2011/12 Serie A title Contenders: Part Two
Inter Milan
The Nerazzurri are looking to re-claim their lost position in Italian football but their preparations for the season have not been that impressive. Inter had a pretty dismal pre-season campaign and also lost to Milan in the Italian Super Cup.
The departure of Samuel Eto’o to Russian side, Anzhi Makhachkala has done nothing good to their prospects for the next season. Gian Piero Gasperini’s team is lacking match winners and the prospects of wining trophies show a bleak picture for them.
Inter have signed young Ricky Alvarez, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Diego-c11058 Forlan and Mauro Zarate this summer and it will be interesting to see how quickly they adapt at the San Siro.
Key Men
Influential midfielder, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wesley-Sneijder-c36799, will be key to the Nerazzurri success along with centre-back, Lucio. The Dutch international was sorely missed in the early part of the last season when he was absent through injury but when he finally returned his
impact was felt in the Inter Milan line-up.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lucio-c22597 is widely considered as one of the top defenders in the world and his role be really important in his team’s chances of winning the titles.
Prediction
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 to finish in the top four but Scudetto looks highly unrealistic given the weakness of the squad. Verdict: 3rd
Lazio
The Biancazzurri were unlucky to miss out on UEFA Champions League football last season and will be desperate to make amends for it this time around. Lazio have added several new players to their squad this summer and have signed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Federico-Marchetti-c13477, Mirsolav
Klose and Djibril Cisse. Edy Reja’s men have the right mix of youth and experience in their squad and troubled the top teams last season.
Key Men
Biancazzurri will pin their hopes on http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Hernanes-c16150 and Cisse in the upcoming campaign. Hernanes joined the Rome based club before the start of the 2010/11 season and became an instant hit. The Brazilian international finished the last season as the highest goal-scorer
for the club and was really impressive.
Cisse will have to take the goal-scoring burden on his shoulders, as the club had to struggle in the striking department last season. The French international is in rich goal-scoring form in the pre-seasons and UEFA Europa League games and will definitely
be a main man for Lazio.
Prediction: http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lazio-c39775 to finish fourth and will miss out on UEFA Champions League football once again. Verdict: 4th
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Napoli-c40003
Napoli’s honeymoon period is expected to end in the current campaign after watching them getting thrashed 5-0 at the hands of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 in a friendly game recently. The Azzurri finished third in the league table last season, which was their best finish since
the 1989/90 season triumph.
Key Players
Marek Hamsik and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Edinson-Cavani-c11955 will be the two most important players for the Partenopei once again. The Slovakian international has established himself as one of the most consistent performers in the league and is a constant source of goals and assists
for his team.
Cavani finished the 2010/11 season as the second highest goal-scorer in the league and bagged 33 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions last season.
Prediction: Napoli to miss out on UEFA Champions League football next season and to finish fifth in the league. Verdict: 5th
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: