With the international break it’s a good time to take a look at each team across the league. Ratings are relevant to expectations and performance. Without further ado, come take Nonno’s hand while we WHIP IT AROUND!!!!!!
Ratings
MILAN (1st) Rotated out 8 starters and rotation guys for 8 different ones. Replaced almost the entire midfield and most of the attack. Still in first place with just 1 loss and 7 wins including 5 by 2 goals or more. A great window followed by a great job by Pioli bedding in new players with old ones while heavily rotating. Seven different goal scorers including 7 goals from new faces. Only blips so far is the clunker against Inter and a penchant for picking up way too many yellows. Theo has 5 already and the team has 21, which leads the league. Something to keep in mind…Milan has already played 5 road games and have 4 wins from them. That’s huge this early. With such a good start, top 4 feels assured and a battle for the top should be in the cards.
INTER (2nd) A lightning fast start that has slowed a bit of late. Through 5 games they had 5 wins, 14 goals and just 1 conceded. Sommer looked great and all pistons were firing. Since then there was a loss to Sassuolo at home, a dreadful performance against Salernitana where Lautaro saved them and then right before the break blowing a 2-0 lead at home to Bologna. Thuram and Pavard look like great additions as does Sommer in goal. Last year it was losses that hurt their title hopes. This year perhaps it will be inconsistency at home? Still an excellent start. They will again attempt to battle on all 3 fronts. After coming so close in CL last year you wonder if that’s not the main goal.
JUVENTUS (3rd) Despite a virtually invisible window, some ugly football and a whole lot of complaints from fans, good ole Max has them in third. Chiesa and Vlahovic are leading the way with 4 goals each while Milik has 2. That seems about right. Not much else though. The midfield is mediocre at best. the defense has been up and down. Szczesny is finally looking old. Did I mention that Allegri is a wizard? Prepare for them to finish top 4. It’s gonna happen. Max gets 5 stars, the players get 3, so the team gets 4. With no Europe they are gonna appear to stay in the hunt all year but I don’t think they ever get close.
FIORENTINA (4th) No one in the league knows who they are more than these guys. Italiano is going to attack all game long. I know it. you know it. The players know it. THE OPPONENTS KNOW IT. Guess what? He don’t care. Gonzalez is red hot with 5 goals already and old man Jack has already buried 4. Nzola and Brekalo will eventually come good. They are DEEP. Milenkovic in the back and Terraciano in goal are just good enough to keep them above water. They could finish anywhere from 3-7 in the table but for a neutral that’s fine. They are must watch football folks…even if their chances of staying this high are pretty slim.
NAPOLI (5th) So far Garcia has managed to peel back almost everything that went right last year. It’s not completely on him though. ADL started this over the summer by doing virtually nothing to refresh the squad. Also, they sold Kim Min Jae and didn’t replace him ’til the window was nearly closed. Not a good move when replacing a CB. Kavara started slow. Osimhen got pissed. Anguissa has been injured. Meret is a little more of who we thought he was. It’s been ugly but they were still top 4 just a week ago. Solidifying things has to start at the back where they have conceded 6 goals in their last 2 matches. It’s not too late as it’s a long season. Seven points back after just 8 games won’t be easy though.
ATALANTA (6th) As usual an up and down start for Atalanta. Their results read WLWLWWDL. Home or away it doesn’t matter. Sometimes it’s 1-0 and other times it’s 3-2. The goals and assists have been spread out which is good. Lookman is back on track. CDK is on point. Ederson really looks the part. Koopmeiners has been the star but now he’s picked up a knock and will miss at least the next 3 weeks. The window brought reinforcemnets which Gasperini is slowly working in. The schedule has been pretty light so far but will pick up soon. They are definitely deeper this year but the jury is out on whether they are any BETTER.
MONZA (7th) MONZA CONTINUE TO MONZA! Actually in year 2 of being in Serie A they are better than that. After righting the ship last year they have 64 points in 41 games. That’s roughly 1.5 points per game which is solidly mid table. Palladino continues to cook. Colpani has emerged as a goal scorer with 4 already this season. The defense is tough and they are getting a rep for being difficult to play against. They are unbeaten at home which is always a good sign. Europe might be a reach but it’s not impossible. I think Monza and Bologna have the best chance of cracking into Europe.
FROSINONE (8th) Wait? WHAT? Say that again…Frosinone in 8th after 8 rounds? Perennial whipping boy of late, Eusebio Di Francesco, has returned and this time is doing a swell job. Like Monza, they are piling up points at home with 10 points from their first 5. Soule has been a revelation on loan from Juventus and is tearing up the league. Old man Romagnoli leads a chorus of retreads in defense that has done just enough. It does feel a bit misleading especially with EDF in charge. There’s not much steak to this sizzle and they’ve had a pretty light schedule to start. Ceiling is probably about 14th but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the ride. Do NOT discount a dumpster fire by January and EDF getting fired.
LECCE (9th) Oh Lecce my Lecce! I’m so happy to see them not only stay up last year but start this year solidly. Falcone is back between sticks and continuing to do an excellent job. The one guy that did well was Hjulmand at center mid but they went out and replaced him with perfectly with Ramadani. Krstovic has been a revelation up top with 4 goals and Almqvist looks to be legit on the wing. Their whole starting lineup cost under 10 million, so they know how to spend. A top half finish would be significant for them as their project looks to be right on course.
ROMA (10th) Their position along with their 19 goals are most deceiving. Their 3 wins are against Frosinone, Cagliari and Empoli who they have racked up 13 goals against. In their other 5 games they have been outscored 11-6 and accumulated just 2 points. That might just be the way it goes for them. Roma has ALWAYS beaten up on the little guys but equally gotten smashed against the big boys. That’s usually left them somewhere between 5th and 7th. Now with Dybala hurt that might be in jeopardy. For them to compete Lukaku is gonna have to explode for 25+ goals. He might be able to do it but it’s hard to imagine much help. Let the countdown ’til Mourinho’s last game in the capital begin.
BOLOGNA (11th) This might seem like a letdown after last year but keep in mind they have faced the toughest schedule so far. In their first 8 games they have already faced Milan, Juve, Napoli, Inter and Monza, all of whom are in the top 7. From the other 3 they beat Empoli and Cagliari and drew away to Verona. They have kept the defense tight only conceding 6 in those 8 while the offense is starting to pick up. Orsolini is coming to life and Zirksee is looking like a real find up top. Ferguson continues to hold down the middle. The schedule lightens up soon and they should be able to make their move. I expect by the holiday break they are in fine form sitting in the top 7.
SASSUOLO (12th) Atalanta may APPEAR to be the Jekyll and Hyde team of Serie A at times but we all know that honor belongs to Sassuolo. Who else can beat Inter and Juve back to back only to go home and lose to Monza? Sassuolo are exactly who we think they are. Berardi will score right around 15 goals and Sassuolo will probably finish right around the 12-15 spot in the table. On the bright side Daniel Boloca in the midfield appears to be the real deal following in the footsteps of Locatelli and Frattesi. Keep an eye on this one. Pinamonti is also banging them in again with 4 goals already. It’s hard to believe he’s only 24.
LAZIO (13th) Until the win Sunday they were in line to be the flop of the season. Sarri ball was looking a little stale and Immobile might be getting over the hill. Those 2 things might still be true despite the win over Atalanta. The midfield rebuild has been a bit of a flop though and I think we see more Rovella soon. Immobile is on fumes but Castellanos is showing signs of life. They aren’t deep so a usual early CL exit might be just what the doctor ordered come January. BUT of course they even messed that up by drawing Athletico Madrid and beating Celtic. If things don’t start improving in the league, the CL might be the only thing they can hang their hat on. Look for them to end up somewhere beteen 6th and 9th.
TORINO (14th) Stop me if you have heard this before…. Juric’s Torino are a nightmare to play against, can’t score and despite rumors you have heard about Allegri’s Juve, it’s Torino that play the most negative football in the league. Am I right or am I right? I’M RIGHT. The only saving grace here is the random Radonjic worldie. Otherwise go mow the yard or do laundry. Maybe a nap? Let’s move on….
GENOA (15th) Two seasons ago I was thrilled to see them go down. No one needed it more than them. The whole roster needed a refresh and they were going nowhere. Now they are back with old friend Gilardino as coach and some fun new players like Gudmundsson and Retegui. Both have 3 goals and make them a lot of fun to watch. They also have Thorsby out there throwing elbows and flopping around like snipers are using him for target practice. The schedule hasn’t been easy but they have wins against Lazio and Roma and a draw against Napoli. 8 points from 8 isn’t great but it’s solid while they get their feet wet. A slow start for a newly promoted side is tough to overcome. Despite Frosinone’s great start Genoa feel like the safest of the newly promoted squads.
HELLAS VERONA (16th) 2 wins to start the year and then 2 points from 6 since. I think the offense is a little better this year but they are struggling to produce. Bonnazolli and Djuric need to produce. Other than that it’s Verona. Crap on the road and they’ll do just enough at home to yo-yo between 16th and 18th. I will once again cheer for them to go down.
UDINESE (17th) Udinese are on the same path Cagliari were on a few years. One year they tanked so bad they just barely survived. That horrendous form carried on the next year until they finally went down. Udinese are trending that way. Deulofeu is still out. Beto was sold and not replaced in any way. In the offseason Samardzic tried to jump ship but couldn’t seal the deal to Inter. Success has not been a success. Florian Thauvin would have been exciting 8 years ago. Not anymore. Sottil’s seat has to be RED HOT. What a mess.
EMPOLI (18th) And now it’s the year that Empoli bottoms out. This is kind of what they do. They stay up for a few years while selling off everything not strapped down before they finally get relegated. Remember that’s how Milan got Bennacer and Krunic. An ugly start but they do have a win. That’s more than the 2 teams below them can say. Kind of surprised Marin is still there but I’m sure he will be offloaded next. You can bet the money will be well spent though. It’s ugly but these guys know what they are doing.
SALERNITANA (19th) U-G-L-Y you ain’t got no alibi, YOU UGLY!!! With this group there is no way they should be this bad. They can’t score and the defense is a MESS. Granted last year Ochoa was might have deserved league MVP for keeping them up but this defense is horrendous. Candreva had a brace in the opener but he scores about as often as there’s an equinox anymore. Dia has just one goal and after a promised move fell apart over the summer his motivation appears near zero. Time to make a change and hope for that new manager bouncey-bounce!
CAGLIARI (20th) Cagliari have drawn both Udinese and Torino. I really feel for anyone that watched much less attended those games. Can you imagine? The only reason they aren’t getting destroyed is everyone loves Raineri. I’m shocked Nandez is still there. Thought he’d be long gone by now.
Final Thoughts
It’s early but there is still some things to be gleaned from this early stretch. This next stretch through the first of the year with further seperate the good from the bad.
What thoughts do you guys have? Who’s gonna make a run? Who will fall apart? Comment below!
Enjoy the Calcio!
PS: If you enjoy making a few bets the KICKS and PICKS PODCAST is a must listen. Their latest episode has special segment on what we’ve learned from Serie A so far this year and what trends to look for going forward.