After yet another season of consolidation in Serie A, Sassuolo have established themselves as one of the league’s most exciting teams. With the 2015-2016 season upon us, we look at what Eusebio Di Francesco’s side can expect.
When Sassuolo came up to Serie A a few seasons back, they did so with a clear project in place in order to avoid falling straight through the trap door. After securing an unofficial partnership with Juventus for the transfer of a number of young players, Sassuolo set in motion a plan for a new stadium. Two seasons on, the neroverdi are now the highest earning club in regards to jersey sponsorship and appear to be going nowhere. After an awful start to their 2014-2015 campaign that saw them win
seven points from a possible twenty one, Eusebio Di Francesco’s side came into their own and went undefeated in their next seven games. Sassuolo would finish the season in twelfth place and would survive comfortably. If they hadn’t have had an awful February, they may have been a dark horse for European places. A large part of their success can be attributed to the exploits of a certain Domenico Berardi. The 21-year-old was his side’s main catalyst as he finished the season with fifteen goals and ten assists. While the U-21 international was very much a major part in helping them maintain their Serie A status, the contributions of Simone Zaza cannot be understated. The forward finished the season with a respectable tally of eleven goals. Had it not been for his inconsistency he could have easily notched fifteen goals like his teammate. In the upcoming season, Sassuolo will aim for yet another season of comfort and perhaps a shot for European places depending on their end of transfer window activity.
Notable transfers: Arrivals
Sassuolo conducting their most important piece of business early in the transfer window. While it is not exactly a new arrival per se, the fact that they were able to hold on to Domenico Berardi is huge. The neroverdi paid the reigning Serie A champions €10m for the other half of the winger and secured him for the next season. At the beginning of the summer, uncertainty surrounded the 21-year old’s future but Sassuolo demonstrated their ambition and shelled out the necessary cash to seal the deal. Juventus, however, inserted a clause in the deal that gives them an €18m option to purchase the player in the following season. Sassuolo, on the other hand, have ensured that their best player remains at the club all while making a profit. The Serie A side were not done there as they still had to replace Simone Zaza who departed for Juventus. In order to do this, they turned to Cesena’s Gregoire Defrel for €7m. The Frenchman was among the more interesting strikers to break out last season and is now given the chance to establish himself definitively. Given his skill set and Sassuolo’s predisposition to attack, the match looks to be a perfect one.
With the remainder of their transfer kitty, Sassuolo went out and secured the loan of Alfred Duncan from Sampdoria. They will be obligated to purchase the player at the end of last season for €6m. The midfielder is one of the better under the radar purchases in the league this season and will fit in nicely in Di Francesco’s 4-3-3 system. After securing Duncan, Sassuolo then began negotiations with Rudi Garcia’s Roma and decided to take Matteo Politano and Lorenzo Pellegrini on loan. They also agreed to take the other half of Luca Antei from the giallorossi. Antei lost his place in the side to Paolo Cannavaro and Francesco Acerbi last season but should feature more prominently in the near future. Politano, on the other hand, is a promising winger that will relish the idea of competing for places with Berardi and Nicola Sansone. The neroverdi then concluded their summer business when Karim Laribi and Lorenzo Ariaudo returned from their loan spells. The former is a talented attacking midfielder who should be able to make his mark in the following season while Ariaudo will act as solid depth.
Notable Transfers: Departures
On the other side of the transfer spectrum, Sassuolo haven’t exactly had the busiest of summers. With the market just open, the Serie A side would lose Simone Zaza to Juventus for €18m. Given the fee they received for the player, Sassuolo shouldn’t be too bothered about the striker’s departure. Zaza would not be the only striker that the club would lose as Genoa exercised their €4m option to buy Leonardo Pavoletti at the end of last season. The veteran has come into his own at Genoa and would have been a good backup to Defrel. Sassuolo may live to regret their decision to let go of the player as the season unwinds. Another player worth keeping an eye on is that of Sime Vrsaljko. The Croatian international has been closely monitored by Napoli. The partenopei, however, maintain that they have since pulled out of the race for the fullback. That said, you can never predict what Aurelio De Laurentiis will do. Moreover, the loan deal of Saphir Taider expired and the midfielder returned to Inter. Di Francesco’s side will likely not feel the effects of the player’s departure as the return of Laribi should essentially cover them in this respect. As the transfer market went on, Sassuolo would lose a further two midfielders chipping away at their impressive depth in this department. Jasmin Kurtic would move to Atalanta for €3.5m and Matteo Brighi joined newly-promoted Bologna on a free transfer. With just over a week left in the transfer window, it would be wise on Sassuolo’s part to secure another midfielder to make up for the departures.
How will they lineup next season?
Given their relative quiet transfer window, the team that lines up against Napoli on the first match-day of the season will not be much different to the side that finished the 2014-2015 season. This is the case as Domenico Berardi and Nicola Sansone will continue to form the nucleus of their attack and will flank newly acquired Gregoire Defrel. In midfield, there will only be one change as Magnanelli and Missiroli will maintain their place in the eleven. They will be joined by Duncan who they acquired from Sampdoria. Continuing with the theme of continuity, Di Francesco will likely field an unchanged back four to begin the season as there has been no notable departures or arrivals in this respect. The only question mark remains in central defense as it remains to be seen whether it will be Antei or Cannavaro to play alongside Acerbi. If last season is anything to go by, I’d expect Cannavaro to be the man to start the season.
Key Player: Domenico Berardi
What kind of a Sassuolo season preview would this be if there wasn’t a section dedicated to Domenico Berardi? The 21-year-old winger has not only been one of the side’s best performers over the last two seasons but has also been among the top players from all around the league. In 61 appearances for the neroverdi, Berardi has scored a whopping 31 goals and added a further 16 assists. While it may be a dangerous tactic on Sassuolo’s part, a lot of their hopes in the upcoming season will lie on the Italian’s shoulders. With the European championships around the corner, Berardi will be looking to win a ticket to France. Due to this, you would expect the winger to raise his game to a whole other level which can only bode well for Sassuolo. That said, his task will be different this season as he will be without Simone Zaza. The duo have built a telepathic understanding with one another on the pitch. While Sansone and Berardi are familiar with each other, much of their success in the final third will hinge on their ability to develop a connection with Defrel. Given Berardi’s talent and track record, this should not be a problem as he has shown in the past that he’s able to play with just about anyone. Luckily, Defrel isn’t anyone and is a quality, quality striker.
Looking forward to the 2015-2016 season:
Last season, Sassuolo looked like early candidates for relegation due to their awful start. This season they can’t afford something similar and will look to hit the ground running. That will be easier said than done as they welcome Maurizio Sarri’s new-look Napoli to their stadium in the first match-day. In the weeks that follow, they will take on two teams that are tipped for relegation in the form of Bologna and Atalanta. If they are able to avoid defeat against Napoli, they will be primed for a very good start. Following their games against Bologna and Atalanta, they will play Scudetto hopefuls Roma and a completely revamped Palermo side. While their start isn’t necessarily among the easiest ones across the league, they will be happy with playing three beatable teams in their opening five games. Given their recent success against big teams, they will also be eager to play both Napoli and Roma.
Going into the new season, Di Francesco would be wise to set realistic expectations for his side. It would be detrimental for them to return to Serie B given their plans for a new stadium. After taking into consideration their roster in comparison to the rest of Serie A, however, I just can’t see Sassuolo getting relegated to Italy’s second division. By that same token, I do no expect the neroverdi to be challenging for a Europa League spot either as they are currently lacking a few key pieces in the side. Should they opt to stay as they are, Di Francesco’s side should be more than able to survive comfortably and finish in mid-table. If Sassuolo decide to add another quality midfielder and forward, on the other hand, they can be seen a dark horses to finish near a Europa League place. Given their sporting director’s recent comments, Sassuolo will likely go with the first option and play it safe.
Predicted league finish: 11th
Coppa Italia finish: Round of sixteen
The post 2015-2016 Season Preview: Sassuolo appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
from Italian Football Daily http://ift.tt/1fsUjGb
via
IFTTT
berita selengkapnya
