Italian football returns for the new season and once again the question is who can stop the Juventus juggernaut after four straight titles?
Last season, the arrival of Massimiliano Allegri was seen as weakening the Bianconeri, only for the former AC Milan coach to lead Juventus to a first domestic double for twenty years and to the brink of a continental treble.
The champions have seen an overhaul of their squad but quality had replaced quality meaning the focus remains on whether their expected title rivals have done enough over the summer transfer window to really challenge the monopoly the Old Lady has had over the Scudetto.
Newcomer of the Year (Non Serie A edition)
Plenty of talent has arrived on the Italian peninsula but the one who will garner the most intrigue is the performances of Inter‘s new midfield lynchpin. Roberto Mancini’s silver tongue convinced much sought after France international Geoffrey Kondogbia to reject the advances of city rivals Milan to join the Nerazzurri for €40 million, the biggest outlay of the summer.
The question will be whether the 22-year-old can be as decisive as his one-time France under-21 partner Paul Pogba, but the pressure is on Mancini’s team to support Kondogbia and allow him to show his undoubted talent.
If he is expected to single-handedly resurrect a side without Champions League football in the previous three seasons or a title since 2010, his arrival from Monaco could be an expensive flop.
Newcomer of the Year (Serie A edition)
Milan struggled early in the transfer window to get a deal over the line but like buses they all began to materialise. After renovation work on the Rossoneri’s front line was completed with the arrivals of Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano, the club have reunited Sinisa Mihajlovic with a player that shone at the back for him while on loan at Sampdoria, centre-back Alessio Romagnoli.
€25 million paid to Roma for his services can be viewed as a smart long-term investment for a 20-year-old with good Serie A experience and an integral part of the Azzurri under-21 squad.
Romagnoli is also happy to embrace the pressure upon his young shoulders, asking for the number 13 shirt made famous by Alessandro Nesta.
He certainly made an early impression with his goal line clearance against Inter in Trofeo TIM which will have endeared him to the Milan faithful already.
First Coach Fired This Season
Predicting the first coaching casualty is certainly not an easy task as the axe can be wielded with little warning or sense.
Walter Zenga though has not started the new campaign from a position of strength after Sampdoria’s embarrassing 4-0 reverse by Vojvodina at Torino’s Stadio Olimpico in the Europa League third qualifying round.
The Blucerchiati recovered a modicum of pride with victory in the second leg, but it was the Serbians who progressed 4-2 on aggregate.
Zenga cancelled his Twitter account in the wake of the first-leg result as Doria fans vented their anger while club president Massimo Ferrero later took to the social media to defend the 55-year-old he chose to replace Milan-bound Mihajlovic.
The arrival of Antonio Cassano will have bought some goodwill but, with Mario Balotelli also linked with a move to the Stadio Lugi Ferraris, the future of Zenga could be in the hands of mercurial talents.
Coach of the Year
After Rafael Benitez left Napoli for a Real homecoming in Madrid, president Aurelio De Laurentiis has placed his faith in Maurizio Sarri.
The 56-year-old might appear an unglamorous appointment but he has earned his chance. After a nomadic existence, Sarri’s work at Empoli has rightly been praised as they retained their Serie A status last season with a refreshing brand of attacking football.
De Laurentiis has been impressed with the work rate of the squad under Sarri and the Napoli boss articulated clearly what he felt the club were lacking in their ambition to provide a sustained title challenge to Juventus and a return to the Champions League.
If he can achieve at least the latter objective, Sarri would be a good shout for coach of the year.
Three Clubs to be Relegated this Season
Lazio president Claudio Lotito may not be a football romantic but the majority of fans will be enamoured with arrival of Serie A debutants Carpi and Frosinone.
The two small-town clubs may be favourites for the drop but will hope to take inspiration from the success of Empoli and Sassuolo in retaining their top-flight existence – there may yet be hope for them.
Bologna are aiming to take no chances as they prepare for their return after a year away. Plenty of transfer speculation will have whetted the Rossoblu supports appetite and they will be hoping the new signings will keep them away from the dreaded drop zone.
Should that happen, we could see Atalanta fall through the trapdoor this time around, having only just survived the last campaign.
Europa League Participants
Lazio were a breath of fresh air last season but a quiet transfer window and the financial outlay from Milan and Inter could see them pushed out into the battle for the Europa League spots.
That could be a fierce fight with Napoli for the remaining slot and the Biancocelesti will want to make a strong start to get ahead of their rivals.
Champions League places
Since winning the title in 2001, Roma have finished runners-up on eight occasions. They struggled for authority last season and yet still wrestled second place from bitter rivals Lazio. The arrivals of Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko on loan could be the added potency the Giallorossi need to maintain their Champions League status.
The battle for third could come down to the city rivals in Milan and if the Trofeo TIM is anything to go by, Mancini’s Inter will be left in the wake of what would be a memorable first year in charge of Milan for Mihajlovic.
Champions
Juventus may have lost key personnel over the summer but the replacements have been top quality and the spine of the team is still very strong. The Bianconeri won the Scudetto by almost 20 points and while their rivals work in the transfer market suggests a better challenge, the Old Lady still has by far the most complete squad.
Allegri has the chance to deliver a fifth consecutive title for Juventus for the first time since their side of the 1930s, and it’s hard to believe that anyone will stand in their way.
