It’s quite rare for a team to win a top league and then not be rated as the favourites for the next season. Yet, amidst a rabid scramble among the league’s biggest clubs, there are distinct signs of uncertainty as to which team should be considered the favourite.
For the first time in almost a decade, Juventus will not be looking to defend their title, with Inter Milan’s triumph seemingly creating an opening that almost all of the other mega-clubs have acted on. With budgets being very tight this season for all clubs, most moves have come in the form of managerial changes, the majority of which show a distinct change in how the teams will play.
So, how close does Serie A look coming into 2021/22, and are Juventus among the favourites to claim the crown?
Colossal changes over the 2021 Serie A summer
Under Antonio Conte, Inter Milan achieved something that not a single other team had managed since 2011: win Serie A. It was a masterful and aggressive campaign that was timed to perfection. Under the novice stewardship of Andrea Pirlo, with too few players who could be moulded to his ideals, Juventus were vulnerable. So, the Nerazzurri went all-in on winning the Scudetto.
However, in the current climate, even the league champions don’t have the funds to sustain such a star-studded team while adhering to financial fair play. It seems that this was the catalyst for Conte leaving the team that he just made history with, as he wanted to build on their success further. Reports, such as this one, relay that the club’s president wants to end the summer window with around €100 million in profit.
So, not only have the champions lost the manager who masterminded their rise to prominence, but the manager coming in, Simone Inzaghi, will likely have to see one or more of his star players depart. Inzaghi joined from Lazio, having impressed during his five years in the capital. This left another managerial vacuum, with none other than the highly-respected Maurizio Sarri coming to Lazio to enforce his distinct style of play.
Across the capital, AS Roma found the next coach to attempt to rebuild and return the historic team to the top. José Mourinho arrives after a few unsavoury departures from Premier League clubs seeking immediate glory. Now, while he won’t be given much money, ‘The Special One’ does inherit a batch of very talented younger players, a few stalwart veterans, and should be given more time than he’s accustomed to getting. Napoli also found a change in direction, landing Luciano Spalletti to replace Gennaro Gattuso.
Of course, the biggest news was that Juventus would be moving on from the silverware-winning Pirlo to return to Massimiliano Allegri. It’s true that Antonio Conte kick-started Juve’s dynasty of dominance, but Allegri took it up another level, claiming four titles, four Coppa Italias, and a place in the Champions League Final. It’s European glory that continues to elude the Bianconeri, but for 2021/22, all eyes are fixed on getting back the Scudetto.
It should also be noted that runners-up AC Milan have been stripped of their talisman, Gianluigi Donnarumma, with the Italian number one leaving for free, as well as several crucial on-loan players. Still on an upward trajectory, though, is Atalanta, who received a huge boost from maestro Gian Piero Gasperini essentially quashing rumours of him joining another team.
Where do the chips lie after so many managerial changes?
There’s very clearly an opening for the most well-equipped teams to exploit in 2021/22, with the experts leaning towards Juventus as the favourites, but not by a lot.
All of the movement has created an environment in which fans in the know can find value in Serie A betting. As detailed by https://www.sbo.net/, you can always find value in football betting because of its popularity and bookmakers offering more as a result. Learning how to bet through the extensive strategy articles could help to decide between the incredibly close pack of contenders of the 2021/22 Serie A title.
Juventus marginally outrank Inter Milan in the odds as the favourites with the top platforms but are above evens for the first time in about a decade. The confusion caused by the managerial scramble then becomes more apparent, with AC Milan ranked third, despite losing Donnarumma – who Allegri declined to sign due to his trust in Wojciech Szczęsny, as we relayed here.
Next, most put Atalanta and Napoli at level-pegging, with Roma as the dark horses and Lazio as the distant contenders. Most importantly for Juve is that they have a proven Serie A winner coming back to take the helm, much of the same squad that won the title one year ago, and plenty of very talented players returning from successful loan spells to bolster Allegri’s options.
If Inter breaking Juve’s streak of Scudettos didn’t burst open Serie A, Conte’s departure and their impending fire sale certainly did. The league’s there for Juventus to claim back, but Inter will certainly put up a fight, as should Atalanta.
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