Seems Melo may join Juve. I think they will be Serie A most competitive team in CL next season. I think Inter will now go for D'Ago p

 

the first italian team to play will be roma in EL on 30 july and 6 august. the draw is on 17 july.

 

melo for arsenal now rumours; after this total death of serie A. juve or milan need him

 

Not optimistic this year. The EPL has been dominating and the second strongest league has got much stronger. Barca won it but Real was not up to scratch....that could change this year in a BIG way.

Milan. They have definately gone backwards and Milan were always going to be the Italian team to threaten the most in Europe. No longer the star team it once was with an inexperienced coach. Hang on, inexperienced? Oh, he hasn't coached before. Fabregas and Adebayor/Huntelaar could help things but they need to invest a lot more of that Kaka money on defence if they are to convince me as having any chance.

Inter. Diego and Motta are their big signings?! Well, based on that alone, they have the same chance they had last year. Not a big improvement. Time will tell who they sign. I think a signing like G. Rossi would be good as would someone like Ribery. But for some reason, I just can't see them doing that.

Juve. Diego and Cannavaro will definately increase overall quality even at the expense of Nedved. It is no secret that they are after a new left back and a new DM to replace Paulsen. If they get Grosso and Melo, then they look like the strongest Italian team.

Fiorentina. I shouldn't waste my breath here. They will be successful if they get past the 1st round. The lack quality and will probably have less of it once Melo leaves.

Strongest teams in Europe this year will be: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea....possibly Liverpool too. Bayern Munich looks like they have a shot if they keep Ribery.

Juve I think has the better chance if they are successful in their signings for full back, midfield and manage to get a good replacement for Trez. But, Juve have a better chance of winning the league then getting into the UCL semis. That should be their objective this year.

 

If they get Grosso and Melo, then they look like the strongest Italian team.

and you support...

 

Hey, where do you leave Lazio in Europa League, or this thread of only for Champions ??

I think with the current team, Lazio stands a good chance of advancing up until the Quarter Finals of the competition.


In terms of CL, I really don`t see a way of Italian teams reaching even Semins, let alone the Final or eventually grabbing the CL trophey.

I think Barca, Real, Chelsea, Man Utd, Inter will for sure be among last 8. with the last 3 spots contested among Liverpool, Arsenal, Juve, Milan, Lyon and eventual surprises, if surprises can be called any more.

 

I think Lazio can do well, but alot depends on what happens with Pandev and Ledesma and who you replace them with should they go.

 

Eh at least Catenaccio isnt as blind as Berlusconi who thinks 'Milan is already stronger than Inter'

so after finishing over 10 points behind them, losing your best player and replacing him with no one as yet, you are suddenly better than a team who has already acquired some players and yet to lose anyone of significance... yeah good one :wth:

If I was a Milan fan Id be really pissed.

 

there certainly is more hope for Europa League...Genoa started their reinforment very quickly, but have started to fade now.
They certainly got Milito replacement on Floccari and Crespo, but what aobut Motta's? Also, they are losing Ferrari in defense and Criscito may return to Juve....they need atleast 2 more signings to keep up from where they left last year.
Roma is certainly the biggest hope...but they have done LAWLS in the transfer market.
Lazio, certainly have a great squad...but losing Ledesma and Pandev would be bad...i for one am for the sale of LEdesma...he shows up once in every 10 games...Lucho Gonzalez would have been a dream signing, but he chose Marseilla
they can still go for Banega...or lesser-known Argie by the name of Lucas Biglia from Anderlecht....and rather should chase Pastore (though Palermo seem closer)

 

Criscito will either stay at Genoa or Milan may try to sign him. There is a long time in the market although all Italian teams have had a weak one so far, maybe aside Juve and Inter is steady.

I should add that Roma's market has also been ok as we have managed to hold on to most significant players.

 

i don't agree with what you say about roma.

yes, the important players have stayed, but players who are clearly in decline and who i expect to deteriorate further are still in the squad while the problems of last season have yet to be addressed. there is lots of work to do.

 

Just checked the bookmakers for the upcoming CL and this league isn't perceived to do very well.

Barca 5.50
Real 5.50
United 7.00
Chelsea 7.50
Liverpool 10.00
Inter 12.00
Arsenal 15.00
AC Milan 22.00
Juve 25.00
Bayern 25.00

At least we sill have one team better than Arsenal! :howler:

 

Def worth putting some money on italian side with these odds.

 

The English Top 4 have been quiete, not getting worked up by the Perez-Laporta bravado. :thumbsup:

They haven't improved either, though. They might still, of course, especially Chelsea.

The odds give a fair view of the situation though, imo. Well, probably Juve and Milan should flip numbers.

 

Def worth putting some money on italian side with these odds.

I don't know about that. All the teams aren't that good at the moment.

Milan. I guess they still have Ronaldinho, the Brazil NT's reject midfielder. Then, they have 10-goal Pato, and a lot of old players like Gattuso, Zambrotta, Pirlo, and Ambrosini who aren't that good anymore. The summer transfers hasn't improved their squad one bit, not to mention the outgoing of Kaka. Thiago will likely be a better defender than Maldini last season, but that's pretty much it. If they get Fabiano, that would up their chances, but their midfielders are still out of date.

Juve - Odds are about the same as they had last year. I would say that they're stronger than Milan, although the odds given are appropriate because Milan is seeded and Juve is not. Diego is unproven on the big stage. He did destroy all the Serie A opposition, but it's not given that he'll be settling down. Melo is an excellent transfer, but Juve has never been weak in that area, with Sissoko also available for midfield defense. Cannavaro will increase the quality? That's a good one - Canna will be a liability. After the World Cup, he was an embarrassment at Real Madrid, and I don't see why otherwise at Juve.

Inter - Last year at the time, IIRC, we were rated by the bookmakers as above Liverpool, and either level with or above Real Madrid. So we've been marked down this year, but I wouldn't say that we've gotten worse -I think we've gotten a bit better. The odds don't reflect that primarily because we've lost the Mourinho hype, but in terms of Mourinho, this year he'll do better in the CL because he'll take it more seriously - we have to or else we'd be going out of the group stages being second pot this year. However, compared to teams like Real and Barca, we've got a very outside chance, mainly because the midfield problems haven't been fixed. There's still time tho, but we'll have to see.

 

Milan. I guess they still have Ronaldinho, the Brazil NT's reject midfielder. Then, they have 10-goal Pato, and a lot of old players like Gattuso, Zambrotta, Pirlo, and Ambrosini who aren't that good anymore.

 

Being honest, there is not much chance for an Italian team to win the competition this year, but there are still chances to get to Semi-Finals and such as the league still has some good teams.

 

You'll have to wait for Inter...if they make 1-2 good craetive additions, then they could be formidable

 

So as it stands the likely best possible teams next season?

Inter: (assuming this Zlatan and Eto'o deal happens and Inter also get Hleb)

Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Santon; J. Zanetti, Motta, Cambiasso; Hleb; Eto'o, Milito

Juventus: (assuming they get Grosso, and the Oddo/Trez swap happens)

Buffon; Oddo, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Grosso; Sissoko, Melo, Marchisio; Diego; Del Piero, Amauri

Milan:

Abbiatti; Zambrotta, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Pato, Borriello, Ronaldinho

I would do Fiorentina and Roma too, but the situation is not clear enough really.

 

Juventus: (assuming they get Grosso, and the Oddo/Trez swap happens)

Get real.

 

Both deals are hardly a million miles away.

 

A Trez/Oddo swap?

 

Wut Steph said + why would Bori start if the Oddo swap did happen?

 

Oddo, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Grosso

Hello 2005

 

Because I think Borriello will be the starter although not being that reliable, Milan will still feel they need another forward as Inzaghi is also injury prone now. Its why Trez is the option for them because he will not cost anything and although his wage might be a little high, Galliani seems to rate players who used to be one of the best if not anymore.

Juventus need an RB most probably and so Oddo to Juve is hardly out of view. I mean, its not as if the Italian clubs are going for the next best things are they? Players like Oddo and Trez seem to meet the criteria for clubs like Milan and Juve right now. The swap deal is not a million miles away, I mean if its posted on Gazzetta then the rumours must have a little truth. Of course it doesnt mean it will happen, but if anything was to happen I could see something like that.

And on to Milan, it is not likely they will spend too much anyway. Would be good for them if they could capture Luis Fabiano, but I dont see it as likely at the moment.

 

For starters, the whole world knows Oddo's shit nowadays. He fell out of favour both at Milan and Bayern. What does he have to offer to Juve? Meh, I'd rather stick to Grygera and Zebina.

Second of, Trezeguet was 2nd best scorer some 15 months ago, after which he spent the whole season or so on the sidelines. The surgery he's undergone will supposedly put an end to his recurring injuries. He still has sporting and economical value.

 

... and Galliani wouldn't sign yet another oldish 4-5m€-a-year player, surely?

 

Oddo for Trezeguet was a ridiculous rumour, I don't know why we should assume that trade happens.