clubs contesting
A in 2006/2007
Ascoli
It’s
been twenty years since Irish midfield legend Liam Brady played for Ascoli but the club seems now to be enjoying some of the
luck which deserted it on it’s mid 1990s descent into
the depths of Serie C1. An arbitrary promotion due to
financial problems at
was the first step to recovery.
Atalanta
Bergamo
Nicola Ventola’s attacking qualities should prove sufficient to
consolidate Atalanta’s Serie
A position if he can stay fit and on form.
Cagliari
Mauro Esposito
will face a tough challenge to keep last season’s strugglers in the top flight
but a strong start has given them a good base to build on.
Catania
Preseason
favourites for a straight drop back to Serie B, Catania Calcio have surprised everyone with a fantastic start to
the 2006/2007 season giving them high hopes of not only survival but also
European football next season.
Chievo Verona
Italian
football’s most inconsistent team, Chievo benefited
from the Italian match fixing scandal to reclaim a place in Serie
A for 2006/2007 but will do well to keep it.
Empoli
A
surprise UEFA Cup spot following the scandal at the clubs above them in the
2005/2006 table has buoyed Empoli and their strong
start to 2006/2007 sees them fighting for a top six spot and a deserved return
to European football again next season.
Fiorentina
A 15 point deficit was always going to be
hard to claw back and despite the best efforts of the Florentine side they
still languish in the relegation places as 2006 draws to a close.
They are
in solid enough form though and if that continues in 2007 they will be able to
consolidate their position in the top flight and prepare for a fresh start next
season.
Inter
Milan
After
being awarded last season’s title by default, Inter are forging ahead and
making the most of the reduction in competition the match fixing scandal has
given them this season. Strong summer signings including Patrick Vieria and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Juventus has
tightened up an already impressive, if underachieving, squad.
Lazio
Having
had their punishment reduced to only a 1 point deficit Lazio are best equipped
of all the scandal shrouded clubs to really challenge for Serie
A honours. Even still they are only skirting with the
UEFA Cup spots and will do well to really challenge for a Champion’s League
spot come the end of the season.
Livorno
Lacking
in big name stars they may be but Livorno have a
tight, well drilled unit who have been successful so far in 2006/2007 at
picking up much needed points. If it continues they will face the unlikely task
of battling other surprise packages like
for a European spot.
Messina
Their
poor away form may be their undoing this season especially once Reggina and Fiorentina claw back
the points they had deducted in the match fixing scandal. Escaping relegation
by the skin of their teeth would be a successful season for
Milan
to pull themselves higher in the table and really escape the problems of their
eight point preseason punishment deduction. Rumours
abound of a loan return in January for Andriy Shevchenko and it might be the spark the Rossoneri need to climb the table.
Palermo
The
Sicilians are battling on two fronts are being pushed into the UEFA Cup spots
post-punishment in the summer. The loss of defender Grosso
hasn’t hindered their Serie A charge though and they
are dark horses for a Champion’s League spot and top three finish.
Parma
No point
deficits at
so there are few excuses for the club’s lowly league position. They’ll need to
improve in 2007 if they want to survive at all.
Reggina
Fifteen
points deducted for their part in the matchfixing
scandal and they are rooted to the foot of the table as December 2006 nears it’s end. It will take an escape worthy of Harry Houdini to
save themselves this season.
Roma
Never
will Roma stand a better chance of again lifting the Serie
A crown than this season with AC Milan and Fiorentina
comfortably held low in Serie A and Juventus paying their penance in Serie
B. If they can get some team unity they are Inter’s
only real challengers for the title.
Sampdoria
A young
side can often struggle due to inexperience and it proved so for Sampdoria last season. A steady midtable
finish beckons in 2006/2007.
Siena
Though
not short of quality foreign talent,
often flatter to deceive and a midtable finish is
seemingly written in their destiny for 2006/2007 as well.
Torino
It’s
been a long time since Torino were Turin’s premier
football club but with Juventus playing out this
season in disgrace in Serie B, that time has finally
arrived again. A large and passionate support is no match for quality on the
pitch though and it’s here that
are sadly still lacking.
Udinese
A 4th place finish in 2005 seems to have
hindered rather than helped Udinese and they seem
likely to again fall into midtable mediocrity, much
like they did in 2005/2006.
