2010 was a bad year for Italian football. I tried to think of the positives, but very few came to mind. A disastrous World Cup in South Africa, a bad showing in the Europa League, and only a Champions League victory (guided by a Portuguese mastermind) which retains some dignity for Italian football.

While 2010 was a poor year, it now allows all of Italian football to rebuild in 2011. Just looking at the Serie A, a much more competitive league has formed after an exciting summer of transfers. AC Milan have strengthened considerably with the super-signings of Ibrahimovic, Robinho, and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Juventus are rebuilding properly under Luigi Delneri, who is creating a team which plays through the electrifying Milos Krasic. Inter Milan are in a rebuilding phase as well after the disappointment of Benitez’s failure, and now Leonardo trying to make a proper impact with a treble-winning side.

These changes along with a general strengthening of teams like Lazio, Napoli, Palermo, and even Roma all contribute to a much more exciting league.

No more 1-0 wins, ground out with counter-attacking football, now Italian sides seem to have realized that to win, you have to score goals. Juventus score plenty of goals while leaking at the back, Palermo play a fluid style with the humble Javier Pastore orchestrating the side, and AC Milan steamroll through teams with Ibrahimovic’s wrath accompanied by a dancing Robinho. No matter what anyone says, the Serie A has become exciting. AC Milan seem unstoppable, and if Leonardo manages to wake up a drowsy Inter team, we’ll have a proper battle for the scudetto on our hands.

With the Serie A becoming more exciting, we are also seeing this positive change reflected in the Italian national team. Cesare Prandelli is a shining symbol of hope for Italy fans, giving us all the chance to see Cassano back in the Azzurri shirt, along with Mario Balotelli and other exciting young players. The qualification for the European Championships of 2012 doesn’t look to be too difficult, and if Prandelli continues to breed these youngsters into the national team, there’s a chance that Italy will be a contender for the tournament held in Poland-Ukraine.

2011 is ultimately a year of hope for Italian football. A chance to forget about the UEFA co-efficient, the World Cup in South Africa, and a boring Inter Milan dominance in the Serie A. An exciting league has formed, and along with it a stronger national team is moulding itself under Cesare Prandelli’s venturing eyes. What do you hope for Italian football in 2011? Share your comments below!

With the Champions League and Europa League draws having taken place, the rest of the season is slowly drifting into a more predictable mush. There’s just one last weekend of Serie A action (this weekend), and then there’s a solid two weeks and a bit of break from the Serie A. I certainly find it refreshing, not only for the teams in the competition which will have time to replenish, but for myself as well.

The draw for the Round of 16 matches in the Champions League did not go too well for the Italian teams. Here are the three fixtures which the Serie A sides will be playing in the first round of the knockout stages.

Roma – Shakhtar Donetsk

AC Milan – Tottenham Hotspur

Inter Milan – Bayern Munich

It seems like Roma have the easiest opponent in Shakhtar Donetsk, but the Ukrainian side topped their Champions League group which included Arsenal. They managed to win all of their games in the group stages except one, which they lost away to Arsenal, so it seems like Roma will have a tough time with them.

AC Milan instead get the team which haunted Inter during the group stages, Tottenham Hotspur. The newcomers to this competition did wonderfully well in the group stages, finishing above Inter Milan in the group after some spectacular attacking play. This match looks to be extremely exciting along with it being very difficult to call. While in my mind AC Milan should be able to defeat Tottenham, which have been conceding tons of goals this season, there is a doubt that Allegri’s side falls short to the task.

Inter Milan – Bayern Munich is a strange match-up in my opinion. Both teams which won their domestic leagues and cups, and met each other in the Champions League final last season are now doing poorly in the Serie A and the Bundesliga. Inter Milan are seventh in the Serie A, and Bayern aren’t doing much better in sixth in the Bundesliga, but this clash still looks to be exciting in my opinion. Bayern Munich will undoubtedly want revenge for last season’s final, and they could knock Rafa Benitez’s slowly assembling team out of the competition. Whichever way this match goes, a big team won’t be progressing, and lets hope that it isn’t Inter which goes home from Europe early.

Among all this Champions League talk, I’ve almost forgotten about the horrible draw which Napoli got in the Europa League! Walter Mazzari’s side which barely managed to qualify for the Round of 32 of the Europa League were drawn with Spanish side Villareal. The Spaniards have been doing excellently this season in La Liga, and they’re in third behind – guess who? – Barcelona and Real Madrid. It’s certainly a tough challenge for Napoli, and they’ll truly need to be at their best if they want to progress to the Round of 16. With no other Italian sides left in the competition, lets hope that Napoli show that the Serie A still has much to offer in Europe by overcoming this big initial obstacle.

If you’re interested in seeing the complete Champions League and Europa League draws, you can click here. What are your thoughts regarding the Champions League and Europa League draws? Share your comments below!

While in the Champions League all Italian sides made it through to the knockout stages, there was a fear that in the Europa League there would be no Serie A teams. Luckily, Napoli managed to qualify with a 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest, thanks to a very late goal by Cavani. And there was more good news for Italian sides around the world, Inter Milan were victorious in their semi-final of the World Club Cup, and they’ll be playing African champions TP Mazembe in the final of the tournament.

Napoli desperately needed a win at the Stadio San Paolo, or else they would not qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League. But Steaua Bucharest came to defend with grit, staying turtled up in their own half, soaking up Napoli’s pressure, and then striking on the counter-attack. Napoli did their best, pushing well on the flanks and through the middle, eventually creating a great opportunity which Cavani put over the bar. Steaua had opportunities to score as well, and going into halftime, the two teams were fairly even.

The second half continued like the first, with Napoli slowly chipping away at the resolute Romanian side. Walter Mazzari’s team created more and more chances, with Cavani even hitting the post. The ending became more and more tense, with insults being thrown to and fro from players on the field to the ones on the benches. Both Steaua and Napoli were getting frustrated, creating goalscoring chances which weren’t finished properly or were saved by a pair of outstanding goalkeepers. Yet Napoli believed until the very end, and in the 92nd minute of the match Edinson Cavani scored what he calls, “a miracle goal”. The young Uruguayan managed to flick a corner from the near post with his head, sending Napoli through to the knockout rounds of the Europa League. Yet the tension was still high, and Paolo Cannavaro got sent off before the final whistle after receiving a second yellow card.

The other Italian sides did surprisingly well considering their previous poor form in the Europa League. Palermo defeated Lusanne Sports 1-0 away from home thanks to a late goal from Munoz, and Juventus got a good 1-1 draw against Manchester City, with some youngsters on display for the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico. Sampdoria though weren’t able to win or draw away against Debrecen, and lost 2-0. It’s nice that Napoli have managed to qualify for the round of 16, and hopefully they’ll receive a good draw and go deep in the tournament.

Inter Milan were in Abu Dhabi, where they defeated Asian champions Seongnam Ilhwa 3-0. This victory was an important one for Rafa Benitez, because the team is slowly recovering from injuries positively, especially Diego Milito who scored and assisted the other two goals. However there was a slight setback for Inter in this match; in the first minutes Wesley Sneijder received a tough tackle and had to be replaced. He won’t be able to make the final, which will be played against TP Mazembe, the first African side ever to reach the FIFA World Club Cup final.

The final is being played this Saturday, and while some don’t really consider this tournament as very important, if Rafa Benitez could manage to win it, it could be a turning point for his team. There have been many doubts over whether Benitez would stay much longer at Inter, and it seems like Massimo Moratti has calmed the voices by prasing the Spaniard regarding the team’s performance. But no matter how much praise Moratti heaps on Benitez, the president wants the coach to win this tournament, and transfer the momentum to the Serie A and Champions League campaigns.

What are your thoughts regarding Napoli’s qualification and Inter Milan’s solid win? Share your thoughts below!

While it was a great Champions League group stage for the Italian sides, the Europa League group stages are proving to be more difficult for the Italian sides in the Europa League. In fact, all of the Italian sides have been eliminated except for Napoli, who might be able to pull off a good result and qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament. This truly doesn’t help the UEFA co-efficient in which the Serie A is doing worse and worse, and hopefully Napoli will manage to scrape through when they play their next (and last) Europa League match on Wednesday, the 15th of December.

Sampdoria were beaten at home 2-1 by PSV Eindhoven, and although the match was about to finish as a 1-1 draw, it was a late winner by Toivonen which secured three points for PSV. Pazzini had put Sampdoria ahead in the 45th minute, and it seemed like it could’ve been Sampdoria’s lucky night to fight back and have a chance to qualify for the next round, but it wasn’t. Toivonen scored in the 51st minute, and then scored the late winner which crushed any of Sampdoria’s hopes of qualifying to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Juventus also failed to qualify after drawing 1-1 away against Lech Poznan. The home side took the lead after just fifteen minutes with Rudnevs, and by the time Iaquinta scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute, the field was engulfed in snow. Players were slipping, they had to switch to a high visibility ball, and the match probably should’ve been suspended. But it doesn’t change the result for Juventus, and they have failed to go through to the knockout stages.

Palermo also drew in their Europa League match, the final result was 2-2, and the Renzo Barbera stadium saw their team take the lead with Rigoni with a long range effort in the 23rd minute. But in the second half Sparta Praha equalized after being awarded a penalty when Goian brushed by Kweuke, and Goian was sent off because it was his second yellow card. With just ten men on the field, Palermo earned a proper penalty which was scored by Pinilla to give Palermo a temporary lead. But just a couple of minutes later Praha equalized with Kucka, and to add even more bitterness, Pastore was sent off in the 90th minute after receiving his second yellow card. And so, a third Italian side manages not to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Napoli drew 3-3 away against Utrecht, and it was Cavani who scored a fantastic hat-trick to make sure that Napoli stay in the competition for their next group stage match against Steaua Bucarest which will be key in deciding which team will qualify for the knockout stages. Napoli scored first with Cavani, but then conceded three goals, and right before halftime Cavani pulled one back to make the score 3-2 for Utrecht. Then in the second half Cavani scored a penalty to give Napoli an important draw, and a chance to be the only Italian side left in the Europa League.

I think that it’s a shame that the Serie A sides did so badly in this competition, and I can only hope that Napoli manage to go deep in the competition and uphold some respect for Italian sides in Europe. What are your thoughts regarding the poor display from the Italian sides in the Europa League? Can Napoli progress through to the knockout round, and maybe go deeper? Comment below!

Like most soccer fans, I am a soccer league polygamist.  Because I live less than 20 minutes from an MLS club, I root for and follow Major League Soccer in the U.S.  However, I am also a passionate Arsenal fan who lives and dies in every match they play throughout the year.  And of course, I love Serie A best of all and have my favorite club, whose scarf I wore proudly this past Sunday.  I dare say almost every soccer fan, because of the diverse leagues around the world, has multiple favorite teams or leagues.

But as I read about Bobby Zamora’s recent leg break and as Arsenal players continue to suffer and recover from rough (or, if you prefer) violent tackles, it made me compare the style and content of play I watch in both the EPL and Serie A every weekend.  And upon reflection, I came to a conclusion I probably reached long ago but only now can put into writing:

Serie A soccer is superior to English Premier League soccer

This sentiment goes beyond just who has the best team (although it would be Serie A with reigning Champions League winners Inter).  Looking at the two leagues as a whole, Serie A is superior to the EPL in a number of ways both on and off the pitch and, if I were a novice soccer fan researching what league to watch, it should be obvious that I would want to watch Serie A.  The following are the reasons for this argument, and I welcome your thoughts in the comments section below and on Twitter @roberthayjr.  Thanks also to Niccolo for his contribution to this post:

1. The Italian style of play is more fluid and skillful, while the EPL style is one of constant hard fouls – If you are a fan of an EPL club, it is almost inevitable that one of your most important players will miss time with a nasty injury picked up from a violent tackle.  Arsenal alone lost Robin Van Persie this year and Aaron Ramsey last year for extended time to hard fouls in league play.  It’s not just Arsenal – Tottenham fans will have to enjoy not watching Jermaine DeFoe for seven more weeks, Everton fans Jack Rodwell, Tottenham fans Luka Modric, etc.  Why?  Because these players are subject to constant fouling and aggressive slide tackling, which is the EPL style of play.  On a Serie A pitch, there are fouls and slide tackles, but you are more likely to see fluid passing and individual skill over broken shins.
2. English fans whine about their clubs, Italian fans actively seek to undermine their clubs – AC Milan fans made news last year when one of their ilk, protesting club owner Silvio Berlusconi, threw a statue at him and knocked him out.  Manchester United fans, conversely, feel wearing old shirts conveys their anger sufficiently.  When a club under-performs in Italy, the fans act as though the world is ending and the papers ring endlessly with criticism and advice on just how the manager should have done differently.  If it’s truly bad, they simply do not attend and show the management what an empty stadium looks like.  English soccer fans and their local press more grumble and fall into a “woe is me” attitude.  The Italian style is much more fun.
3. Serie A owners are much more interesting than their EPL counterparts -  Who would you consider the most interesting and exciting Premier League owner?  There are some who are hated, but that is more for their nationality and mismanagement (Glazers, Hicks).  Italy has some real characters running their clubs, likely because many of them are family owned and operated within the country.  The obvious one is Silvio Berlusconi, who is passionate about AC Milan and tends to make himself the center of most offseason stories; has an English owner ever said publicly the team would have won the Premier League if he had been manager, and was 100% serious?  Napoli’s Aurelio De Laurentiis is another colorful personality that loves to spend his family’s wealth on the club, and is not afraid to speak on it.
4. Serie A has more parity than the EPL – Right now, the top four clubs in Serie A are Cesena, Inter, Chievo Verona, and Lazio, with Brescia right behind.  Granted it is early in the season, but it is much easier for smaller clubs to climb the ladder in Serie A than it is in the EPL.  The Premier League is dominated by four clubs every year and the story at the beginning of every season is which club can crack the top 4.  While Serie A has its Big Four (Juve, Inter, Milan, and Roma), it is much easier for smaller clubs to compete for European tournament spots.  A club with the budget and population of Chievo could never compete for a UEFA tournament in the EPL, but can in Serie A.
5. Serie A clubs are more successful in Europe than EPL teams – Many people don’t realize this, but Italian teams have been more successful in European play (especially recently) than Premier League clubs.  Overall, Italian clubs have won 12 Champions League trophies versus 11 for England, but since 1992 that number has been 5 for Italy, 3 for England.  The same trend has held true for the UEFA Cup/Europa League: an Italian club has won the trophy 9 times (5 since 1992) and an English club has won the trophy 6 times (once since 1992).

The Champions League and the Europa League are now priorities, now that the Bundesliga has surpassed the Serie A, Italian teams need to pull their weight in European competition. The first matchday of the group stages of the Champions League and the Europa League didn’t play out too well for the Italian clubs involved. Out of the seven teams which played in European competition this midweek, there was only one win. Other than that there were two losses, and four draws. A record which needs to improve if the Serie A wants to return to having four Champions League places.

AC Milan were the team which managed to win, it was Ibrahimovic who sealed a 2-0 win against Auxerre, as the big Swede netted both the goals. While in the first half AC Milan didn’t look too brilliant, they began to spice up in the second, creating chances and eventually winning the match.

But even this win was given a dark tone, in a post match interview, Zlatan Ibrahimovic began to insult Arrigo Sacchi on TV. The former Italian great had made a witty remark that if Zlatan’s foot wasn’t as big as it is, he wouldn’t have reched the ball to score the first goal. Ibrahimovic took this very personally and  responded with some heavy criticism of the Milan legend which can be read below:

“Sacchi should learn to shut up. He also seems jealous because he is speaking too much. He must speak less on TV and in the newspapers. If he wants something, he must come and see me. If you don’t like how I play, don’t watch me.”

This is the main gist of what Ibrahimovic was saying, the studio was in shock, and as Sacchi tried to explain to Ibrahimovic that he didn’t mean it as an offence, the Swede continued to interrupt him. The interview finished with Sacchi telling Zlatan that he might want to learn some manners, and Zlatan abruptly ending the interview. This is not good news for AC Milan fans, especially since Ibrahimovic has also been practicing his karate against his teammates in training.

But on to more depressing things, Roma lost to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena 2-0. The giallorossi were defending valiantly until Thomas Muller opened the scoring with a stunning volley. The young German used the outside of his right foot, perfectly curling the ball around Julio Sergio, and into the back of Roma’s goal. Klose scored the second for Bayern, he slipped in front of his marker during a free kick, and easily put the ball past Julio Sergio.

Palermo also lost away from home, their defence was mostly to blame, as they lost 3-2 against Sparta Praha. Maccarone and Hernandez scored for Palermo, and the team will have to recover quickly from this loss considering that they’ll have to play against Inter Milan this upcoming weekend.

Juventus drew 3-3 at home against Lech Poznan, a disappointing result which almost ended in a 3-2 win for the bianconeri, but Rudnevs scored a late equalizer. Juve went 2-0 down, but fought back with two goals from Chiellini, and one from Del Piero, but the team will just need to work on their defence, to not concede late goals like the one which spoiled the party today.

Sampdoria and Napoli both drew, the blucerchiati were winning 1-0 against PSV Eindhoven in the Philips Stadion, but it was a late goal by Dzsudzsak which drew the match. Napoli on the other hand played out a 0-0 draw at home against Utrecht, a disappointing result to say the least, maybe Bari shook them up more than I thought.

In the Champions League, Inter Milan could only manage a 2-2 draw against Twente. The nerazzurri went a goal up away from home thanks to a tap in by Sneijder, but then Twente pulled two back. One of the goals for Twente was an unfortunate own goal by Diego Milito, the Argentine headed into his own net from a corner. At 2-1 down, it was Eto’o who patched things up for the current holders of the trophy, he slipped a ball into the back of the net which ended the match at 2-2.

Some disappointing results to say the least, what are your thoughts on how the Italian teams did in European competition? Share your comments below!

Udinese have been underachievers, this was especially seen last season, when the club only arrived in 15th place. While it could seem strange that I define them as underachievers, I know the talent in the team is incredible, especially going forward. Maybe they’ve never had the right coach, or maybe the team never gelled together all that well, but for some reason or another, Udinese have almost always disappointed their fans. While in the transfer market they haven’t been extremely active, the team already has a nucleus of top-class players. Di Natale up front, Zapata in the back, and especially Sanchez as a trequartista, who had a great World Cup with Chile. Now Guidolin will have to unify these players and make a team, like he did with Parma last season, taking them up to the midtable. And hopefully in charge at Udinese, Guidolin will find the right formula between the players, and then Udinese will prosper.

New signings

like I said before, Udinese haven’t been extremely active in the transfer market, while there are two known names, the rest are relatively uknown. Candreva returned from Juventus, where he was on loan, and he will play an important part in the midfield, especially helping out in attack. To give support up front, Udinese were able to buy Denis from Napoli, who wasn’t having a good time with his former club. But what may be more important to look at is who Udinese have sold, among which there’s Pepe and D’Agostino. The winger left for Juventus, and Gaetano D’Agostino went to Mihajlovic’s Fiorentina, two losses which could cost the club a little in solidity and speed.

What’s missing

Now that Udinese have signed Denis, the offensive area is settled, but the midfield and defense could use some reinforcing. It’s probably the defense which needs the most work, which is being built around the promising 23 year-old Zapata. A central defender and a full-back could be useful, but Udinese could still manage with what they have.

Formation

It seems very possible that Guidolin will play attacking football, especially with the talent he has up front, and most probably he’ll use a 4-3-1-2. Handanovic is in goal with a back-line of Ferronetti, Zapata, Domizzi, and Pasquale, which is probably not the most well-known defense, but it’ll do. In the midfield he’ll have Pinzi, Inler, and Candreva supporting Sanchez who will play as a trequartista, behind the attacking duo of Di Natale and Floro Flores. While this could eventually morph into a 4-3-3 with Sanchez on the right, Di Natale on the left, and Floro Flores in the middle, Guidolin will probably start with a 4-3-1-2 and move on from there.

There have been rumors about Di Natale leaving, but the forward recently commented about his possible move to Juventus and said this,

“I don’t know anything. I want to stay in Udine where I feel good and where I want to finish my career. I’ve been here seven years and I want to stay here, I don’t know anything about a transfer.”

Definitley some good news for Udinese fans who could’ve seen they’re star player move off to replace Diego, who will be moving to Wolfsburg sometime soon. So with the assurance that their top scorer will stay, Udinese will be able to play with more calm now that their captain can guide them. But a lot of what will happen this season also depends on Guidolin, and whether he’ll be able to get the best out of Di Natale. While he did wonders coaching Parma, things could turn out differently at Udinese, where the expectations will be to push up into the mid-table, and maybe into a Europa League spot. While some fans are negative about the new coach, I think that under Guidolin, Udinese will prosper.

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.

Palermo are one of the best put teams in Serie A, while their president, Zamparini, is a bit crazy, he has made some smart signings. And maybe at first you think that Palermo will suffer without Cavani and Simplicio, I think they won’t miss either of them at all. Instead, a player they will miss is Kjaer, who left Palermo to go to Wolfsburg, leaving a hole in the center of defense. But Delio Rossi will know what to do, he’s an experienced coach who always puts out an organized team. And having lost Cavani, he will know what to do, especially because Palermo have young Hernandez coming through, who is very promising.

New signings

Zamparini made sure to fill Cavani’s spot right away when the Uruguayan left for Napoli, and Massimo Maccarone was more than happy to leave relegated Siena. To replace Kjaer, Zamparini decided to buy Glik, 22 year-old central defender from Gliwice for an undisclosed fee. While Glik isn’t a big name now, he’s already stated that he wants to play his cards right and repeat Kjaers success at Palermo. Another replacement for Kjaer is Ezequiel Munoz, 20 year-old Argentinean defender who has already played for Argentina, a promising player for the future.

What’s missing

While Palermo are ready in defense and attack, they’re missing a few players in the midfield, right behind of Pastore who will play as a trequartista. In fact they’ve been thinking about the Uruguayan Perez, from Monaco and Matuidi, from Saint-Etienne. One of these two will have to replace Liverani, who at 34 years-old won’t be able to continue much longer. Another important player that Zamparini is chasing is Rafael Toloi, the 19 year-old central defender who is one of Brazil’s most promising defenders.

Formation

Delio Rossi will probably play with a 4-3-1-2, using Pastore as a trequartista behind Maccarone and Hernandez, and if Miccoli isn’t sold, then Rossi will incorporate him as well in the team, probably with a 4-3-3, or a 4-2-3-1. The midfield three behind Pastore would be Migliaccio on the right, Nocerino on the left, and Liverani in the middle, playing very similarly to Pirlo or Xavi. The defense would be a back four made up of Cassani, Glik, Bovo, and Balzaretti, all in front of Salvatore Sirigu, who is a very promising Italian keeper.

It has to be said, Palermo will be fighting on three fronts this season, the domestic Serie A and Coppa Italia, but also the Europa League. They’re currently playing a two-leg qualification round against NK Maribor, and they defeated the Slovenian team 3-0 at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, so qualification should’nt be that unlikely. Last season we saw Genoa crumble when they had to play in the Europa League, mainly because the squad was too small, and the players couldn’t take it. But Zamparini will surely equip Palermo well enough to do well in the European competition, and not rue selling Cavani and Simplicio.

In 2005-2006, Napoli was looking to escape dire finances and Serie C1.  In 2010-2011, Napoli can credibly claim that it is competing for a Champions League berth.  The Partenopei led by their president Aurelio De Laurentiis have been slowly built up and well managed to the point where last season they qualified for their their second Europa League in three seasons.  Their big off-season signing of Edinson Cavani gives the team’s supporters hope that they can finish in the top four this year, and their expectations are not outrageous.

Management: De Laurentiis has spent and will continue to spend money to get the right players for his club.  His hiring of former Sampdoria manager Walter Mazzarri last season to replace Roberto Donadoni was a good one, as he resurrected the listless club and guided them to sixth place in the standings.  He has said the right things this offseason, including making it his goal for the club to continue improving in Italy and in Europe.

The Transfer Market: Napoli’s offseason can be judged a success for two reasons – they signed Edinson Cavani and they did not lose a key contributor to their rivals.  Cavani made his name in this year’s World Cup scoring for Uruguay against Germany, but maybe more importantly he can no longer help the team ahead of Napoli in the standings, Palermo.  He has scored 34 goals since 2007 and is only 23 years old, so he could blossom further in Marrazzi’s style.

Not leaving on transfer this year were Italian national Fabio Quagliarella or Marek Hamsik.  Luca Cigarini was sent to Sevilla and Erwin Hoffer was sent to Bundesliga, but both players can be easily replaced.  And to good news is that De Laurentiis has said he is not done on the transfer market and he will wait until after Napoli’s Europa League match against Elfsborg to sign another player, depending on the outcome.

Key Players and the Formation: With the depth in midfield, expect Napoli to field a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3 formation this season.  This will allow some attacking midfielders to move up and support a shallow core of strikers (although they are deep on talent).

Defensively Napoli is an experienced group.  Morgan De Sanctis is the starter currently for both Azzurri teams and while not spectacular, the keeper’s spot is solid.  In front of De Sanctis will certainly be Paolo Cannavaro but next to him is a bit in flux.  Gianluca Grava and Salvatore Aronica are both on the wrong side of thirty, and Hugo Campagnaro and Fabiano Santacroce will likely push to start on defense.  Regardless, don’t be surprised if Napoli makes a move to strengthen its defense in the next week.

The star of the midfield is Hamsik.  Although he failed to score against Italy in the World Cup, Hamsik captained his team out of group stage and, at 23, is set to have a huge year.  He will likely flow between a traditional midfield spot and further up, acting at times as a forward, depending on who else is starting with him in midfield.  If Napoli does goes with four midfielders, there will be a log jam for all four spots.  Talented players like Juan Carlos Zuniga may come off the bench because there is not a space for him to play.

Pairing with Cavani will be a combination of Lavezzi and/or Quagiarella.  Quagliarella needs to carry over his strong World Cup performance into the club season and continue to be strong in the box to add a different scoring dimension.  If any of these three struggle, Hamsik could be moved forward in the formation to assist in scoring or Napoli could scour the market for a new body.

Outlook: This team is good, and should do well in the Europa League if it continues to get draws like Elfsborg.  Whether it has the depth to compete in the Europa League and Serie A is another question, but the club has enough combinations of players to make it work.  Does this team have enough talent to make a run at the top four?  Yes if the big name strikers live up to their billing, the backline doesn’t show its age, and the team’s World Cup players play as well as they did in South Africa.  Will all these things happen?  On that I am slightly more pessimistic.