Three Reasons Why Sassuolo’s Hot Start Can Continue

In a season unlike any other, Roberto De Zerbi’s Sassuolo has taken Serie A by storm, throwing their name into the title race. The Neroverdi are unbeaten after eight games, recording five wins, and currently sit just two points back of Milan in first place. While cinderella stories in Serie A are few and far between, excluding Atalanta, there is reason to believe Sassuolo’s recent success is sustainable.

De Zerbi’s men have put in place a clear system over the years and have continuously gotten better. As an intriguing matchup with Inter awaits them in matchday nine, here are three reasons why Sassuolo’s hot start might just continue.

1) Boga-Caputo-Berardi is all the firepower they need. 

Few frontlines in Italy have as good an understanding as Sassuolo’s devastating trio. Whether it’s intricate movements, inch-perfect passes or the ability to beat their men one-on-one, Sassuolo’s attack has fired them to new heights this season. In fact, no side has scored more than the Neroverdi this season, with Sassuolo scoring 20 goals in their first eight games. Francesco Caputo has picked up exactly from where he left off last season, registering five goals and two assists in just six starts.

Club captain and all-time goalscorer – Domenico Berardi – has established himself as an elite creative threat in the final third, kicking off the season in fine form. Beyond his productive start, the winger was most recently called up to the national team and played an integral role in Gli Azzurri punching their ticket into the UEFA Nations League final four. Berardi found the back of the net in consecutive games, staking a claim for a starting position.

If Sassuolo’s dynamic attack keeps producing, nothing is stopping them from pulling an Atalanta and breaking into Italy’s top four.

2) Manuel Locatelli. 

The former Milan man has kicked into another gear this season and has undisputedly taken the next step in his career, establishing himself as one of Italy’s premier midfielders. Locatelli has since attracted interest from across Italy, with Juventus emerging as the favorites for his signature. Much like Berardi, Locatelli used the latest slate of international fixtures to make a name for himself and emerge as a crucial piece to Mancini’s setup.

Locatelli plays an extremely important role in De Zerbi’s setup and is largely tasked with dictating the proceedings in the middle of the park. The 22-year-old feeds Sassuolo’s dynamic attack and relays possession diligently, offering some much-needed balance in the midfield. Sassuolo may just possess the most in-form midfielder in Italy at the moment in Locatelli. Provided his recent ascent continues, the Neroverdi can keep dreaming.

3) Sassuolo’s underrated squad players. 

Locatelli, Boga, Caputo, and Berardi may steal all the spotlight, but that shouldn’t take away from Sassuolo’s underrated squad players. Filip Djuricic plays an important role as the side’s number ten, linking the midfield to attack, while Vlad Chiriches and Gian Marco Ferrari offer stability from the back.

In many ways, Sassuolo’s strength lies in their ‘next man up’ mentality and self-belief. When the side was missing Berardi and Caputo against Napoli, they did not panic. De Zerbi altered his setup to a back three and put faith in his squad players. Sassuolo did not disappoint, emerging 2-0 winners. Summer arrival Maxime Lopez opened his account on the season and is yet another budding young talent to watch out for.

As the season wears on, these squad players will have to demonstrate they can contribute when called upon, as they have done in the early goings of the season. If they can continue delivering, there is no reason why Sassuolo can’t aim for top four – at the very least.

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Serie A Injury and Suspensions Report – Round Seven

Atalanta: Hans Hateboer and Cristian Romero played against Liverpool but they are still hampered by thigh problems. Robin Gosens (calf) and Marten De Roon (thigh) are trying fast recoveries but they have slim chances to be available. Cristiano Piccini (thigh) and Mattia Caldara (knee) are out.

Benevento: Gianluca Caprari was handed a two-game ban following last week’s red card. Federico Barba is back, Iago Falque is notAlessandro Tuia will miss a month with a cheekbone fracture. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round Six – Top Matches

INTER-PARMA

Inter: Romelu Lukaku suffered a thigh injury that will cost him at least one game and the Nerazzurri will have to make up for the loss of their target man, something that rarely happened last year. Alexis Sanchez is dealing with a small problem as well, therefore Lautaro Martinez, who has slowed down after opening the campaign with three straight goals, will have to shoulder the attack, then they will hope Andrea Pinamonti can be decent right away. They also briefly used Ivan Perisic as second-striker in the last game. Stefano Sensi is back on the shelf with his customary muscular problems: Christian Eriksen had some flashes last week, but so far him and Marcelo Brozovic have produced nothing too exciting. Their best midfielder has been Nicolò Barella (two assists), while Arturo Vidal has mostly taken care of the dirty work. At some point Radja Nainggolan will get in on the action, but it has not happened yet. Fortunately, Achraf Hakimi (one goal, two assists) was a false positive and he will resume plowing the flank from the start here, while Ashley Young has shaken off the virus and will challenge Ivan Perisic, who has been solid (two assists) but has not really taken off. Their back-line has improved with Alessandro Bastoni back in the fold.

Recommended picks: Martinez, Perisic, Hakimi.  Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Recap – Round Five

Standings implications: Roma managed to at least slow down Milan in the Monday night thriller. Napoli stayed perfect in the matches they actually played but they had to dig deep to sink a plucky Benenevento. Juventus lost some more ground as they could not get past Verona. Inter and Lazio both bounced back after multiple winless rounds, as the Nerazzurri patiently worked their way around Genoa’s defence, while the Biancocelesti bested Bologna. Sassuolo and Sampdoria are the surprises of the early season: the Neroverdi were again the comeback kids against Torino, but their rally stopped short this time, while the Blucerchiati handed Atalanta their second tough L in a row. Fiorentina held on two dear life this time in order to beat Udinese and return to winning ways. Cagliari defeated Crotone, keeping the opponents on the down low, while this time Spezia were on the wrong end of a two-goal comeback in Parma.

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Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round Five – Other Games

SASSUOLO-TORINO

Sassuolo: the Neroverdi were tested by Bologna, but they reacted vigorously and nabbed another win thanks to goal by their usual difference-makers, Francesco Caputo (fourth in the season), Domenico Berardi (third) and Filip Djuricic. The Serbian attacker started off slowly but found the target in the last two outings. Gregoire Defrel and Lukas Haraslin have hampered by injuries, while Jeremie Boga and Nicolas Schiappacasse had to deal with COVID, so the final spot in their front-line is up for grabs. Hamed Traore has first dibs if the absentees do not return, but Maxime Lopez could be an option as well. At some point they will have to start using Boga, but he missed a lot of practice time because of the virus. Mert Muldur and Georgios Kyriakopoulos have yet to turn it on this season, while Manuel Locatelli and Mehdi Bourabia have both hit the net once despite their role. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Recap – Round Four

Standings implications: Milan is atop of the table after convincingly besting Inter in the Derby della Madonnina. They are followed by Sassuolo, who staged an furious comeback against Bologna. Napoli made a statement by trouncing Atalanta, while Juventus could not get past Crotone. Lazio got stunned by Sampdoria on the road. Fiorentina wasted an early two-notching lead versus Spezia, while Cagliari outlasted Torino. Udinese nabbed their first points in dramatic fashion and Roma outgunned a fiery Benevento.  Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round Four – Other Games

BOLOGNA-SASSUOLO

Bologna: the Felsinei have been unconvicing in their two road games, against Benevento and Milan, while they hanged four goals on Parma on their lone home one. They had their chances against the Sanniti but could not knock one through. They lost Andreas Skov Olsen for significant time during the break and so Riccardo Orsolini will recapture the starting job, but he will have to watch out for Emmanuel Vignato if he does not wake up. Musa Barrow has taken a bunch of shots but has yet to score, the leading man in that regard has been Roberto Soriano and also Rodrigo Palacio has notched one. The absences of Gary Medel and Andrea Poli will force them to field either Mattias Svanberg or Nicolas Dominguez, who carry more value because they participate more in the final third. Sassuolo tend to leave some room to counter and they have a pair of speedsters. Continue reading

Serie A Best Fantasy XI – Round Three

Lorenzo Montipò: Benevento had struggled defensively in the first two matches, and that was a little uncharacteristic given the type of team they were last season, but they bounced back and held a clean sheet versus Bologna, also thanks to the heroics of their last bulwark, who stopped the opponents on point-blank attempts at least three times.

Theo Hernandez (9 points): Milan have yet to concede this season and the Spaniard sealed the Spezia game with one of his glorious sprints down the left flank, switching field position in a hurry after stripping an opponent and capping it off with a pinpoint strike in the bottom corner. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Recap – Round Three

Results: COVID-19 took away two fixtures in this round, including the much anticipated Juventus-Napoli. In the other crunch game, Lazio weathered the early storm produced by Inter and came away with a quality. Atalanta keep rolling and bagged five goals against Cagliari, while Milan throttled Spezia in the second half and the they are the only two perfect teams in the season. Right behind them in the standings there is Sassuolo, which rag-dolled Crotone. Roma snatched their first W of the season over the point-less Udinese, same feat for Sampdoria, which upset Fiorentina on the road. Benevento is now up to six points after squeaking by Bologna.

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Sassuolo demonstrating European credentials early on

Since Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment, Sassuolo has played a scintillating brand of football, predicated on heavy possession and the intricate movement of their front three. The veteran tactician has successfully imparted his footballing philosophy on the Neroverdi in recent years and have since emerged as legitimate contenders for Europa League football. Sassuolo has already picked up seven out of a possible nine points to start the season, recording consecutive 4-1 wins in league play, indicating their European credentials.

While Jeremie Boga has missed his side’s first three games through injury, Sassuolo have not missed a beat. Last season’s standouts – Domenico Berardi and Francesco Caputo – have picked up from where they left off, scoring goals in their last two games. The latter most recently recorded a brace against Crotone, fresh off receiving yet another Azzurri callup.

Caputo joined Sassuolo last season from a relegated Empoli side for a mere 7.5 million euros and is proving to be the bargain of the summer. The veteran hitman notched a record 21 goals last season, trailing only Romelu Lukaku, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ciro Immobile. Caputo has carved out an important role for himself in De Zerbi’s system, regularly interchanging with Sassuolo’s wingers both in and out of possession.

Caputo has demonstrated his keen eye for goal and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. Most recently, Caputo’s deadly finishing was on display after being played through on goal against Crotone. The 33-year-old made no mistake, lobbing the keeper with great aplomb and bringing his tally to three on the season already.

Berardi, on the other hand, opened the scoring against the newly-promoted outfit on Saturday and was dominant throughout. The Sassuolo winger has emerged as one of the league’s most consistent creators from out wide and is coming off a career year, in which he scored 14 goals and registered 10 assists. Berardi is on pace for a similar season already and will surely begin attracting interest from Italy’s top sides.

The 26-year-old has been courted by Italy’s traditional giants in the past but has regularly rejected them in favor of staying with Sassuolo. As De Zerbi’s men look to return to Europe, Berardi may just remain for the long run and establish himself as a club legend.

Beyond Sassuolo’s dynamic frontline, Manuel Locatelli has stood out in the early goings of the season. The former Milan midfielder was heavily linked with a move to Juventus earlier in the summer but has since decided to remain with Sassuolo. Locatelli’s passing range was on display once again against Crotone, delivering an inch-perfect switch of play on the Neroverdi’s first goal. Locatelli was later rewarded for his dominant performance, notching Sassuolo’s fourth and final goal.

De Zerbi relies on Locatelli to dictate the tempo in the middle of the park and supply his front three regularly. The Italian international has demonstrated he’s more than ready to take the next step in his career and dominate the proceedings in the middle of the park, week in, week out. As the season wears on, expect Locatelli’s name to emerge atop many sides’s mercato wishlists.

While Sassuolo’s start is encouraging, it’s important to exhibit caution. After all, they’ve beaten the two newly promoted sides and played out to a draw against Cagliari. Regardless, there is no reason why De Zerbi’s men shouldn’t be aiming for Europa League football at the very minimum and have a talented foundation in place for years to come. It may be early days, but Sassuolo are establishing themselves as the Serie A’s latest darlings and have shown no signs of slowing down.

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