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Opinion
In less than 24 hours, the Italian Serie A returns for what should be yet another thriller with so many feel-good storylines and competitive battles set to be played out.
For the past few seasons now the Italian league has quietly flown under the radar by providing a spectacle that more people should be appreciating and taking notice of.
Yes, gone are the days of Serie A dominating, like in the 80s, 90s, and early 00s when Italy could attract all of the best talents in the world, which would make it the most watched league globally.
Ever since the infamous Calciopoli scandal in 2006 that rocked Italy to the core by seeing the powerhouse of Juventus relegated, English football has capitalised and completely taken over with so much commercial power, TV rights, sponsorships, and billionaire ownerships which have spurred on the EPL into an economic juggernaut.
Obviously, by attracting the best players in the world it translates into more eyeballs and a larger global audience because the Premier League is entertaining with its fast-paced style and high goalscoring ability, there is no doubt about that.
However, that doesn’t mean that other leagues can just be neglected so easily. After all, isn’t football the world game? Are we not open to giving other leagues a chance to showcase their qualities?
For Italy’s case nowadays, there is a common misconception that is unfairly placed by people who live in the past and assume that the Serie A is all about defending, holding a lead, and ‘parking the bus’ which leads to a slower pace. This could not be further from the truth.
The statistics don’t lie. In the past three seasons, the comparisons between average goals scored per game are highlighted below:
Serie A
2019/20 – 3.04 goals per game
2020/21 – 3.06 goals per game
2021/22 – 2.87 goals per game
EPL
2019/20 – 2.72 goals per game
2020/21 – 2.69 goals per game
2021/22 – 2.82 goals per game
Goals are not the be-all and end-all. This does not make Serie A better than the Premier League. It is though, a significant indication of just how much Italian football has moved away from relying on the backbone of the defence and instead seeks to go forward to create more opportunities which have and will continue to be exciting for the neutrals.
From 2012-2020 when Juve went on to win an incredible nine straight league titles, the common argument from non-Italian league supporters was the fact that there was no competition for a title race which made it ‘boring’ and similar to the Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
This argument is now out of date, as Italy has experienced three different champions in the past three seasons.
Serie A – Points differential between 1st-2nd and 1st-4th
2019/20 – 1st-2nd – 1
1st-4th – 8
2020/21 – 1st-2nd – 12
1st-4th – 13
2021/22 – 1st-2nd – 2
1st-4th – 16
EPL – Points differential between 1st-2nd and 1st-4th
2019/20 – 1st-2nd – 18
1st-4th – 33
2020/21 – 1st-2nd – 12
1st-4th – 19
2021/22 – 1st-2nd – 1
1st-4th – 22
From ‘Sarri ball’ at Napoli to the fascinating attacking approach from Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta, the league has constantly evolved in the past few years and has learned how to play the real modern European way which has been a breath of fresh air.
Maurizio Sarri (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Italian champions AC Milan have implemented an impressive possession-based and attacking style along with Inter Milan who has some exciting young talents in Rafael Leão and Sandro Tonali (Milan) and Lautaro Martinez and Nicole Barella (Inter) respectively.
This approach helped both Milanese giants to really take the game to Liverpool in their respective Champions League encounters despite falling short in the quality department.
Napoli has always been efficient in the attacking third but despite the loss of Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens, they still possess the exciting 23-year-old beast in Victor Osimhen along with the imminent rival of striker Giovanni Simeone who registered 17 goals last campaign.
Over in the Italian capital, Maurizio Sarri will have a second season at Lazio to further enforce his attacking ideology and stamp his authority which is exciting football to watch. It is Roma though which are rightfully stealing the headlines as José Mourinho will be rubbing his hands with the new signings of Paulo Dybala and Georginio Wijnaldum.
A frontline of Paulo Dybala, Tammy Abraham, Nicolo Zaniolo, and Pellegrini is going to be absolutely box-office. ‘The special one’ has a point to prove that he is not done just yet.
64-year-old Atalanta manager Gasperini will forever be recognised as the mastermind behind putting together an unbelievably well-drilled squad that continues to demonstrate prolific attacking football. Back in 2019, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola had high praise for the Italian tactician.
“It’s a great joy to watch Gasperini’s team play, they’re brave, they respect their supporters and that’s the way they play.” The Bergamo-based club have one of the best youth academy’s in the world which also provides that element of intrigue when watching them perform. Despite a quite transfer market, expect Gasperini to work his magic once again.
Out of all the top clubs, it can be said that the only side that does not initiate an attacking brand is Juventus due to the defensive mindset of coach Massimiliano Allegri. Despite that, they have so much quality on display such as Dušan Vlahović, Paul Pogba, Federico Chiesa, Ángel Di María, and Manuel Locatelli.
Romelu Lukaku is back in Italy. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Even the smaller clubs like minnows Salernitana provide entertainment. Their fairytale run to survival was no short of incredible which highlighted that no team should be underestimated. Newly-promoted Monza, spearheaded by the ownership of Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani (ex AC Milan owner and CEO), will also shake up the league with their spending power and give the top clubs a great test.
How can we forget about the incredible passion of the Italian supporters and ultras? Inter Milan have set a new Serie A record for most memberships sold, totalling 41,000 with crosstown rivals Milan just behind with 40,000. This demonstrates how much hype and anticipation there is around the league.
True signs that Serie A is back and mean business. The amazing atmosphere and jaw-dropping choreography also adds another element of entertainment that more people should be appreciating.
It is no secret that Italy cannot keep hold of some of their world-class players. The money and investment just isn’t there unfortunatley. Despite the lack of funds available compared to England, Serie A clubs have done extremely well in identifying youthful potential with examples being Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, Rafael Leão, Gianluca Scammaca, and Manuel Locatelli to name a few.
Milan managed to win the Scudetto with the third youngest squad domestically with an average age of 24. This young vibrance and exuberance has contributed greatly to the attacking philosophy and speed of the Italian game, as more coaches are reverting to the modern 4-3-3 formation.
The EPL will dominate the footballing landscape for many years to come with a product so entertaining and dynamic. It is also true though that the Serie A is attracting more attention from the outside and are making people second-guess themselves about the standard of the league.
If you are not a fan of Serie A, do yourself a favour by keeping an eye out for another competitive and action-packed campaign.
The perception is slowly changing, and deservedly so.
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