Serie A, Week 1: Inter, Napoli Both Dominate Away From Home

Yet it’s still Milan. By virtue of the name, you don’t expect to see a total collapse. But that’s almost exactly what happened in their first match of the season. A combination of poor passing, a lack of creativity, and a fragile defence combined to hand Sampdoria a 1-0 win at the San Siro.

‘Doria, fresh from Serie B, seemed content with just a point, defending deeply to frustrate Milan (although the wasted rossoneri chances were also quite frustrating for the club). But when the home side handed Sampdoria a chance on a silver platter, well, they weren’t going to turn it down, were they?

Udinese, meanwhile, might be fielding an indistinguishable herd of little zebras, but they remain the same Udinese: sit back, hit on the counter, score, hold on and defend fiercely until seeing a picture perfect opportunity. The players may rotate but the zebrette find new ones to fit the system, and while it may sometimes be tedious it remains effective -- for the most part. But when you let a team simply pour forth again and again, the pressure builds, and if the defence isn’t flawless, well...

Despite Fiorentina having the majority of the possession -- nearly all of it, in fact -- it was the visitors who scored first. Just as always, it was a quick counterattack that took the Viola by surprise. Luis Muriel sent through a perfect pass to Maicosuel, who managed to stay just onside to go one-on-one with Emiliano Viviano. He slotted the ball into the low left corner, scoring the first goal of the season and his first in Serie A.

Game Date/Time: Saturday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local

Venue: Juventus Arena, Turin, Italy

Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for, the thing that has gotten us through the dull, dreary summer months: the return of Serie A! Yes, Italian football is back, my friends, but is it better than ever? This summer saw a Parisian migration, with some of the league’s best players, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, pulling up and heading to Paris Saint-Germain.

In addition to the great westward trek, in August we’ve also had to deal with calcioscommesse, the notorious Italian betting scandal that has everyone paying attention to Antonio Conte rather than the transfer market. At the moment, the Juventus boss remains banned for ten months, but, as always when the Old Lady is involved, appeals are ongoing.