Serie A 2008-2009 Season Preview: M-R

By: Francesco | August 27th, 2008

Here’s the third installment of the Serie A preview. In this part we take a look at Milan, Napoli, Palermo, Reggina, and Roma.

MILAN

This is the year Milan has to redeem themselves. The Rossoneri had a season way below expectations last year, based on a mix of injuries and a terrible summer transfer market. Milan threw games away and threw away results. They couldn’t even win at home until January. After the winter break they started to pick things up and even overtook Fiorentina for 4th place but in the end they messed up and Fiorentina qualified for the Champions League. Milan now find themselves in the UEFA Cup, and will look to win the Scudetto for the first time since 2004. It seems that after last season’s debacle Galliani and company finally understood that changes had to be made. The first moves of the summer were bringing back three Milan owned players in Marco Borriello and Luca Antonini. Borriello scored 19 goals last season and gets another chance to prove himself in a Milan shirt, even though he is currently injured. He will have to prove that he wasn’t just a one season wonder and can score goals on a consistent basis. Luca Antonini had an impressive year at Empoli last season, and has been brought back to base to provide depth at the fullback position. Christian Abbiati was brought back from his loan at Atletico Madrid and has impressed in preseason, which means he will be the starting goalkeeper for this season. One of Milan’s main problems last season was goalkeeping errors, and Abbiati should be able to provide some security in between the sticks. The two back-up keepers are Australian Zeljko Kalac, who was a starter last season but not starter material, and Dida, who is way too mistake prone. World Cup winning fullback Gianluca Zambrotta was bought from Barcelona and has returned to Italy since leaving in 2006. Milan needed a good starting fullback since Massimo Oddo was, to put it plain and simple, terrible last season. Many fans in Row Z were hit with his crosses. To strengthen the midfield Mathieu Flamini was signed on a free transfer. Flamini was excellent last season at Arsenal and is an excellent addition to a Milan midfield that includes Massimo Ambrosini, Andrea Pirlo, and Gennaro Gattuso. Clarence Seedorf has been in sublime form in the preseason and putting him on the bench would be a hard decision. Yoann Gourcuff was loaned out and Christian Brocchi seems to have secured a move to Lazio. Young Uruguayan talent Mathias Cardacio was also signed and will look to learn from Pirlo. In defense there is Alessandro Nesta, who when injury free is one of the top defenders in the world, however he always has injury trouble. Georgian Kahka Kaladze has always been reliable, but sometimes he can lose concentration and be really clumsy. Marek Jankulovski has been solid in the preseason and should have a good year. Milan missed him most of last year through injury and he seems to be in good form. Then there’s always Daniele Bonera who is used as a utility player around the back 4, and Paolo Maldini. Il Capitano seems to be in his last season and most probably won’t play more than 15-20 games. After so many transfer windows of hearing rumors that Dario Simic would leave, he finally did this summer. The Croatian center-back left for Ligue 1 (Monaco to be exact). Swiss international center back Phillipe Senderos was signed on a loan deal and will be a good option to have on the bench (considering he’s not as mistake prone as he was at Arsenal). Of course the biggest buy of the summer for the Rossoneri was Ronaldinho. For the longest time we’ve always seen Milan linked with the Brazilian and we saw Berlusconi give so many interviews where he’s said he wanted to sign Ronaldinho. Well, he finally has arrived. If Ronaldinho can get back into shape Milan will have made one of the signings of the summer and he’ll form a deadly pairing with Kaka. Up front, the big news is that the prodigal son has returned. After a two year “sabbatical” in London, Andriy Shevchenko has made his way back home. Shevchenko just wasn’t himself in England and maybe a return to Milan is just what he needs to get back to his old self. Milan fans would love it. The attack also consists of SuperPippo Inzaghi, who will most probably be scoring goals even when he’s 80, Borriello who was mentioned before, and Alexandre Pato. The young Brazilian did really well when he arrived last January, but with so much competition up front he’ll probably play less of a main role this year. There is a lot of talent on this team, and if Ancelotti can put it all together and get everyone to play as a team, Milan will be very difficult to stop and have a great chance of winning the Scudetto (and let’s not forget the UEFA Cup, the only trophy Milan has never won). In my opinion if Ancelotti doesn’t get it done this season he’s as good as gone.

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti

Best Buy: Ronaldinho- If the Brazilian superstar becomes the player he once was again; Milan fans and fans all over Italy will have the joy of watching a magician at work.

Probable Formation (4-3-2-1): ABBIATI; ZAMBROTTA, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, FLAMINI; Kakà, RONALDINHO; SHEVCHENKO.

NAPOLI

Last season Napoli returned to Serie A with large expectations and lived up to them. The San Paolo was packed for every home game and Napoli didn’t disappoint. In fact, at the San Paolo Napoli beat every big team except for Roma. Napoli played well all season, and finished 8th, which allowed them to enter the Intertoto Cup. This summer they won their Intertoto match-up and will return to European play as well. This is making the Napoli faithful even more enthusiastic about the coming season. The man working behind the scenes for this Napoli squad is Pierpaolo Marino. Marino is probably one of the best football directors in all of Italy, and dare I say, in Europe. He is very good at judging players and discovering talents and has made so many good moves since arriving in Campania. Manager Edy Reja likes to use the 3-5-2 formation, with two outside wingers that can defend and attack. In goal “San Gennaro” Iezzo will most probably start but will face fierce competition from young Argentine Nicolas Navarro. Last season Napoli realized they needed a strong central defender and they got one in Palermo’s Leandro Rinaudo. Rinaudo is a big physical presence and very good in the air. Starting alongside him will be captain Paolo Cannavaro and Fabiano Santacroce, who is considered to be the best up and coming defender in Italy. Santacroce is a very similar player to Alessandro Nesta, he knows how to read the game and anticipate the play. However one thing I don’t like about the squad is the lack of depth in defense. The starting trio is very good, but on the bench there are average players like Matteo Contini, Gianluca Grava, and Mirko Savini. Maybe they were too quick to let Garics go? Maurizio Domizzi is still in the squad but he wants to leave. He only has a few days left to make a move. Probably the “coup” of Napoli’s transfer campaign was right winger Christian Maggio. Maggio was one of the revelations of last season, a workhorse player that never stops running up and down the wing and gets into excellent positions up front. If he could work on his finishing he would be even greater. Starting alongside him in midfield will be Manuele Blasi, who was really good last year and is great at winning balls but could try to get into less yellow card trouble. Walter Gargano was another great buy, a Gattuso-like player but with lots of technique as well. The star of the midfield is Slovakian Marek Hamsik, who is only 21 but plays like a 35 year old veteran. He can do everything in midfield. Currently Napoli are still looking for a left winger, but it seems they found a valid option in homegrown youngster Luigi Vitale, while also having Daniele Mannini, who was bought in January of last season. Michele Pazienza is another central midfielder who is good off the bench and can fill in for Blasi on occasion. They also have talented Uruguayan Mariano Bogliacino but he’s injured. Up front Napoli relies on the electrifying play of Ezequiel Lavezzi. The 23 year old did well in his first season in Serie A and will only improve. Full of energy, the little Argentine can change the game at any moment. They also signed German Denis; a center forward from Argentina nicknamed “the Tank”. Denis has played in Italy before but it didn’t go well the first time and now he’s back. For some reason I have a gut feeling that he will do very well. Brazilian Ignacio Pia will provide a spark on the bench. The gamble signing was 20 year old fantasista Andrea Russotto. Russotto has long been hailed as the best young talent to come out of Italy in recent years and has drawn comparisons to Totti, Baggio, and Cassano. However he’s still trying to explode and Napoli may very well be the place to do it, especially since these fans are used to flair players. The Partenopei have put together an excellent project and it seems to get better as each year passes. Napoli should be able to finish in the UEFA zone and even do well in the UEFA Cup this season, as the San Paolo should be one of the most intimidating places to play in Europe this year.

Manager: Edy Reja

Best Buy: Christian Maggio- The ex-Sampdoria right back will look to confirm himself as the best right back in Italy. We’ll have to see if he can make the same impact he did in Genoa.

Probable Formation (3-5-2): Iezzo; P. Cannavaro, RINAUDO, Santacroce; MAGGIO, Blasi, Hamsik, Gargano, Vitale; DENIS, Lavezzi.

PALERMO

Palermo are another team that will look to redeem themselves this year. The Rosanero had a team last year that was capable enough to reach a UEFA Cup spot but performed way below expectations, finishing 11th. Last season Stefano Colantuono started out as manager, then was sacked and replaced by Francesco Guidolin, who was then sacked and replaced by Stefano Colantuono, who was then confirmed to be the manager for this season. Owner Maurizio Zamparini is well known to be the craziest president in Italy. So Zamparini knew something had to be done for this season and the squad has undergone a complete overhaul. The Sicilian club made almost 60 million euro on the sales of Amauri, Barzagli, Zaccardo, Biava, Rinaudo, and Caserta. Famed sporting director Rino Foschi was let go and replaced by Walter Sabatini. Foschi was very good at his job but did not see eye to eye with Zamparini and therefore parted ways (and went to Genoa). First, the goalkeeping problem was resolved. Palermo had the 40 year old Alberto Fontana starting in net and although he could make amazing saves his age was starting to show and they needed someone who could be their goalkeeper for years to come. That goalkeeper is Marco Amelia. Buffon’s back-up on the national arrived from Livorno and will be very reliable in net. To replace Christian Zaccardo at right-back, promising right-back Andrea Raggi was bought from Empoli. Raggi has impressed the last few seasons and had been linked with big clubs so Palermo did a good job in securing their services. To replace the central defensive pairing of Barzagli and Biava, Morris Carrozzieri and Cesare Bovo were brought in. Carrozzieri, often called a “poor man’s Materazzi”, is a huge physical presence and a very tight marker. However sometimes he commits too many useless fouls. Cesare Bovo was once considered to be the next great Italian defender and spent last year at Genoa. He was co-owned by the Rosanero and they bought his full rights this summer. Bovo is a tough defender and is also a free-kick specialist. They also bought young Danish prospect Simon Kjaer and Italo-Argentine Hernan Dellafiore. On the left Federico Balzaretti will start after an impressive season last year, and there is also Mattia Cassani on the bench, who scored that wondergoal vs. Juventus last season. Two big names have been signed in midfield as well. Antonio Nocerino was included in the Amauri deal and will provide tons of hard work and “grinta” in the middle of the pitch. They made a really good signing in Fabio Liverani. The experienced center midfielder will direct Palermo’s midfield. Giulio Migliaccio, nicknamed “Piccolo Gattuso” (small Gattuso), will most likely start alongside the new signings. On the bench there are options such as Roberto Guana, Giovanni Tedesco, and Maurizio Ciaramitaro. Serbian attacking midfielder Bosko Jankovic looks set to make a big impact this season. Jankovic is a very promising player and it looks like Colantuono has lots of faith in his talent. After a year of adaptation he may finally explode this season. Up front Amauri’s loss will be felt. The Brazilian was crucial to Palermo’s attack but the Rosanero have tried to find a good replacement. First Brazilian striker Tulio De Melo was signed from French side Le Mans. However it seems De Melo hasn’t really been impressing in preseason. A good signing was Croatian striker Igor Budan, who was co-owned with Parma. Budan was excellent at Parma and if he finds his scoring touch Palermo fans may forget Amauri. The fantasista of the squad is Fabrizio Miccoli. The “Italian Romario” has loads of skill and technique and when on form is a joy to watch. If he can find consistency this season he can be a force to be reckoned with. The gamble up front is 21 year old Davide Lanzafame. The Juventus youth team product exploded at Bari last season and has drawn comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo. We’ll see if the youngster can cut it in Serie A. In my opinion Palermo did an excellent job of revamping the squad, although maybe they could use a star striker that can score at least 15 goals a season. But rumors are Zamparini is planning one more surprise before the transfer window ends (David Suazo?). I think Palermo has what it takes to challenge for a UEFA Cup spot.

Manager: Stefano Colantuono

Best Buy: Fabio Liverani- The Roman midfielder is an excellent playmaker and Palermo will finally have a good midfield director for the first time since Eugenio Corini left.

Probable Formation (4-3-1-2): AMELIA; RAGGI, CARROZZIERI, BOVO, Balzaretti; NOCERINO, LIVERANI, Migliaccio; Jankovic; BUDAN, Miccoli.

REGGINA

Reggina is a squad that for years has been performing miracles. You have to tip your hat to president Lillo Foti, who every season has managed to keep this small club in the top flight, always experimenting with different managers, and buying obscure players that become good and get sold off at season’s end. Last season they once again escaped relegation after looking all set for the drop throughout the season. However I think that unfortunately this season their time has come and their luck will run out. The squad is virtually unchanged from last season, except for the signings of Santos from Genoa, Carlos Carmona from O’Higgins, and Bernardo Corradi from Parma. Star striker Nicola Amoruso went up north to Torino, while left-back Francesco Modesto also headed north but to Genoa. The main problem was the defense last season, which let in 56 goals. But it has not been strengthened this summer and will most probably continue to be a problem. In goal Andrea Campagnolo is either brilliant or terrible. The defense is nothing to write home about and Santos should reinforce it a little. Bruno Cirillo is the most experienced but he commits way too many stupid fouls. In midfield Edgar Barreto had a really good season, even scoring some really nice goals. Luca Tognozzi is still a Serie B caliber player to me, as well as Emmanuele Cascione. Icelandic midfielder Emil Hallfredsson has been pretty solid since arriving. Captain Francesco Cozza is extremely talented and has always performed well with the Amaranto, while Franco Brienza was their savior last season. The diminutive fantasista arrived from Palermo and was in excellent form, scoring crucial goals to save Reggina from the drop. Up front Nick “Dynamite” Amoruso has left and Reggina have replaced him with Bernardo Corradi. Corradi for me is not the player he once was and doesn’t score enough goals. On the bench there’s young Fabio Ceravolo and Uruguayan Christian Stuani, who hasn’t really impressed since arriving. Another striker may arrive before the window closes. With the current squad I just can’t see Reggina surviving the drop this year, but with this club we never know. I may just be eating my words come May.

Manager: Nevio Orlandi

Best Buy: Carlos Carmona- The young Chilean looks to have loads of skill and personality and if he can get lots of playing time he may be fun to watch.

Probable Formation (4-3-2-1): Campagnolo; Lanzaro, Valdes, SANTOS, Costa; Barreto, Tognozzi, Hallfredsson; Cozza, Brienza; CORRADI.

ROMA

The Giallorossi come off of a campaign where they fell 3 points short of winning the Scudetto. Roma’s main problem last season was dropping too many points to small teams, and if you want to win the Scudetto those are games you have to win. Luciano Spalletti and Francesco Totti asked for signings and although they came slowly, they did come. Spalletti is known now for his 4-2-3-1 formation, and Roma play the nicest football in Italy. In these past years Roma have become Inter’s main rival for the Scudetto and now they want to stay up there even if teams like Juventus and Milan have reinforced their squads. On the departure list were Amantino Mancini and Ludovic Giuly. The inconsistent Brazilian ended his 5 year rapport with the Giallorossi and went to Mourinho’s Inter. Giuly didn’t have that great of a season and went home to France with PSG. Gianluca Curci, who was left to rot on the bench the past 2 seasons, has finally been sent out on loan to gain experience. He will be defending Siena’s net and Ghanaian midfield Ahmed Barusso went with him. Matteo Ferrari’s contract was not re-signed and he left for Genoa. In goal there is one change, as Brazilian Arthur will become Doni’s back-up. In defense two signings were made. Powerful defender Simone Loria was bought, and he will provide a good option on the bench. Loria is also excellent at scoring goals. At left back Norwegian international John Arne Riise was signed from Liverpool. The red-headed left back loves to get forward and attack and should fit in very well with Spalletti’s system. Max Tonetto, who is still solid, is the other left-back on the roster. On the right there’s Cicinho (who was left out of the SuperCoppa because of disciplinary problems) and Marco Cassetti, who has always done a solid job. Christian Panucci is still around, but he may see his role limited this season. In the center Juan and Mexes will continue to form a very solid pairing. Former U21 starlet Marco Andreolli is still on the roster but may leave before the window closes. In midfield nothing changes, as we have Daniele De Rossi, David Pizarro, Alberto Aquilani, Simone Perrotta, Rodrigo Taddei, and Matteo Brighi. If there’s one department Roma is not lacking in its good center midfielders. Daniele De Rossi is quickly becoming the best Italian midfielder, Pizarro provides creativity and excellent passing, Perrotta is the best midfielder in Italy when it comes to making runs and getting into good positions, Taddei has always been a solid performer and combines lots of work ethic with Brazilian flair, and Brighi has always been good off of the bench. Everyone is waiting for Aquilani to finally have his breakout season where he shows everyone why he’s so highly rated. Let’s see if it’s this season. Brighi may leave before the window closes but in all likelihood he’ll be sticking around. With the departure of Mancini and Giuly, Roma need wingers. Julio Baptista has arrived but it remains to be seen how effective he can be on the wing. Vucinic can play on the wing but it’s not his natural position. Vucinic exploded last season and he can only improve. Vincenzo Montella is back but judging from his preseason performances he just isn’t the same Aeroplanino we all knew for years and may leave before the window closes. Mauro Esposito could be on the way out after sitting on the bench a lot last season. Today there was confirmation that promising young French talent Jeremy Menez will be a Roma player really soon. This is good news for Spalletti and this may allow Stefano Okaka to go out on loan and gain experience. Along with Menez, one more player may arrive before the deadline (David Suazo?). And then there’s Francesco Totti. What can we say; when Er Pupone is in form he’s the most talented player in the peninsula and one of the most talented players in Europe. However after his latest injury it may take time for him to get back into form and we’ll have to see how long it takes. Otherwise Totti is Totti; when he’s on the pitch he makes the difference. If Roma keep up their style of play they should be able to challenge for the Scudetto, but they can’t throw away useless points anymore and have to learn how to close games. We’ll also see how they do in the Champions League.

Manager: Luciano Spalletti

Best Buy: Julio Baptista- The “Beast” was awesome at Sevilla and if he can rediscover his form he should be a great asset to Spalletti.

Probable Formation (4-2-3-1): Doni; Cicinho, Mexes, Juan, RIISE; De Rossi, Pizarro; Perrotta, BAPTISTA, Vucinic; Totti.

Tomorrow we’ll finish up the preview with Sampdoria, Siena, Torino, and Udinese, along with some predictions. On Friday I’ll post a quick Serie B preview.