Sport360’s deputy editor James Piercy looks at the key questions that could potentially define the outcome of this season’s Serie A.
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DO JUVENTUS HAVE ANY WEAKNESSES?
Even with a start that saw them win just one of their opening eight games and 11 points behind Roma by October, Juventus still managed to win their fifth-straight scudetto last season by nine points.
Unsurprisingly, the Bianconeri are heavy favourites to make it six titles on the spin, which would mean a record-equalling eight for goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
However, Massimiliano Allegri’s side may not have it all their way as there are some concerns heading into the new campaign.
Firstly, Paul Pogba has, of course, gone. Admittedly, ‘The Octopus’ wasn’t at his dynamic best in 2015/16 but the trimvurate of Pogba-Pirlo-Vidal is now broken up and Allegri must establish a new midfield unit, and maybe a new way of playing.
The purchase of Miralem Pjanic from Roma has a multi-layered effect: giving Juve a new playmaker to build around while weakening one of their biggest rivals. But he’ll need to take a leading role immediately, especially if Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio’s injury problems persist.
Dani Alves is sure to catch the eye but, at 33 and after eight seasons in La Liga, will need to adapt to a new way of playing and La Liga recruits haven’t always settled quickly in Serie A.
Finally, there’s Gonzalo Higuain. Serie A’s most expensive signing and a move from Napoli which works along the same lines as Pjanic.
The Argentine’s goalscoring pedigree is outstanding but how Allegri works him and the outstanding Paulo Dybala into the same team, with both keen to play a central role, will be intriguing.
Welcome aboard! @G_Higuain is congratulated after opening his Juventus account at #VillarPerosa. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/uk5cjxI0zo
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 17, 2016
CAN NAPOLI CHALLENGE WITHOUT HIGUAIN?
Higuain’s 36 goals will be tough for Napoli to compensate for, the same goes at the other end of the field if Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly joins Chelsea.
Focus will fall on Manolo Gabbiadini who has shown glimpses of brilliant in Naples since arriving from Sampdoria in 2014 but far too infrequently.
More likely to be Maurizio Sarri’s go-to goalscoring hope is their new No99, Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik. The 22-year-old scored 47 goals in 75 games for Ajax and is developing nicely into a lethal finisher.
That all said, it’s asking a lot, in his first Serie A season, to expect him to effectively fire Napoli to a title. Lorenzo Insigne will need to maintain his progression, after a career-best ?? last season, while Sarri may choose to make a few more additions before the end of the month.
Napoli have confirmed Arkadiusz Milik will still wear the 99 shirt, despite departure of No. 9 Gonzalo Higuain. pic.twitter.com/HYhoU7Wh91
— Scouted Football (@ScoutedFootball) August 12, 2016
CAN ROMA PROVIDE TOTTI WITH A FAIRYTALE FAREWELL?
The King of Rome turns 40 next month and, at least for now, it’ll be his 25th and final campaign for the Giallorossi.
A scudetto would be apt but the reality is Roma definitely need Juventus to fail spectacularly and Napoli to falter to achieve this.
The loss of Pjanic is considerable, even with Kevin Strootman nearing full fitness – although what sort of condition the Dutchman will be in is a mystery – and retaining Radja Nainggolan with interest from Juventus and Chelsea was impressive.
Defensively, Kostas Manolas remains one of the league’s best centre-backs while the addition of Bruno Peres from Torino at right-back is a fine addition, but rebuilding an entire backline, and an injury-plagued one at that, surely can’t be achieved overnight.
Coach Luciano Spalletti has also had a whole summer to hone his tactics which means the Gialorossi should be Juve’s closest challengers.
It's Totti's final season. Hope the world ends before that... Life can't go on pic.twitter.com/KMDtEomGJk
— El Shibrawinho (@Tottieist) August 19, 2016
WILL THERE BE A CHALLENGE FROM EITHER MILAN CLUB?
Internazionale and AC Milan are now both under Chinese ownership and there is a positivity around the city they will soon be knocking on the door.
However, both have new coaches – Frank De Boer at Inter and Vincenzo Montella at Milan – and a title challenge now seems premature.
In De Boer’s case he’s been parachuted in with less than two weeks before the start of the season, while Montella is working with a squad lacking in individual quality.
Montella, Milan’s sixth coach in the last two and a half years, needs to draw the most out of a core built around potential young Italian stars and under-the-radar signings. A top-six target is perhaps more realistic.
De Boer is mostly operating with Roberto Mancini’s squad, although the additions of Antonio Candreva from Lazio and Ever Banega from Sevilla are common sense decisions which should bear fruit.
