Coming off their worst finish in Serie A since their first year back in Italy’s top flight and celebrating survival almost as much as Juventus celebrated their Scudetto victory, Chievo will no doubt be looking to reclaim their status as a mid-table Serie A club and not one whose primary focus is avoiding relegation to the doldrums of Serie B.
To add further insult to injury, as the Flying Donkey’s battled for survival, bitter city rivals Hellas Verona were catching headlines for all the right reasons on the field as they managed to achieve a tenth place finish in their first season back in Serie A.
One fear that was certain to have been prominent in the thinking of any Chievo fan this summer was whether or not the club could keep hold of top goalscorer, Alberto Paloschi, with the league’s bigger clubs looking certain to be sniffing around the 24-year-old Italian and they will unquestionably be delighted to see him take to the field at the Bentegodi again this season.
Transfers
The Mussi Volanti supporters will probably be pleased with the activity of their club in regards incoming transfers. The most notable exit from the squad is the departure of Cyril Théréau to Udinese. The uncapped French striker finished the 2013/14 season as Chievo’s second leading goalscorer with a tally of seven, six behind the leader and aforementioned Paloschi.
Although there have been no real outstanding or groundbreaking arrivals at the Bentegodi, Chievo have made some decent signings. One of these sensible signings add depth to the striking department. Maxi Lopez has arrived from Sampdoria in an attempt to contribute the goals that would have previously been the responsibility of Théréau.
Valter Birsa has arrived after a season to forget at AC Milan and is joined by Izco as he departs from Serie B bound Catania. The latter had a respectable season last time out and will be most remembered for his sensational performance as Catania beat Roma 4-1 in May as he scored twice and assisted another against the best defence in the league at the time.
Birsa epitomised all that was wrong with the Rossoneri last year and has taken a sensible step to join a club whose stature is almost certainly more appropriate for a player of his ability. He was largely ineffective in a Milan team that were in no way a reflection of the great sides that wore the famous shirt before them.
The Coach – Eugenio Corini
Currently enjoying his longest stint in charge of a club since embarking on his coaching career, the question about how much longer Corini will be in charge at Chievo is a valid one. At the youthful age of 44-years-old, the Italian is currently in his fifth coaching position, albeit at the same club as his fourth job.
Initially appointed in October 2012, his first spell at the Bentegodi was not a long lasting one. Nine months later Chievo ended the season in 12th place and Corini left the club by mutual consent.
Life without Corini commenced and concluded with a ball barely being kicked as he was reappointed as coach in November 2013, replacing Giuseppe Sannino as the Flying Donkeys found themselves facing a relegation battle just two months into the season.
With Corini’s men facing two of Serie A’s top three from last season in their opening two games, this season could well begin as poorly as last. Defeat against Juventus and Napoli will really turn the pressure up a notch and the subsequent fixtures against kinder opposition such as Parma, Sampdoria and Empoli will become nail biting must win matches before AC Milan and Roma come to play.
Corini is not known for sticking around for an extended period of time at any of the clubs he has managed in the past, even in his previous reign as Chievo manager. He is yet to remain in a job for more than twelve months, with his time at Serie B side Portosummaga coming to a farcical end after just twelve days.
Season Expectations
The obvious minimum expectation for the Gialloblu is to better the performance of last season. Having achieved a top half finish in 2011/12 they will feel that is where they should aspire to be again.
After lifting them from the bottom three and only allowing them to drop back into the relegation zone for one week after game week 13, Corini will be confident that he can successfully steer the Flying Donkeys clear of the drop.
What’s more, he will also look to lead a push up the table and if not quite finish in the top half, he will certainly expect to be toward the top of the bottom half.
Prediction
Looking at the opening fixtures as I listed them above, I expect things to start in a similar fashion to last season and for Chievo to be struggling early on. It might take a change in management just like last season but I feel they have the ability to turn it around and find themselves comfortably avoiding relegation this season without really threatening to break into the top half.
Where they will finish? I am going to stick my neck out and say they will finish 14th, so a slight improvement.
Follow Conor Clancy on Twitter: @concalcio
