Calcio
lovers rejoice, Serie A is back today! The Italian league usually
starts after most of the other big European leagues have kicked off,
which is quite annoying for those of us eager to get underway. However, it always feels like the football season has started
properly once Serie A is off and running.
This term Serie A feels quite strange. Firstly there's the matchfixing scandal that has been running all summer, with a large amount of players and teams charged and punished. These charges have led to points deductions, player bans, and the strange sight of champions Juventus having their coach Antonio Conte suspended for pretty much the whole of this season, although bizarrely he will be training the team on a day to day basis, he just won't be allowed to sit on the bench or give instructions during matches. For that a member of his coaching staff, Massimo Carrera, is standing in.
The
second reason Serie A feels strange this season is because of the
global economic situation. A lack of money has meant that there have
been no big transfer signings by Italian clubs, with many having to
sell their stars, the best example being Milan with Ibrahimovic and
Thiago Silva. Italian clubs have been forced to make signings on the
cheap, mostly using loans and co-ownership agreements. Milan fans
expecting a big name to replace Ibrahimovic have so far had to make
do only with Giampaolo Pazzini, gained by swapping Antonio Cassano
and 7m with Inter, although Kaka has been linked with a return all
summer. This transfer drought means that many clubs will start with
no recognised world class players, a shocking development for a
league that used to be graced with the best players in the world.
This financial situation has contributed to make this look like what will be the
most open and unpredictable season for a long time. Juventus start as
favourites for the title, as current champions, and also with
probably the strongest team as a whole. The Old Lady will still have
to deal with their coaching situation though, as well as juggling
European football commitments in their return to the Champions
League. Behind Juventus, there's a wide field of several teams that
could challenge; Milan may not have had the best transfer window
ever, but they are still a big team. Inter had a poor last season and
have reacted by trying to rebuild, with several new signings, and
attempts to move on players like Maicon, Julio Cesar, and Lucio. As
an Inter fan I believe this season could go either way, with either
a title challenge, or another poor season as the new signings fail to
gel. A lot will also depend on how rookie coach Andrea Stramaccioni
does in his first full Serie A season. Another possible challenger is
Roma, who hired coach Zdenek Zeman, known for wanting nothing less
than spectacular attacking football, that can be beautiful but which
also sometimes leads to his sides being stung in defence. Possible
outsiders for a title challenge are probably Udinese, who qualified
for the Champions League for the second season in a row, but who sell
some of their best players every summer, and Lazio, who had a
surprisingly good last season behind the goals of Miroslav Klose.
Serie
A has had a difficult summer, with all the scandal and its financial
situation, but this season promises to be exciting and open in a way
not seen for a while. I can't wait to see what happens.
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