THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

‘INTER WERE THE ONLY SIDE TO MAINTAIN THEIR CONSISTENCY THROUGHOUT THE SEASON WHILE OTHERS FELL BY THE WAYSIDE’

achievement of the now-departed Conte in whipping Inter into shape. Il Biscione were good value for their title triumph. A home derby defeat and an away loss to Sampdoria were their only losses until a controversial 3-2 reverse at Juventus came after they had mathematically won the league. Simone Inzaghi has replaced Conte in the San Siro dugout and it remains to be seen if the former Lazio trainer can inspire Inter in the manner of his predecessor. Juventus parted ways with Maurizio Sarri last summer despite the chain-smoking, Charles Bukowski-reading tactician overseeing the Old Lady’s ninth straight Scudetti. He was replaced by novice Andrea Pirlo, himself let go by Juve at the conclusion of the season and replaced by Max Allegri after limping into the Champions League places on the final day of the season. Pirlo’s side underwhelmed in 2020-21, winning only 23 of their 38 matches. A shock 1-0 home defeat to relegated Benevento in March was probably the lowest point, coming shortly after Juve exited the Champions League in the last 16 against Porto. Pirlo was heavily criticised for his stubbornness in refusing to change his style of play despite it not appearing to suit his players, and dropped points against Crotone, Hellas Verona and Benevento – who took four points off Juve – meant they never got going. Dropping Cristiano Ronaldo for the must-win final game of the season may also point to an unhappy relationship with the Portugal striker, who has been linked with a move away from Turin this summer. Milan finished the season in second place having been the Winter Champions and remained unbeaten until early January, when they lost to Juventus. That defeat was followed up by three more, against Atalanta, Spezia and, most damagingly, Inter in the Derby della Madonnina. Coach Stefano Pioli arguably overachieved this season by delivering Champions League qualification for the first time since 2014 and few last August tagged Milan as title challengers. The presence of veteran superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic certainly helped, bringing confidence and experience to what is a young side. Milan were also helped by the award of 20 penalties, converting 15 of them. Atalanta again impressed in finishing third with 78 points, the same total as Juventus but La Dea topped the head-to-head record between the teams. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have

SERIE A SUMMER TRANSFERS

The experience of Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped Milan but the Rossoneri still fell away in the spring

This could possibly be the most confusing transfer market in recent Serie A history with the carousel of coaching changes that began hours after the final whistle of the 2020-21 campaign the main catalyst for upheaval. The uncertainty of who will arrive or depart several of the bigger clubs in Italy – be it due to the pandemic, Euro 2020 or clubs’ parlous finances – make this a difficult window to predict. The early transfer saga involved Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, as his contract ran down at San Siro and he became available on a free transfer. Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain were both linked with the

Azzurri international but Max Allegri’s return to Turin reportedly left PSG free and clear, as Allegri is said to be happy with current No 1 Wojciech Szczesny. Fans have of course been absent from Serie A stadiums for more than a year and the resulting loss of revenue is part of why clubs are looking for cheaper options, including those out of contract at their current clubs. Napoli pair Nikola Maksimovic and Elseid Hysaj should have a host of suitors, and the same goes for Milan’s Turkey international Hakan Calhanoglu, Nicolas N’Koulou of Torino and Inter’s utility man Danilo D’Ambrosio. Probably

Some big names could leave Inter this summer but Romelu Lukaku has said he wants to stay

now qualified for the Champions League for three straight years, getting out of the group stage again in 2020-21 and only losing to Real Madrid in the Round of 16. It was though a poor start to the season for Atalanta, as they recorded three defeats and two draws in their first 10 games and fell 16 points behind leaders Milan. They ended the season only a point behind the Rossoneri – and 13 points behind Inter – with the goals of Colombian pair Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel a major reason for their recovery. The strikers scored 15 and 22 goals respectively and ensured the Bergamo club didn’t feel the loss of captain Papu Gomez too much after he joined Sevilla in January following a falling-out with Gasperini. Napoli were involved at the top of the table early in the season, winning their first four matches before back-to-back home defeats to Sassuolo and Milan took the wind out of their sales in November. The Azzurri dropped too many points at home against sides they were expected to beat, including on the final day when they blew a lead against Verona. That 1-1 draw allowed Juve to steal fourth place after a nine-game unbeaten run appeared to have put Napoli on course for Champions League qualification. Gennaro Gattuso decamped soon after the end of the season to take over from Beppe Iachini at Fiorentina, to be replaced by Luciano Spalletti, whose remit is clear: qualify for the Champions League. Neither Roma nor Lazio ever really looked like genuine title contenders at any point in the season and the capital clubs ended up finishing seventh and sixth respectively. The Biancocelesti only scored once in their final five games, while La Lupa failed to beat any of the other top seven sides – other than a home win Lazio in the Rome derby. And both sides are facing a rebuild this summer as Simone Inzaghi quit Lazio for Inter, and Jose Mourinho was announced as replacing Paulo Fonseca before the season was over. Ultimately Inter’s Scudetto win was about consistency. The teams around them were either hampered by bad spells or never got going, whereas Conte’s charges powered through, inspired by Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez in attack and a well-drilled team behind them. But what could have been the start of a dynasty under Conte may now go down as a one-season wonder, and Serie A bathes in uncertainty once again.

the biggest name of the summer to watch is Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been linked with PSG, a return to first club Sporting and a move to MLS. Meanwhile, Inter could reluctantly lose some of their title-winners in an effort to balance to books, and Achraf Hakimi is the name most commonly mentioned – again in connection with PSG. Italy internationals Emerson Palmieri, Matteo Pessina, Manuel Locatelli, and Andrea Belotti will all be subject to transfer speculation throughout the summer and some of the standouts from Serie A who do not currently

grace the bigger clubs – including Udinese talisman Rodrigo De Paul, Josip Ilicic of Atalanta and Sassuolo’s swashbuckling winger Jeremie Boga – could all have the top sides fighting for their signatures this summer.

RIGHT: A surprise appointment, Andrea Pirlo struggled as Juventus coach and was dismissed at the end of the season

LEFT: Hakan Calhanoglu could potentially move

LEFT (OPPODITE PAGE): Gianluigi Donnarumma's contract at the San Siro is up

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2021-22

Five of last season’s top seven clubs have changed coach – which could be the opening the stable Milan and Atalanta need…

Champions Inter may have lost Scudettowinning coach Antonio Conte and could be forced to sell some of their key players – Achraf Hakimi is among them although Romelu Lukaku has said he wants to stay – but they should still be the team to beat next season. Milan should be encouraged by their 2020-21 and, along with Atalanta, are the only side from 2020-21’s top seven to be heading into the new season with the same coach. Money is a little tight for the Rossoneri but they should be able to add to their squad – indeed, they’ll have to as they balance Serie A with their return to the Champions League. Three top four finishes in a row will leave Atalanta hopeful of taking the next step to become genuine title contenders – not plucky outsiders fighting against the odds. A decent summer of recruitment – and holding on to their key player and, most importantly, coach Gian Piero Gasperini – could see La Dea take advantage of the upheaval around them. Juventus will be expecting better as Max Allegri returns to the club. But the Old Lady will have to rebuild what is an old squad, with Cristiano Ronaldo flirting with a move to first club Sporting, a return to Manchester United or a spell in MLS. Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci aren’t getting any younger either and while there is talent in the younger members of the squad, they don’t have the same leadership qualities as their older teammates. Matthis De Ligt, Weston McKennie, Federico Chiesa and Paulo Dybala could be the spine for the next period of success, if the players around them are up to scratch. Napoli, Lazio and Roma all want to be in the Champions League places this time next year but seven into four just doesn’t go. Jose Mourinho won’t want to fail again after being sacked by Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, and he has happy memories of winning in Serie A with Inter.