It’s been another typically busy week in Italian football so, as always, we turned to our friend Matteo Bonetti for his insights on the big talking points. And we even let him pick a Serie A best XI.
Milan’s earthquake at the top
The start of the summer didn’t go to plan for Milan, as the directors, Ricky Massara and Paolo Maldini parted ways with the club after a turbulent meeting with owner Gerry Cardinale. Recent reports had suggested that there were a few factors that led to the divorce between the two parties. Simply put, Paolo Maldini wanted a larger investment from Cardinale into the club than the proposed €50m for the summer transfer window. Maldini has gone on record that the club cannot truly compete in two different competitions without a larger investment from the top. Other factors also played a role; the ownership was not happy with last summer’s transfer window, especially with the two disappointing signings of Charles De Ketelaere and Divock Origi, both of whom had virtually no impact on the squad.
Milan’s star players seem to be on the side of Maldini and Massara, as evidenced by social media posts from the likes of Rafael Leão and Mike Maignan. Maignan posted a photo of him and the two directors while Leão went with a confused emoji on Twitter, as a response to the whole debacle.
Suddenly, Milan’s transfer strategy has become the great unknown, given that the recent events will lead to a new vision for the Rossoneri this summer. Presumably, that vision falls more in line with what the ownership wants – young players that don’t cost a lot of money but have room to grow in value.
It’s not an ideal start for Milan’s summer plans. The club is back in the Champions League next season as they took full advantage of Juventus being docked points. Maldini was right about the club having to invest more seriously to be able to challenge in Serie A and return to the elite in European competitions. The proposed €50m isn’t enough to reinforce a squad that had key weaknesses in the lineup and a rather thin bench when they had to rotate because of injury.
Fiorentina lose Conference League final to West Ham
Fiorentina had two finals which would’ve resulted in silverware and a ticket to the Europa League next season. First, they lost the Coppa Italia to Inter. Only days after that, they were scheduled to meet a West Ham team that has slogged along in the Premier League this season. They were expected to be slight favorites over West Ham, who played a poor domestic campaign and only finished in 14th place under the cautious David Moyes.
Fiore played this match the way most expected – with a majority of the possession. After all, the Viola have the second best possession in Serie A, behind only league winners Napoli. On the flip side, the Hammers are ranked 18th best, with a paltry 41% possession throughout the course of the season.
Fiorentina weren’t able to do much with that, though. Out of the 17 total shots they took, only one troubled goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. It was a rewind back to the first half of the season, where Fiorentina would often dominate games but couldn’t get any production out of their front strikers, Luka Jović and Arthur Cabral. The moments of danger came from the always steady trio of Jack Bonaventura, Nico González and Sofyan Amrabat. Bonaventura’s lone goal to make it 1-1 was a moment of magic. The Italian midfielder settled the ball perfectly to find a sliver of space past Declan Rice, then proceeded to unleash a perfect shot into the bottom corner from the volley.
The West Ham winner which came in the 90th minute was a blow to Fiore’s tactical game. With Lucas Paquetá being further up in possession, the technical Brazilian slipped through the perfect through ball to find the run of Jarrod Bowen. Bowen just outran the fresh legs of Igor, the defender who had only recently come on for Fiorentina, and finished his counter with a one-on-one chance against the keeper, Pietro Terracciano.
The winning goal conceded was a reminder of the dangers of Vincenzo Italiano’s system. They play with the highest defensive line in Serie A, which means there are acres of room for the opposition to run into. By pinning West Ham so deep in their own half, it also meant that the Viola wingers had limited space to operate in. Sometimes, Fiorentina’s attack can look predictable. Tons of crosses from out wide or shots from distance, without an ability to consistently play those balls into the box as there are simply too many defenders there close together in a low block.
Despite the disappointing end to Fiorentina’s season, there’s a sense of something special brewing with Vincenzo Italiano. That is, if the club can actually keep him long term. The Italian manager has been on a meteoric rise, starting in the fourth division and working his way up to saving Spezia from relegation in his first adventure in Serie A. His move to Fiorentina has led to the team playing some of the best football in the league and reaching two cup finals.
My Serie A Team of the Season
Goalkeeper: Ivan Provedel (Lazio). Most clean sheets in the league.
Right-back: Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli). The tireless warrior in Napoli’s defence. Bulletproof reliability, and an improved touch with his final ball.
Centre-back: Kim Min-jae (Napoli): The replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly turned out to be the ideal defender for Napoli. Lightning quick, smart reading of the game and an imposing presence. Kim was the best defender in the league.
Centre-back: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter): Out of Inter’s back three, Bastoni was the only constant. A unique defender who could also push up and trouble teams with his left foot.
Left-back: Theo Hernández (Milan): One of the best attacking full-backs in Europe, Theo is impossible to stop when he gets going. His coast-to-coast goals, passing ability and improved defending have made him one of Milan’s primary weapons
Midfield: Nicolo Barella (Inter): Back to his best form, Barella was Inter’s whirling buzzsaw of energy. Stamina, defensive work and a soft touch with his passing. He was pivotal to the success Inter had in controlling games.
Midfield: Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli): The champions were the side with the best possession in the league and that was in large part due to the fantastic holding midfield presence of Lobotka. Virtually impossible to dispossess, Lobotka was the brains of Luciano Spalletti’s dominant Napoli season which saw them win their first Scudetto in more than three decades.
Winger: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli): Double digit goals and assists. The winger came in from the Georgian league last summer to replace Lorenzo Insigne and won league MVP. Unstoppable dribbling, clever passing and an eye for goal, Kvara quickly became a household name and one of the most exciting players to watch in Europe.
Winger: Rafael Leão (Milan): Leão’s second half of the campaign was simply world class. He saved his best performances for some of the most important games, especially for Milan’s unexpected run to the Champions League semi-finals. There aren’t many players who are as terrifying for a full-back to defend one-v-one.
Striker: Lautaro Martínez (Inter): Lautaro was Inter’s best striker this season, carrying his club to a top four finish and a Champions League final. His movement was brilliant, adding to that a clinical shot with either foot and the technique to be able to create his own space against a defender.
Striker: Victor Osimhen (Napoli): The Serie A Capocannoniere finally got to show his worth in a season where he didn’t pick up a freak injury like we’ve seen in the past. Explosive pace, an ability to score all over the pitch and perhaps the best aerial game in Europe. Osimhen was virtually unstoppable.
(images from IMAGO)
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