Italian Serie A - 2020-2021

[GifLord]

A perfect advert against any Super League. How much more fun is it to have a tight race, to see an underdog like Atalanta with a real shot at top 4?

Really hope Juventus don't make it, but it seems Milan is tanking even more atm.

The remaining games for some of these teams

Atalanta

Napoli

Juventus

Milan

Lazio

One of the best top 4 races in recent times

 

[Acrobat7]

Milan and Juve will knock each other out of the CL and Lazio will profit

 

[Hansi Fick]

Milan and Juve will knock each other out of the CL and Lazio will profit

That would be awesome

 

[FootballHQ]

Is Zlatan out for the season, they desperately need him back. Mandzukic is past it now so error signing him.

 

[Chekov]

That Donnarumma is captain of Milan is a disgrace. With fatso raiola behind trying to earn some millions getting him away.

 

[joi_division]

Whats happened with Milan? Now looking set to finish out of the top 4 most definitely. Undefeated until January and then 7 losses to this point. Games against Atalanta and Juve still to come... Lack of depth for them or lack of Ibra? I wasn't convinced by their dream start to the season. I thought a lot of results that went their way were very scrappy but I thought they would be able to hold that momentum at least.

 

[giorno]

Whats happened with Milan? Now looking set to finish out of the top 4 most definitely. Undefeated until January and then 7 losses to this point. Games against Atalanta and Juve still to come... Lack of depth for them or lack of Ibra? I wasn't convinced by their dream start to the season. I thought a lot of results that went their way were very scrappy but I thought they would be able to hold that momentum at least.

Injuries and lack of depth

 

[abundance]

Penalties also.

They got 14 in their first 20 games, and just 2 in the following 13.

This can be read as a symptom of the brilliance they lost - in the first half of the season they were rather good at putting pressure on defences with rapid transitions, and smart cuts in the final third to bring the ball into the box. That dried up a bit while also opponents were taking note.

But however one rationalizes it, the fact remains that there was a pretty big statistical outlier pumping up their end-product during their unbeaten run.

 

[abundance]

Yeah really. It’ll be interesting to see if their current success can translate into trophies at some point, or more sustained success in the future even after Gasperini moves on.

well, for trophies, they could very well get one this May 19th

 

[youmeletsfly]

Great battle between Cagliari, Torino and Benevento to stay up as well.

Parma have been shit on a sidewalk the whole season, kind of sad to see them go down but they fully deserve it.

I also wouldn't mind Sassuolo to go on a run and dump Roma out of the EL.

 

[JSVeron]

I just think AC Milan overperformed in the first half of the season. Inter, Juve, Atalanta, Lazio and Napoli are better teams than them.
They stayed on top for months just because of some luck, penalties and an earlier summer training than the other italian top teams.
They kept on winning games in December and January too, but their performances had already started being weak.

 

[Dave Smith]

Just want to see Juve miss out.

 

[La Vecchia Signora]

Just want to see Juve miss out.

It is very possible and I hope that we miss top four so we do a lot of work for next season. The management need to fire a lot of people. Paratici should go. He is the root cause of all this mess. We should never let Marotta go. Look the good work that he is doing for Inter.

 

[Raees]

 

[Idxomer]

The level of this league isn't very good.

 

[Markolan]

Third best league in the 20/21 UEFA ranking.
Third best league in the 5-year ranking.

Roma got trashed again, exactly as happened in the 2018 UCL Semifinal at Anfield but at least they've reached two european semifinals in the last 3 years.. How many european non-top club did the same? I think zero.

 

[giorno]

Closer now...

 

[giorno]

Inter win. Now 1 point off the title. Can also win tomorrow if atalanta don't win

A year of Eriksen being a problem before Conte finally gave up, started playing him in midfield and inter have won the league....

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

Incredible. Lukaku will be getting his first ever trophy

 

[Markolan]

Glad to see Lukaku and Eriksen finally win a trophy after so many years wasted in Premier League playing for unsuccessful teams

 

[Amar__]

Glad to see Lukaku and Eriksen finally win a trophy after so many years wasted in Premier League playing for unsuccessful teams

Bitter much

Lukaku didn't win trophy because he was shite.

 

[R77]

Glad to see Lukaku and Eriksen finally win a trophy after so many years wasted in Premier League playing for unsuccessful teams

Agreed. Completely bottling a title charge and probably not even getting top 4 after being in pole position for much of the season is hilarious.

 

[Alex99]

Glad to see Lukaku and Eriksen finally win a trophy after so many years wasted in Premier League playing for unsuccessful teams

Mate, Serie A is a trash league full of trash teams.

Your champions elect finished bottom of a group containing Borussia Monchengladbach (currently 7th in Bundesliga) and Shakhtar Donetsk (currently 13 points behind 1st in the Ukrainian league).

Not a single Italian team made it past the CL last 16, and only one made it past the EL last 16, and they've just been battered by the first actually good team they've come up against.

The fact that a few of the Italian clubs, Inter and AC Milan included, are reliant on PL rejects and loanees should tell you all you need to know about what 'success' in Italy is worth this season.

 

[roonster09]

Third best league in the 20/21 UEFA ranking.
Third best league in the 5-year ranking.

Roma got trashed again, exactly as happened in the 2018 UCL Semifinal at Anfield but at least they've reached two european semifinals in the last 3 years.. How many european non-top club did the same? I think zero.

CL
2019-20 - Lyon, RB Leipzig
2018-19 - Ajax, Spurs
2016-17 - Monaco

Europa league -
2020-21 - Arsenal, Villarreal
2019-20 - Shakhtar,
2018-19 - Arsenal, Frankfurt, Valencia
2017-18 - Salzburg, Arsenal, Marseille
2016-17 - Lyon, Ajax, Celta Vigo
2015-16 - Shakhtar, Villarreal,

Glad to see Lukaku and Eriksen finally win a trophy after so many years wasted in Premier League playing for unsuccessful teams

Twerking for City rivals

 

[Markolan]

CL
2019-20 - Lyon, RB Leipzig
2018-19 - Ajax, Spurs
2016-17 - Monaco

Europa league -
2020-21 - Arsenal, Villarreal
2019-20 - Shakhtar,
2018-19 - Arsenal, Frankfurt, Valencia
2017-18 - Salzburg, Arsenal, Marseille
2016-17 - Lyon, Ajax, Celta Vigo
2015-16 - Shakhtar, Villarreal,

Arsenal are a top club imho and, well, I was right.. the only non-top club that reached an european semifinal at least two times (in the last 3 years) have been AS Roma:
- 2018 UEFA Champions League SF
- 2021 UEFA Europa League SF

 

[roonster09]

Arsenal are a top club imho and, well, I was right.. the only non-top club that reached an european semifinal at least two times (in the last 3 years) have been AS Roma:
- 2018 UEFA Champions League SF
- 2021 UEFA Europa League SF

Lyon, Skahktar, Villarreal, Ajax. Why last 3 years? Because that's when Roma achieved that.

Not sure what that's supposed to prove either.

 

[Markolan]

Mate, Serie A is a trash league full of trash teams.

Your champions elect finished bottom of a group containing Borussia Monchengladbach (currently 7th in Bundesliga) and Shakhtar Donetsk (currently 13 points behind 1st in the Ukrainian league).

Not a single Italian team made it past the CL last 16, and only one made it past the EL last 16, and they've just been battered by the first actually good team they've come up against.

The fact that a few of the Italian clubs, Inter and AC Milan included, are reliant on PL rejects and loanees should tell you all you need to know about what 'success' in Italy is worth this season.

As I posted above Serie A is the 3rd best european league according to the UEFA ranking which is the only thing and stat that matter.. everything else is cherry picking..

 

[GifLord]

As I posted above Serie A is the 3rd best european league according to the UEFA ranking which is the only thing and stat that matter.. everything else is cherry picking..

They are barely the 3rd best league - looks how close they are with bundesliga points based

 

[Alex99]

As I posted above Serie A is the 3rd best european league according to the UEFA ranking which is the only thing and stat that matter.. everything else is cherry picking..

And the Premier League is the best, by a vast margin over Serie A. So as we're on cherry picking, who exactly is doing it?

Your team is turd, your league is turd. Get over it, and have some fecking pride. Fellating Inter while your own club, their biggest rivals has cocks up a title charge and finds themselves battling for a CL spot. Embarrassing stuff.

 

[edcunited1878]

As I posted above Serie A is the 3rd best european league according to the UEFA ranking which is the only thing and stat that matter.. everything else is cherry picking..

3 previous years, it's about equal to Germany...Germany had an anomaly year which saw it's coefficient below 10. If it wasn't for that year, Italy would be clearly 4th.

Even then, there is a clear gap between the first level (England and Spain) and the 2nd level (Germany and Italy). Then there's the rest.

It's a good league, but not a top league. Lukaku is one of the best players in the league, not only goalscorers....says something about the league.

 

[giorno]

It is weird. Every milan fan i know and even those i just hear all agree the league is pure shite and that's why even inter could win it


But just to set the record straight: mancunians were not the first good team roma faced. They faced ajax. Who absolutely battered them to the point the first thing italian pundits said after the games was "ajax are way better than roma". Ajax did a bayern

 

[Alex99]

It is weird. Every milan fan i know and even those i just hear all agree the league is pure shite and that's why even inter could win it


But just to set the record straight: mancunians were not the first good team roma faced. They faced ajax. Who absolutely battered them to the point the first thing italian pundits said after the games was "ajax are way better than roma". Ajax did a bayern

Ajax are also a bit shit. The Dutch league has been a second/third tier league for quite a while now. Them being better than Roma is just a further nail in the coffin for Serie A being a turd league.

 

[giorno]

Ajax are also a bit shit. The Dutch league has been a second/third tier league for quite a while now. Them being better than Roma is just a further nail in the coffin for Serie A being a turd league.

Still. Lukaku has won a trophy now. United still need to win theirs

 

[Alex99]

Still. Lukaku has won a trophy now. United still need to win theirs

Aye, and Gerson Rodrigues of Luxembourg national team fame has just won one playing for Dynamo Kyiv who are currently 13 points clear of a team that finished ahead of Lukaku's in the Champions League. Almost like some trophies are easier to win because the competition is shite.

 

[giorno]

Aye, and Gerson Rodrigues of Luxembourg national team fame has just won one playing for Dynamo Kyiv who are currently 13 points clear of a team that finished ahead of Lukaku's in the Champions League. Almost like some trophies are easier to win because the competition is shite.

Trophies are trophies mate. There's no trophy for finishing second in the PL, so better win the Europa League. A lesser trophy than serie A, to be sure

 

[Markolan]

It's all cherry picking.. Shakhtar in the last 18 months against italian teams (over 2 legs if possible):
- Atalanta v Shakhtar 4-2 (finished behind LaDea in their group)
- Inter v Shakhtar 5-0 (knocked out)
- Inter v Shakhtar 0-0 (finished ahead of Inter)
- Roma v Shakhtar 5-1 (knocked out)

And guess which result you used to prove your point? Cherry picking at its finest, but you can do the same for every league.. For example, just taking the best 6 teams in La Liga as of today:
- Real Madrid: defeated twice by "currently 13 points behind 1st in the Ukrainian league" Real Madrid are a bit shit too
- Barcelona: finished behind Juventus in the group stage.. Juventus > Barcelona
- Sevilla: easily knocked out by Borussia Dortmund, the same team that failed to beat Lazio twice in the group stage.. Lazio > Sevilla
- Atletico Madrid: overall a worse UCL campaign than Atalanta in terms of results and performances.. Atalanta > Atletico
- Real Sociedad: 2nd in their UEL group behind Napoli and, unlike AC Milan, battered by Manchester United .. Napoli and AC Milan > Real Sociedad
- Villarreal: in the UEL SF exactly like AS Roma. Villarreal = Roma (Villarreal have to face PL mid-table team while Roma's opponent is a PL contender that, as of now, still can win the league title)

La Liga is shit as much as Serie A then, or it's just cherry picking?
The only relevant stat is the UEFA country ranking that correctly show how's the situation in Europe:
English Premier League is the best league, La Liga close 2nd, then Bundesliga and Serie A that are on a similar level, very far from the top 2 but much ahead France. Nothing more, nothing less..

 

[Varun]

Still. Lukaku has won a trophy now. United still need to win theirs

Ashley Young too. Says more about the trophy than these players

 

[Wolf1992]

3 previous years, it's about equal to Germany...Germany had an anomaly year which saw it's coefficient below 10. If it wasn't for that year, Italy would be clearly 4th.

Even then, there is a clear gap between the first level (England and Spain) and the 2nd level (Germany and Italy). Then there's the rest.

It's a good league, but not a top league. Lukaku is one of the best players in the league, not only goalscorers....says something about the league.

Serie A is a top league, another thing is that they are far from from the best league like they were in the 50s,60s,80s,90s, and the first half of 2000s.
Most italian teams are economically in shambles, and that includes AC Milan and Inter too, which explains why do they have to sign rejects from PL, and also the underwhelming performances since 2008 (except Juventus).

Im the case of Bundesliga , historically germans never went crazy about spending a lot of money , still they managed to be the best second league in Europe back in 70s and 80s behind Serie A, cause back in those days you didn't need to spent a lot to be successful.
They started to notice the economical difference since the 90s, when except for Bayern and Dortmund, german teams were struggling to get good results internationally.

At the end of the day.... it's all about money, the more you spend the more chances you have to get far( at least since the 90s)

 

[FootballHQ]

Lazio defence is really really bad...a few weeks back they were 4-1 up at home to Benevento who got it back to 4-3 and same just happened v Genoa.

Don't think they'll have enough about them to finish above the teams above although they're really fun to watch.

Do Inter fans want to win the league tonight or wait until next week and do it v Juve? I can actually see Atalanta dropping points to Sassualo who are a tricky team so Juventus could get lucky and just get a drunk Inter next weekend.

 

[city-puma]

It is weird. Every milan fan i know and even those i just hear all agree the league is pure shite and that's why even inter could win it


But just to set the record straight: mancunians were not the first good team roma faced. They faced ajax. Who absolutely battered them to the point the first thing italian pundits said after the games was "ajax are way better than roma". Ajax did a bayern

The most ridiculous thing is that Ajax bought the forward from westham in half price. He immediately became their most prolific goal scorer. And, they somehow forgot to register him to play EL!
One will wonder if Roma can still knock out Ajax if they have him?