Football Season Guide

In the past season, having reached the top of the flight of the Italian football for the first time in their history, Sassuolo seemed to represent the perfect candidate for relegation. After all, coach Di Francesco had had just negative experiences in Serie A while the squad was filled with too many youths. A tragic beginning of the campaign was followed by a straightening of the path and a massive overhaul of the squad during the re-opening of the transfer campaign in winter. In the end, Sassuolo succeeded achieving salvation and they will start exactly from there in order to build the new season. In fact, none of the key protagonists of the debut in Serie A were let go: above all, Cannavaro and, in particular, wunderkind Berardi, whose 16 goals were decisive for the final result. Most of the players who left, this far, had arrived on loan from some richer clubs such as Juventus, Roma and Parma. Among them, just Marrone, Rosi and Ziegler had been capable of becoming some regulars. Having lost their fullbacks, Rosi and Ziegler, Sassuolo had to provide Di Francesco with two new ones and the choice fell on Peluso, who was hardly ever considered by Conte in the past campaign at Juventus, and Vrsaljko, who had made some sensation with Genoa before injuring himself and spending some time on the sidelines. Thus, the coach should confirm his usual 4-3-3 formation, to be turned into a 3-5-2 when facing some trickiest games, with Pomini in goals, at least until Pegolo is injured, and Cannavaro and one between Terranova and Ariaudo as the centre-backs. Biondini, Brighi, Chibsah and Magnanelli, together with Kurtic, returned from a positive stint with Torino, should all be competing for the midfield while Berardi, Zaza and Sansone could act in the forward three with Floccari, Floro Flores and Pavoletti, who had an outstanding season in Varese, to provide some valid alternatives.