### Cue the operatic music, Serie A is back. Three new teams, too many new managers to think about and an almost infinite quantity of hopes and dreams to be fulfilled and shattered.

In part two, we’ll take a look at ten teams and their outlook on this season, their managerial situation plus key players and ones to watch. You can find part one **[here](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-08-16-serie-a-2024-25-preview-part-one)**.

### Lazio (7th)

Manager: Marco Baroni. *Unexpectedly managed to keep a poor Verona side safe despite a January fire sale. Now in his first ‘big’ job. Not a glamorous hire, but one that could work.*

*Yet another team with a new manager. Life after Ciro Immobile begins without a real replacement, minus Castellanos. Have added promising wide players in Tchaouna and Noslin. Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson and Daichi Kamada moved on and were replaced only by the injury prone Gaetano Castrovilli from Fiorentina. Don’t expect them to improve on last season’s finish, but it’s certainly no time to panic.*

Key player: Mattia Zaccagni. *The main man now that Immobile and the aforementioned midfield crop have departed. His time to shine as this team’s best attacking threat.*

One to watch: Gaetano Castrovilli. *Easy to forget that he made the victorious Italy squad at Euro 2020. Plagued by injuries at Fiorentina before seeing his contract expire. A creative midfielder who could be a real bargain if he stays fit.*

### Lecce (14th)

Manager: Luca Gotti. *Steadied the ship and kept his team up after taking over from D’Aversa. Likeable manager who saved his sporting director Pantaleo Corvino from a hotel fire days before signing a contract extension last month.*

*Another summer in Serie A. Not a bad one by their standards, losing only Marin Pongracic. Signing players most normal people have never heard of is the Lecce modus operandi, thanks to sporting director Pantaleo Corvino. At least one of this summer’s crop will leave for an eight figure sum in a year or two. Should fancy themselves to stay up again this year, though it won’t be without a fight.*

Key player: Wladimiro Falcone. *Underrated ‘keeper whose performances will again be crucial in making sure they stay up.* 

One to watch: Patrick Dorgu. *Very talented young Danish left-back who should feature a lot this season, which will see him on the radar of many European clubs.*

### Milan (2nd)

Manager: Paulo Fonseca. *A new man in the dugout. Has previous in Italy, having coached Roma from 2019-21. No pressure.*

*They begin the season without Stefano Pioli in the dugout for the first time since 2019. Fonseca has a job on his hands trying to manage his fanbase’s expectations. He has been backed in the transfer market with the signings of Morata, Royal, Pavlovic and (soon) Fofana. It seems as though the fans will expect a title challenge and they may well get one, but it’s unlikely that they’ll go all the way.*

Key player: Rafael Leao. *Has to kick on and become a leading light in the league. Unplayable on his day and can combine incredibly with Theo Hernandez.*

One to watch: Ruben Loftus-Cheek. *Expect a big second season from RLC after a decent debut.*

### Monza (12th)

Manager: Alessandro Nesta. *Hired after a decent season at Reggiana, keeping them mid-table in Serie B. Tough job to do any better than Palladino here given the lack of recruitment.*

*A truly intriguing managerial hire given they have just sold their two best players, goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio and attacking midfielder Andrea Colpani. Neither have been properly replaced and they’ve also lost a few loanees. They should be fine, though one can see the Berlusconi family selling up amid rumoured American interest. They might have taken this club as far as it can go.*

Key player: Matteo Pessina. *Main man at his hometown club. Will be vital in the engine room of Nesta’s aggressive machine.*

One to watch: Daniel Maldini. *Is now his time? His surname must weigh heavily but this feels like the season that he breaks through as a decent Serie A attacking midfielder.*

### Napoli (10th)

Manager: Antonio Conte. *The move that the neutrals wanted to see. Fascinated to see what he does with this team and if he can rejuvenate the club after a woeful year.*

*The worst title defence in Serie A history is behind them and all is well in Naples. Almost. They would have hoped to have sold Victor Osimhen for a bazillion euros by now. No such luck. Alessandro Buongiorno’s arrival from Torino might be the best signing of the transfer window and Conte will likely make use of spare parts like Walid Cheddira. Expect a resurgent Napoli this season. What that looks like is still unclear. Champions League football would be an amazing improvement.*

Key player: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. *Who else? He’s that guy.*

One to watch: Leonardo Spinazzola. *A very cruel Achilles injury halted him in his greatest moment, leading Italy to Euro glory. A fresh start after two years as an extra at Roma. Still time for a third act.*

### Parma (1st in Serie B)

Manager: Fabio Pecchia. *Took Cremonese up in ‘22 before resigning. Done it again but this time he’s sticking around to take a crack at the top flight.*

*The nineties hipster dreamers are back. Deserved Serie B winners who look capable of making the step up to this level, though they would be helped by some defensive reinforcements and a capable goalscorer. They can stay up and probably will, but Serie A is a different beast.* 

Key player: Dennis Man. *Impressed at Euro 2024 for Romania and could have a big year if he hits the ground running.* 

One to watch: Adrien Bernabé. *Their most complete player. A midfielder equally capable of playing deep or behind a striker, he can really mix it. Should make a name for himself this season.*

### Roma (6th)

Manager: Daniele De Rossi. *Proved some doubters wrong by reviving his beloved club’s season from January onwards. Now he must do it for a full season so Roma can retake their seat at the top table.*

*José Mourinho could not deliver Champions League football, can DDR? The club have backed him considerably, signing Dovbyk, Le Fée and Soulé. Rumours swirl that Paulo Dybala will be sacrificed due to his €16m annual salary, and Federico Chiesa could replace him. That’s a move we’d like to see…and one that could push Roma into the top four if all goes well.*

Key player: Gianluca Mancini. *Since it seems probable that Dybala will leave, Mancini’s role as leader becomes even more important. He and Ndicka will have to do the dirty work so Roma’s enhanced attack can do their thing.*

One to watch: Tommaso Baldanzi. *Not a starter but an attacking player with a very bright future. Hopefully gets consistent minutes to show his potential.*

### Torino (9th)

Manager: Paolo Vanoli. *Did brilliantly with Venezia and rewarded with the most prestigious job of his career to date. A firebrand who will be desperate to prove he can take this team further than his predecessor ever could.*

*Three consecutive top-half finishes for the Granata. Vanoli takes over from Ivan Juric, who believes he has taken this team as far as he can. Most would tend to agree. The loss of captain Alessandro Buongiorno will hit hard, but they’ll be alright. Another mid-table/top-half finish would be fine. Perhaps a cup run might inspire them this year.*

Key player: Duvan Zapata. *Getting on at 33 but will be vital to their attacking plans. Reborn in Turin after a couple of lean, injury riddled years at Atalanta.*

One to watch: Samuele Ricci. *Keeping with the theme of promising young midfielders, here’s one that should become a leading man this year. Just look at how his manager developed Tanner Tessmann at Venezia.*

### Udinese (15th)

Manager: Kosta Runjaić. *Not a household name, which is often how Udinese work when it comes to signing players, and now managers too.*\
\
*Last season’s relegation battle was too close for comfort. The Pozzo family have been accused of ‘abandoning’ Watford, their other club, to concentrate on matters in Udine. Alexis Sanchez returns thirteen years after leaving the club for Barcelona and takes up the Talented Old Guy spot that Udinese always seem to leave room for. Survival is a must and they should be fine this year. We said that last year though, didn’t we?*

Key player: Jaka Bijol. *Had an excellent Euros for Slovenia. A modern defender with impressive physical presence, he should earn himself a move to a top side with his performances this season.*

One to watch: Lorenzo Lucca. *A Colossus of a striker. Had a decent first year in Serie A and is expected to kick on this year. Will be an Italy call-up coming his way if he does.*

### Venezia (Playoff winners - Serie B)

Manager: Eusebio Di Francesco. *Has a job on his hands to avoid consecutive relegations. Should be competitive and could keep them up, but this is a brave move for Di Fra.*

*That team your mate likes with the fancy kits are back. Paolo Vanoli masterminded a pretty average side’s journey to Serie A, fuelled by a Finnish centre forward and American midfield engine. One of said midfielders is Tanner Tessmann, whose agent appears to have scuppered moves to Inter and then Fiorentina thanks to his own greed. Tessmann was excluded from Venezia’s squad list. That’s a situation which could change if he ends the summer on the lagoon. He’s a player they could do with if they are to avoid the pitfalls of their last Serie A campaign, when they finished last in 2021-22.* 

Key player: Joel Pohjanpalo. *Old school centre-forward who scored 42 times in two Serie B seasons. The key figure in this team’s promotion will be relied upon heavily again.*

One to watch: Gianluca Busio. *Improved massively since arriving with little experience in 2021. Hard not to enjoy watching a goalscoring midfielder. Remarkable to think he’s only 22 with three years’ experience in Italian football.*

Don’t miss part one **[here](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-08-16-serie-a-2024-25-preview-part-one)**! Let us know who you think is winning the scudetto, taking the Champions League spots, going down or sticking around on **[socials](https://x.com/tmgitalia)**.

Serie A: 2024-25 Preview (Part Two)

### Cue the operatic music, Serie A is back. Three new teams, too many new managers to think about and an almost infinite quantity of hopes and dreams to be fulfilled and shattered. 

In part one, we’ll take a look at ten teams and their outlook on this season, their managerial situation plus key players and ones to watch. You can find part two **[here](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-08-16-serie-a-2024-25-preview-part-two)**.

### Atalanta (Last season - 4th)

Manager: Gian Piero Gasperini. *Achieved his crowning glory in Dublin’s Europa League final. He is the longest serving manager by some distant in the league right now and with good reason.*

*Returning to Champions League football after what must be considered their greatest ever campaign, finishing 4th, reaching the Coppa Italia final and winning the Europa League. Gianluca Scamacca’s ACL injury threatened to derail their season but Mateo Retegui is an impressive replacement. All eyes on midfield star Teun Koopmeiners who looks set to join Juventus. He will need to be replaced if Atalanta are to finish in the top four/five and retain their Champions League spot.*

Key player: Ederson. *His midfield buddy Koopmeiners looks set to leave, so he has to step up again. Atalanta always look like they have an extra man in midfield when he plays, such is his ability to be in the right spot.*

One to watch: Ben Godfrey. *A smart move for both parties. Suits the role as a wide centre-back and could really fit in well here.*

### Bologna (5th)

Manager: Vincenzo Italiano. *Huge pressure to follow on from Thiago Motta after everything Bologna achieved last season. A talented coach but not without his detractors, who point to a lack of incision in his Fiorentina’s attacking play.*

*Victims of their own success. Coach Thiago Motta left for Juventus and tried to bring his two best players with him; Calafiori and Zirkzee. Both left for the Premier League and new coach Vincenzo Italiano has his work cut out to avoid seeing Bologna's past few years of hard work go to waste. Sporting director Giovanni Sartori has continued his tradition of ‘left-field’ recruitment to replace lost talent at a cut price but only time will tell if it works. If they reach January in Champions League contention and get Lewis Ferguson back fit, who knows.*

Key player: Riccardo Orsolini. *He’s the experienced attacking player in this team, with younger guys like Cambiaghi and Castro increasingly likely to look to him and the impressive Dan Ndoye to make things happen.*

One to watch: Giovanni Fabbian. *Highly rated young midfielder with an eye for goal. Everybody loves one of those.*

### Cagliari (16th)

Manager: Davide Nicola. *Has the Midas touch when it comes to avoiding the drop. Will need it to make it happen for Casteddu.*

*Have set their stall out early by hiring Davide Nicola, the survival specialist. Claudio Ranieri’s final job before retirement was to keep them up against the odds and he succeeded. Nicola must follow suit with a team that lost key players in Sulemana and Dossena, plus faithful servant Nahitan Nandez. Sebastiano Luperto arrives from Empoli to plug the gap in defence. Keep an eye out for winger Mattia Felici. Having returned from an impressive loan spell at FeralpiSalo, he looks set to play a cameo role this season.*

Key player: Zito Luvumbo. *Attacking livewire whose growth in the last two seasons means he is primed for a big year.*

One to watch: Matteo Prati. *Another promising young midfielder. Has all the attributes to become a top player in years to come.*

### Como (2nd in Serie B)

Manager: Cesc Fabregas. *Sat in the dugout as assistant to Osian Roberts as their team achieved promotion and now he’s stepping up into the big seat.*

*Promoted after spending serious money to build a team worthy of ascension, the pressure is on Como to show that their execution matches their ambition. Big names keep arriving on the Lake, having signed Raphael Varane, Andrea Belotti, Pepe Reina and Alberto Moreno before making more sensible signings like Audero, Mazzitelli, Dossena and Engelhardt. OptaAnalyst tipped them as favourites to go down, which seems harsh, but it won’t be a straight road to survival. Expect they’ll spend what they need to stay up.*

Key player: Patrick Cutrone. *Hometown boy who returned to guide them to Serie A and redeem a stalling career. Might not be the leading light this year, but will be desperate to show he can do it at the top level.*

One to watch: Alessandro Gabrielloni. *Has been at the club for every step along the way to Serie A. Scored some crucial late goals last season. A cheaper version of Andrea Belotti, his new teammate. Hope he gets a run this season, he has earned it.*

### Empoli (17th)

Manager: Roberto D’Aversa. *He’s back in a job only five months on from losing his job at Lecce for headbutting Verona striker Thomas Henry. Football is a silly industry.*

*To be Empoli is to survive improbably. They were propped up by loanees last season, who have almost all departed and been replaced by new temporary talent. Lorenzo Colombo and Sebastiano Esposito arrive from Milan and Inter respectively, and both look like promising attackers. They could be the difference in a long season ahead for Roberto D’Aversa’s men, one which could well end in a return to Serie B.*

Key player: Jacopo Fazzini. *A bit soon to thrust the title upon him but he’s another homegrown talent who may well be crucial in their midfield.* 

One to watch: Lorenzo Colombo. *It’s his time to shine at a ‘small’ club on his way to becoming a future Italy international striker.*

### Fiorentina (8th)

Manager: Rafaelle Palladino. *A logical hire and the right step for him to take. Probably a move that got lost in a chaotic Serie A summer and you get the feeling that his team might fly under the radar.*

*A new era begins in Florence. Vincenzo Italiano leaves after three years in which he took his team to three cup finals, each of which they lost. A third year in the UEFA Conference League must end with them finally lifting the trophy. They face a congested field ahead in the race for the Champions League but can be confident their transfer business should see them improve as a squad. A top half finish is almost certain and it’s not unimaginable that Palladino does great things with this club, but the competition for European spots is so great that they really should focus on winning the Conference League.*

Key player:  Albert Gudmundsson. *Arrived in Florence at the time of writing for his medical, but will be crucial alongside Andrea Colpani behind a striker. Really exciting move.*

One to watch: David De Gea. *Not a move anyone saw coming. Will he be the ‘keeper to finally displace Pietro Terracciano?*

### Genoa (11th)

Manager: Alberto Gilardino. *Can only say good things about the job he’s done here. Took them up automatically in his first year, despite taking over mid-season, and did well last year. A similar season this year and big clubs will come calling.*

*After an impressive return to Serie A, it’s all about avoiding a serious drop off for Gilardino’s boys. Retegui has left for Atalanta and the Italian media had been dying to sell Gudmundsson since last September, who has finally joined Fiorentina. Will be very tough to replicate their impact but at least the Grifoni have cash to spend and have already agreed a deal to sign Andrea Pinamonti from Sassuolo. Should stay up, will stay up. Everything else depends on who replaces Gudmundsson.*

Key player: Morten Frendrup. *The  midfielder should lead this team through their second season.*

One to watch: Alessandro Marcandalli. Immense for Reggiana in Serie B last year, the young defender could be a breakout star, if he gets a chance.

### Hellas Verona (13th)

Manager: Paolo Zanetti. *This is a huge task for Zanetti. Keeping this team up would be impressive, though it feels a challenge beyond his powers.*

*Survived the last two seasons. Somehow. Marco Baroni saved them but now he’s gone. The fight to avoid finishing in the bottom three will be quite gruesome this year and it’s not hard to see Verona falling the wrong side of the line.* 

Key player: Tomas Suslov. *Creative spark. Will be desperately needed this year.*

One to watch: Diego Coppola. *Promising young defender with all the qualities to make it in the modern game.*

### Inter (1st)

Manager: Simone Inzaghi. *Needs no introduction. The best manager in Italy and one of the best tacticians in Europe.*

*Champions and widely favoured to defend their title. It won’t be straightforward, as teams below them strengthen, but it seems unlikely that anyone can close the gap enough to truly threaten Inter’s dominance. Zielinski and Taremi are smart additions that should add a little more depth. Inzaghi continues his Inter odyssey with another title this year.*

Key player: Lautaro Martinez. *The goal machine. Will be crucial again and could do even better this year with more support in Taremi.*

One to watch: Yann Bisseck. Lo*oks better with each passing week. Physically imposing, yet graceful defender with the world at his feet.*

### Juventus (3rd)

Manager: Thiago Motta. *Took the leap after a fantastic year with Bologna. Have to respect his bravery because this is a massive job. The pressure will intensify but that doesn’t seem to faze him.*

*A new era begins for Serie A’s most successful club. Motta will surely change from the old Juve way and implement his rather modern approach. It didn’t go down well when Maurizio Sarri tried it, but Motta is different, or at least he seems to be. He succeeded at Bologna away from the intense media spotlight that will surely follow him everywhere in Turin. Champions League football and entertaining football should be enough to convince the Juve faithful that Motta is the man to move them forward.*

Key player: Bremer. *Best defender in the league? Quite possibly. Either way, Motta has greatly enhanced defenders like Lucumi and Calafiori, as well as Kiwior at Spezia.*

One to watch: Andrea Cambiaso. *Increasingly important player with the sort of versatility that his new manager loves.* 

Don’t miss part two **[here](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-08-16-serie-a-2024-25-preview-part-two)**! Let us know who you think is winning the scudetto, taking the Champions League spots, going down or sticking around on **[socials](https://x.com/tmgitalia)**.

Serie A: 2024-25 Preview (Part One)

### *Another Serie B season is upon us and it could prove to be the most competitive in some time. We’ve got four real contenders, a pair of floundering relegated sides, the dark horse to end all dark horses and, of course, ten new managers.*

In the second half of this preview, we’ll take a look at the other ten teams and their hopes and dreams, their coaches (old and new), as well as some players to keep an eye on. If you missed it, part one can be found **[here](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-08-15-serie-b-2024-25-preview-part-1)**.

### Mantova (Serie C/A winner)

Manager: Davide Possanzini. *Has come a long way since being sacked by Brescia after two weeks. Took over a team saved from relegation to Serie D thanks to other clubs’ bankruptcies and won the league at the first attempt.*

*Dark horses for the playoffs. An intriguing side with a deadly set piece threat. Won’t have as much of the ball as in C, so it will be interesting to see how they deal with that. Signing Mattia Aramu and Leonardo Mancuso might give them a little more firepower in attack. Should stay up and could do more, if they can get off to a quick start.*

Key player: Salvatore Burrai. *Captain and fulcrum of the team. At 37, this could be a last dance at this level, but coming into this campaign off the back of a truly impressive season with four goals and eleven assists.*

One to watch: Fabrizio Brignani. *A goalscoring centre-back. The best kind. He’s a demon from corners and could cause chaos this season.*

### Modena (10th)

Manager: Pierpaolo Bisoli. *Took Sudtirol to the verge of the playoff final against all odds in 22-23. Unsure if his new-ish president Rivetti could live with a team sitting in a 4-4-2 low block all season. Could be interesting to see if he develops his approach.*

*Constantly on the verge of turning into a real team, Modena are this season’s wildcard. Could be comfortably in the playoffs, could get it totally wrong and go down. Who knows. I like their business. Eric Botteghin is a sensible defensive purchase and Mattia Caldara is a coup, if he stays fit. Pedro Mendes looked like a top forward at Ascoli and should carry that form over to Modena.*

Key player: Antonio Palumbo. *Midfield maestro and goal threat. Dangerous from dead ball situations, and in open play.*

One to watch: Pedro Mendes. *Modena desperately needed a goalscorer last year. Mendes is just that. A modern forward. His injury in March all but sealed Ascoli’s fate.*

### Palermo (6th)

Manager: Alessio Dionisi. *Has Experience at this level and above, an undoubtedly talented coach and possibly a smart move for both parties. The pressure is on. He must achieve promotion.*

*Not sure you can overstate how much Palermo need promotion this season. The City Football Group’s investment has been considerable and has heaped pressure on from fans and media alike. They were last season’s flop and cannot afford to be once more. Another summer of significant, but intelligent investment and retention of key players.*

Key player: Matteo Brunori. If he stays. *Their top scorer and captain has flirted with Serie A clubs all summer long but will be vital if they are to go one step further this season.*

One to watch: Filippo Ranocchia. *Looked like the missing piece of the puzzle last year until his injury in mid-March. It was too late to fix anything by the time he returned. His goals from midfield alleviate some of the pressure placed on the attack. There’s a reason Palermo paid £4m.*

### Pisa (13th)

Manager: Pippo Inzaghi. *An intriguing hire. Suffered at a desperately uninspiring Salernitana last season. This feels like the right job for Super Pippo, a chance to make the playoffs and build something from scratch.*

*Pisa are much like Modena. It’s hard to tell if they’re underachievers or we don’t know how to assess their talent correctly. They have recruited well and some inexperienced players have grown, plus they’ve picked up a top goalkeeper in Adrian Semper. Play-offs are achievable and they will reach them if it all clicks.*

Key player: Matteo Tramoni. *Impressive winger/attacking midfielder who missed much of last season through injury. If he stays fit, he could hit double figures for goals and assists.*

One to watch: Simone Canestrelli. *One of the better defenders in the division, he often goes about his business with minimal fuss. Should play a significant role in any success they achieve.*

### Reggiana (11th)

Manager: William Viali. *Must feel like déjà vu for him. Moved to Ascoli from Cosenza last summer and was sacked very early in the season. He’ll hope that another summer move from Cosenza produces a different result in Reggio Emilia.*

*Deservedly mid-table in their first season after promotion, I’m worried their lack of firepower and over reliance on loans may come back to haunt them this year. The spine of Nesta’s team was constructed in the loan market. Need to be careful they don’t end up in a relegation slog.*

Key player: Andrea Meroni. *Viali took him from and should rely on him to fill the hole left by Marcandalli’s return to Genoa.*

One to watch: Alessandro Sersanti. *Showed flashes of brilliance in a terrible Lecco team last season. Should play more of a leading role this year. A midfielder with versatility and one worth keeping an eye on.*

### Salernitana (20th in Serie A)

Manager: Giovanni Martusciello. T*heir second coach of the summer after Andrea Sottil quit in protest at the lack of direction. A career assistant, he has a tough job on his hands doing much with a team in freefall.*

*Relegated. Club for sale. Entire squad on the transfer list. Not the ideal situation. Look the most likely of the relegated sides to flounder this year. Hard to tell just how much damage is still to be done before the window ends, with Maggiore, Dia, Daniliuc and others still tipped to leave. If they can sort their off field issues out, the playoffs are not out of the question.*

Key player: Giulio Maggiore. *If he stays, and that’s a big if. Midfielder capable of playing in Serie A, one who could be vital if they are to do anything other than crash and burn.*

One to watch: Lorenzo Amatucci. *Looked a capable midfielder for Ternana last year and feels like he may get a run in the team here. Just hope it’s not too tough a situation in which he fails to flourish.*

### Sampdoria (7th)

Manager: Andrea Pirlo. *In hindsight, he did a commendable job last season. Took over a club in turmoil, integrated a heap of loanees and dealt with an injury list that remained high throughout. May have an easier time of it this year.*

*Have done well in the transfer market for a team with an eye watering debt level. Massimo Coda, Simone Romagnoli and Lorenzo Venuti bring serious experience to the team and should elevate them into contenders for promotion. Consider them part of a ‘big four’ with Sassuolo, Cremonese and Palermo right now.*

Key player: Gennaro Tutino. *Could have picked Borini or perhaps even Yepes in midfield but if Tutino finds form, Samp will be a real force.*

One to watch: Giovanni Leoni. *Very talented teenage defender. Thrust into the thick of it in January by Pirlo, he did not look like a 16-year-old with no first team experience. May end up being sold to a top club in January.*

### Sassuolo (19th in Serie A)

Manager: Fabio Grosso. *Feels like the most sensible managerial appointment in Italy this summer. A winner with Frosinone in 22-23, he should guide Sassuolo straight back to Serie A.*

*It is tough to truly gauge their situation as so many players remain ‘available’ to leave. Berardi, Pinamonti, Thorstvedt, Laurienté. If any of them stick around, Sassuolo could be unstoppable. They are also able to call on a considerable number of returning loanees, most of whom should provide impressive depth.*

Key player: Kristian Thorstvedt. *Assuming all of Berardi, Pinamonti and Laurienté leave, he is the last real Serie A quality player left. He may even leave himself, but his goals from midfield could make the difference this year.*

One to watch: Edoardo Pieragnolo: *May not feature heavily and may even go back out, but looked the part on Reggiana’s left side last season. Dangerous in attack, competent in defence.*

### Spezia (15th)

Manager: Luca D’Angelo. *Steadied the ship and dragged them to safety after arriving in mid-season. Will be interesting to see how he approaches this campaign, if he can get his ideas across then they can definitely push up the table.*

*One of the league’s most intriguing sides. Undoubtedly better than the 15th they achieved on the final day of last season, winning against Venezia to avoid relegation, but perhaps not a contender. Fancy them to challenge for the playoffs if they can get a little more reinforcement in wide areas and defence.*

Key player: Salvatore Esposito. *Best defensive midfielder in the division. Will be playing in Serie A next season regardless of Spezia’s success this year.*

One to watch: Pio Esposito. *Felt a little lost in a struggling side last season, but with survival comes renewal. On loan from Inter again, I’m convinced there’s a quality centre-forward in there. Yes, he’s Salvatore’s brother, if you’re asking. His other brother, Sebastiano, signed for Empoli.*

### Sudtirol (12th)

Manager: Federico Valente. *Took over as caretaker last November and stuck around. Kept them comfortably safe and instilled a little more ambition in their approach.*

*Not much to say about Sudtirol. They should stay up. They probably won’t make the playoffs. Their stadium looks rather picturesque and I love that they still give opposing captains a crate of apples before each game.*

Key player: Daniele Casiraghi. *Prime creator, top scorer and best player. Penalty machine.*

One to watch: Andrea Giorgini. *A young, versatile defender who needs to push on this year and establish himself as one of the league’s best young defenders.*

Don’t miss part one **[here](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-08-15-serie-b-2024-25-preview-part-1)**! Let us know who you think is going up, down and sticking around on **[socials](https://x.com/tmgitalia)**.

Serie B: 2024-25 Preview (Part Two)

### *Another Serie B season is upon us and it could prove to be the most competitive in some time. We’ve got four real contenders, a pair of floundering relegated sides, the dark horse to end all dark horses and, of course, ten new managers.*

In the first half of this preview, we’ll take a look at ten teams; their hopes and dreams, their coaches (old and new), as well as some players to keep an eye on. Click **[here](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-08-15-serie-b-2024-25-preview-part-two)** for part two.

### **Bari (Last season: 17th – playout winner)**

Manager: Moreno Longo. *A stabilising presence after last season’s four coach fiasco. Harshly sacked by Como last season.*

*Could argue they should have been relegated last season but unexpectedly beat Ternana in the playout. Another year of turnover, losing captain Di Cesare (retired) and numerous outgoing loanees. Outside bet for the playoffs, but mid-table feels more likely.*

Key player: Giuseppe Sibilli. *Carried an underwhelming attack last season and should resume his role as the team’s prime creator.*

One to watch: Filippo Sgarbi. *Arrives on loan from Napoli after an impressive spell in Serie C. Should start from week one as Sibilli’s attacking midfield partner.*

### Brescia (8th)

Manager: Rolando Maran. *Joined in Nov ’23 when president Cellino hit the panic button, as he often does. Built a solid defence while maintaining an attacking presence.*

*Tricky customers for any side in the division despite not being a star-studded side. May have gone further in playoffs had they not lost Gennaro Borelli to injury late in the season. Playoffs are the expectation. They could be a dark horse to win them too.*

Key player: Dimitri Bisoli. *The team’s beating heart in midfield. Leads by example and nearly always fit, unlike defender Andrea Cistana, who is probably their best player.*

One to watch: Nicolas Galazzi. *Showed a lot of promise in the second half of last season. An attacking midfielder with a goal threat and the arrogance to not let this league bother him too much.*

### Carrarese (Serie C playoff winner)

Manager: Antonio Calabro. *Took over in Jan’ and tightened their defence. Dragged them through the playoffs and achieved a shock promotion. Deserves a shot at this level.*

*Won the gruelling Serie C playoff tournament that feels more like the Hunger Games than football. Extra points for beating Juventus U23 along the way. Will need that grit to survive against all odds this season.*

Key player: Marco Imperiale. *Key defender in their promotion run and will be heavily relied upon to maintain order in Carrarese’s compact structure.*

One to watch: Leonardo Cerri. *On loan from Juventus, a striker with much to prove in Serie B. Alongside Roma loanee Luigi Cherubini, they could be the young livewires to keep Carrarese competitive.*

### Catanzaro (5th)

Manager: Fabio Caserta. *Feels like a poisoned chalice taking over from Vivarini, who made this team dazzle. A tough task to repeat the success of last season.*

*Lost their manager to Frosinone and star player Jari Vandeputte to Cremonese. This season has mid-table/late playoff charge written all over it. Will need another huge season from Iemmello in front of goal if they are to make anything of it.*

Key player: Pietro Iemmello. *A premium grade goalscorer at this level. The Italian term for players like him is ‘Bomber di Provincia’, essentially a goalscorer at ‘provincial’ level, i.e. not for a 'big' team.*

One to watch: Matias Antonini. *Signed in Jan ’24 from Serie C and became a permanent fixture in the team. A modern defender with definite Serie A potential.*

### Cesena (Serie C/B winner)

Manager: Michele Mignani. *Takes over from promotion winning coach Toscano who has failed to have any real impact at this level. He did well at Bari before inheriting a Palermo side at Easter, one which looked like it had given up.*

*We may have a genuine contender for consecutive promotions in Cesena. It’s asking a lot but they have something about them. Quality all over the pitch, including a bona fide goalscorer in Shpendi. Adding midfield experience in Simone Bastoni and Giacomo Calo should bring out the best in a high performing attack. Playoffs and maybe even more.*

Key player: Cristian Shpendi. *A striker who set the third tier alight last year and has Serie A football in his future. Should hit double figures.*

One to watch: Tommaso Berti. *A tidy playmaker and another with a bright future ahead, whether at Cesena or elsewhere.*

### Cittadella (14th)

Manager: Edoardo Gorini. *Been at the club for almost a decade, first as assistant to Roberto Venturato and later as head coach. Well liked and familiar with the club’s pressing and collectivist footballing philosophy.*

*Cittadella find themselves among the relegation favourites each season. It’s not their fault they come from a small city, boast lesser resources and revenue opportunities than their rivals, but it is their reality. Their philosophy is clear: Ensure that they are greater than the sum of their parts. Flirted with the playoffs before collapsing into lower mid-table last year. Could be in trouble this time round, but they will likely find a way through to safety.*

Key player: Simone Branca. *This team thrives on the power of the collective which makes it hard to pick out any one star. Branca is this team’s driving force in midfield.*

One to watch: Claudio Cassano. *Exciting young attacking midfielder who should see more minutes this season and could be the perfect link between midfield and attack, something desperately needed in this side.*

### Cosenza (9th)

Manager: Max Alvini. *Didn’t win a game from 20+ at Cremonese in 22/23, and won a single game in 13 with Spezia last season. This job is a real risk given Cosenza’s resources and loss of star attacker Tutino.*

*Briefly looked like challenging for the playoffs under Viali towards the end of the season. He’s gone and they also need to replace Gennaro Tutino’s 20 goals. Tough year ahead, could be dragged into a relegation battle.*

Key player: Michele Camporese. *There is no standout player left now that Tutino is gone but Camporese’s performances since joining in January will be vital in keeping this team afloat. At 32, he’s still young for an Italian defender.*

One to watch: Tommaso Fumagalli. *Was headed for Serie C golden boot before signing for Como in Jan’, where he barely kicked a ball. Perhaps this was the move he should have made, leading the line for a lower mid-table Serie B side.*

### Cremonese (4th)

Manager: Giovanni Stroppa. *Took over after no wins in their first five games last season. Almost guided them to promotion, first in the regular season and again in the playoffs. Has done it before with Monza.*

*Tipping them for automatic promotion. Faded in the final stretch last year but have added serious quality in Vandeputte, plus a top ‘keeper in Fulignati. New forward Manuel De Luca could be vital if he can carry his Sampdoria form over. Along with Palermo and Sassuolo, here are your favourites for the title.*

Key player: Jari Vandeputte. *Devastating on Catanaro’s left wing last year, topping the assist charts. Another year like that and Cremonese will be in Serie A.*

One to watch: Michele Collocolo. *Expected him to kick on last year, having impressed at Ascoli. Perhaps injuries and a new environment did not help. Dependable midfielder on his day and one who could play a key role this year.*

### Frosinone (18th in Serie A)

Manager: Vincenzo Vivarini. *The next rung on the ladder for him, having taken Catanzaro as far as he felt he could. Significant squad turnover and a lack of replacements could prove a challenge.*

*Immediate return to Serie B after winning the 22-23 title. Expect them to challenge if they can replace their numerous outgoings before the window closes, but that remains a big if. They may struggle early in the season but expect them to gather momentum as they grow into the campaign. Playoffs.*

Key player: Riccardo Marchizza. *Not many players remain from last season but the new captain looks like he’ll stick around. Crucial in defence, whether at full-back or centre-back.*

One to watch: Giuseppe Ambrosino. *Exciting attacker on loan from Napoli. Spent last season playing second fiddle at Catanzaro, so Vivarini must be keen to have him again.*

### Juve Stabia (Serie C/C winner)

Manager: Guido Pagliuca. *His first time coaching at this level, having spent years in the lower leagues. Has a huge task on his hands to keep this team up.*

*Not as impressive as recent Serie C/C winners Bari or Catanzaro but will be glad to be back in B after a four year absence. Likely to face a battle to survive. If they can carry their title winning momentum into this season, they might build up an early points tally and ride their luck. But probably not.*

Key player: Marco Bellich. *A rock at the heart of defence and someone desperately needed to step up if they are to have any hope of staying up.*

One to watch: Gabriele Artistico. *Exciting attacker on loan from Lazio. Will be relied upon to create and score chances.*

Don’t miss part two **[here](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-08-15-serie-b-2024-25-preview-part-two)**! Let us know who you think is going up, down and sticking around on **[socials](https://x.com/tmgitalia)**.

Serie B: 2024-25 Preview (Part One)

A microphone and a short two-minute video is all the goodbye that Lazio afforded their all-time top goalscorer. Ciro Immobile left for Istanbul on Friday night and met a young Lazio fan at Fiumicino Airport who posed a simple question: “Ciro, ti posso da’ un abbraccio?”



“Ciro, can I give you a hug?” After eight years as Lazio’s goalscoring machine and spiritual leader, intimate encounters are nothing new yet this young lad’s audible sobbing as he embraced his team’s captain one last time is further proof that football is not just a game.



Football fandom is nuanced. Just as the crying fan drenched Immobile in Roman tears, one only has to think back to March when a Lazio fan spotted Immobile in traffic, got out of their car and harassed him in front of his son. Around the same time, his wife was verbally abused in public.



Turning down a life changing sum from Saudi Arabia in summer 2023 must have felt like a regrettable decision when the so-called superfans of his club thought best to project their frustrations onto Immobile in public.



206 goals. Club record. Coppa Italia winner. Champions League nights. Immobile leaves Italy as a Lazio legend but retains a complicated legacy in Italian and European football.

> **Immobile’s relationship with Lazio and its fans feels like that of a married couple.** 

His career could have been so different. Almost two decades have passed since Ciro Ferrara advised Juventus to sign him from Sorrento for €80,000, however it wasn’t until 2011 and a loan to Pescara that Immobile burst onto the scene.



Zdenek Zeman’s Pescara stormed to the Serie B title in 2011-12, with The Bohemian putting together a side that will live long in hipster memory. Immobile, Insigne and Verratti. Quite a trifecta.



A season at Genoa followed before he joined Torino, scoring 23 goals in a season that propelled him into the spotlight for real and saw him off to Germany, off to a Borussia Dortmund team reaching the end of its Klopp cycle.



The German club deemed 10 goals in 34 games a poor return on their near €20m investment and cut their losses by selling him to Sevilla in summer 2015. He would be back in Italy not long after Christmas, returning to his homeland and old Torino with his tail between his legs.



He had moved abroad, and it didn’t work. Torino was a safety blanket, a level of pressure that Immobile could manage. Half a season in Turin turned into eight years in the capital as Lazio took a chance on him in the summer of 2016.



Immobile’s relationship with Lazio and its fans feels like that of a married couple. The love is (almost) unconditional and the respect is mutual, but they bicker from time to time. ‘Bicker’ is certainly an understatement when referring to harassment and/or assault in public, but you get the idea.

> **It looked like one season too far for Immobile.**

It can be difficult to be present as a modern football fan. Stadium screens and TVs are always telling you what’s next. Results are scrutinised in the context of what it means for the season. Performances are secondary in an age where cash rules everything. 



The effect this has on fans often means we don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone. In the case of Immobile, you could say Lazio didn’t know how good they had it. 



Their preparation for a post-Immobile world began a year ago with the signing of Taty Castellanos. Signed as cover/competition for King Ciro, the Argentine was surely quietly hopeful that the rumoured Saudi interest in his teammate came to fruition.



Both strikers struggled to hit any real heights last season in a Lazio side that seemed to be at war with itself. Castellanos couldn’t make an immediate impact in the way other Argentine forwards have in Italy, while it looked like one season too far for Immobile. 



To his credit, the Lazio captain still scored 11 goals, including the winner in a memorable Champions League night against Bayern, but his story in the Eternal City was clearly coming to an end. 

> **An irresponsible remark and one that set the path for a sour ending to the story of King Ciro.**

Maurizio Sarri resigned in March, days before the incident with the fan getting out of their car to abuse Immobile. Lazio were 9th, a gruesome failure compared to their 2nd place finish the previous year.



Sarri showed a sense of humility in resigning in an age where managers often cling on for compensation, but the Lazio president Claudio Lotito saw it differently.



“His farewell was not in the air, it was surprising. He was betrayed by the behaviour of certain people. There is something creepy inside the group. A team that beats Bayern Munich and loses to Udinese. Ask yourself a question.” 



Lotito added fuel to a fire that had burned for months. An irresponsible remark and one that set the path for a sour ending to the story of King Ciro.



Thankfully, it’s the sort of incident that should be a minor footnote in the Lazio-Immobile story. This is a tale of broken records; cup wins and a return to the top table of European football.



Ciro Immobile’s 207 Lazio goals sets a record that seems unlikely to be broken anytime soon.



No wonder the young lad at the airport cried in his hero’s arms. He’s grown up watching one of Italian football’s great goalscorers and should consider himself lucky to have witnessed such feats. 



Just as football fandom is nuanced, fleeting and often bordering on weird, the business of football dictates that we must learn to move on. Cry today, worship a new hero tomorrow. 



That might be hard to hear for many Laziali but that’s life. Everything must come to an end and, in time to come, I’m sure some will agree that it probably should have come to an end sooner, an assessment that prompts another life lesson. Heroes rarely go out on a high. This is reality, not a fairytale.



King Ciro will surely be welcomed back with open arms at Lazio in years to come, remembered as a club legend. For now, the club and its fans must move on and find a new goal machine. Castellanos? Maybe, maybe not.

Ciro Immobile: Tears at Fiumicino, trouble in traffic

And then there were three. With the announcement of Ancona’s bankruptcy, Serie C has welcomed a third ‘B team’ into its ranks. Welcome, Milan Futuro, the second team of AC Milan.



Back in September, half an hour south of Bergamo, the nation’s previous newest ‘club’ kicked off their Serie C season in front of around four hundred people. It was far from a glamorous start, losing 3-2 to Virtus Verona but this is the brutal reality of Italy’s third tier.



Atalanta U23 are not your average football club, for they aren’t even a club. Their existence is inspired by Juventus and ushered by Lega Pro, the league’s governing body, and other clubs’ mismanagement. 



Were it not for Siena entering bankruptcy after several seasons of incompetent Russo-sympathetic Armenian ownership, Atalanta U23 would not exist, and its players would likely be on loan at a club like Siena.



It was the same story five years prior when three clubs failed to register for 2018-19 and Vicenza merged with Virtus Bassano, creating space for Juventus U23, as they were known before their rebrand a few years later.



“We started with a series of defeats and hostile stadiums with protests that still exist today, where instead of seeing the added value for the football system of the second teams they see it as a usurping of places,” said Juventus’ Chief of Staff Federico Cherubini in a Tuttosport interview. 

> **It's too soon to assess the Atalanta U23 project but the human interest in the team remains low.**

Six years of Juventus U23/Juve NextGen has given us four Serie C playoff appearances, at which point the Serie B governing body tend to mutter their dissatisfaction at the thought of having a B team in B.



More importantly, the project has produced 20 players that have all featured in a meaningful way across Europe’s top leagues. From Stephy Mavididi to Samuel Iling-Junior, the club have set about doing what they said they would. Sort of.



Only Fagioli, Nicolussi Caviglia, Miretti and Yildiz from that group remain in the Juventus first team picture and it’s only those four, plus Iling-Junior, who broke through at the club. Nicolussi Caviglia and Miretti seem likely to leave Juventus this summer, either on loan or permanently.



Iling-Junior, along with Enzo Barrenechea, both joined Aston Villa this summer for a fee around €22m, allowing the club to bank a healthy profit for accounting purposes.



Juventus’ detractors could also point to a player like Dany Mota, signed for €1.8m in August 2019 and sold to Monza for €4m in January 2020. Doubling your investment in less than six months is both impressive and an indictment of the bizarre nature of modern football economics.



Football purists will never accept Juve NextGen in the same way that Barcelona B or Dortmund II offend the traditionalists in Spain and Germany, certainly while the ‘project’ provides more opportunities for profit than player development.



It’s too early to assess the success of the Atalanta U23 project from a player development perspective but the human interest in the team remains similarly low. 



Atalanta U23’s total ‘home’ attendance figure across 19 games last season was 8,060. Serie D club Sambenedettese had 8,228 at their home game with Campobasso in April.

> **The concept of second teams has a lot of support in Italian football’s upper echelons.** 

Milan Futuro’s arrival in Serie C presents a logistical problem. There are now three B teams in the league, all located within a 100-mile radius, but Lega Pro (currently) do not allow B teams to play in the same division.



This unique issue means that the three teams are spread out across Serie C’s North, Central and South divisions. The league’s solution: Atalanta (North), Milan (Central) and Juventus (South). 



Quite incredibly, Juve NextGen will play in a division where their geographically closest rivals are almost 500 miles south of them. Another strike for those who think the B team movement is bad for football.



Juventus point to the dismal state of affairs at Primavera level, Italy’s U19 league which is now becoming U20.



“There’s no need to get results in Primavera. No fans, no pressure. Kids should play at that level when they’re 16 or 17. Then at 18, they should play in Serie C,” said now former coach Max Allegri of the Primavera system.



Juventus NextGen gives younger players that opportunity, even if last season’s top scorer was 34-year-old Simone Guerra. Beyond Fagioli and Yildiz, as well as Dean Huijsen (on loan at Roma since January), the current team includes Italy U20 captain Luis Hasa and the highly rated midfielder Joseph Nonge.



The concept of second teams has a lot of support in Italian football’s upper echelons. Along with then Milan executive Ricky Massara, the presidents of FIGC, Serie A and Lega Pro all attended a forum called ‘Second teams in Italy and in Europe, a model for the future?’ back in November.



Milan’s introduction is no coincidence. Evidently. Throughout the second half of last season, it was clear that the work was going on behind the scenes in the expectation that a place would make itself available.

> **Almost half of Italian clubs’ loanees play around half the games in a season.**

After all, this is Italy. Serie C clubs go bankrupt every summer. It was Ancona’s turn this year. It’s likely we’ll be talking about another club going to the wall this time next year to make way for another B team. 



Sassuolo and Roma are said to be very keen, while Inter are expected to get involved before long. Sassuolo are an interesting case, the fabrication of MAPEI, the chemicals giant that own the club. They have an Atalanta-esque approach to hogging young players, sending more players out on loan than others have in their entire squad. 



However, with relegation to Serie B, maybe they’ll have more important issues to worry about in the next year than sending their youngsters to Sardinia for a kicking.



For Milan, it’s a race against time to put a team together. Atalanta had 23 players out on loan in Serie C in 2022-23 prior to joining the league, while Milan had only 5 this season. 



Daniele Bonera has his work cut out to get them up and running but he should be helped by Francesco Camarda, the Milan Primavera striker and arguably the hottest prospect in Italian football. 



Tales of Camarda’s goalscoring record at youth level make Pele look like Andy Carroll and stepping up to Serie C at 16 is sure to be an early test of the young lad’s mettle. Should Milan Futuro remain in Serie C in 2025-26, perhaps they’ll be forced to take the leap and send him on loan to Serie B for a year, or perhaps even A.



Almost half of Italian clubs’ loanees play around half the games in a season, whereas the B club model offers these big clubs a lot more control. As they cite the almost obsolete Primavera model and the insecurity of the loan market for player development as great issues, they will urge the governing bodies to see the B team concept as a suitable alternative.



An idealist view would be to urge said clubs to stop retaining talent like grazing cattle preparing to be brought to market. However, football exists in an often optimism-sapping state of realism and Italian football is all too aware of this. 



Men in suits will continue to tell themselves that the nation’s biggest producers of young players have the nation’s best interests at heart. 



Perhaps the Primavera system is the biggest blocker to talented players progressing into first team football, but the Serie A/Serie B coaches must take some blame. Exhibit A: **[Simone Pafundi](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2024-01-22-simone-pafundi-did-udinese-get-it-wrong)** and his wasting away prior to escaping to Switzerland.



Behind the glitzy branding of NextGen and Futuro remains a fundamental problem that FIGC president Gabriele Gravina has failed to grasp. Why do so many Serie C, and even the odd Serie B club, find themselves in financial freefall? 



Community assets going to the wall and finding themselves in the game’s hinterland. Livorno, Ancona, Siena, Reggina and several more. If the solution to this problem is to bung more B teams into the professional ranks and see the attendances dwindle further then so be it, but it’s fundamentally bad for football in Italy.



One might argue that B teams provide match experience but little pressure. Luca Toni (Modena) and Andrea Barzagli (Ascoli), both 2006 World Cup winners, played in Serie C with the hopes and dreams of their clubs’ fans behind them.



If a Juventus, Milan or Atalanta youngster fails, who are they upsetting beyond those clubs’ board who might wish to attract a big fee or, in extreme circumstances, push them into the first team?



The B team issue will continue to be a point of contention in Italian football for as long as it exists. Fans will mostly hate it; journalists will write about it and sporting directors will look at it the same way I stare at the cured meats section in a supermarket.

B teams in Serie C: Solution or problem?

It takes a lot to coax any emotion other than anger out of Gian Piero Gasperini.

“It’s too personal and delicate. Venturing into our heads is like entering a jungle,” said Gasperini in January 2022 of Josip Ilicic’s publicly documented mental health struggles. 

Late last year, the brusque Atalanta manager shed tears in an interview when asked about visiting the Slovenian during his treatment for depression at a clinic the week before their Champions League quarter-final against PSG in August 2020. 

Two years later, Ilicic was released from his Atalanta contract so he could return home to Slovenia.

However, this is a story with a much happier ending than one might have expected a year ago. This is one for the football romantics. 

> **A football cult hero and bona fide Atalanta legend had his career derailed by depression.**

36-year-old Ilicic will be at Euro 2024 with Slovenia less than two years after it seemed his career might be over.

Five months prior to Gasperini’s clinic visit, Ilicic looked like a world beater, scoring four goals in a single game as Atalanta knocked Valencia out of Europe, but his adopted home of Bergamo had become the continent’s ground zero for COVID-19 and it wasn’t long before the world shut down.

Ilicic was alone, stuck at home while his family were back in Slovenia. A football cult hero and bona fide Atalanta legend had his career derailed by depression. The Slovenian maestro’s battle is a reminder that footballers are indeed human.

His mental state and background rarely would have entered my mind when watching him play football prior to 2020. Perhaps that’s a general ignorance to the idea that footballers are more than just entertaining millionaires but you don’t find yourself thinking about such things when a player is at the top of his game.

> **Ilicic ties vintage and modern football together.** 

He was born in Bosnia & Herzegovina to an ethnic Croat family in a majority Serb town and his father was killed by a Serb neighbour when Ilicic was a baby. He grew up in Slovenia as a refugee of the wars that raged during the breakup of Yugoslavia and chose to represent the country in which he spent his formative years.

Few players have been able to pair grace and power quite as seamlessly as Ilicic. Watch a highlight reel on YouTube and you quickly understand the origin of his nickname, Il Professore.

Ilicic ties vintage and modern football together. He dribbles past players and shoots from distance in a way that is rarely seen anymore yet has the passing range and presence of mind not to expose himself to today’s obsession with percentages and stats. 

He is a trequartista with the strength of a defender and if he were more consistent at his peak, it isn’t difficult to imagine him being in the conversation when it comes to the world’s best players at that time. But that’s all in the past now.

An era ended when Atalanta terminated his contract in September 2022. That attack of Zapata, Muriel, Gomez and Ilicic was raw entertainment and felt like the breakout album that took Gasperini’s team mainstream.

> **A fitting third act in a wonderful career.**

Football moves on quickly. It doesn’t allow for sentimentality, yet most football lovers cannot live without it. Ilicic was an artist in his prime and his return to Slovenia with Maribor has started to resemble some of the masterpieces he painted on Italian soil.

While Slovenia’s Prva Liga is a far cry from Serie A, beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to football. His first season back home was plagued by injury, appearing only 14 times, but this year has been a different story.

At 36, he racked up 21 goal contributions across league, cup and Europa Conference League, hence the Slovenia call up after almost three years without a cap.

His nine goals and twelve assists are littered with brushstrokes of the vintage Ilicic. Delicate, pinpoint crosses. Perfectly weighted passes. Feints and cutbacks that leave defenders frozen. The laser accurate left foot shot. It’s all there, it’s just a little slower, which is to be expected.

His return to international football set the nostalgia receptors alight. Moments after coming off the bench, he found himself free on the right wing and received a perfect pass from Petar Stojanovic. 

The covering defender met the old Ilicic. Cutback onto his left foot, turn, shoot with precision and power. A goal that puts him on the plane to Germany. 

 Josip Ilicic is off to his first international tournament aged 36. A fitting third act in a wonderful career that could have ended with great sadness and it’s a testament to the man’s ability and fortitude that he made this comeback. 

Romance in football still exists, as proven here. Now, all we need is him to score the winner against England in a few weeks’ time, eh? Only joking. Sort of.

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Josip Ilicic at Euro 2024: A win for football romantics

###### **I﻿mage: Lewis Urquhart ([@calciolewis](https://twitter.com/calciolewis?lang=en))**



Football hipsters rejoice. Parma are back in Serie A. Get the classic jerseys out, play the grainy footage of Crespo and Chiesa; we’re having a party.

After a near miss in last season’s playoffs, a 1-1 draw at Bari gave i Crociati a hard-fought promotion on Labour Day.

For those outside Italy, any knowledge of Parma almost certainly comes from the Football Italia days, which coincided with the club’s rapid rise and sharp fall.

Standing on the shoulders of dairy giant Parmalat, novice coach Nevio Scala built a team worthy of cult status, taking them from Serie B to winning Coppa Italia, Cup Winner’s Cup and UEFA Cup in six years between 1989-95, before another [few years of glory under Alberto Malesani](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2023-05-30-parma-the-last-italian-uefa-cup-champions) at the turn of the millennium.

> **It has been an eventful two decades since Tanzi abandoned what had become a flaming wreckage that once promised so much.**

The subsequent instability brought about by Parmalat’s declining financial situation and subsequent bankruptcy is arguably still felt at the club today.

By April 2004, Calisto Tanzi’s Parma-Parmalat odyssey lay in tatters. An allegedly fraudulent €14bn hole in Parmalat’s accounts forced it into bankruptcy, taking the football club with it.

Reformed in summer 2004, Parma remained in Serie A thanks to the Marzano Law which allowed for a restructuring of Parmalat, therefore saving the club from relegation to Serie D. However, they re-appeared as a poor imitation of the gialloblù hoops that threatened to smash the Milan-Inter-Juventus axis in the late 90s.

![](/assets/blog/parmapic5.png)

Relegated in 2008, back to A in 2009, bankrupt and sent to Serie D in 2015, back in Serie A by 2018, back to B in 2021; it has been an eventful two decades since Tanzi abandoned what had become a flaming wreckage that once promised so much.

The current guardian/owner is a very different man. Like many clubs, Parma have benefitted from the recent stream of US investment into the Italian game.

In Kyle J. Krause, Parma have what appears to be a more sensible head than Tanzi, and more competent than his replacement, Tommaso Ghirardi.

The American businessman has overseen the creation of a team built to withstand the rigours of Serie B, escape it, and make a fist of Serie A.

Though his first season ended in relegation, his almost four-year tenure as Parma owner has to be considered a success.

The team he inherited had just lost Dejan Kulusevski (end of loan) and Matteo Darmian, but signs of that failed 2020-21 season are seen throughout this current team in players like Dennis Man, Valentin Mihaila, Yordan Osorio and more.

![](/assets/blog/parmapic4.png)

Fabio Pecchia was granted another season to take the club back to where it, and most others, feel they belong. Faith that the squad built over three years had enough to go up remained, but that faith had been tested.

The manner in which their 2022-23 season ended could have been fatal for some managers. Leading 2-0 in Cagliari at half-time, an injured Gigi Buffon left the pitch for the last time as a professional footballer. By full-time, Cagliari had won 3-2 and played out a quiet 0-0 a few days later.

Less than twelve months later, Pecchia is about to claim another promotion to Serie A, having left Cremonese for Parma after guiding them up in 2022.

> **Pecchia has rotated at times throughout this season; a mix of managing players’ fitness and indecision around the optimal formula for his best XI.**

Captained by Enrico Delprato and powered by goals from Man, Mihaila and Adrian Benedyczak, all of whom joined 2021, it seems that faith has paid off for Parma. Throw in the creative vision of Adrian Bernabé too; a player with a bright future after signing from Man City in…2021. 

Rather than tearing everything down, Parma played the long game and it should set them up nicely for next season.

It would be prudent to improve in certain areas; goalkeeper, left-back and centre-midfield would feature high in my list. Still, this is a team you can’t help but like. 

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Provided they can reinforce, we should see this team mostly kept together next year, as its hard work over the past three years merits a crack at Serie A.

Pecchia has rotated his midfield, full-backs and even attackers at times throughout this season; a mix of managing players’ fitness and indecision around the optimal formula for his best XI.

While seeing inconsistency in the lineup may have frustrated at times, and it’s safe to say it didn’t always work, it has allowed them to remain fresh going into the final weeks of the season.

Last weekend’s game against Lecco was a prime example. A banana skin of the highest order. Playing the last-placed team at home, who knew that anything other than a win would see them relegated. 

> **They did what others couldn’t.** 

Rather than fall into the trap of playing conservative enough to ‘just win’, Parma blew Lecco away inside half an hour and eventually won 4-0. The gulf in class (and fitness) told.

That win, plus Venezia’s loss at Catanzaro hours before Parma faced Bari on Wednesday meant that all they needed was a point, and they duly delivered. Nervy, but job done.

Being the best team in Serie B has never been about beating teams by three or four goals every week, because it just doesn’t happen. In a league where two points per game is a promotion guarantee, 

![Parma Curva in full flow](/assets/blog/parmapic2.png "Parma Curva in full flow")

They did what others couldn’t. While promotion may have been mathematically secured at Bari, it was nights like Friday 8th March that defined their season.

Trailing at half-time against Brescia, a wet Stadio Ennio Tardini started to feel the weight of being league leaders for the first time. Their boys had struggled, with Benedyczak missing a penalty moments before the break just to add to the feeling that it wasn’t to be their night.

Minutes into the second-half, the tide turned when Dennis Man seized on a momentary lapse in Brescia concentration and finished like a footballer playing above their level. 

After surviving the Brescia reaction to Man’s equaliser, Parma set about finding a winner. A slice of luck in the form of Melvin Huard talking himself into a red card in the 87th minute gave Parma another shot in the arm, at which point captain Delprato stepped up.

> **For now, it’s a case of enjoying their success; but this is a club which is all too familiar with the concept of pride coming before the fall.** 

The right-back appeared in the middle of Brescia’s penalty area almost immediately after the red card and headed in the decisive goal, three weeks after scoring a last-gasp winner against Pisa. Two points turned into six thanks to Parma’s captain leading by example.

It says a lot about a team that news of them losing a game is met with real surprise. It makes sense, given they have only lost four times this season. Venezia, Lecco, Modena and Catanzaro the only sides to do so, with the latter being the only loss at the Tardini.

That loss to Catanzaro on Easter Monday convinced Pecchia to tinker ahead of a trip to Sudtirol, which ended 0-0 and prompted the first suggestions that the pressure might be getting to the league leaders.

Eight points in four games since suggests otherwise. They will have to negotiate a tough home game against Cremonese and [derby against Reggiana](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2023-08-31-parma-reggiana-divided-by-football-united-by-cheese) on the final day, but four points will guarantee them the title to top off a wonderful season.

![](/assets/blog/parmapic3.png)

The city that gave the world Giuseppe Verdi and Parmigiano-Reggiano deserves Serie A football, and now it has it again.

If Parma can approach this summer sensibly, they can have a team capable of achieving comfortable safety next season, which would provide them with a platform upon which they can build towards re-establishing themselves as a Serie A club.

For now, it’s a case of enjoying their success; but this is a club which is all too familiar with the concept of pride coming before the fall. 

While chasing scudetti may be a nostalgic dream, there is no reason we shouldn’t be seeing that famous yellow and blue on our screens for years to come. 

Away with the boom and bust cycle, in with some stability.

Parma: Back in the big time

I will miss Victor Osimhen in a Napoli shirt. Since he joined the Partenopei from Lille in 2020, it’s been a wonderful journey and a story culminating in downs but with really, really big ups too. 

Having delivered a Scudetto, Osimhen will leave Naples a hero - regardless of what you read about his relationship with the fans. 

Osimhen will live on forever in Neapolitan folklore thanks to that championship-winning season. His lovely half-volley goal vs Roma. His chest, knee and volley without the ball touching the floor against them, as well. 

The goals versus Juventus. Atalanta. Fiorentina. Sassuolo. The list goes on. And then finally, his equaliser in Udine to clinch the title.

### **But what’s important is not mourning the good times with Osimhen but rather, what comes next.** 

The post-Osimhen era will be fascinating. Rearing its head during a time of instability at Napoli, where major rebuilding is needed following a season of idiotic decisions and a whole load of carelessness from the higher-ups. 

With three coaches across this season and a very slim chance of qualifying for the Champions League, Napoli’s season has been nothing short of a trainwreck. 

Cashing in on Osimhen is an uncomfortable decision, but when you look at Napoli’s squad, it might just be a necessary one. 

> **Aurelio De Laurentiis has some big decisions to make at the end of this season.**

His release clause is said to be €120m with PSG set to activate it in the summer, which allows whoever takes over the reigns as Napoli manager a half-decent kitty to improve their squad. 

The main objective when reinvesting that money is to sign Kvicha Kvaratshkelia to a long-term deal, preferably without a release clause, although unlikely. 

His current deal ends in 2027 but reward and recognition are needed to keep the Georgian sweet because losing not one, but two prized assets in the summer is not an option for the club in its current state. 

If they hire Antonio Conte, let’s just hope he isn’t used as a wing-back in a 3-5-2…

And it’s just that. Napoli’s future isn’t exactly looking bright and President Aurelio De Laurentiis has some big decisions to make at the end of this season to not only recover but to make up for his neglect. 

Whether it will be Antonio Conte or Vincenzo Italiano - giving the new manager the financial backing (fuelled by Osimhen’s transfer), as well as the freedom to build their squad, is of the utmost importance to allow Napoli to go forward and get back to Champions League football. 

Once Kvaratshkelia is signed to a long-term deal, the next priority is to replace Victor Osimhen, of course. But how on earth do you do that?

> **Amir Rrahmani looks past his best and Natan has disappeared from the starting lineup.**

They’re linked with the likes of Joshua Zirkzee (also linked with Milan and Juventus), Victor Boniface from Bayern Leverkusen and even Viktor Gyokeres. And no, they don’t have to get someone named Victor. 

Away from the striker department, replacing Piotr Zielinski is a must. The midfield is weak, and with the danger of Stanislav Lobotka being poached by Barcelona, it could get a whole load worse for them. 

Jens Cajuste and Hamed Traore are not good enough but with Gianluca Gaetano showing promise at Cagliari, it begs the question as to why they let him leave on loan in the first place. 

18-year-old Matteo Popovic is joining on a free transfer this summer as well, which could provide another good option in attacking midfield, if he’s ready for first-team football. 

They’re also lacking at centre-half. Juan Jesus is deadweight, Amir Rrahmani looks past his best and Natan has disappeared from the starting lineup for whatever reason. 

I’m not sure anyone expected the departure of Kim Min-jae to derail Napoli’s defensive work as much as it did but when you combine that with appointing tactical dinosaurs, it takes its toll. 

Properly replacing Kim has to be near the top of their list this summer, even if it’s a year too late. 

> **It’s a vital time for the club and needs to be handled carefully and strategically.**

Shockingly, Giovanni Di Lorenzo has dropped in favour among Napolitani too. He’s miles off his Scudetto-winning level, with some calling for him to be dropped entirely, albeit to the stubborn refusal of coach Francesco Calzona. 

One of the main reasons is most likely to be the lack of a capable replacement. If I were Napoli, I’d be looking at Raoul Bellanova from Torino who is a breath of fresh air down the right flank. 

Right now, Napoli long for the end of the season so they can draw a line under this dismal year and put it behind them. 

Whoever they hire and whoever that manager signs, it’s a vital time for the club and needs to be handled carefully and strategically.

It might be my blind hope but I expect Napoli to hire right and be back fighting at the top of the table. I guess time will tell,. 

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