While one of the biggest moves of the January transfer window happened recently, with Toni going to Juventus, there have been plenty of other, quieter moves which have gone unmentioned. Mostly they are young, aspiring Italians joining clubs on loan so that they can get some playing time to improve. Federico Macheda from Manchester United to Sampdoria is probably the biggest name, but there’s also Stefano Okaka who joined Bari, Davide Lanzafame who joined Brescia, and Palladino who joined Parma.

Having recently completed his loan deal from Manchester United to Sampdoria, Federico Macheda could already play tomorrow in Sampdoria’s match against Roma. Mimmo Di Carlo has chosen Macheda as part of the squad, and the young Italian might even get in the starting eleven. It depends on whether Giampaolo Pazzini, who has been ill, will be able to play or not. Whether or not he starts, Macheda should get some playing time, and I really want to see how the 19 year-old does in the Serie A.

So far this season Macheda had seven appearances in the English Premier League, scoring only one goal. It’s only because of an in-form Berbatov and the energetic Javier Hernandez that Macheda hasn’t played much, and his return to the Serie A is a smart one. Macheda is tall, technically gifted, and intelligent with his runs, so if Di Carlo can use him properly we should see some good things from him.

There’s another tall Italian forward who will be making an impact this season. Stefano Okaka joined Bari recently, and he played in Bari’s 1-0 win against Lecce, scoring the only goal of the match. It’s certainly a great debut with the Galletti, and it looks like he will be in the starting eleven tomorrow when Bari play Bologna. Okaka could look to Marco Di Vaio as an example of a goalscoring forward, and model himself on the Bologna captain. Okaka has the pace and strength needed to succeed, he just needs to implement it properly around the goal.

These January transfer moves aren’t all of successful players, Davide Lanzafame has been overshadowed this first half of the season at Juventus. While in the preseason he had a big part to play in friendlies, the arrivals of Krasic and Pepe ultimately pushed him out of sight of any playing time. I really like Lanzafame, and I expected big things to come from him this season. Hopefully he will deliver at Brescia, because an Italian with his talent should be playing every weekend.

This January transfer window we also saw some intricate dealings between Parma and Genoa. Parma received Palladino (who scored against Juventus in his first appearance for Parma) on loan. And then the two clubs basically traded Francesco Modesto and Luca Antonelli, with a half share of Alberto Paloschi also given to Genoa, where Paloschi will be playing for the rest of this season. So for Antonelli and half of Paloschi, Genoa gave Parma all of Modesto, half of Palladino, and seven million Euros. Only are transfers in the Serie A this complicated.

The upcoming matches tomorrow will be exciting, with many young (and some old) Italians with a chance to really make themselves known. What are your thoughts on these transfers? What do you think will happen tomorrow? Share your comments below!

Mention the 2009-2010 season to Juventus’ 170 million fans and they will shake their head in disgust.  Italy’s most successful and beloved soccer team was a shell of itself, missing out on a European tournament spot due to poor play and aging players.  It is not a coincidence that the Italian national team also failed to live up to expectations in the World Cup, as Juve players made up a large contingent of the team.  Overall, it was a season to forget in Stadio Olimpico and the club wasted no time in cleaning house, replacing individuals from the team president down.  The new Juventus still has many familiar names, but has strengthened its weaknesses to make a run at the top four.

Management: Jean-Claude Blanc, the brainchild behind the new Juventus stadium, was forced out in May 2010 and replaced with Andrea Agnelli, the fourth member of his family to run Juventus.  Similar to Blanc, he has a business background and is tasked with maintaining the profitability of the club.  No doubt part of his financial plan includes UEFA tournament money.

His first task upon being hired was to grab Luigi Del Neri from Sampdoria as a permanent replacement for Ciro Ferrara.  Del Neri guided Sampdoria to a top four finish and was in demand this offseason.  His 4-4-2 style will be a good fit for Juventus, and look for the team to focus a bit more on defense this season.  Del Neri could, however, actually play more of a 4-2-2-2 if he extends the wings and moves them forward in the attack.  Juventus in their matches this month have also played a 4-3-3 at times.  He’s seen success at Atalanta before guiding Sampdoria to the Champions League, and he was the best person available for the job.

The Transfer Market: Juventus was active in the transfer market, as to be expected, sending out older and more expensive players and bringing in both quality starters and key backups.  Maybe the biggest name to come to Juventus was Pepe, acquired on loan from Udinese with an option to buy.  Del Neri knows Pepe from his time in Palermo, and has added him as an attack option on the right side.  The club also beefed up its defense, which is discussed in depth below.

The continuing story of this offseason is the departures from the club, or a house cleaning if you prefer.  Italian national and rapidly aging defender Fabio Cannavaro has left for the UAE soccer league and a hefty contract.  Christian Poulsen was transferred to Liverpool for about €5.5 million to free up some salary and space after a disappointing stint with the club.  The biggest loss long-term, however, may be the loss of Sebastian Giovinco to Parma.  The young playmaker had been tabbed by fans as the next Juve star, but he grew tired of waiting to break into the starting XI.

Key Players: Starting in the back of the 4-4-2, vice-captain and all-world keeper Gigi Buffon begins the season on the injured list, leaving AC Milan acquisition Marco Storari as the starter.  Storari will never cause people to forget Buffon, but he is experienced and talented enough to hold down the position until Buffon is healthy.

Coming into the new season, Del Neri knew he needed to revamp the defense after Juventus allowed 55 goals last season.  He acquired rising star Leonardo Bonucci from Bari and Marco Motta from Roma to partner with stalwarts Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Grosso, or if Grosso leaves during this transfer window, Paolo De Ceglie.  The two new additions will strengthen the backline and makes defense a team strength.  Look for Bonucci to become the next Fabio Grosso in his time at Juventus.

If Del Neri continues his traditional formation, the midfield will see two holding and two attacking wingers.  As mentioned, Pepe will man the right wing and replace Mauro Camoranesi, who regardless of his transfer status should be replaced by a younger player.  Claudio Marchisio, one of the players who actually looked good in last season’s debacle, could start on the other wing, with Mohammed Sissoko in the middle.  UPDATE – Juventus added another potential starter to the midfield with CSKA Moscow winger Milos Krasic.

Up front, Del Neri against Shamrock moved Pepe and attacking midfielder Davide Lanzafame (Parma) to the forward position with Amauri.  While this could be an attacking option, I can see a rotation (assuming a 4-4-2) of Amauri, Trezeguet, and Del Piero as a potent attack.

This is, of course, assuming Diego is sent to a Bundesliga club, where he has been rumored to be going (or not going).  If Diego stays, the forward position has the potential to be one of the deepest in Serie A.

Outlook: This preview could change if Juventus makes any more changes on the transfer market, which is possible.  But as their club stands, Juventus is definitely a favorite to finish in the top four.  Even without a healthy Buffon to begin the season, the defense is improved from last season and will be a strength.  The attack will be more “exciting” than last season with a good variety of scorers that Del Neri can turn to for goals.  Under new management and with Del Neri’s vision revitalizing the club, there is no reason this club will not move higher in the standings.  Whether they can challenge for a scudetto will depend on if they can improve on their record against the top clubs.

In this aggravating time between the end of the Serie A season and the beginning of the World Cup, we can bide our time by looking back at the past Serie A season.  As expected by many, Inter Milan won the title.  In my series of posts reviewing the season, however, I want to begin by looking at those teams that surprised the experts.  These are the clubs that exceeded expectations the most.  At the end of the post, vote for which club you think was the most surprising club of the past season and post any comments or additions.  Also feel free to share your thoughts via Twitter @roberthayjr.  Clubs listed in alphabetical order -

Bari - The recently promoted club began the campaign by losing the manager (Antonio Conte) that lead them to win Serie B in 2008-2009.  The club was also put up for sale and seemingly sold to U.S. businessman Tim Burton in September, only to have the team pull back and the sale fall through.

Despite this, Bari flirted with a European bid for most of the season, sitting in the top 8 until injuries and a late swoon landed the club a respectable tenth.  Their defensive prowess also made stars of Andrea Ranocchia and Leonardo Bonucci plus introduced the league to Jean-Francois Gillet, one of the world’s most underrated keepers.  The club goes into next season again unsettled, but can build off a successful return to Serie A.

Season highpoint- Bari 3, Juventus 1 (12/12/09).  The match put Bari one point within a Champions League spot and gave them their first win over Juve since 1990.

Palermo – Success is nothing new at Palermo, and this season’s fifth place finish should be considered another success.  Their new coach at the beginning of the season, Walter Zenga, was an inspired hire away from rival Catania.  However, Zenga struggled to lead the club and was fired after thirteen Serie A matches despite a three year contract.  The new manger, Delio Rossi, was much more successful, leading the club at one point to seven straight victories. The club was also undefeated at home, with a 13-6-0 record.

The star of the team was Fabrizio Miccoli, who notched 19 goals for the team lead.  He became Palermo’s all-time leading goal scorer against Sampdoria on May 9th but hurt his knee in the match.  The squad also had two players make the provisional Italian national team: keeper Salvatore Sirigu and defender Mattia Cassani.

Season highpoint – Palermo 2, AC Milan 0 (12/13/09).  Delio Rossi earned his first high-profile victory with Palermo’s away win.  It was only second win of the campaign, and the first of many more.

Parma – Two seasons ago, Parma went through three managers and still fell into Serie B.  After promotion last season, the club shot up the Serie A rankings, sitting in fourth place in December.  Although it struggled to win consistently after, Parma finished eighth in the standings, higher than Bari who finished ahead of them in Serie B last season.

One of the up and coming players on the club is Davide Lanzafame, a former Juventus striker who spent some time on the Italian U-21 squad.  He notched seven goals and six assists, both good for second on the team.

Season highpoint – Parma 2, Bologna 1 (12/13/09).  Just like Palermo, Parma climbed the highest they would reach in the table (fourth place) with a win on December 13.  Nicola Amoruso scored the game-winner in the 86th minute after missing a penalty shot earlier in the match.

Sampdoria - Sampdoria earned a spot in next year’s Champions League qualifier by means of a fourth place finish in Serie A.  And it was a close call – they won their final match of the year 1-0 to secure the final spot.  That ending is probably fitting for this club.

Early in the season Sampdoria looked to threaten for not just qualifying but for top spot in Serie A, holding off Inter in the fall for first.  They then fell down the standings and at one point went seven matches without a win before finishing the season by gaining points in all eight of their final matches. They achieved this despite the distractions of the talented Antonio Cassano, who at one pointed looked to be traded/released/dispatched via loan due to his fights with management.  But his suspensions helped Sampdoria fellow striker Giampaolo Pazzini shine and earn his way onto the Italian National team provisional squad.  His manager Gigi Del Neri also gained widespread fame, enough for Juventus to hire him last week.

Season highpoint – Sampdoria 1, Napoli 0 (04/16/10).  Sampdoria finishes fourth and secures an unbeaten home record.  The only goal, appropriately enough, is scored by Giampaolo Pazzini.

(polls)

Probably the biggest news to come out of this weekend’s matches is the injury to Gianluigi Buffon and his subsequent surgery, which will take him out of action for a month.  Get used to the name Alexander Manninger, the new starting keeper for Juventus.

The second big story, at least if you live in the US, is the news that Fox Soccer Channel will be broadcasting in high-definition beginning in January.  This will of course include Serie A matches.  To see if your cable provider will offer FSC HD or to petition it to add it, visit this site.

It was a Bad Weekend to be a in Management

By now, probably everyone has seen this video of Silvio Berlusconi:

However, he was not the only one to run into trouble this weekend.  Jose Mourinho was involved in an altercation with a journalist outside the team bus after Inter’s draw with Atalanta.  It seems like the stress of the season is wearing on everyone.

Who Wants the Top Spot?

The only top 10 clubs to outright win this weekend were Bari, Parma and Chievo.  The supposed main competitors to Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus, lost to Palermo and Bari respectively.  A week after their dramatic victory that seemingly put them back in the scudetto race, Juve has fallen out of the Champions League and lost an ugly match to a recently promoted club.  But Inter failed to increase their points lead by drawing with a poor Atalanta squad.  It looks like the race for the top four will be in flux all season.

Parma Has a Strong Position

Parma’s 2-1 victory over Bologna moved them three points ahead of Roma and Sampdoria.  Next weekend, they have a chance to solidify their spot as they take on Roma without Vucinic.  Nicola Amoruso escaped disaster by netting the winning goal only four minutes after missing a penalty shot to take the lead.  A key to their season going forward is young forward Davide Lanzafame, who has only two goals this season but is a playmaker for Parma.

Make or Break for Lazio

Lazio sits in 15th in the table, three points from the relegation zone.  Their next four matches are at Inter, hosting Livorno, at Udinese, at Atalanta.  Three of the four are tough but winnable, and Lazio needs to get points in these four matches to move out of relegation danger.  Seven or fewer points will likely cause a lot of stress in the capital city and prompt changes to the club that only a few months ago beat Inter in China.