serious injury. Now Vincenzo Italiano and the new arrivals will try their best to deliver another memorable campaign at the Renato Dall’Ara, but Champions League football will certainly be a major physical and mental distraction for the Emilians. So it’s best to curb the enthusiasm when it comes to the Serie A table.
8. Fiorentina
Fiorentina have been trapped in this section of the standings for several years now. They remain a class above the majority of the table, but just don’t have enough in the tank to trouble the Big Boys. So we’re expecting more of the same from the Viola despite a managerial change (hiring Palladino) and some tweaks in personnel. Replacing Nico Gonzalez with Albert Gudmundsson is an interesting one.
7. Lazio
This summer, the winds of change have blown away the old guard at Lazio, with Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto and Felipe Anderson all biding Formello farewell. Although a revamp felt necessary following last season’s great debacle, the Biancocelesti supporters haven’t been too delighted by the new arrivals, especially as they include relegated players like Boulaye Dia and Loum Tchaouna, the injury-prone Gaetano Castrovilli, and a relative unknown in Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. Hence, maintaining the same position from last season wouldn’t be a terrible result while the team is slowly rebuilt under the guidance of Marco Baroni.
6. Roma
Roma started their summer campaign on a very high note, splashing the cash on Artem Dovbuk, Matias Soulé and Enzo Le Fée while offloading some of the deadwood like Houssem Aouar and Leonardo Spinazzola. However, their brilliant work could be undone if they end up relinquishing Paulo Dybala under the pressure of Saudi club Al-Qudsiah.
La Joya has been the main creative spark behind the team over the last two seasons, and his importance to the cause cannot be overstated. The Giallorossi could gain a few more spots on the grid by keeping the Argentine at Trigoria, but as things stand at the moment, they could be set to land outside the Champions League spots.
5. Atalanta
It feels that every time we count Atalanta out, they find a way to prove us all wrong. This summer, La Dea sustained an agonizing blow in the horrific ACL injury of Gianluca Scamacca who joins Giorgio Scalvini on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Juventus-bound Teun Koopmeiners will certainly leave big shoes to fill in Bergamo. And yet, Gian Piero Gasperini is the absolute master of identifying capable replacements. So who’s to say that the likes of Mateo Retegui and Matt O’Riley won’t deliver the goods as many of their predecessors did over the past decade?
4. Milan
This has been a relatively decent summer session for Milan who have locked in their main stars while making some interesting additions across the field like Strahinja Pavlovic, Alvaro Morata and the incoming Youssouf Fofana. However, are these new signings capable of helping the side bridge the gap with Inter? Perhaps not quite. Nevertheless, the fans are already intrigued by Paulo Fonseca who promises to produce a much more exciting brand of football. This would be the most welcome addition following the stagnant play witnessed at San Siro over the previous two campaigns.
3. Juventus
Although we’re only a few weeks away from the end of the summer transfer session, we still have more questions than answers regarding Juventus and their starting lineup under Thiago Motta. The Italo-Brazilian will certainly implement one of the most drastic changes in terms of style you can ever imagine, as he’ll have to exorcise the spirit of Massimiliano Allegri and his less-than-inspirational football.
Therefore, the Old Lady could be set for a bumpy ride while the team adapts to Motta’s new methods. But with the additions of Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz and Khephren Thuram, the Bianconeri should finally have the midfield quality they’ve been yearning for. So they should have enough talent across the field to linger among the elite.
2. Napoli
If history has taught us anything, we should simply ignore Napoli’s status from the previous season when projecting their new campaign. So let’s not pay too much heed to the club’s disastrous season which culminated in a ninth-place finish and the arrivals and departures of three different managers. Aurelio De Laurentiis made the right call by giving the reins to Antonio Conte.
Yes, the two men will inevitably clash at some point and the story will likely end on a sour note. Yet, the Lecce native is the ideal profile to avoid the glaring complacency witnessed last term. Conte will simply push the players to their limit – whether they like it or not – and they might even get a crack at the title, especially if they manage to find Khvicha Kvaratskhelia a competent striking partner to replace the departing Victor Osimhen.
The Champions: Inter
As if Inter weren’t already strong enough last season, they have now improved their depth by signing Mehdi Taremi, Piotr Zielinski and Josep Martinez while maintaining their core intact. Simone Inzaghi also continues to evolve his game along with his team’s progressive style of play. For the most part, the Nerazzurri have managed to avert the consequences of the dramatic ownership change, largely thanks to a solid administration led by the all-time great Beppe Marotta.
So as long as Lautaro Martinez and Co remain hungry for glory and focused on the prize, it’s hard to envision any other team standing on the podium next May.
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