Expectations are always high for Juventus, and with another new Serie A season set to begin, Bianconeri fans will demand that the Old Lady end their two-year title drought.
However, La Signora could be set for another letdown as their summer transfer business has underwhelmed. Meanwhile, a couple of other top-five clubs could also be headed for similar disappointment after they overachieved last season.
Read on as SBOTOP shares the three clubs who are the main candidates to disappoint this 2022-23 Serie A season.
Juventus
Juventus failed to win the Serie A title for the second year in a row last season. Despite the return of manager Massimiliano Allegri, the Old Lady’s squad still had significant deficiencies which saw them finish fourth once again.
The current Serie A 2022 betting odds have Juventus at 2.90 to win the title, second-favourites behind Inter. But while Dusan Vlahovic will get to play his first full season, the squad still isn’t looking all that formidable.
Their summer transfer business – Matthijs de Ligt, Paulo Dybala, Giorgio Chiellini and Federico Bernardeschi out; centre-back Bremer, Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria in – seems to be a wash at best, and even with the return of Federico Chiesa from injury, it’s hard to see that much improvement from last season.
As their 2-2 draw in a club friendly against Barcelona showed, their defence – which was a crucial factor in their past title successes – still has its fair share of deficiencies.
So unless Allegri can find a way to maximise that defence with somewhat limited personnel, it could very well be another disappointing season for the Old Lady, with them once again falling short of being legitimate title contenders for the third year running.
Napoli
Last season started with such promise for Napoli. With Luciano Spalletti leading the way, they got off to a tremendous start and it looked as if they could be serious title challengers. But the Partenopei gradually fell off and finished a disappointing third in the table.
That turned out to be the last hurrah for Napoli’s great core trio, with club stalwarts Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Dries Mertens all moving on in the summer.
The void left by Koulibaly – who has arguably been Serie A’s best defender for the last few years – will be a big one to fill by new signing, South Korean defender Min-jae Kim. Meanwhile, Insigne’s leadership and his and Mertens’ goals – they were still two of the team’s top three goalscorers – will be sorely missed as well.
It should also be noted that Napoli massively overperformed their expected goal difference (+27.6 xGD to +43 actual GD) last season, which is a usual sign of regression.
While the club still has some terrific players in Fabian Ruiz, Victor Osimhen, and Piotr Zielinski ready to provide Serie A 2022 highlights, it would not be much of a surprise if the Neapolitans take a significant step back this season.
Lazio
Despite a somewhat limited squad at his disposal – nine outfield players started 24 Serie A games last season – Maurizio Sarri did well to lead Lazio to a top-five finish last season. Once again, the Biancocelesti relied heavily on star striker Ciro Immobile, who won yet another Capocannoniere as he led Serie A with 27 goals.
But like Napoli, they greatly exceeded their expected goals of 55.8 xG as they scored 77 goals, which was second only to Inter. Such an overperformance is a red flag for regression the following season.
Granted, Lazio have tried to get younger this summer by adding 22-year-old midfielder Marcos Antonio and getting 20-year-old Italy winger Matteo Cancellieri on loan. They’ve also acquired veteran centre-back Alessio Romagnoli from champions AC Milan and midfielder Matias Vecino from Inter on free transfers to improve their depth.
But with Immobile another year older (he’ll be 33 in February) and Pedro – who was a key contributor last season – now well into his mid-30s, can Lazio realistically keep this up?
The safe bet is on ‘no’, so Biancocelesti fans will be wise to brace for a less successful season this time around.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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