Who can stop Juve juggernaut?

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This article was published 23/08/2019 (2553 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lights. Guitar riff. Crash cymbal and smoke machines. An ooh and ahh from the crowd, and then… explosion! A figure appears. He stands within the slowly rising arch of shining mist and then emerges out of it, strolling down a gradually illumined walkway that leads to the centre of the arena. Eye of the Tiger is blasting from the speakers; 10,000 fans are chanting “Il Fenomeno!” Professional wrestlers have choreographed more modest entrances.

It was a party, no doubt about that. But Franck Ribéry’s euphoric presentation at Stadio Artemio Franchi did more than pique the excitement among supporters of Fiorentina, where the former Bayern Munich winger will play this season. It captured the sense of anticipation that is building throughout Serie A — an expectation, laced with exhilaration, that the upcoming campaign will be special, that Italian football will have something to offer besides another Juventus romp to the title.

Not that the record champions and winners of the past eight Scudetti are experiencing some sort of downcycle. After all, a squad that boasts Cristiano Ronaldo, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Miralem Pjanic and Rodrigo Bentancur, and that finished 11 points clear atop the table in the spring, can’t be considered anything but favourites yet again. And the arrivals of Matthijs de Ligt, Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot have only bolstered a team that will not only target Serie A this term, but the Champions League as well.

Still, there is a hint of disquiet in Turin. That squad, impressive though it may be, is increasingly bloated. Manager Maurizio Sarri has too many players to work with — a difficult situation that has seen him shop Paulo Dybala all over Europe, attempt to sell Mario Mandzukic to someone, anyone, and even consider offloading Pjanic, even though he’d surely prefer the departures of Sami Khedira, Blaise Matuidi or Daniele Rugani, or all three.

Sarri, himself, is also a fascinating variable at La Vecchia Signora (the Old Lady). He doesn’t suffer prima donnas, which doesn’t bode well for Ronaldo, and his tactical stubbornness yields only a select few players he can actually trust, which doesn’t bode well for anyone outside a preferred starting 11 he’ll deploy week in, week out.

After today’s opener at Parma, Juventus will host Napoli and then travel to Fiorentina. Should they struggle early, it could all go pear-shaped in a hurry, and a group of players already dissatisfied with Sarri’s approach is an immediate disadvantage.

Juventus are vulnerable, and it’s more than just Ribéry stalking down the walkway toward the spotlight.

Now, Fiorentina won’t contend for the Scudetto. Europa League qualification is their ceiling. But in manoeuvring the Frenchman to Florence, and awarding him a triumph on his arrival, they’ve made a high-profile demonstration of renewed purchasing power on the peninsula, of an ability to attract big-name players and retain up-and-coming ones — a scenario of economic confidence made possible by increased television revenue, a revamped tax structure and better deals with stadium owners.

Inter Milan might be the next-best example, after Juventus, of this new, invigorating set of circumstances. More than a month before La Viola signed Ribéry, the Nerazzurri convinced Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin to join incoming manager Antonio Conte’s project at San Siro. Young midfielders Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella followed from Sassuolo and Cagliari, respectively, in the following few days, after which last season’s fourth-place finishers made their big splash by acquiring Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United. Alexis Sanchez is expected to shortly follow his former teammate to Lombardy.

The revamped squad, combined with Conte’s coaching, vaults Inter into title contention. And it’s a conversation that not only includes the Derby d’Italia foes, but Napoli as well.

Runners-up in four of the past seven seasons, Partenopei will commence their schedule against Fiorentina with the best defensive partnership in Serie A. In front of Kostas Manolas, recently settled from Roma, and Kalidou Koulibaly is the trio of Allan, Piotr Zielinski and Fabian Ruiz, and Arkadiusz Milik will front the attack. It’s the most balanced lineup in Italy, and overseeing it is Carlo Ancelotti. If Napoli had a weakness going into the summer, it was a difficulty to convert the myriad chances the likes of Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne tend to create, but Friday’s acquisition of Hirving Lozano from PSV Eindhoven will go some way in addressing that.

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Ancelotti, for his part, was included in legendary manager Arrigo Sacchi’s list of “more evolved,” “progressive” coaches set to heighten the attractiveness of Italian football. Sarri and Conte, naturally, also made the cut, as did AC Milan’s Marco Giampaolo, Roma’s Paulo Fonseca, Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini, Sampdoria’s Eusebio Di Francesco, Sassuolo’s Roberto De Zerbi and Genoa’s Aurelio Andreazzoli. So beyond what should be the most compelling title race in nearly a decade, Serie A fans can also expect to be treated to exciting football on a regular basis.

It all begins today, with Parma-Juventus and Fiorentina-Napoli. It’s a brave new era of calcio. Ronaldo is the star, Juventus the champions, Inter and Napoli the challengers, Ribéry the poster. Il Fenomeno!

“The thrill of the fight,” indeed.

jerradpeters@gmail.com

Twitter: @JerradPeters