Top 3 Stories to Follow in Serie A Round 7: Special Chelsea Reunion

After six rounds of action, the Serie A table remains an unsolved jigsaw, with the big boys blowing hot and cold and the top spot changing hands on a weekly basis. Therefore, we can expect confusion to reign supreme for at least another few weeks, but perhaps this weekend could provide a bit more clarity on some fronts. So here are three stories to keep an eye on during what should be a compelling Round 7 of Serie A.

Chelsea Reunion in Naples

The Italian weekend will kickstart on Friday evening with a very interesting encounter between Napoli and Como. The two sides may have very different aspirations this season, but they also have a few things in common. For instance, they both started the campaign on a slow note, but the Partenopei have now seized the top spot in the Serie A table, while the Lariani managed to elevate themselves from the bottom by picking up back-to-back wins in their last two outings.

But the most intriguing aspect of this encounter is the reunion between Antonio Conte and his former Chelsea player Cesc Fabregas. Both men spoke very highly of one another in their pre-match press conferences, relishing this interesting meeting.

The young Spanish manager served under the guidance of some of the biggest names in the coaching world, the likes of Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho, but he insisted he learned a great deal from Conte, even though the latter kept him on the bench for four months before granting him a regular starting berth.

While the master should have the upper hand on the student given the talent at his disposal, we’ve already witnessed a fair share of shocking results in the first weeks of the season.

Daunting Task for Juric

When Ivan Juric made his Roma bow by pummeling then-league leaders Udinese by three unanswered goals, many observers were quick to crown him as the new Emperor in Rome, claiming the management did well to ditch Daniele De Rossi and replace him with the more experienced Croatian tactician.

Nevertheless, the Giallorossi had to ride their luck to earn an unconvincing win over Venezia last weekend, before succumbing to a shocking defeat in the Europa League at the hands of Elfsborg, a club that resides in fifth place in the Swedish top flight.

It’s safe to say that all the momentum gained from the win over Udinese has now vanished. Nevertheless, blaming the new manager would be as unjust as ignorant at this stage, since it’s becoming increasingly evident that the club’s issues have deeper roots than the managerial staff.

At the moment, Juric finds himself sitting on arguably the hottest seat in Italian football, with an angry fanbase in the Curva Sud to his right and a bemused management behind him in the stands, while he and his unconfident players are trapped in the middle of a chaotic scene.

The good thing for Roma is that the resilient Juric won’t ever hide away from trouble. He’ll be willing to face the inconvenient truth and try to guide the team out of the dark tunnel. But what he doesn’t have is a magical stick, so Roma’s problems are unlikely to be solved overnight.

However, a victory over the struggling Monza on Sunday would make it three wins in a row in Serie A, thus easing some of the pressure off his shoulders.

European Hangover Incoming?

After another European mid-week that yielded mixed results for the seven Serie A representatives, it will be interesting to see how these clubs will fare this weekend against fresher opposition.

Moreover, it should be noted that these clubs have been adopting different rotation policies. For instance, Simone Inzaghi has been consistently tweaking his starting lineup, earning himself some backlash in the aftermath of every disappointing result. For his part, Juventus manager Thiago Motta has a different philosophy, as he tends to rely on the same players for a series of consecutive matches before changing the guard.

As for Milan, Paulo Fonseca has been making limited changes to his lineup, and the same goes for Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini. On the other hand, Roma, Lazio and Fiorentina have been giving opportunities to those who aren’t playing as starters in Serie A, as is the custom in the Europa League and Conference League.

While we must wait until the end of the season to learn who’s applying the right approach, this weekend’s action could deliver a slight indication.