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 Matchday 9: Preview, what to watch, and more!

The new Serie A season has not disappointed, with Stefano Pioli’s Milan taking the league by storm. The Rossoneri have not been the only team to shock the calcio world, as Sassuolo’s rapid rise to prominence has them within two points of first place, off the back of an unbeaten start. Paulo Fonseca’s Roma is slowly coming together and would be unbeaten, had it not been for an administrative error condemning them to forfeit against Hellas Verona.

In any case, matchday nine is upon us and presents some intriguing matchups. Without further ado, here’s what to watch out for:

1) Are Sassuolo legit? 

The Neroverdi are off to an incredible start to the season, maintaining an unbeaten record after eight matchdays, including an impressive 2-0 over Napoli. Roberto De Zerbi’s men have thrown their names into the conversation in Itay alla Atalanta and continue to emerge as this season’s surprise package. Their recent success comes with one question mark: Can they replicate their success as their schedule gets harder?

Sassuolo has won five of its eight encounters thus far, with four of their wins coming against Spezia, Bologna, Crotone, and Hellas Verona. While you can only beat the sides in front of you, they may be rocked back to earth shortly. This weekend De Zerbi’s men host Inter, a clash that will serve as a good litmus test for their top-four credentials. They will then take on Roma the week after. If they can get two positive results, it is safe to say they’re legit.

2) Can a Zlatan-less Milan get it done? 

Milan’s recent resurgence has been nothing short of remarkable, with the Rossoneri emerging as one of Europe’s hottest teams since the lockdown. Pioli’s men are flying high in first place and have shown no signs of slowing down. Led by the indomitable Ibrahimovic, Milan has picked up from where they left off last season, with six wins and two draws in eight games.

The big Swede has led the line with great aplomb and most recently fired his side to an important victory with a brace against Napoli. Ibrahimovic currently tops the scoring charts with 10 goals in six appearances but has since been sidelined with a thigh injury. The initial prognosis has ruled him out from Milan’s upcoming game against Fiorentina, begging the question: Can a Zlatan-less Milan get it done?

We’ll have our answer Sunday morning when Pioli’s men take the pitch against la Viola.

3) Are Roma title contenders? 

This question is often asked about Roma after their hot starts to the new season, with the Giallorossi eventually disappointing. But this season feels different. Roma is in fine form right now and surging up the table with convincing wins. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has rolled back the years, Jordan Veretout is doing his thing from the spot, Pedro has impressed and countless budding talents have stepped up.

In a year unlike any other, Roma might just have what it takes to go all the way and contend. Juve remains a side in transition and the Giallorossi have shown they can compete with them. Milan has emerged as the anti-Juve until now, but their depth in the long run is concerning.

Roma takes on Napoli this weekend and will then shift its attention to Sassuolo: Much like it is the case for the Neroverdi, Roma’s next two games will be highly indicative of where they will finish this season. If they can get two wins, or at the very least four points, you would be foolish to write them off.

Then again, don’t get your hopes too high just yet as the wheels might just fall off. A prospect many Giallorossi fans have come to terms with.

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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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Player Focus: Jeremie Boga

This season Serie A has seen a number of breakout stars make a name for themselves and attract interest from Europe’s elite. Sassuolo attacking midfielder Jeremie Boga is no different, and has established himself as one of the peninsula’s creative threats. Capable of beating the opposition with skill or finishing from range, Boga is a multi-faceted forward and is versatile enough to occupy multiple positions.

Under Roberto De Zerbi, the former Chelsea youth product has primarily featured from the left-wing but often drifts in centrally, interchanging positions with Juventus loanee Hamed Junior Traorè. Most recently, Sassuolo’s front-four combined to devastating effect against Torino, scoring two quick-fire goals and propelling them to victory over the Granata.

Boga would finish the game with a wonderfully taken goal and an assist on Berardi’s winner. Playing alongside Traorè and Berardi, Boga has really come into his own and has since been shortlisted by Italy’s elite, including Napoli and Milan among others.

While his end-product was a concern in the past, the Ivorian international has taken the step up this season and has already notched five goals for the neroverdi. Among those five goals is a carefully dispatched chip over the legendary Gianluigi Buffon in a draw against Juve and a perfectly-hit top corner effort against Torino’s Salvatore Sirigu most recently.

In addition to his increasing output, no player in Italy beats their man with as much ease as Boga does. Currently, the 23-year-old is averaging 4.3 successful dribbles per game and is proving to be a constant menace, be-it on the wing or through the middle. For context, Fiorentina Gaetano Castrovilli is the next player on the list with 3.1 successful dribbles per game. While his incredible turn of pace helps him on the counter, Boga’s main success with the ball at his feet comes from his innovation. Whether he has a tight angle or he’s given time and space, Boga is regularly scanning the field for the most dangerous option.

In the past, consistency has been an issue for the Sassuolo forward, but he has since hit his stride with Sassuolo. Playing under a progressive manager in De Zerbi, Boga has made the most of the freedom afforded to him and has filtered between the lines with regularity.

Francesco Caputo, Sassuolo’s number nine, is extremely mobile and often swaps positions with Boga, affording the winger further room in the eighteen-yard box. In this case, the player’s tactical versatility comes to the fore. Whether he’s stretching the opposition’s defence wide on the counter or finding a pocket of space in behind the midfield, Boga’s positional awareness is proving to be his ultimate asset.

Moving forward, many teams will be keeping tabs on Boga’s progress and will shortly be knocking at Sassuolo’s door with official bids. The important thing for the 23-year-old now is maintaining this level week in, week out and demonstrate he’s ready to take the next step in his career. Then it’s all about picking the right team to continue his development. While it’s still early days for Sassuolo and Boga, all the signs are pointing to a big-money move this summer.

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Roma’s Hot Seat: The Contenders

With Roma on the prowl for a new manager following a disappointing season in the nation’s capital, many of Italy’s tacticians have been linked with a move to the giallorossi. After missing out on the Champions League, the Roma brass are looking for fresh ideas, and start anew once more. Here are the current contenders for the job, including the favourites, a couple long-shots, and everyone in between.

1) Sinisa Mihajlovic (Bologna) 

The Bologna manager is arguably the likeliest to become Roma’s boss next season, and has demonstrated he has the personality to coach one of the league’s top clubs in the future. After replacing Pippo Inzaghi half-way through the season, the Serbian tactician steered Bologna to safety with ease, and made the most of their limited roster.

Instilling an offensive 4-2-3-1, Mihajlovic took Bologna to another level, and inevitably catapulted them from the relegation zone to a respectable tenth place finish. Prior to his arrival, Bologna looked a side devoid of an identity, and appeared set to go down to Italy’s second division.

Under his guidance, offensive talent Riccardo Orsolini stepped up, scoring four goals and registering one assist in his last six appearances, and gave a glimpse of what’s to come to the rest of the calcio world. Following his strong finish, Bologna exercised their option to purchase him completely from Juventus.

Other than getting Bologna firing on all cylinders in the final third, Mihajlovic, much like it has been the case his entire managerial career, introduced new-found solidity in the midfield with his double pivot, and laid the foundations at the club for next season. Should he join Roma, as it’s largely being reported, expect the Serb to do the same and continue his progression as a young manager.

mihajlovic

2) Marco Giampaolo (Sampdoria) 

The Sampdoria boss has long been regarded as one of the peninsula’s up and coming tacticians, and has continued his development at Sampdoria this past year. While this season ended in disappointing fashion for the blucerchiati finishing outside the European places, Giampaolo made strides forward, and continued to implement his possession-based game in Genoa.

Bringing his trademark 4-3-1-2 no matter the club he’s at, he may prove to be a good fit for a stuttering giallorossi side. This season, Roma lacked invention in the final third, and played much of the season looking lethargic in possession. However, just like Mihajlovic, Giampaolo is relatively untested at the highest level, and is yet to prove himself in the upper echelon of Italian football. With Roma looking to get back into the Champions League as early as next season, hiring Giampaolo is a risk they may not be able to afford.

It’s also important to note that Milan are also in the running for the tactician, and are arguably the front-runners for his signature. In any case, don’t expect Giampaolo to be the man to restore Roma to their former heights.

gattuso

3) The outsiders

Outside of Mihajlovic and Giampaolo, a host of other names have been linked to the Roma hot-seat, albeit less seriously. If recent reports are to be believed, Shaktar’s Paulo Fonseca has been coveted by the Roma management, and could be brought in this coming summer. Like Giampaolo, Fonseca values possession-based football, and has done wonders with his Ukrainian outfit in recent years, especially in the Champions League. Despite being a long shot for the time being, he’d be an impressive appointment, all things considered.

Another name linked to the side is Sassuolo’s Roberto De Zerbi. After impressing at Benevento in his first season in Serie A, De Zerbi was appointed as Sassuolo’s manager. Despite the neroverdi’s limited roster, the Italian tactician guided them comfortably to a 12th place finish, all-while playing progressive football with a strong Italian base. Much like the other candidates, De Zerbi is unproven but has demonstrated he’s one of the nation’s most forward-thinking managers.

Other names that have been vaguely linked to Roma are former Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso, who Francesco Totti is reportedly pushing for, and Jose Mourinho. However, these links should be taken with a heavy grain of salt, and are arguably meant more to sell papers than anything else.

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Serie A Weekly News Recap

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The puzzle of benches got completed this week: Bologna have appointed Filippo Inzaghi and Sassuolo have hired Roberto De Zerbi. The biggest transfer market news was the acquisition of Simone Verdi by Napoli, while there has been some minor movement as well: Fiorentina have acquired centre-back David Hancko from Zilina, Chievo have signed Filip Djordjevic for free from Lazio, activated the option to retain Nenad Tomovic from Fiorentina and sold Samuel Bastien to Standard Liege, Sampdoria have brought in former Verona defender Alex Ferrari via Bologna and Torino have loaned Carlao back to Apoel. Juventus have signed Andrea Favilli from Ascoli, who will likely go on loan.  Continue reading

Sassuolo appoint Roberto De Zerbi

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Last Tuesday, Sassuolo and Giuseppe Iachini mutually agreed to part ways, citing that there no longer were the conditions to continue their working relationship. According to the rumours, the coach was irked by the fact that the club took plenty of time before deciding whether to stick with him or not. Today, the Neroverdi announced that Roberto De Zerbi has signed a two-year contract.

Iachini was appointed at the end of November, replacing Cristian Bucchi after a disappointing start, which had put them firmly among the teams battling against relegation. There has been a shake-up in the front office as well: the technical director Guido Angelozzi has left to join Spezia, leaving president Carlo Rossi and general manager Giovanni Carnevali as the main executives. Continue reading

Bologna sack Roberto Donadoni

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Bologna have dismissed the coach Roberto Donadoni, the team announced on Thursday. In his two full years at the helm, the Felsinei finished in 15th position twice. He was hired in late October in 2015, after the firing of Delio Rossi, and terminated in 14th place back then. He had a year left on his contract.

The owner Joey Saputo stated: “I consider Donadoni an excellent coach who gave a great deal of credibility to our club. However, we believe that, after three years, his cycle had come to an end despite the effort and the dedication he and his staff have put into it. I wish him good look for the continuation of his career.” Continue reading