Euphoria has swept through Italian football weeks before the 2018/19 Serie A season has commenced, and despite the domination of Juventus for the majority of the decade, interest and global exposure has increased significantly.
The arrival of the iconic Cristiano Ronaldo from Spanish giants Real Madrid for a reported fee of €105 million has already gone down as one of the most famous transfers in Italian football history and his acquisition has already looked like a great marketing coup due to the high demand of his jersey.
This has prompted other Italian clubs to strengthen their squads with greater diligence and they have displayed great ambition than what they have in recent years.
Juventus are hot favourites to secure their eighth consecutive scudetto but with Ronaldo in the squad, expectations to win the Champions League have increased. Aside from the Portuguese superstar arriving in Turin, Emre Can and Joao Cancelo have been signed from Liverpool and Valencia respectively while defender Leonardo Bonucci has controversially returned after one season at AC Milan.
One of the teams that could pose a threat for La Vecchia Signora are Inter, who have bolstered their squad after earning qualification for the Champions League. The defence has been revolutionised with the arrivals of Stefan De Vrij, Kwadwo Asamoah, and Sime Vrsajlko and offensive acquisitions include Matteo Politano, Keita Balde, and Argentine starlet Lautaro Martinez.
Midfielder Radja Nainggolan has joined from Roma but it is another one that they are unlikely to buy that has gained the most attention. Speculation has been rife with Real Madrid midfield Luka Modric joining the Biscione but he looks set to stay in Spain for the time being.
After creating a team that played some of the best football ever witnessed, Maurizio Sarri left Napoli after three seasons and has joined English club Chelsea but he has been replaced by one of the most successful tacticians in Italian and world football in Carlo Ancelotti.
Defensive midfielder Jorginho has joined Sarri in London but the majority of the squad has remained intact and the versatile forward Simone Verdi has finally arrived from Bologna. Unfortunately for Ancelotti, the Partenopei have had issues signing more high-quality players, so maintaining the high league finishes achieved under Sarri will be challenging.
A club that might finally experience some joy again is AC Milan, who are now in the control of the Elliott Management Corporation after a tumultuous year under the ownership of Chinese businessman Yonghong Li.
Former stars Leonardo and Paolo Maldini have returned to the club as directors and the Rossoneri have signed emerging centre-back Mattia Caldara and experienced striker Gonzalo Higuain from Juventus. Pressure will be placed on coach Gennaro Gattuso to perform with rumours of him being sacked and possibly replace by former Italy coach Antonio Conte occasionally circling.
Roma finished third in Serie A in 2017/18 but their surprising run to the semi-finals of the Champions League was undoubtedly the most memorable thing in Eusebio Di Francesco’s first season as Giallorossi coach.
They have sold one of their prized assets Alisson to Liverpool but replacing him in goal is Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen. Sporting director Monchi has focused more on depth than on adding extra quality but acquisitions Bryan Cristante, Javier Pastore, and Justin Kluivert should provide some additional spark.
There should be a number of clubs capable of challenging for European spots with the aforementioned teams. Lazio have managed to hold onto midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, possess one of Serie A’s most prolific strikers in Ciro Immobile, and Simone Inzaghi is one of the shrewdest tacticians in the league. He will also be facing his brother Filippo as coach this season, with the former Milan forward now at Bologna.
Atalanta will likely try to balance Europa League and league football while producing more young talent as well as playing attractive football under Gian Piero Gasperini, and Sampdoria will be attempting to do the same in Marco Giampaolo’s third season as coach.
Fiorentina could be one of the most exciting teams to watch and another contender for a spot in Europe if their attacking trident of Federico Chiesa, Giovanni Simeone, and Marko Pjaca gel quickly while Torino might be a surprise packet in their first full season with Walter Mazzarri as coach and he will be hoping that striker Andrea Belotti remains fit and scores freely.
Newly promoted from Serie B are Empoli, Frosinone, and Parma, and they will have challenges avoiding the drop but the likes of Chievo, SPAL, and Udinese could be vulnerable. With Italian football becoming more proactive and with more Italian youngsters emerging, these lower half teams will need to adapt fast and also provide an element of surprise.
Serie A returns to action on Saturday with Chievo v Juventus opening proceedings and with all the hype received in the summer, this is a time for football fans to focus on the players and coaches in Italian football instead of the usual controversies and polemics.
