Quote:
Originally Posted by MediocrePlayer2.0
Serie A donks - are Inter or Fiorentina going to be any good?
In Milan for a business trip at the same time as week 2 of the schedule, trying to figure out what match to go see.
Fiorentina has played the much better looking football in recent years but with Cuadrado gone for a while and after hitting the absolute bottom end of what could have been expected from their great Mario Gomez/Giuseppe Rossi gamble, maybe they're stalling a little talent-wise. They're good with a pretty unique possession-based concept for Serie A, but there is a limit to them even if Matias Vecino in midfield has been a very nice upgrade and complement to the well known possession strengths of Borja Valero and Milan Badelj.
Gomez and Rossi are both back but in the meantime Kalinic has proved himself better than any of them and keeping him is essential it feels like, but all of their destinies are unclear.
Bernardeschi is the player who can lift them and maybe make them really compete for a top 3 spot if he can take it to the next level and justify his maybe somewhat exaggerated hype.
Watching 17 year old Ianis Hagi the son of one of the greatest players ever would be a cool thing to have on your football live watching resume, but it would be pretty shocking to see him feature.
Chievo is the Pulis-Stoke of Serie A and usually not all that great to watch so the match picture between the contrasting styles is predictable but I guess maybe fascinating depending on taste.
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For Inter the big thing is signing Banega who could really cure some weaknesses depending on how he is integrating.
On paper, now they really do have a team that should be closer to Napoli and maybe especially Roma, depending on how both teams replace Higuain and Pjanic.
Icardi, Kondogbia (who they must get more out of now), Perisic, Banega, Jovetic (depending on physique) and one of the best centreback partnerships around in Murillo and Miranda is pure quality-wise better than anything the other game can provide.
They should also be signing more players the coming weeks.
Right now there is turmoil outside the pitch apparently halting transfer dealings where Mancini is either close to being fired or walking away disagreeing on who knows what or it's just the usual, between these specific parties weak management from directors/board or Mancini's confrontational personality making things unbearable either for himself or others.
Palermo is also sort of interesting though if Ballardini is still the coach two weeks in(he was their
SIXTH coach last season!), you never know with Zamparini, they'll be playing ultra-defensive and really test if Banega has lifted Inter's abilities moving the ball.
Player-wise I'm not sure if they have managed once again finding a great South American scoop, I really can't see who that should be this time around, maybe they can still secure someone in the coming weeks, but in Quaison they have one of the most promising Swedish players and Carlos Embalo is promising midfielder back from loan impressing in Serie B.
One to maybe watch is also Croatian League (which has tons of talent of course) top scorer Ilija Nestorovski who could be late-bloomer.
When it comes to stadiums San Siro is San Siro of course, or in this case Giuseppe Meazza, one of the most legendary places, but Inter unless they find football fever again has really seen decline in spectators the last few years and maybe that makes even a great stadium a somewhat sad old depressing place.
Fiorentina stadium is also old. I think usually with some empty places where you can't be for safety reasons. Away from the colorful fanatics in the Curva it usually looks pretty cool and relaxed, sun and sunglasses everywhere.