With just a couple of weeks until the Serie A action starts I thought I would take a look at the season ahead and the prospects of Italy's 20 finest teams. To get the ball rolling, I have cast my eye over the newly-promoted sides. Normally, they would be expected to have a fight on their hands but when you consider the names involved, they could all make a major impact.
Juventus - The old enemy is back - bloodied but unbowed. The rump of the team which was punished for Calciopoli remains but is, of course, a couple of years older. So, Del P, Trez, Buffon, Nedved and Camo should be solid enough. Early signs are, however, that the squad is not going to be of sufficient quality to make a scrap for the Scudetto. I like the look of the Almiron-Tiago partnership in midfield but it will surely take time to bed down. And, despite signing Iaquinta, I hope they give a bit of space to Palladino - one of our best young talents. I don't like Salihamidzic - I think he is a dirty wee player - so I hope he is used sparingly, if at all. Rinaldi's forecast: 4th place.
Napoli - I admit it, I am worried for the boys from the San Paolo. From what I have seen they look ill-equipped to cope with the leap forward. Their President has promised three more signings and that is the very least they could do with. At least they can count on their great home support which should be worth a few points. However, I have a feeling that Cannavaro junior might be a busy many sorting out the defence. Shame they couldn't get their hands on Cassano, he would have been a great fit for the club and city. Rinaldi's forecast: 15th place.
Genoa - The argument above for the Napoletani probably holds true for the Grifone. However, I think they have made some more eye-catching signings. Cesare Bovo, Matteo Paro and Marco Borriello form an interesting addition to each department of the squad. It is never easy because expectation levels are set so high by the fans but if they can get off to a decent start they could do good things. A UEFA spot is probably a bit optimistic but they might scrape into the top half. Rinaldi's forecast: 11th place.
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6 comments:
It's a brave man that makes predictions before the transfer window closes.
Good to see those three back though. As I've said before it now looks more like the Serie A I once knew.
Great to see the 3 "bad boys" back.It will certainly make for a more xciting Season. I might even agree with the predictions you have made!
From a personal(Milan)perspective its good to get the worst fixture out of the way first.
I'm just hoping that Genoa hang in there, and bag a few memorable results. Sticking it to Milan would be a nice start. In my dreams.
p.s. Come on C5 ! I want to hear about the Serie 'A' coverage and schedule.
Martino
I'm the kind of fool that loves making these kind of predictions. I have never been anything other than spectacularly wrong!
BRN
The league fixtures have a mouth-watering look with so many big names back in there.
Trent
I've always liked the Grifone too. And, yes, the C5 build-up has been decidedly low-key so far.
Any truth in the rumour that GINKERS will be presenting the new Channel 5 show?
I like that rumour, could you bombard the C5 website with requests to that end?
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