The revenge of the "game players". Waiting for the market hits on the field, the new Serie A restarts under the banner of benches and a real cultural revolution, even before a technical one. Yes, because if even Juventus del “winning is not important but it is the only thing that matters” has decided to marry a new project, in which the means and the end will have to coexist harmoniously, the attempt to conform to the European trend is clear, in which trophies without clearance are not even contemplated. In fact, the last Champions League spoke clearly: only those who dare can really try to raise it to the sky. And so Juve, "tired" of winning without entertaining, has decided to abandon the pragmatic Allegri and focus on Sarri, one who makes the game and the show a real trademark, and never mind if in overalls rather than a suit signed. Marriage is not a little intriguing, there's no denying it: seeing the Commander arrive at the Palazzo is the most surprising thing that could happen, so much so that Conte's arrival at Inter was almost "normal".
Only on the surface though, because then, if you look closely, this too is a novelty that makes you rub your eyes. Antonio, the former Juve captain, the leader who kicked off the post-Calciopoli climb, will lead the rival par excellence, actually wearing the clothes of the revolutionary much more than Sarri. His Inter promises battle like never before, his resume speaks for itself: where he goes, trophies also arrive and if this doesn't happen, like Italy at the European Championships, well, we're still very close. Conte's tactical footprint will perhaps be less traumatic than that of his Juventus colleague, but the real revolution (or bet, depending on your point of view) consists in bringing to Inter that work culture that has been missing since the days of Mourinho, not by chance the last great Nerazzurri coach. Those who know him well swear that everything will change in Appiano and that nothing, absolutely nothing, will be left to chance and that the discussion will also concern society, which is forced to comply with its every order-desire.
A Juve that wants to make the ball sing, an Inter ready to tear apart the grass in every stadium: and the others? Milan, even with huge differences in values and objectives, seems oriented to follow the path of the champions. Giampaolo's choice in fact goes towards the direction of the game rather than management, in an attempt to return to the old days, when the Rossoneri considered beautiful football as important as the final result. Certain, the coach counts but it's not enough: to play well and win (which in Milan's case means returning to the Champions League) you need the right players, so Boban and Maldini will have a fundamental role in building up the squad. However, Giampaolo's choice demonstrates the will to start from the beginning, therefore from a coach who teaches football and who can significantly improve the elements available. Not even Rome is an exception, which has chosen to rely on Paulo Fonseca.
Little known to the general public but author of important years in Ukraine, not so much for the championships won (which in any case are not taken for granted) as for the progress in the Champions League of his Shakhtar Donetsk, who reached the round of 4 two seasons ago at the expense of Sarri's Napoli , beaten and eliminated in the round. The European ride, ironically, ended up against Roma but who knows if that night, so bitter in appearance, actually paved the way for the current chance. The Portuguese will have to adapt to a complex reality like the Roman one, moreover in the year of the farewells of Totti and De Rossi, however the square seems pleasantly intrigued by his 2-3-1-4 attack and imagination, at least reading the data on subscriptions, increased by 2 units compared to last year. Many innovations will also stimulate those who were there before, for example Carlo Ancelotti, called to answer present and show all his value. Napoli was disappointed in its first year, not so much for the final placement (XNUMXnd, just like its predecessor) but for the feeling of surrender towards Juve, then topped off by eliminations in the various cups.
In short, what is about to begin will be a championship-truth for him too, landed on the slopes of Vesuvius with the reputation of someone who, almost alone, can make the difference and now forced to prove it with facts. But the good game will be the common denominator almost everywhere, not just in the most celebrated squares. To the well-known (and winners) Simone Inzaghi and Gasperini, highly armored by Lazio and Atalanta, Di Francesco and Andreazzoli are added, chosen by Sampdoria and Genoa, Montella, confirmed by Commisso's Fiorentina, Semplici from Spal, De Zerbi from Sassuolo, Mihajlovic from Bologna and even Corini and Liverani, authors of the promotions of Brescia and Lecce. In short, the Serie A of exaggerated tactics and the defensive phase in front of everything risks remaining a distant memory, a sort of story to tell the children before putting them to bed. Unless Mazzarri (Turin), D'Aversa (Parma), Juric (Verona) and Maran (Cagliari), the last bastions of a football that was, fail to surprise everyone and take the stage, demonstrating that the new road, for however appealing, it's not necessarily better than the old one.
