Following their feats as one of the revelations of last season, Hellas Verona have kicked off the 2014/15 Serie A season in perfectly respectable fashion and they are looking good in seventh position.
The Gialloblu are yet to take the scalp of a big club or have a youngster really establish himself in the way that Juan Manuel Iturbe or Jorginho did last season, but they’re ticking along nicely given their high turnover of players in the summer. Verona have displayed an impressive ability to live in the moment and make short-term changes to the squad without compromising results.
Last season the squad’s most obvious deficiencies were at the back. These problems seem on their way to being solved with the arrivals of ex-Barcelona star Rafael Marquez, Frederik Sorensen and Ivan Martic. Marquez’s arrival is a continuation of the policy of bringing in veterans with pedigree, and the same can be said of Javier Saviola who came to complement last season’s goal-scoring hero Luca Toni.
The Mexican shored up the defence immediately and the Mastini have kept two clean sheets from four games so far. Marquez has looked assured despite his mistake that led to Genoa’s second goal in a 2-2 home draw.
Martic has looked solid at right-back and represents Sean Sogliano’s recruitment policy to bring in more obscure players who can do a job. The 24-year-old Croatian arrived from Swiss side St Gallen to fill the boots of the departed Romulo, and has not disappointed so far.
The young and relatively unknown goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini arrived from Manchester United and performed well against the Grifone in the absence of the first choice, the incredibly reliable Rafael.
All the new recruits were cheap buys and the pressure is off them in the sense that they do not have a hefty price tag around them. Nonetheless, these unsung players are already making a valuable contribution and if they prove to be really good, they’ll be moved on for a profit and the process can start again.
Veronas’ success has also been down to Andrea Mandorlini. The Verona coach has been more experimental with his tactics this season with a 3-5-2 used at times. The formation gives the side more solidity in midfield and reduces the Gialloblu’s dependence on counterattacks whilst allowing for more creativity in possession.
Vangelis Moras has looked like a very technically competent defender in the new three-man defensive setup and he’s shown he can pick a pass and start moves from the back. Verona now have another trick up their sleeve. They can be more patient in possession and work their way forward rather than hoofing the ball forward and relying on Toni’s size.
On the subject of Toni, the Italian hasn’t yet reached the heights of last season. The absence of Iturbe in attack has something to do with it, but less glamorous midfielders have started chipping in with valuable contributions. Artur Ionita has been one of them. The winger became the first Moldovan to score in Serie A against Torino and then added a second a week later against Genoa. Panagiotis Tachtsidis can look ungainly at times but makes up for it in versatility, able to chip in with the odd assist or goal. Overall, the technical quality of the side is less than when it contained the likes of Jorginho, Iturbe and Romulo, but the reinforcements ave proven reliable. If anything the squad looks more balanced.
Verona will probably not be the surprise package they were last season. But the club wants to become a solid, respectable Serie A outfit capable of surviving in the division and notching up the odd famous win here and then. The transfer window may have seemed chaotic for Verona at the time, but Sogliano’s work looks to have been vindicated and the defence has improved significantly.
The Scaligeri probably won’t pull up many trees or push for qualification for the Europa League this season, but the difficult process of consolidation is well on its way to completion. The signs are encouraging and the dreaded second-season syndrome looks to have been averted.
Follow Luca Gunby on Twitter at: @Gunbyzono
