Football Season Guide

When Cerci failed a last-second penalty kick in the very last game of the past campaign, the skies fell over him and Torino. A goal by their key man would have allowed the Bulls to return to the European competitions more than 20 years since their last participation. For once, though, luck was on their side as they made Europe anyway due to some Parma financial non-fulfillments. Confirmed coach Ventura might not be able to repeat the wonders shown in the past campaigns, though, since the top scorer of the Serie A, Immobile, left for Borussia Dortmund, and Cerci too might not remain at his service. If also the latter left, which is quite sure, Torino would be facing some serious troubles as it is not easy replacing the authors of almost 40 goals in a short stretch of time. Quagliarella, coming off a quite negative season with Juventus, will certainly be leading the attack while Barreto and Larrondo, who have had little chances for showing their skills in the recent past, do not seem to be what Ventura needs up-front. As for the other departments, they have been somehow strengthened, also in consideration of the European campaign ahead of them. So, the defence should count on Gaston Silva, from Defensor Sporting, as a valid alternative to Glik, Bovo and Moretti. The midfield saw the departure of Kurtic and Tachtsidis but Nocerino and Benassi joined up and they will surely become protagonists together with El Kaddouri. With Darmian acting on the right flank, Molinaro should become the regular on the left, especially since Pasquale returned to Udinese after a forgettable campaign. The feeling is that the result of the Europa League playoffs with RNK Split could seriously affect the remainders of the transfer campaign and the re-shaping of Torino’s ambitions.