After Juventus won their seventh-consecutive Scudetto last season, the Italian sports newspapers have become increasingly obsessed with which team will become the “anti-Juve” this year, i.e. the side who can present a credible challenge to the increasingly dominant Old Lady of Turin.
Three rounds have now been completed in Serie A. However when none of the big sides have shown good form - and Juve themselves have been slow to find their stride in terms of performance - meaning it really does pose the question: who can challenge Juventus for top spot this year?
Napoli
Under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti, Napoli initially looked shaky defensively but no-one could argue with two wins from their opening two matches versus Lazio and AC Milan. However, they would come up short in spectacular fashion versus Sampdoria, losing 3-0 to a side they had beaten in five of the last six attempts.
It is now up to the former Bayern Munich boss to find a solution to a leaky defence, to help the squad adapt to life after three years under the ultra-precise Maurizio Sarri, and to decide which system to use between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. The latter could see Amadou Diawara preferred to Marek Hamsik in midfield alongside Allan, with last season’s front three of Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon backing up striker Arkadiusz Milik.
What’s for sure is that there is much work to be done at the Stadio San Paolo if Napoli can once again push Juve all the way for this year’s crown.
Inter
After a spectacular summer in the transfer market saw all of Inter’s holes in the squad plugged in some style, Coach Luciano Spalletti has seemed unsure of how to best utilise the wealth of resources bestowed upon him. Defeat in the opening round and a disappointing loss of a 2-0 lead to only draw at home to Torino has seen the boss experiment with both a back four and a back three, but a win versus Bologna using a 4-2-3-1 system will surely help him make up his mind.
That said, the Nerazzurri were heavily tipped to finish second in the league this season, but early performances show that this kind of form is still a long way off. Spalletti also has the added complication of a tough Champions League group to reckon with, Inter having been pitted against Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and PSV Eindhoven in Group B.
AS Roma
A summer in which Roma once again sold first-team regulars - Alisson, Radja Nainggolan and Kevin Strootman all having departed the capital club - was still met with optimism as supporters showed faith in transfer wizard Monchi and dynamic boss Eusebio Di Francesco.
Yet Roma have taken just four points from their opening three matches, the last before the international break seeing them suffer a last-gasp defeat to rivals Milan. Most worrying of all for the Giallorossi fans is that Di Francesco seems frustrated and indecisive in the dugout, the Coach having blasted the players and broken a bone in his hand during a disappointing 3-3 draw at home to Atalanta.
Just like Spalletti, he must decide between his preferred 4-3-3 and a 3-4-1-2 that would allow more room for new signing Javier Pastore behind strikers Edin Dzeko and Patrik Schick.
Milan
While the Rossoneri look settled in their 4-3-3, boss Gennaro Gattuso must work out how to involve their striker Gonzalo Higuain more. After arriving from Juve in the summer, the Argentine forward has often looked a frustrated figure, dropping deep to receive the ball in areas where a large hole exists that should be occupied by a teammate looking to set him up.
Indeed, it was Higuain himself that delivered a sublime pass to Patrick Cutrone for the aforementioned last-minute winner versus Roma, but Gattuso clearly needs to work out how to get his star player firing once again.
#FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve
