World Soccer - UK (2020-10)

MARASH KUMBULLA
(Verona)
Born in Italy to Albanian
parents, centre-back
Kumbulla is another of
Verona’s success stories
and likely to be an Inter
player by the time the new
season kicks off. He has
opted to represent Albania
at international level.

ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC

(Milan)

Ibrahimovic’s footballing

wisdom, professionalism

and remarkable talent

meant he was a vital figure

last season for a resurgent

Milan. The Swede turns

39 in October, but will

probably continue to

defy Father Time.

MIKKEL DAMSGAARD

(Sampdoria)

The versatile 20-year-old

smashed in ten goals and

assisted six for Danish side

Nordsjaelland last season,

playing as a winger,

central midfielder or

centre-forward. Samp

agreed to sign him for

€6.7m in February.

ALEJANDRO GOMEZ

(Atalanta)

We have said it on many

occasions, but arguably

no single player has

contributed more to the

Atalanta success story of

the last five years than

playmaker, assist-man,

and goalscorer “Papu”. We

expect more of the same.

DANIEL MALDINI

(Milan)

Son of Paolo and grandson

of Cesare, Daniel is the

most recent member of

this footballing dynasty

to play for Milan, having

made his debut in a1-1

draw with Verona in

February. There may

well be more to come.

R

arely has a new Serie A

season prompted so many

imponderables as the

upcoming 2020-21 version,

and not just because of COVID-19.

The season that just ended was

turned on its head by the elimination

ofJuventus by Olympique Lyon at the

last-16 stage of the Champions League

in early August. Mighty shockwaves

were generated by the realisation that

the all-dominantJuventus, the club

that had just lifted its ninth consecutive

Italian title, had been eliminated by

the seventh strongest club in France.

Has Italian football sunk that low?

Is formerJuventus, Roma, Milan and

England coach Fabio Capello right

when he says that Serie A is simply

not competitive enough?

If you reflect that in recent seasons

Juventus have twice finished17 points

clear of second place (in 2014 and

2015), then Capello might have a point.

Furthermore, he also points out that for

most of this last decade ofJuventus

dominance, the club’s traditionally

strongest rivals, the two Milan clubs,

went missing, leaving it to Roma or

Napoli to challenge the Old Lady.

Whatever the answers about the

quality of Serie A,Juve did not hang

around, sacking coach Maurizio Sarri

the day after the Lyon elimination.

Sarri’s replacement, formerJuventus

great Andrea Pirlo – promoted

immediately from the Under-23s

• merely adds to the intrigue of

an imponderable new season.

In the wake of both that defeat by

Lyon and also a less than convincing

end of season in Serie A, champions

Juventus suddenly look, if not beatable,

at least less intimidating. The questions

abound. 41-year-old Pirlo was a

wonderful player, indeed one of

the all-time greats, but he has

no coaching experience at all.

Will he be able to integrate the skills

of Cristiano Ronaldo – one of the few

positive notes of the Lyon disaster –

with new boys such as 20-year-old

Swede Dejan Kulusevski, one of

the brightest stars in Italian football,

and ex-Barcelona midfielder Arthur?

Ronaldo turns 36 in February – can

he continue on in his bionic way for

another season?

Will Arthur and Kulusevski

compensate for the departure of

talented Bosnia playmaker, Miralem

Pjanic? Swapped for Arthur in arguably

the most extraordinary transfer of

the summer – a deal that valued

24-year-old Arthur at€72 million

and 30-year-old Pjanic at€60m.

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Outburst...Conte

spoke out about

poor planning

at Inter

Has Italian football sunk that low? Is former

Juventus, Roma, Milan and England coach

Fabio Capello right when he says that Serie A

is simply not competitive enough?