After bouncing straight back into Serie A at the first attempt, and with cross-town rivals Chievo heading in the other direction, you would expect confidence to be soaring around Hellas Verona.
However, crashing immediately back to the second tier within 12 months of their previous top-flight experience has those around the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi viewing the 2019/20 campaign with a greater sense of realism.
Last term, the goal-shy Mastini finished a not insignificant 14 points behind second placed Lecce in Serie B and scraped through the promotion play-off final against Cittadella 3-2 on aggregate after seemingly imploding during a two-goal first-leg defeat.
Along with fellow promoted side Brescia, the Gialloblu will form part of a less-than-elite group fighting for top-flight survival and only a few will dream of a mid-table finish, probably keeping their fingers crossed that some of last year’s Serie A strugglers join the battle to improve their chances of survival.
Summer Dealings – 7/10
Most of Hellas’ summer transfer activity focused on retaining those who had aided their Serie A return, with loan deals for Pawel Dawidowicz (€3.5m from Benfica), Luca Marrone (€1m from Juventus) and Samuel Di Carmine (€2.5m from Perugia) made permanent.
Whether Di Carmine can contribute enough in attack – the 30-year-old striker netted just eight league goals last term – remains to be seen, but the arrival of centre-back Amir Rrahmani for €2m from Dinamo Zagreb should help alleviate any defensive instability.
After losing midfield duo Mattia Valoti and Mohamed Fares to relegation rivals SPAL for a combined fee of around €6m, the signing of free agent Darko Lazovic from Genoa could be an excellent piece of business, though, after a productive season with the Grifone.
Key man – Giampaolo Pazzini
Depending on your viewpoint, it is somewhat concerning that the Mastini’s Serie A hopes largely rest with ageing striker Giampaolo Pazzini, as he managed just 10 goals in 24 league games last season.
However, a career that has taken in the likes Atalanta, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and both Milan giants highlights that there is quality within those 35-year-old boots. Therefore, fans will be hoping he can experience an Indian Summer in Verona, just as a veteran Luca Toni did half a decade ago – registering 20 and 22 goals in consecutive seasons for the Gialloblu.
One to watch – Liam Henderson
With the Hellas defence expected to be under pressure for most of the campaign, centre-back Dawidowicz could be worth watching, but for British followers of Italian football there is only one place to look – Scotsman Liam Henderson.
The 23-year-old made an impressive 28 appearances for the Mastini last season, scoring three times, and the departure of midfielders Valoti and Fares is likely to see increased playing time for the former Celtic youth product.
The Coach – Ivan Juric
After arriving at the club in June, there should be positivity around the appointment of coach Ivan Juric and was once referred to as the brightest pupil of Atalanta tactician Gian Piero Gasperini, who he replaced at Genoa.
The Croatian will likely deploy a 3-4-3 formation based on high intensity, like his mentor and is tactically extremely versatile, best highlighted during a 3-0 win over Juventus in November 2016.
With Genoa the 43-year-old had something of a yo-yo experience, though, with three spells between June 2016 and December 2018, so it will not be an unknown experience should his position come under pressure in Verona.
Prediction – 20th
The limited expectations around their Serie A return is likely to become reality with the Gialloblu ending the season bottom of the standings.
