SERIE A
2021-22 SERIE A SEASON PREVIEW
NAPOLI The Azzurri fell at the last hurdle in May, drawing at home to Verona and missing out on Champions League qualification. This season it is vitally important for them to re-join the top four and that task has been given to former Roma and Inter coach Luciano Spalletti. There hasn’t been much in way of transfer activity through the summer, and the core of the side that flopped under Gennaro Gattuso is still there. Elseid Hysaj, and Nikola Maksimovic have been released by the club, while free agent Juan Jesus joins to add some depth in defence. LAST SEASON FINISH: 5TH
SAMPDORIA Claudio Ranieri led I Blucerchiati to a decent finish last season, ending up in ninth place after a poor start to the campaign. Roberto D’Aversa has replaced Ranieri in the hot seat at the Marassi this term and will be hoping his side can again fight for a top half finish. Former Inter defender Jeison Murillo has arrived from Celta Vigo, while Gaston Ramirez and Vasco Regini have been released by the club. LAST SEASON FINISH: 9TH
ROMA I Giallorossi was another side that had a disappointing season last term, finishing seventh and losing to Manchester United in the semi-final of Europa League. This season they will be the first Italian side to compete in the inaugural edition of the Europa Conference League and with Jose Mourinho replacing Paulo Fonseca in the dugout, it’s possible the Portuguese coach might want to add that cup to his trophy cabinet. Goalkeeper Rui Patricio joins from Wolves and striker Tammy Abraham arrives from Chelsea for a reported €45m fee. Bruno Peres, Juan Jesus, and Antonio Mirante were all released by the club, while Cengiz Under and Pau Lopez join Olympique Marseille.
SALERNITANA I Granata came second in Serie B last term and won promotion to the top flight for the first time since the 1998-1999 season. However, their involvement in this year’s Serie A had come under threat since Lazio patron Claudio Lotito also owns the Salerno outfit and it is against the rules for someone to own two teams in the same division. Lotito apparently ceded control of the club and the Campanians were accepted for the upcoming season. Coach Fabrizio Castori will have his work cut out for him to ensure his side stay in the league, he will have some attacking firepower at his disposal with the arrival of Simy Nwankwo from Crotone and Sampdoria’s Federico Bonazzoli.
LAST SEASON FINISH: 7TH
PROMOTED TO SERIE A
SASSUOLO The Neroverdi just missed out on Europa Conference League qualification by the headto-head rule after they finished level on points with Roma. Coach Roberto De Zerbi was poached by Shakhtar Donetsk and has been replaced by Alessio Dionisi, who guided Empoli to the Serie B title last season. The 41-year-old will have his work cut out for him to continue the attacking ethos that the Emilia-Romagna club has adhered to over the years. Brazilian midfielder Matheus Henrique arrives from Gremio, while Manuel Locatelli moved to Juventus after impressing at Euro 2020.
SPEZIA The Aquilotti finished 15th in their first ever season in Serie A, avoiding the drop by six points. Under coach Vincenzo Italiano, the Ligurian outfit claimed some high-profile scalps in wins over Napoli and Milan. Italiano has left for pastures new and has been replaced in the dugout by former Inter midfielder Thiago Motta. The ex-Genoa trainer will hope to get the best out of what is a very young squad. Ukraine international Viktor Kovalenko arrives on loan from Atalanta.
RIGHT, BOTTOM: Spezia’s Italian forward Daniele Verde (C) celebrates after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match Spezia Calcio vs As Roma
ABOVE, LEFT: Roma’s Stephan El Shaarawy (R) in action during the friendly soccer match between AS Roma and Raja Club Athletic at the Olympic Stadium ABOVE, MIDDLE: Lorenzo Insigne now has Euro championship experiecne to bring home to his club.
LAST SEASON FINISH: 15TH
LAST SEASON FINISH: 8TH
DID YOU KNOW? 30
Andrea Belotti is the only player that scored at least 10 Serie A goals in each season among 2015/16 and 2020/21 campaign.
SOCCER360 SEPTEMBER • OCTOBER 2021
Giovanni Simeone is the only player born since 1/1/1995 to have scored at least 50 Serie A goals, most of them coming from his stint at Cagliari.
José Mourinho has become the fastest manager to reach 50 Serie A wins (77 games) in the three points for a win era (since 199495). The Portuguese coach is also the fastest manager to have reached 50 wins both in Premier League (63 games) and in LaLiga (62).
