The Serie A had quite a hectic offseason which saw five of the last season’s top seven clubs all change managers. And they also lost some of its best players in Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi, and Gigi Donnarumma.
But with the exception of Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus, all the other clubs with new coaches on the sidelines got off to winning starts. That includes Jose Mourinho’s Roma, who may have the league’s new star striker in Tammy Abraham.
So without further ado, here are SBOTOP’s main takeaways from the opening weekend of Serie A action.
Champions Inter impress in Inzaghi debut
Reigning champions Inter Milan had the most tumultuous offseason in the league, with their head coach and two of their top attacking players all leaving due to their financial woes.
However, Simone Inzaghi’s side made a very successful start to their title defence as they crushed Genoa 4-0.
Inter were absolutely dominant as Inzaghi lined his side up in a 3-5-1-1 formation, which led Lazio to much success during his time in Rome. Hakan Calhanoglu and Edin Dzeko both had a goal and an assist in their debut as Inzaghi expertly set the two newcomers up to succeed in their roles.
Granted, Genoa are not the toughest opponents in the world, but this was nevertheless a terrific start for the Nerazzurri. And if they can hold onto star striker Lautaro Martinez, Inzaghi’s Inter could be a top contender once again this season.
Allegri has work to do after disappointing Juventus draw
The Serie A 2021 betting odds had Juventus as favourites to reclaim their Scudetto with the return of manager Massimiliano Allegri after a two-year absence. Allegri won five consecutive Serie A titles and led Juve to two Champions League finals during his first stint with the club.
But Allegri’s return was ruined by a disastrous 2-2 draw with Udinese, who came back after the Bianconeri had gone up 2-0 in the first half. Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had a disastrous game which saw him commit errors that led to the goals.
Allegri fielded a 4-4-2 formation with Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala up front and Aaron Ramsey and Rodrigo Bentancur in the heart of midfield. Dybala, who had some of the best seasons of his career under Allegri, immediately scored within three minutes.
While Dybala figures to be a key player this season, the midfield clearly still needs work. The addition of Euro 2020 breakout star Manuel Locatelli will give Allegri another good option, but he must still figure out what to do with Juve’s other central midfielders – Arthur, Adrien Rabiot, Ramsey, Weston McKennie, Bentancur – who have struggled to shine in Turin.
Ronaldo adds more drama at Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo, who only started on the bench against Udinese, came on late and nearly scored the dramatic winner, but it was ruled out by VAR.
Prior to the match, though, the big Serie A 2021 news broke that Ronaldo was only on the bench because he reportedly requested not to start as he tries to work out a possible transfer in the coming days. Although, Juventus have apparently not received any official bid for the Portuguese superstar.
Ronaldo’s departure would throw a huge wrench into Juve’s plans of reclaiming the title. Despite being 36 years of age, Ronaldo has proven he can still be very productive. He is the reigning Capocannoniere after leading Serie A with 29 goals last year.
However, it is hard to see which club has the resources to take him away from Turin, so Ronaldo may have no choice but to stay with the Old Lady.
European contenders still look set to compete
Over the past few years, Atalanta, Lazio, and Napoli have been right in the thick of the race for European places. And all three won their opening games, which suggests they will be there or thereabouts once again this year.
Atalanta needed a stoppage-time winner from Luis Muriel to beat Torino 2-1 and could lose their other Colombian striker Duvan Zapata, who is keen on a move to Inter. But Gian Piero Gasperini has consistently made contenders out of whatever squad he has at his disposal, so it would not be surprising if he does so again.
Meanwhile, Lazio and Napoli both changed managers with Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spaletti coming in. Aside from the coach, though, not much changed with those two clubs as they both rolled to comfortable wins.
Captains Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne are both getting on in age, but the two European champions scored from the penalty spot and will continue to lead their respective clubs to European contention.
Abraham plays Kane role to perfection for Mourinho’s Roma
With Romelu Lukaku now starring at Chelsea, Tammy Abraham decided to move to Rome to lead Jose Mourinho’s attack. And the early results of that ex-Chelsea connection looked mighty impressive as Roma ran out 3-1 winners against Fiorentina in Mourinho’s debut.
Abraham didn’t get a goal on his debut, but was impactful in so many other ways. He was instrumental in getting Fiorentina’s goakeeper sent off after just 16 minutes. He then set up Roma’s first two goals scored by Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jordan Veretout, who added a third. And he also hit the bar with a towering header.
Mourinho had great success making Harry Kane the focal point and main playmaker of the Tottenham attack, and based on this opening performance, it appears Abraham can step into that role quite well.
If Mourinho can continue to get the most out of Abraham, Roma will be a force to be reckoned with this season.
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