Before you dive into this piece, be warned that it is part two of my Serie A preview, and should probably be read after part 1, seeing that 2 is the number subsequent to 1.

So, you've perused the preview regarding the various bottom dwellers and glory hopefuls, below are the teams with legitimate chances at finishing in a European qualification place. In my opinion, the top of the table has never been so tough to predict, as Juventus, Fiorentina, Milan, Napoli, Roma,  and Lazio all return very solid sides from last year, and look to be real challengers again this year. Just outside that group are Catania, Inter, Parma and Udinese (with varying degrees of legitimacy as contenders). While Inter could certainly make the leap to the top group, so could Udinese crash and burn dropping to the lower half, as those teams are already queuing up for a chance at Europe.

Before we dive in I would like to clarify some of my notations and structure which will be used below (same paragraph as part 1 so skip if you don't need a refresher). The "In" "Out" functions for each of the teams focus only on key acquisitions.  Some clubs such as Parma and Udinese brought in a plethora of players no general fan has ever heard of, and then immediately sent them out on loan. In addition, if a player played last season with a club on loan, then was signed permanently this summer, they were also not included as they aren't new to the team (i.e. Candreva & Lazio, Cigarini & Atalanta, Cuadrado & Fiorentina, etc.). Finally, players to look are a combination of the team's best players for some of the more provincial sides, some of the up and coming players in an effort to avoid the obvious ones in a bigger side, or simply players I think are incredibly important to a side. So, when I leave Buffon off the list for Juventus, and Balotelli off for Milan, I am simply acknowledging their status as centerpieces of their sides who will most likely do well regardless.

European Dreamers

Parma

Last season's finish: 10th

In: Cassano, Parolo, Cassani;

Out: Belfodil;

Players to look: Cassano, Biabiany, Mirante;

Quick hitter: Fantantonio takes his talents to south beach.

This will get misquoted, but as long as he has his head on straight I love Antonio Cassano. He is every bit the number 10 that a team could ask for. As the undisputed top player in Parma, I expect an quality strike partnership between himself and Amauri. For this reason I don't particularly mind losing Ishak Belfodil, especially for the price the club got for him.  Marco Parolo will add depth to the midfield, and Mattia Cassani at outside back provides quality depth. However, it appears long term that the loss of Belfodil will hurt, and that lowers the mercato grade just a bit.

Mercato grade: B

This will be an interesting season for Parma, but one that shows promise. For the upcoming season, Antonio Cassano is a massive upgrade to Ishak Belfodil both in setting up Amauri and scoring goals himself.  Biabiany is a proven Serie A asset as well and should have another good season. Overall the entire side should benefit from Cassano's arrival (unless of course the egomaniacal version shows up then they very well may explode into a thousand tiny pieces). I expect a similar performance from this side, and another finish around the 9 spot in the table.

Prediction:  7th - 10th

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Catania

Last season's finish: 8th

In: Tachtsidis, Monzon, Peruzzi, Lopez;

Out: Lodi, Marchese, Gomez;

Players to look: Lopez, Tachtsidis, Bergessio;

Quick hitter:  The void left by Francesco Lodi will not be easy to fill.

Gone are defensive stalwart Giovanni Marchese and play making midfielder Francesco Lodi. In, however, are Maxi Lopez, Panagoitis Tachtsidis, and Gino Peruzzi. Lopez is a proven Serie A striker, and Tachtsidis showed glimpses of some sort of potential after making a move to Roma last year. The expectations surrounding him are gone, and his performance should go up. Peruzzi and Monzon are both quality outside backs, and will look to strengthen a weakened defense.

Mercato grade: C+

Mercato aside, I do like this Catania team.  However the loses of Marchese and Lodi will hurt.  Lopez returning from loan will help to offset that, and they are solid in most other areas, but ultimately its regression on the cards for Catania, who just didn't do enough in a league where most teams around them improved.

Prediction: 9th - 11th

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Inter

Last season's finish: 9th

In: Campagnaro, Icardi, Belfodil, Rolando, Wallace, Taider;

Out: Silvestre, Cassano, Donati, Caldirola, Gargano;

Players to look: Kovacic, Icardi, Guarin;

Quick hitter: Mazzarri looks poised to prove his Naples success was no fluke.

Inter have really nowhere to go but up after last season, and while I question some of the impact the youth brought in will be able to make, they certainly made strides for the future. Campagnaro will be a nice immediate upgrade in defense, and Rolando adds depth as well.  Both are previous players of new coach Walter Mazzari's so there should be no issue with them fitting in nicely. In the attacking department Icardi and Belfodil are stars in the making, and should benefit immensely from playing alongside Diego Milito. However, the squad better hope the latter's health holds as neither youngster has proven capable of leading a line by himself.  Taider from Bologna adds nice depth as another attacking midfielder. The steps forward Inter took in there attack they seemingly took backwards in defense.  Yes, Ranocchia and Juan Jesus are both fairly young but they sold off Italian U-21 stars Guilio Donati and Luca Caldirola for €2 -3m apiece. 

Mercato grade: B+

I want to go on record and say Andrea Stramaccioni will be a very good coach one day, but last year was clearly not meant for him as he, along with the rest of the team suffered a massive collapse. Enter Walter Mazzarri.  The former Napoli man should straighten everything out, and has the pieces to do so. Matteo Kovacic is a world class player in the making, and Belfodil and Icardi have incredible potential as well. Kovacic along with Guarin and Kuzmanovic make for a solid midfield, and the attack has potential as well. There is a question mark over their wide players, as Alvaro Peirera's skill matches the aesthetic appeal of his unibrow, Nagatomo isn't quite a top player, and Schelotto flopped on his midseason arrival from Atalanta last season. In goal they retained Samir Handanovic which will undoubtedly help as well. Overall this has the makings of a very good team, the question is whether the youth can come together in time for this season, or whether they are a year removed from success.

No Inter preview is complete with without acknowledging the influence of Beauty and the Beast.

Prediction: 5th - 7th

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Udinese

Last season's finish: 5th

In: Jadson, Fernandes, Verre, Lopez, Bubnjic;

Out: Benatia, Willians;

Players to look: Luis Muriel, Random newcomer, Antonio Di Natale (of course)

Quick hitter:  Nobody outside the ultra's are familiar with more than half of Pozzo's summer signings, yet they will inevitably perform well enough for a mid-table finish. 

There isn't much analysis anyone outside of Udine will be able to do before next summer on this summer's mercato. Known for having one of the deepest and best scouting networks in the world, they have acquired a slew of U-21, and U-20 national level players from all over, none of whom broke into the selected squad for the side's Eurpoa League qualification fixture. Because of this I've linked the newcomers to player profiles above, so take a look for yourself. That being said, Benatia aside they did not lose too much, and cashed in on their halves of Cuadrado, Candreva, and Armero.

Mercato grade: B

An overachieving side last year managed to pull out a 5th place finish, but I do not expect that to be the same again this year. As ageless as he seems, Di Natale is now 35 years old, and has to slow down sooner rather than later (unless he really is father Christmas). Luis Muriel should be able to pick up the slack provided he can stay healthy, and Francesco Guidolin is a superb coach. However, nothing about the rest of the side stands out as being able to finish ahead of a better Roma side, a better Lazio side, and even a better Inter side. Gabriel Silva and Duan Basta provide stability at wing back, but the loss of Benatia will hurt. There is always the wild card of one of the new transfers providing a spark, but I wouldn't bank on it. A regression that was seemingly on the books last year will finally catch up to them.

Prediction: 7th - 13th

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Roma

Last season's finish: 6th

In: Strootman, Benatia, Gervinho;

Out: Osvaldo, Marquinhos, Lamela;

Players to look: Pjanic, Strootman, Florenzi

Quick hitter: This teams table position come next May could be as beautiful as a Francesco Totti golazo, or as ugly as a Gervinho mugshot... (ok, maybe not THAT bad).

Mercato-wise I absolutely loved what Roma was doing up until about a week ago.  Luring Strootman in was massive, and flipping Marquinhos for €35m only to acquire Benatia for €11m was shrewd work. Gervinho seemed unnecessary at the time, but hey, what's one poor decision? In addition to all that they were able to hang on to De Rossi and Pjanic, as well as Florenzi. Very solid. Fast forward to today. Osvaldo has been sold. OK, I disagree with it as I don't think Destro is the answer, but I can see why the move was made. But selling Lamela? Unless Roma brings in a massive replacement, a trident of Totti/Destro/Marquinho is certainly not something that strikes fear into the heart of an opponent. It's rumoured Sabatini and Co. want Demba Ba to fill Osvaldo's place, and that would certainly be an improvement, but unless it actually materializes Roma took two steps forward and two steps backwards this summer. 

Mercato grade: B-

Now, I clearly take issue with the attack, but the one thing this Roma side does have working for them is a top midfield. Any three of De Rossi, Pjanic, Bradley, and Strootman will make for a solid group, and youngster Antonio Florenzi looks incredibly promising as well as he has already been called up by Prandelli on multiple occasions. The back line is not as strong, but with a different coach, and Benatia to replace Marquinhos, I do foresee a slight improve from last year (less face it, nothing can be expected from any Zeman trained defense). I liked the potential of this side a lot more about a week ago, and may like it equally as much in about a week if a striker or winger arrives, but as of now I don't have very high expectations for this side. I see them finishing around the same spot, and quite possibly missing out on Europe yet again. 

Prediction: 5th - 8th

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Lazio

Last season's finish: 7th, Copa Italia Winner

In: Anderson, Biglia, Sculli;

Out: Diakite;

Players to look: Candreva, Hernanes, Anderson

Quick hitter: Di Canio will be saluting all the way from Sunderland a little more often than not this season.

Lazio quietly put together a very good mercato, bringing in several potential starters while losing none. The loss of Mobido Diakite won't really be felt as he spent most of last season out of favour with Petkovic and the club. The positives, are very good indeed with the best bit of business being securing the second half of Italy international Antonio Candreva from Udinese for €1.7m as well as holding on to much desired Brazilian play maker Hernanes. New additions Felipe Anderson and Lucas Biglia are solid pieces which will already add to a very solid midfield. Biglia has already featured for the side, and Anderson at only 20 years old looks a very promising player. 

Mercato grade: A-

Lazio have already taken a hit this year getting blown out of the Italian Super Cup by Juventus, and losing captain Stefano Mauri to suspension.  All that aside, Petkovic is an excellent coach, and if Miroslav Klose can stay healthy this season I expect big things from this side. Also look for back-up striker Libor Kozak to play a larger role this season, as although he wasn't much in Serie A last year, he couldn't stop scoring in the Europa League bagging 10 goals in 11 matches. They have top wide players in Candreva and Senad Lulic, and the midfield trio of Hernanes, Anderson, and Biglia mentioned above coupled with Ederson and Christian Ledesma does not lack for depth.  The back 4 are not the best, but by no means are they a liability, and Federico Marchetti remains one of the top keepers in Italy. This is a team very much deserving of a spot in Europe, whether they can play consistently enough in a tough league to get there is another question. 

Prediction: 4th - 7th

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Scudetto or Bust

Milan

Last season's finish: 3rd

In: Poli, Silvestre, Saponara;

Out: Yepes, Ambrosini, Bojan;

Players to look: El Shaarawy, Poli, Niang

Quick hitter: With Berlusconi in court, I don't see any Bunga-bunga parties happening next May.

Oh Milan, how proud you once were. A group of summer signings including Poli, Silvestre, and Saponara fail to address the real answers of the team. As of May they needed bite in the midfield, and answers in the centre of defense. As of now, they need the same things. Poli is more like Montolivo than De Jong, Saponara is a promising prospect for the future, and Silvestre was picked out of the lost and found in a brown paper bag. Granted, I love the additions of Poli and Saponara, I think they both have very good potential, but they didn't exactly address team needs. Benatia would have been a fantastic move, as would have Ogbonna or Albiol. Silvestre is no better than any other option the team has. It appears Keisuke Honda will be arriving from Russia in January. Again, I love the player, but he does not fit a need.

Mercato grade: C+

This will be an interesting year for Milan. They have very promising pieces, and the attack of Balotelli, El Shaarawy, and Niang (hopefully in place of Boateng if you're a Milan fan), is electric and exciting. The only question there is whether or not El Shaarawy can rebound from a poor second half and gel with Balotelli. Personally, I do not see an issue there, as good chemistry takes time. De Sciglio will only improve at left back, and Abbiatti will be as average as ever making fans rue the teams decision to not pursue Sorrentino or Consigli a little harder.  The biggest issue for Milan is every team around them in the table last year addressed their needs and got better. Fiorentina, Napoli, and Juventus all had fantastic mercatos and improved. I don't see that in Milan. Not yet anyways. It's going to be a disappointing season at the San Siro, as the Italian giants will miss out on the Champions League completely, most likely settling for fourth place.

Prediction: 2nd - 4th

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Napoli

Last season's finish: 2nd

In: Higuain, Albiol, Mertens, Callejon, Pepe Reina

Out: Cavani, Campagnaro, De Sanctis

Players to Watch: Hamsik, Insigne, Mertens

Quick hitter: With a market as volatile as Diego Maradona on cocaine, it remains to be seen which side will show.

Napoli fans most likely have to do a double take at this point in the summer, as the squad has been completely revamped. Super striker Edinson Cavani is gone, but that move made way for Gonzalo Higuain, Dries Mertens, and a host of Higuain's Madrid teammates. While I foresee most of this side's moves panning out, the real question is how long the move will take.  As of now it appears Napoli made the right moves, but with this many new pieces, only time will tell.

Mercato grade: A-

New coach Rafa Benitez will install a new attacking style approach, and certainly has gone out and acquired the players for it. Obviously it remains to be seen how his tactics will adapt to Serie A, but I do not think it will be an issue. He has had success at both Valencia and Liverpool, and has already acquired players that fit his schemes, namely, wingers. He had Insigne, acquired Mertens and Callejon, and has Higuain as his replacement for Cavani. So, to sum it all up I really like Rafa's appointment for Napoli, I see them having success under him, maybe not immediately, but things will definitely be clicking by the end of the campaign. It will be hard to replicate last season's success as runners up, but expect them to battle it out with Milan for the final Champions League spot.

Prediction: 2nd -5th

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fiorentina

Last season's finish: 4th

In: Gomez, Ilicic, Ambrosini;

Out: Jovetic, Toni;

Players to look: Ljajic, Valero, Gomez

Quick hitter: Ambrosini's spite should be enough to beat Milan, propelling La Viola to their highest finish since Luca Toni was relevant. 

If you would have told any Fiorentina fan that, everything told, they could swap Stevan Jovetic for Mario Gomez AND about £9m, as well as assure Jovetic left the Serie A, they would have jumped for joy. Well, it happened. Delle Valle played his cards to perfection and got Manchester City to pay up Jovetic, then got the out of favour Gomez from Bayern Munich. Giuseppe Rossi should finally be fully fit and ready to participate, Josep Ilicic arrives from Palermo where he was greatly improved last season, and so far Adem Ljajic is still in Florence. Massimo Ambrosini and Joaquin will add depth to the midfield, and the rest of Juan Cuadrado was purchased. Another defender would have been nice, but that is still a fantastic mercato. Tops in the Serie A in this writer's opinion.

Mercato grade: A+ (As long as they resign Ljajic)

Now, combine that Mercato with the news that the side just resigned last year's Manager of the year Vincenzo Montella, and success seems imminent. After much speculation Borja Valero returns to play dress up as Andrea Pirlo in the midfield (and he does a damn good job at it), and will provide all the service Gomez needs to make people forget Jovetic. Ljajic will continue to improve, and Roncaglia and Gonzalez will continue to provide stability on the backline. I'm expecting this team to continue to improve and finally make a return to the Champions League.  While a scudetto is not out of the question, runners up is more realistic.

Prediction: 2nd - 3rd

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Juventus

Last season's finish: 1st

In: Tevez, Llorente, Ogbonna;

Out: Giaccherini;

Players to look: Pogba, Tevez, Bonucci

Quick hitter: 32 Sul Campo

There isn't much to say that hasn't already been said about the Turin-based club's summer mercato. Having already secured Spanish prima punta Fernando Llorente on a bosman in January, the side went out and got Carlos Tevez at a discounted rate to partner with him.  Rounding off the moves they grabbed Azzurri fill-in and future star Angelo Ogbonna from rivals Torino, and (as of now), are still attempting to show Matri and Quagliarella to London. They have clearly bolstered the attack, and Ogbonna is a very valuable commodity to have in the back; while LWB may still be an issue, none of the available options were A) significant upgrades to Kwadwo Asamoah, and because of that B) were not worth their respectable teams asking prices.

Mercato grade: A-

As for the upcoming Campionata, there is even less to say. Having run the gambit the last two years, the first of which was undefeated, and the second of which was done with Champions League play as well, it is really hard to see an improved Juventus faltering at any stage this season. They have no suspensions to deal with, a world class midfield and much improved attack. Pirlo's age will start to come into question, but with Vidal, Pogba, and Marchisio around him he won't have much running to do at all. I'd also like to take the time to point out Bonucci's improvement last year, and say that I expect it to continue.  By the year's end he will be the most valuable defender on the team, no questions asked (there are some who say his passing ability already makes him the defensive MVP). The main difference between this season and last season is the vastly improved competition, and despite the fact that my money would be on them to three-peat, it's far from a given at this point in the year.

Plus, how can you not love this face?

Prediction: Scudetto Winners

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I'll spare you the bad Zamparini joke, but regardless, feel costless to comment below and throw in your two cents as well! Enjoy the season amici!

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Anthony Cooper
Fan of Calcio in general, Juventus specifically, and West Virginia University sports here at home. Currently pursuing a Masters of Philosophy, I write on Calcio for Vavel Uk, and Juventus for JuveFC.com. Italian in all but location. You can follow me on twitter @acoop13