Euro Bites: Serie A

The latest from Italy as the start of the Serie A season approaches.

JUVENTUS WIN ITALIAN SUPER CUP 2015

The official Italian season opened just as it closed in May: with a Juventus victory. In the Italian Super Cup, played in Shanghai on Saturday, Juventus beat Lazio 2-0. With difficult conditions on the pitch including strong winds, the first-half ended 0-0, while the second half opened with a goal by Mario Mandzukic (one of Juventus’ new acquisitions) followed by a second goal by another newcomer, Paulo Dybala. Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus’s coach, was encouraged and optimistic about the coming year, a sentiment echoed by Lazio’s coach Stefano Pioli. “Only the result was disappointing,” Pioli remarked. “Lazio’s players showed determination and character.”

DAZZLING BEGINNING FOR FIORENTINA

If Fiorentina fans were sceptical about the team’s new coach, Portuguese Paolo Sousa, those doubts are quickly vanishing. After beating Barcelona 2-1 in Florence, Fiorentina went on to defeat Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea 1-0 in London on Wednesday. It’s true that Chelsea played mostly second string in the first-half with the focus on the start of the Premier League season, but in terms of fitness and preparation the English champions are ahead. The Premier League began this weekend with Serie A not getting underway until August 23. Also encouraging for Fiorentina is the fact that striker Giuseppe Rossi, who is emerging from two years of injuries, played the whole second-half of the Chelsea match without difficulty.

AC MILAN DISAPPOINTS AT THE AUDI CUP 2015

After returning optimistic from friendly matches in China, AC Milan was crushed in Munich this week. Playing against Bayern Munich and Tottenham in the Audi Cup, Milan failed to score a single goal and finished the tournament in last place. After losing 3-0 to Bayern in the semifinal, they then went down 2-0 to Tottenham in the third place playoff. For coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, it’s not just about the result. There were flaws in all positions and in the players’ approach to the games. If that were not enough, French striker M'Baye Niang was seriously injured and will be out for three months.

AS ROMA ACQUIRES EDIN DZEKO

The most important acquisition in Italy this week was made by AS Roma. After several weeks of negotiations with Manchester City, the club bought Bosnian star Edin Dzeko for €20 million. Dzeko represents the kind of striker that coach Rudi Garcia has been looking for since last year. Fans consider him the ticket to bridge the gap with Juventus and to give Roma a shot at winning this year’s Serie A championship. Over 3000 fans were waiting for Dzeko at Fiumicino airport Thursday evening and although he did not play in Saturday’s friendly match against Valencia, fans await with great anticipation his debut with Roma.

SAMPDORIA ELIMINATED FROM EUROPA LEAGUE

In the third qualifying round of the Europa League, Sampdoria was eliminated by the Serbian team Vojvodina. Sampdoria lost 4-0 in the first leg played at home on July 30, and talk of getting rid of their new coach Walter Zenga was immediately raised. The return match in Serbia on Thursday, however, was a different story. Although they didn’t manage to score the 4-0 miracle needed to progress, Sampdoria were coherent and determined, winning the match 2-0 with a goal by Eder in the first-half and one by Muriel in the second. “We wanted to regain our dignity, and we did,” Zenga said. On Sunday, striker Antonio Cassano signed a contract to return to Sampdoria for two years, giving even higher hopes for the season.

LITTLE CITIES MAKE IT TO SERIE A

For football fans in two little cities in Italy, this year is going to be different from any other. While the inhabitants of important cities like Milan, Rome and Naples are used to being represented in Serie A, fans in Frosinone and Carpi (near Rome and Modena respectively) have never had this experience. Until now. When the season begins, Frosinone and Carpi will play in the main league, and judging from the celebrations in May when Frosinone gained promotion (lasting days and blocking the streets in the city of 50,000 inhabitants), life will come to a standstill when the team plays on Sundays. “In the past, we had to support Lazio or Roma,” a Frosinone inhabitant said. “But this year, we can say ForzaFrosinone!”