Last season was a special one for the Blucerchiati, as they finished the season in fourth place in Serie A and qualified for the Champions League.  The club also unveiled a striker-duo that could not only lead Sampdoria to further success but form the basis of a more potent attack on the Italian national team.  But Sampdoria’s rivals have not sat still this offseason (including arch rival Genoa) and the club must adjust to being one of the clubs on top, not only seeing if they can make a run at the Top 3 but hold-off much improved Juventus, Palermo, and others.

Management: Luigi Del Neri did such a good job developing and leading Sampdoria last season that he was promptly snatched away by Juventus in the offseason.  Into the void stepped former Chievo Verona manager Domenico Di Carlo.  In an odd twist of fate, Sampdoria’s 2-1 victory over Parma in 2008 cost Di Carlo his first Serie A job, when he failed to lead Parma out of the relegation zone early in the season.  He has received great praise for his ability to be so successful with Chievo, a club with a budget much smaller than most Serie A teams.  This will only be his fourth year coaching in Serie A, however, and the expectations are much higher than they were at Chievo.

Transfer Market: The club had a quiet offseason save for reshaping the keeper position.  Last year’s starter Storari is in Milan and his replacement is Gianluca Curci from Siena.  He’s young at 25 and was at one time an heir apparent to Gigi Buffon on the Azzurri, although he has not been called up to the team since 2008.  This season could be a chance for him to make his case for inclusion.  Another player added to the roster is Nicola Pozzi, who is a depth addition to the front line.

Key Players and Formation: A concern going into the season has to be the defense after the disappointing Champions League play-in versus Bremen.  A key starter on the backline is Daniele Gastaldello who has ninety-six appearances for the club since 2008.  He will likely be flanked by a combination of Marius Stankevicius, Stefano Lucchini and Massimo Volta.  I expect the young Swiss international Jonathan Rossini to also compete for substantial playing time.

Captain and Sampdoria stalwart Angelo Palombo returns to anchor a talented midfield after there was some speculation he could go in the offseason.  On his right will be former Viola player Franco Semioli who notched two goals last season.  Young star-in-the-making Andrea Poli also returns to gain valuable experience and could be a future member of the Italian national team.  Depending on his injury sustained in Tuesday’s match, Argentine Fernando Tissone enters the Serie A season as a starter in a midfield where, depending on the match, Di Carlo could play four or five players.

Of course the big names for Sampdoria are the two strikers – Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini.  Both had excellent ’09-’10 seasons and both legitimately deserved to play in South Africa, although only one did.  They have picked up where they left off against Bremen, scoring all four of the team’s goals.  If they stay healthy and motivated, Sampdoria again will have one of the most dangerous attacks in Serie A.  If they do not, however, the depth is less spectacular.

Outlook: This week’s Champions League loss was a heartbreaker for the club, and showed some of its faults to an international audience.  Nevertheless, this is essentially the same club that finished fourth last season, and they should be expected to compete for the top four again.  A couple of keys for the season will be [a] how the players adjust to Di Carlo’s scheme and how Di Carlo adjusts to Top Four calcio, [b] if Cassano behaves himself and is as productive as he can be, and [c] if this team can handle both a Serie A schedule and the Europa League.

Update – ESPN.com via Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Pirlo plans to be fit by the final group stage match against Slovakia.

Add Andrea Pirlo to the growing list of World Cup injuries.

The Italian midfielder and AC Milan star could miss an undefined number of matches after suffering a second degree calf injury in the Azzurri’s 2-1 loss to Mexico in a pre-World Cup friendly.  As they often are, the initial reports were incorrect, claiming that he could miss the entire World Cup.  The most recent reports have Pirlo missing only the friendly against Switzerland on Saturday and at least the first two matches of the group stage, as his injury usually takes 15-20 days to recover.  The Azzurri can replace him on the roster before June 14 if needed.

Pirlo’s injury comes during a busy 48 hours that saw the Ivory Coast (Drogba) and England (Ferdinand)lose stars for the entire World Cup due to injury, while the U.S. (Altidore) could have a key player out for an undefined period of time.

Andrea Pirlo’s international resume is beyond impressive.  He was named Man of the Match three times in the 2006 World Cup and was also named the third-best player in the tournament.  His corner kick led to the Italian equalizer in the final against France in 2006, and he is known for his accurate free kicks.

A long term absence for “l’architetto” could force Marcello Lippi to change his tactics for the World Cup.  During the Mexico match, he switched between a 4-2-3-1 and the 4-4-2, and the players seemed to prefer the 4-4-2.  If he stuck with a 4-4-2, possible replacements could include Sampdoria’s Angelo Palombo or Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo.  However, his creativity and ability to create scoring chances may be the biggest loss if he is out beyond the group stage.

To fans of Calcio it’s still as vivid as ever: The vision of Fabio Cannavaro lifting the World Cup aloft remains the proudest of Italian memories in a difficult recent history. But with one year to go before the 19th World Cup Final, Cannavaro and his Azzurri have a lot of hard work to do if the national team are to avoid an embarrassing fate in their defence of the trophy.

A shameful defeat to Egypt and a straightforward thumping by Brazil in the recent Confederations Cup have highlighted Italy’s fall from grace since that golden night in Berlin. Their attempts to evolve into a younger, fresher, more future-friendly outfit have been tempered by a sense of loyalty to the experienced campaigners who tasted glory three years ago.

So with 365 days left in Italy’s fourth reign at football’s summit, just how much catching up does Marcello Lippi’s squad have to do in order to launch a serious challenge for number five? How do the 23 involved in the Confederations Cup match up to the medal winners before them?

GOALKEEPERS:

What was most stark about Gigi Buffon’s recent claim that Julio Cesar is the best No.1 in Serie A was its widespread acceptance. In 2006 Buffon was the best goalkeeper in the world marshaling one of the world’s best defences. These days he’s suffering from playing behind a weaker back fours at both club and international levels. He’s still clearly the best Italy has to offer – and arguably remains in the world’s top 5 – but he now has flaws that weren’t as evident in ’06.

Behind him Marco Amelia has improved immensely, though he is still prone to errors (see New Zealand) but Massimo De Sanctis seems likely to be usurped by Federico Marchetti or even Andrea Consigli before next June rolls around.

VERDICT:

Buffon ’06 > ’09

Amelia ’09 > ’06

Peruzzi ’06 > De Sanctis ’09

DEFENCE:

Lippi’s biggest headache. Only three of the eight World Champion back line remain in the squad. All three are first-choice and all three are facing questions over their form. Skipper Cannavaro is no longer – and will never again be – the Berlin Wall. His two title-winning years at Real Madrid were laregly impressive, but his error-strewn final year in Spain came as a surprise to few. Fellow golden boys Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso both struggled after post-World Cup moves and have been unconvincing since their subsequent transfers to Milan and Lyon respectively.

The remaining full-back slots have been passed from Cristian Zaccardo and Massimo Oddo to Davide Santon and Andrea Dossena. Santon is already being touted as the next Beppe Bergomi whereas Doseena has looked completely out of his depth since his surprise capture by Liverpool.

Other than Cannavaro, the centre of defence has changed markedly. The supreme Nesta, surprise package Materazzi and sturdy stand-in Barzagli are fallen heroes due to a combination of injury, retirement, old age and poor form. Of their replacements only Giorgio Chiellini has the look of a true international, but even he had a rocky time in South Africa last month.

VERDICT:

Cannavaro ’06 > ’09

Nesta ’06 > Chiellini ’09

Materazzi ’06 > Legrottaglie ’09

Barzagli ’06 > Gamberini ’09

Zambrotta ’06 > ’09

Grosso ’06 > ’09

Santon ’09 > Zaccardo ’06

Oddo ’06 > Dossena ’09

MIDFIELD:

Of the 23 heroes in Germany nobody has improved more noticeably than Daniele De Rossi. Talented but tainted in 2006, the Roma midfielder is now an Azzurri skipper-in-the-making. Fellow champs Mauro Camoranesi, Reno Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo have struggled to recapture their world-conquering form. Gattuso continues to battle hard and Pirlo is looking at new ways to reform his game and thus prolong his career, but Camoranesi looks about ready for the reject bin.

Elsewhere the durable Angelo Palombo is a step up from one-season wonder Simone Barone whilst Riccardo Montolivo has started to impress in an Italy midfield still searching for someone to make the impact Simone Perrotta made at the Mondiali.

VERDICT:

De Rossi ’09 > ’06

Gattuso ’06 > ’09

Pirlo ’06 > ’09

Camoranesi ’06 > ’09

Perrotta ’06 > Montolivo ’09

Palombo ’09 > Barone ’06

FORWARDS

Italy’s change of formation over the last 36 months can be solely attributed to the lack of a No.10. Until Seba Giovinco turns potential into potency Lippi will be forced to look for other answers. Target men Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta remain regulars, with only Toni regressing since he reached the heady heights of a 31-goal season in Florence. But the notable names of Totti, Del Piero and Inzaghi have been replaced by Simone Pepe, Giuseppe Rossi and Fabio Quagliarella. Whilst Rossi and Quagliarella in particular have shown flashes of quality, none can claim to be adequate replacements for their predecessors just yet.

VERDICT:

Toni ’06 > ’09

Gilardino ’09 > ’06

Iaquinta ’09 > ’06

Inzaghi ’06 > Quagliarella ’09

Totti ’06 > Pepe ’09

Del Piero ’06 > Rossi ’09

So it would appear that the Azzurri are stronger in only six of the 23 spots available. Yes, there are 38 rounds of Serie A ahead which will give players time to improve. Yes, a few of the Under-21 squad which performed well in Sweden this summer may be included. But right now the players which Lippi trusts most are largely players who have already peaked. A year of intrigue lies ahead in the battle for a spot on the plane to South Africa.