Antonio Conte's departure from Juventus leaves the side severely weakened. The controversial appointment of the less than impressive former Ac Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri means the club are going to be under some serious changes in terms of philosophy and formation. Conte's 3-5-2 formation was the corner stone to the side's successes over the years, with the wing backs providing important width and the midfielders dictating play in the middle. This is likely to be scrapped as Allegri favours four at the back and it was he who drove Pirlo out of the San Siro, hopefully he utilises the Italian in the proper manner this time around instead of implementing two sitting defensive midfielders.
Allegri has done well however to hold onto the club's major stars in Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba but his signings have been questioned. He has spent big on the hugely talented Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid despite already having two of the most deadliest strikers in Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente. He has also dropped the biggest hint he wants to have a sitting defensive midfielder, signing the talented and young Romulo from Hellas Verona on loan. Manchester United veteran Patrice Evra also arrives, a player not really capable of fulfilling the role a wing back does due to its demanding work rate which suggests Allegri will play a back four. It is Juventus's crown to lose this year but with a change in manager the winning formula is most definitely going to be altered by mad Massimiliano.
 |
| Juventus have kept hold of Arturo Vidal |
Arguably Juventus' closest rivals, Roma look stronger than ever under Rudi Garcia. The French manager has brought in a number of reinforcements but has also managed to keep hold of most of his star players like Kevin Strootman and Miralem Pjanić. Roma have strengthened the weakest part of the squad with the signing of left back Ashley Cole as well as securing one of the hottest talents in Italy in the direct attacking flair of attacker Juan Iturbe from Hellas Verona.
However, the club have lost one of their most crucial players in Mehdi Benatia to Bayern Munich, but the club would have faced a impossible task to keep the Moroccan defender with the allure of the Bavarian giants. With Juventus looking as vulnerable as ever, Roma are tipped to be Scudetto champions by many this year.
Napoli were their own enemy last year due to their inconsistency. One week they were capable of beating the best, the next they would slump to a draw to a team they really should be beating. The club have not replicated the spending spree of last summer and will once again be relying on the form of goal scorer Gonzalo Higuain to deliver.
However, Napoli have still spent, bringing in former Swansea duo Jonathan De Guzman on a permanent deal and highly rated attacker Michu in on loan. Napoli have to be applauded for managing to negotiate the loan of Michu, a player that is considered very important to Swansea. French defender Kalidou Koulibaly from Genk also arrives to give Rafa Benitez much needed cover at the back. Benitez will have a lot to do if Napoli are to be crowned Scudetto champions this year, but steady form could see that happen.
 |
| Loyal captain Francesco Totti will be looking to lead Roma to glory this year |
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. AC Milan will look for a serious improvement on last year's short comings under new manager Flippo Inzaghi's vision. But, the club have once again engaged in brainless dealings due to the unstable economic state at the San Siro. The sale of Mario Balotelli is outrageous as despite being so frustratingly inconsistent regarding form with his on pitch strops and off the field headline grabbing, he was the man Milan looked for to produce something. The club doesn't exactly have a abundance of strikers either with the only actual striker left being Gianpoalo Pazzini.
Despite their forward problems, the club have strengthened at the back where it was needed. The club have managed to bring in European quality with clever free transfers including former PSG duo Alex and attacker Jeremy Menez but most impressive of all, they have brought in the man that usurped Iker Casillas from his number one spot at Madrid with the signing of Diego Lopez. The AC Milan faithful will have the optimistic view of challenging for the Scudetto crown, but a Champions League spot maybe more realistic.
Much like local rivals AC Milan, Inter Milan are also in a state of decline. A turbulent opening season for manager Walter Mazzari saw the possibility of being sacked loom over his head, especially with the club under new ownership. However, Mazzari stays and has strengthened what was a wafer thin squad in terms of depth, bringing in a number of players in a number of departments.
 |
| Unmotivated and unimpressive, AC Milan's season last year summed up in a picture |
Inter Milan have signed two combative midfielders in Cardiff's Gary Medel for £8m and Rubin Kazan's Yann M'Vila on loan which brings in some much needed grit in midfield. Also arriving is the much travelled and troubled striker Dani Osvaldo on loan from Southampton which gives Inter Milan some much needed striking options as the club only had Mauro Icardi and Rodrigo Palacio to choose from. But, most impressive of all, the club have secured the signing of world class defender Nemanja Vidic on a free transfer, giving the side leadership and strength in the back three Mazarri so often deploys.
The Serie A is well and truly a open race with a number of teams in with a shout to win the coveted Scudetto. Will Juventus continue their reign of dominance in Italy despite new management or will it be one of their rivals pipping them to first place? With the all the bad press the Serie A receives, this campaign is going to thrill.
No comments:
Post a Comment