The new Serie A season is just three rounds old, but it’s already delivering some interesting storylines. The most noteworthy of which is in Turin, with Juventus getting off to a terrible start after Massimiliano Allegri’s return to – and Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from – the club.
Meanwhile, Roma, AC Milan, and Napoli – who beat Juve this weekend – are currently tied at the top and are looking like serious contenders in what is shaping up to be a wide-open title race.
Here are SBOTOP’s five top takeaways from an eventful and action-packed Matchday 3 in Italy’s Serie A.
Allegri must address defence as Juventus still winless
Things are not going too smoothly for Max Allegri on his return to Turin. After a shock defeat at home to newly promoted Empoli before the international break, his Juventus side remained winless on the season as they fell 2-1 away to Napoli.
Juve were thoroughly outplayed after taking an early lead through Alvaro Morata. Napoli finished with 67 per cent of possession and had a 25-8 edge in terms of shots as they won their third game in a row.
The loss of Cristiano Ronaldo during the transfer window was an obvious blow to the Old Lady’s Serie A 2021 odds of reclaiming their title, but their shaky defence has been the bigger issue to begin the season. They also threw away a 2-0 lead against Udinese in their season opener.
It seems clear that Allegri needs a bit more time to get the best out of a Juve squad that is lacking the top-line talent that it had in years past. But they need to improve soon, with AC Milan coming up next and big matches against Roma and Inter next month.
Zlatan, Milan spoil Sarri party
Speaking of Milan, they are joint-top at the moment with three wins out of three after handing Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio their first defeat of the season.
Milan, who won 2-0, dominated Lazio as they had a 21-8 shot advantage, with all 10 starting outfield players registering at least one shot. Zlatan Ibrahimovic got three shots in just 30 minutes after coming off the bench, and he also marked his season debut with a goal.
To Sarri’s credit, he’s already gotten Lazio playing Sarri-ball, and they are posting impressive passing numbers early on.
But Milan, who have conceded just one goal in three games after losing star goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma, are looking like a top defensive unit, which could make them a strong contender this year.
Roma resurgence continues under Mourinho
Jose Mourinho’s return to Italy is going great. His Roma side is top of the table – ahead of Milan on goal difference – after their 2-1 win over Sassuolo. Stephan El Shaarawy scored a stoppage-time winner to preserve their perfect record – and marked Mourinho’s 1000th game as manager with a win.
Granted, Roma have not had the toughest schedule to start the season, and they won’t get their first big test until they face Lazio in the Rome Derby at the end of the month.
Nevertheless, their early Serie A 2021 results under Mourinho have been quite promising and they are also co-leading scorers with nine goals thus far. Those impressive facts should give the Roma faithful some optimism about their chances this season.
Atalanta suddenly struggling to score
While Mourinho’s Roma are scoring goals for fun, Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta – who have consistently been among the top scorers in Italy over the last few years – are suddenly finding it tough to get goals.
La Dea lost 2-1 at home to Fiorentina this weekend as they’ve picked up just four points in their first three games, with only three goals scored. They needed a stoppage-time winner to beat Torino 2-1 on opening day, and were held to a goalless draw at home to Bologna.
With the likes of Luis Muriel, Duvan Zapata, and Josip Ilicic all 30 years of age or older, Atalanta’s high-octane attack might finally be slowing down just a bit – unless, of course, Gasperini can work his magic once again.
Inter suffer first setback at Sampdoria
Champions Inter Milan dropped their first points of the season as they were held to a 2-2 draw away to Sampdoria. The Nerazzurri twice took the lead, but the home side played some positive football and battled back to equalise twice.
Surprisingly, the Inter attack does not seem to be missing Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi all that much as they are tied for the league lead with nine goals. Lautaro Martinez has chipped in with two goals, while Nicolo Barella leads the league with three assists.
It’s still early doors, but Simone Inzaghi has done a good job to get his side playing this well despite the big changes. Sampdoria exposed some defensive flaws that need to be ironed out, but all in all, Inter are looking in decent shape and could very well mount a spirited title defence after all.
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