In addition to the Bundesliga, the season goals will also open in Italy’s Serie A this weekend. Champions SSC Napoli are looking to defend their title but the road to success could be bumpy.
Because the competition, especially from Milan, has upgraded and doesn’t want to make it as easy for the southern Italians as it was last season, when Napoli won the “Scudetto” with a lead of 16 points over Lazio Rome. The title triggered true ecstasy in the metropolis, it was the first in 33 years.
On Saturday (08/19/2023) Serie A will start its 120th season with the first four matches. The first day of play continues on Sunday.
The master question
SSC Napoli dominated the Italian league for months last season with thrilling football. This summer, however, coach Luciano Spaletti and sports director Cristiano Giuntoli, who moved to Turin, and defense chief Min-Jae Kim (to FC Bayern) said goodbye.
However, the new coach Rudi Garcia made no secret of the fact that for him it was all about defending the title. “Such a triumph sometimes makes you sleepy. Don’t worry, I’ll set the alarm clock”, promised the Frenchman, who, in addition to the renewed championship, is also aiming for the semi-finals of the Champions League with Naples.
Like Naples, Inter Milan is also one of the narrow circle of favourites. The upheaval in the team is far greater than in Naples, but important players such as Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni have also been retained.
And the record champion? Juventus Turin (a total of 36 times champion) is probably facing a difficult season. Juve is in upheaval – and in crisis. Turin are going through the most difficult time since they were forced to relegate in 2006. Juve lost ten points last season and ended the season in seventh place. The club is not in Europe, UEFA has excluded it from the competitions. Juventus threatens to disappear into mediocrity.
New stars, significant departures
The really big world stars are missing from the shopping list of the Italian clubs this summer. Inter got two reinforcements from the Bundesliga with Marcus Thuram from Mönchengladbach and Yann Sommer from FC Bayern. Marko Arnautovic returned to the Nerazzuri (Bologna FC) after ten years.
AC Milan signed ex-Dortmunder Cristian Pulisic from Chelsea. In addition, Milan brought the Swiss national player Noak Okafor from Salzburg. There are no new superstars at Champions Naples. Within the league, striker Giacomo Raspadori moved from Sassuolo to SSC.
However, there are some well-known approaches. First and foremost Sandro Tonali, who left Milan for Newcastle United – for a fee of 70 million euros. André Onana (from Inter to ManUnited) and Rasmus Höjlund (from Atalanta also to ManUnited) no longer earn their money in the former lire paradise.
Yann Sommer, new keeper at Inter Milan, wants to play for the championship.
The climbers
CFC Genoa is back in the Italian House of Lords after a two-year absence. The traditional club, the first Italian champions ever in 1898 and subsequently winners of the title eight times up until 1924, rose to the top of Serie B. Other newcomers are Frosinone Calcio and Cagliari Calcio.
Frosinone, located 75 kilometers south of Rome, has developed into an elevator team in recent years. In the 2015/16 season, the club played in Serie A for the first time. After one season, things went down again, interrupted by a year-long stay in the top division in 2018/19.
Cagliari Calcio, the club from the Sardinian capital, last played first-class in 2021/22 and also wants to stay at the top for longer than just one season.
German professionals in Serie A
Lothar Matthäus, Andreas Brehme, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – the list of very prominent German professionals who once played in the Italian top league is long. But the times are long gone when well-known footballers from Germania found their way across the Alps. With Robin Gosens, a national player recently left Inter Milan and joined Union Berlin.
Malick Thiaw, also a German player, is likely to be the most prominent of the six German professionals who earn their money in Serie A. The ex-Schalke player surprisingly belonged to the starting eleven of AC Milan in the second half of the season and could also play an important role in the Milan defense in the new season.
The signing of Yann Aurel Bisseck, captain of the German U21 national team, also drew attention. The former Cologne player moved to Inter Milan from the Danish first division club Aarhus and received a five-year contract there. Transfer fee: seven million euros.
Other players with a German passport in Serie A: Koray Günter (Hellas Verona), Diego Demme (SSC Napoli), Jeremy Toljan (US Sassuolo), Marvin Cuni (Frosinone Calcio).