Juventus are bidding for a record 10th straight Serie A title and will be beginning the season with a different coach for the third straight year.
Former Juventus ace Andrea Pirlo has replaced former boss Maurizio Sarri for this season, which will force the Bianconeri to once again get used to playing under a different system. If you believe there’s another team that can pimp them to the title this season, you can get the best available Serie A odds from all online best casino sites online with Gooner news, the home of betting value.
The opposition team, however, seems to be getting closer, too. Last season, Juventus beat Inter Milan to the title by one point – the smallest margin of victory in its current era of dominance. The closest was when it finished three points above AS Roma in 2014/15.
Juventus were seven points clear when they clinched the title last season, although it was helped by the fact that Lazio´s slump after Serie A restarted following the coronavirus pandemic-enforced shutdown was even worse than Juve´s.
That being said, here are some things to look out for in the upcoming Serie A season, which starts this weekend:
The Unknown
Not only is Andrea Pirlo the new Juventus head-coach, but he’s also a new coach in the Seria A altogether. The 41-year-old was handed his first managerial or coaching job last month when he was put in charge of the club’s under-23 team, which plays in Serie C. However, Pirlo had not managed to coach a game before he was promoted to replace Maurizio Sarri. Also, Pirlo only completed his final exams and obtained his coaching license on Monday.
Speaking at his first news conference as a coach, the Flero-born greatest deep-lying playmakers of all time said he wants his players to have the same spirit and desire as the Juventus team he played in under Antonio Conte. And it is Conte who is likely to be his main rival for the Scudetto this season.
In his first year in charge, Conte guided Inter to a second-place finish in the league. That was the closest it has come to winning the trophy since it won the title in 2010 – along with the Champions League and the Italian Cup. Conte’s team also reached the Europa League final last season, losing to Sevilla 3-2.
Former Manchester United skipper Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez have formed a great partnership – dubbed “Lula” by Italian media and with no doubts, it’s their impressive work-rate, goals, and Conte’s knowhow that makes Inter Milan the biggest threat to a Juve 10 Scudetto titles.
The Rest
Besides Inter, the likes of Atalanta and Lazio were within five points of the Serie A champions last season. All four teams had a mathematical chance of winning the title with three rounds remaining – even if the destination of the trophy was never really in doubt.
Lazio, which finished fourth, was arguably the sole team that would have pushed Juventus even harder had it not been for the coronavirus pandemic. Lazio trailed Juventus by only one point before the Serie A season was halted. Lazio before the break was on a club-record 21-match unbeaten but lost six of the next 12 matches.
Atalanta, on the other hand, had the opposite problem. The Goddess had the unremarkable first half of the season but won almost all its matches after the restart and reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
AC Milan was the other suffering team amongst the top guns after Serie A resumed, winning nine of its 12 matches and drawing the other three to move up to the sixth place. Milan resurgence happened when Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s move to the club from Los Angeles Galaxy in January. The 38-year-old Swede is now looking to help the San Siro outfits once again challenge for the title this new season.
Another team I feel could also enter the race the title this new season is Napoli following the club’s resurgence after Gennaro Gattuso replaced the fired Carlo Ancelotti in December and the acquisition of Nigerian international Victor James Osimhen.
Aging Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo will turn 36 during the upcoming season if that matters. The former Real Madrid frontman and five-time Ballon d´Or winner matched a record by scoring in 11 straight league matches for Juventus before the pandemic and quickly regained his form during the restart by reaching the 30-goal mark after only 30 games in his second season in Italy.
Ronaldo finished the season with 31 goals to his name, 10 more than in his debut season in Serie A, and five behind the league’s leading scorer, Lazio forward Ciro Immobile. Juventus and C. Ronaldo fans can bet with real money online blackjack on who will be the top goal scorer for the Italian Serie A this season?
Despite his age, Ronaldo started all but five of Juve´s 38 Serie A matches last season and it remains to be seen whether the Portuguese can live up to expectations this new season.
Fans
According to reports, the Italian soccer federation is hopeful that fans will be allowed back into stadiums by mid-October.
Italian soccer matches have been closed to fans since the country was ordered into a strict lockdown in March after a very serious coronavirus outbreak. However, after a three-month break, last season´s Serie A ended in August with all games played in empty stadiums.
New reports, however, claim the FIGC has reportedly prepared a document for the government to evaluate. Measures include obliging fans to wear transparent masks, to be recognizable by the police, and social distancing of at least 2.25 meters (7 feet) between every occupied seat.
Article from the Flaming Hairdryer’s publisher OJO Olayiwola.