Juventus
Last Season: Serie A – 2nd; Top Scorer – Cristiano Ronaldo (36)
Project Pirlo ended as prematurely as it began. The former Juventus midfielder was less than two weeks into being manager of the club’s Under-23 setup when he was tapped to replace Maurizio Sarri for the senior side. At times under Andrea Pirlo, Juventus looked to be going somewhere, but the end result was another early Champions League exit, and a failure to win Serie A for the first time in a decade.
After two successive managerial appointments that bothered on experiments and transformation, Juve have opted for what’s comfortable in the reappointment of Max Allegri. Gone is the plan to revamp the club’s identity on the pitch, instead it’s back to what they know best; simply trying to be top dog in Italy by every means, while chasing European glory, also by every means.
The Manager
After leaving in 2019, Allegri spent two seasons without any managerial posts, before heading back to the Juventus Stadium. The former Milan manager has made no secret of his relative apathy towards identity and definitive senses of style – which is probably why he remained unemployed in that time. His ability and willingness to adapt rather than transform will probably benefit a side like Juventus, who displayed the sustainable signs or patience for an identity change.
One Thing to do: Stop being the bad guy. Club chairman Andrea Agnelli has made the headlines in the past for expressing disdain for small clubs daring to do well in the Champions League, and his willingness to act like the competition is a trust fund he inherited came to a head with the Super League plan, which fell on its face. Agnelli and Juve haven’t quite let go of that plan, but perhaps it’s time to pack it in. It’s all the more galling looking like the footballing equivalent of a Bond villain when they’ve been knocked out of the competition by Porto, Lyon, and Ajax in the past three seasons.
Time-turner (Ten years ago): After successive finishes outside the top six in Italy, Juventus opted for former skipper Antonio Conte to be manager back in 2011. An unbeaten season later, Conte had started a run of successive league titles, which he would end with Inter last year.
Lazio
Last Season: Serie A – 6th; Top Scorer – Ciro Immobile (25)
You could be forgiven for suggesting Lazio eased off last season. For 12 years, Lazio sought a way back into Champions League football – a journey that has included failed title challenges, play-off heartbreak and that collapse against Inter in 2018. That thirst was quenched in 2020, and then the following season saw them reach the knockout phase of the competition since 2000, but their league form could only see them finish 6th.
Lazio have lost influential manager Simone Inzaghi to Inter, the sad consequence of their former striker getting them to punch above their weight for five years. But in his replacement comes the exciting arrival of Maurizio Sarri, whose last two jobs weren’t quite thrills, but ended with relative successes. Just as crucial, Lazio haven’t lost any key player along with their manager.
The Manager
The smoky former banker wasn’t anyone’s cup of tea at Chelsea, and he wasn’t quite liked in his time with Juventus, but that shouldn’t deem Sarri’s reputation one bit, especially given how those seasons ended with titles amidst some form of adversity. His time with Napoli showed a man who can make a team click and entertain, yet he’s just as good at making teams hard to beat.
One Thing to do: Take your time. Sarrismo will definitely take time to sprout its wings, and there will be a few teething problems. Just don’t get all tantrum-y after a tasteless goalless draw in October.
Time-turner (Ten years ago): Under Edy Reja, Lazio had a busy 2011/12 transfer window, headlined by the arrival of veteran Miroslav Klose, as they aimed to finish in a Champions League. They missed out by two points.
Leicester City
Last Season: Premier League – 5th; Top Scorer – Kelechi Iheanacho (19)
For the second Premier League season in a row, Leicester City fell at the last hurdle. Once again, they looked dead-cert for a top-four finish, but losing their final two games saw them slip to fifth. But falling was by no means failure, as the Foxes celebrated an FA Cup triumph in May, which is better than slogging it out for Round of 16 exit in the Champions League; even though they probably should have done better.
Just as important, though, is the fact that Leicester don’t simply look like surprise packages. Those successive fifth-place finishes aren’t just cases of a side punching above their weight, but a team starting to cement their place at the top and making the term ‘top six’ lose its meaning. The loss of Wesley Fofana in pre-season is a blow, but the Foxes will surely go again.
The Manager
On one hand, Brendan Rodgers has been overseen two late season collapses on the bounce. On the other, the Ulsterman has put the Foxes up there with the best, and is getting big wins over the top teams (they beat Manchester City in the Community Shield). The former Celtic and Liverpool manager was briefly linked with a move to Spurs, but the immediacy of him reinforcing his commitment to the King Power is a sign of belief in what Leicester are building.
One Thing to do: Ease out Jamie Vardy. The Foxes Number 9 scored 15 league goals last season, but only four of those came in the second half of the campaign, and as he started to wane, Kelechi Iheanacho very much stepped. Iheanacho isn’t quite a man to play up front on his own, but the exciting arrival of Zambian forward Patson Daka is another solid addition up front.
Time-turner (Ten years ago): Back in 2011/12, Jermaine Beckford and David Nugent were Leicester’s leading front men as the Foxes, who sacked Sven Goran Eriksson early in the season, finished nine points from the EFL Championship play-offs.
Liverpool
Last Season: Premier League – 3rd; Top Scorer – Mohammed Salah (31)
In Liverpool’s defence, they’d basically put up two title-winning seasons on the bounce, despite just winning one of them. They surpassed 95 points for two successive years, and it was always a hard ask to replicate that. Also, it’s hard when you lose all your first-team defenders. As such, when things looked bleak (they lost eight out of 12 in the league from early January to early March), and a top-four spot, never mind the title, looked out of the question, it seemed a bit understandable.
But the Reds rallied, winning eight of their last ten, to finish third. Now, with injured defenders returning, and the addition of another stellar centre-back in Ibrahima Konate, the title is the aim again. Jurgen Klopp’s talk of Liverpool attacking the title last season didn’t quite come to be, but they’ve had a breather, it’s time to go again.
The Manager
Entering his sixth full season at Anfield, Klopp is the longest-serving Premier League manager, in a period that brought about both domestic and European success. The German has stated to leave when his contract expires in 2024, but for the three seasons that will come before then, he looks pretty much untouchable.
One Thing to do: Bolster the squad depth. Last season was something of an oddball, with three centre-backs all having long-term layoffs, but Liverpool are short on depth in key areas. The departure of Georginio Wijnaldum has them light in midfield, and Klopp could probably do with another forward player, as they remain reliant on Roberto Firmino’s link-up play, and suffered when his form dipped.
Time-turner (Ten years ago): Back in 2011, Liverpool had a familiar face in the dugout in legend Kenny Dalglish, spent big in the summer, and looked set for a top-four finish. It didn’t quite work out.
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