It’s been almost two months since the start of the 2021-2022 season in European football. In this series of articles, we take a look at how the mega clubs in Europe have started the season. We’ll take a closer look at how they’ve performed since the start of the season, and we’ll also make some predictions for the future.
In this second instalment of our series, we take a look at Serie A. Last season, Juventus finished in fourth place after winning the league title nine years in a row, while Inter Milan won the title for the first time in 11 years. So how have the Serie A clubs fared this season? Let’s find out.
Serie A megaclub scoring chart
Inter Milan, Juventus, Roma and Napoli are the top five clubs in the Serie A table. Here are the scores
| League position | Score | |
| Napoli | 1st | 100 points |
| Milan | 2nd | 95 points |
| Inter | 3rd | 80 points |
| Roma | 4th | 75 points |
| Juventus | 7th | 50 points |
Let’s take a look at a detailed analysis of each club.
Napoli
- Ranking: 1st (8 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses)
- Goals scored: 19 goals, 3 conceded
- Score: 100 points
First up is Napoli, the reigning league table leaders. Last season, Napoli fell to fifth place on the final day of the season and missed out on the Champions League. So the front office sacked coach Gennaro Gattuso after two years in charge of the team. Luciano Spalletti, who had previously managed Inter and Roma, was brought in as the new coach.
Napoli have been on a tear since the start of the season, winning eight games in a row. In eight games they have scored 19 goals and conceded just three, keeping six clean sheets in the process. Victor Osimhen, who came to prominence in the second half of last season, leads the attack with five goals, while Kalidou Koulibaly and the rest of the defence are solid. Although Spalletti is known for his attacking football, Napoli’s defence has also been successful.
It will be interesting to see how many more points Napoli can pick up, and whether they will be able to win games against the likes of Inter and Milan.
Sorare doesn’t have any Napoli cards for the 2021-22 season yet, but when they do, you can bet that the Cribari and Osimhen cards will be very expensive.
AC Milan
- Ranking: 2nd place (7 wins, 1 draw, 0 losses)
- Goals scored: 18 goals, 7 conceded
- Score: 95 points
In second place behind Napoli is Milan, who have made an impressive comeback by qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since the 2013-2014 season. They have won seven of their last eight games and are looking to continue their good form this season, winning all but one of their games, a draw against Juventus.
Veteran forward Olivier Giroud, who joined the club from Chelsea this season, has scored three goals in his limited time in charge, while Rafael Leon and Brym Diaz remain key players from last season. The club’s legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also back in the squad, and with an overhead kick in his return game (unfortunately not on goal), the front line is looking strong.
If there is one area of concern, it is the defenders. After keeping three clean sheets in their first five games, they have conceded five goals in their last three games. We also have a defensive problem, with defender Mike Menyan having surgery on his left wrist, which will keep him out for a fortnight.
If they can overcome these obstacles and continue to pick up points in November (Roma on November 11, Inter on November 12 and Fiorentina on November 13), they could be in line for their first Scudetto since the 2010-2011 season.
Inter
- Ranking: 3rd (5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss)
- Goals scored: 23, conceded: 11
- Score: 85 points
After winning the league title last season for the first time since the 2009-2010 season, Inter have had a sluggish start to the season. Inter coach Antonio Conte, who was instrumental in winning the league title, announced his resignation in June after a dispute with the club’s austere front office over reinforcements. In addition, Romelu Lukaku, the league’s top scorer, was sold to Chelsea, while Matteo Politano and Ashraf Hakimi, two of the team’s most talented players, were sold to Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. Despite this, the team has been able to fill the vacant positions with qualified players such as Edin Dzeko, Hakan Chalhanor and Joaquin Correa. Conte was replaced by Simone Inzaghi, who until last season had been in charge of Lazio, using the same 3-5-2 system as the former coach.
Inter won the opening game of the season 4-0 against Genoa, and it looked like they were on course for another 4 wins and 2 draws. However, in their eighth game of the season, Inter lost 1-3 to Lazio, the old club of their new coach. What emerged from this game was a defensive frailty. After keeping a clean sheet in the opening game of the season, they have conceded goals in every game, ranking first in the league in goals scored but tied for tenth in goals conceded. They are now tied for 10th in the league in goals conceded, although they have scored the most goals in the league.
Roma
- Position: 4th (5 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses)
- Goals scored: 16 goals, 9 conceded
- Score: 75 points
With Jose Mourinho back in charge after an 11-year absence from Serie A, Roma have spent nearly €100 million on reinforcements, bringing in the likes of Timmy Abraham from Chelsea and Rui Patricio from Wolverhampton. This season, they have won five, lost three and are fourth in the table, which puts them in a good position to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2017-2018 season (and two of those defeats have come against the best sides in the competition, Lazio and Juventus).
The reason for this is the lack of quality and quantity in the squad compared to the other clubs competing for the Champions League. Their squad is inferior to that of Inter, Milan, Juventus and even Napoli, who are currently leading the table.
The key to Roma’s success will be their manager, Mourinho. Mourinho’s recent troubles at Manchester United and Tottenham have left a bad taste in his mouth, but he has a proven track record at the big clubs. But his record of success at the big clubs is solid, and if he fails at Tottenham and then Roma, it will be difficult for him to take over at the big clubs. The Portuguese coach will be more than happy to take charge of the new club. The Portuguese coach will be more than happy to take charge of the new Roma side, which could be a real typhoon in Serie A.
Sorare doesn’t have any Roma cards for the 2021-22 season on sale yet, but when they do, the Abraham and Rui Patricio cards will be very expensive.
Juventus
- Ranking: 7th (4 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses)
- Goals scored: 12 goals, 10 conceded
- Score: 50 points
Juventus finished fourth in the league last season, missing out on their tenth straight league title, and sacked club legend Andrea Pirlo after just one season in charge. Massimiliano Allegri, who won the league title nine times in a row, took over the reins. However, with only Manuel Locatelli returning to the club, the club has made few major additions to their squad, and the departure of ace Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United has left many fans in a state of uncertainty.
And the feeling was right. A draw, a loss, a loss and a draw in the first four games of the season. They won three games in a row to get back on track, but their poor start to the season has left them in seventh place.
The absence of C. Ronaldo has had a big impact on the team, with 12 goals scored, which is tied for ninth in the league, and the highest number of goals scored by a FW player is two. Paulo Dybala, who was supposed to be the ace of the team, is out injured. In addition, the age of the defence is increasing, and Delft, who is expected to be the next generation of defence leaders, is out injured, as is Dybala, so the negative spiral continues.
Can Allegri turn the tables on the club now that he is back in charge? It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Juventus.
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