10 degrees of Serie A October edition
By Frank Risorto
Simone Inzaghi looks to have comfortably handled the step up to Inter Milan and the pressures that come with the ‘pazza’ culture. Inzaghi’s choice of substitutions in the first six matches have raised a few eyebrows and despite his midfield looking awkward at times, thank the Calcio gods for Nicolo Barella, they’ve done the job asked of them however he’s thankful for having …
Lautaro Martinez there to steer the attacking ship. The Argentinean has had a hot start to the season and has seamlessly stepped into his natural number nine position inheriting the talisman role left behind by Romelu Lukaku. Scoring four goals in five appearances Martinez has been clinical in front of goal, (his goal against Atalanta my goal of the season), unlike his team-mate …
Edin Dzeko who despite scoring five goals in his first six appearances for the Nerazzurri could already be in double figures if able to convert his chances. Will his goal to chances ratio come back to haunt Inter this season? Questions arose at the time of the forwards transfer regarding not only his age and wages, but the consistency of the Bosnian forward and despite his at times questionable finishing ability he’s done well to quiet his critics and at the same time get many excited for what’s ahead like …
Victor Osimhen, the 22-year-old Napoli superstar who’s proving nearly all were on the money in forecasting he’d finish the season as Capocannoniere (also now known as the Paolo Rossi Award). After seeing red in his first game, somewhat unjustly, the superstar in the making has shown flashes of brilliance, pace and power in his first five appearances. Living up to expectations can be a difficult thing to do, just ask …
Max Allegri. The 54-year-old returned to Juventus and big things were predicted and foreshadowed with many giving Juve the Serie A title based on his return alone. Allegri’s start to the season has proved unpredictable and at times looked an absolute mess, the game against Empoli in particular. Are Juve’s expectations too high? Are they realistically Scudetto contenders? Does Allegri know his best starting eleven? All questions yet to be answered. If Allegri wants to know what persistence and perseverance looks like he only need to look back to his old club AC Milan where …
Stefano Pioli continues to squeeze that lemon dry! Pioli looks to be a perfect compliment to a young Milan side and despite the Scudetto expectations growing by the week, it was the clubs return to Europe that brought a smile to the face of many. Can Milan keep up their hot start and manage their squad appropriately for both the Serie A and Europe? With the African Cup of Nations fast approaching where Milan will lose two key players (Franck Kessie and Ismaal Bennacer) it’s important Milan keep up their strong start like …
Vincenzo Italiano who finds his Fiorentina side sitting in 5th place after six matches. Italiano has transformed Fiorentina into a side with purpose, drive and a game plan built to their strengths unlike his predecessors. Off the back of fine performances by forwards Dusan Vlahovic and Nicolas Gonzalez (despite his ridiculously thoughtless red card against Inter), goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski (spell that first name without looking it up) and defender Nikola Milenkovic, Fiorentina will be looking to continue their strong start and prove it’s not a false dawn, something all too familiar to …
Jose Mourinho. The iconic Portuguese manager arrived in the Eternal City to much fanfare and after their first three matches against Fiorentina, Salernitana and Sassuolo confidence was quietly building in Rome for a Scudetto challenge. Defeats to Hellas Verona and against local rivals Lazio has brought the Romans back to earth. Mourinho got off to excellent starts at his two previous clubs, Manchester United and Tottenham, before the milk quickly turned sour on and off the field. Can Mourinho break his run and keep the wolfpack humming along nicely in the top four? Perhaps, but if his reaction to their loss against Lazio is anything to go by Mourinho is slowly reverting back to type and although it’s very early days, add the Portuguese manager to an already combustible environment in Rome and we have the makings of an unhappy ending. Something that …
Thiago Motta is aware of. Hoping to learn from his first ugly managerial experience in Genoa where the Brazilian-Italian only lasted 10 matches, the Spezia manager has quietly gone about his work and so far, proving he can handle a Serie A job. Unlucky against Udinese, AC Milan and Juventus, Spezia have played well despite their lowly position in the standings. Motta has learnt from his time at Genoa trying not to change too much to quickly maintaining a very similar style to the 2020–21 Spezia, particularly in attack. Motta’s major concern will be his defensive record already conceding 15 goals — the worst record in the Serie A equal to Cagliari, Genoa and Salernitana — so if he doesn’t find a way to fix his backline, he’ll soon be joining …
Sinisa Mihajlovic as a manager under fire! The Bologna manager has come under fire this season having seemed to be impenetrable at times despite his team’s dreadful performances. Defensively Bologna have been a disaster, still dealing with the loss of Takehiro Tomiyasu and puzzling non-selection of Adama Soumaoro. The manager looks at sea trying to pass on instructions to his side, appears to not know his best side and has Bologna slowly turning themselves into the sexy boring old Chievo, just happy to play along in mid-table mediocrity. Thanks to their poor defensive record, that often more than not means Bologna will partake in a high scoring game. With the much-respected director Walter Sabatini, who at times appeared to be the voice of reason, set to depart the club at seasons end let’s hope Mihajlovic isn’t far behind as the club, supporters and the city deserve better.
