Football Season Guide

Since their first arrival in the top flight of the Italian football in 2001, Chievo Verona's transfer campaigns have been characterized by several departures among the key stars and the arrival of groups of young or experienced players coming from not particularly successful seasons. So far, this policy paid off and, apart from being relegated once, they always managed to survive in Serie A. As a matter of fact, in the recent past, with Di Carlo, Pioli and then Di Carlo again in charge, Chievo Verona managed to reach safety with quite some ease. Actually, they could have gone for more than just a place in the top ten but, whenever expected to make a quantum leap, they always failed to for some reason or another. This summer proved to be no exception to the rule. Coach Di Carlo saw Bradley and Acerbi, two of the main players from the past season, go. Together with them a whole group of players, who had hardly had any chances to earn any playing time, left too. Uribe, Mandelli, Gulan will all be wearing other shirts in the next season. With Bradley gone to Roma, Rigoni arrived from Novara. He could act as the attacking midfielder in a diamond or on the flanks of the midfield. Papp should take Acerbi's place in the heart of the defence. Di Michele's arrival should strengthen an attack that, in the past season, was only better than Cesena's, who ended up at the bottom of the Serie A. Apart from these experienced new-comers, it has to be seen whether among the players returning from loan, such as Guana and Granoche, or the new youths, such as Stoian and Cofie, someone will be able to earn some playing time.