DeegoSport

https://deegosport.blogspot.com/2025/07/promoted-profiles-can-pisa-hold-on-to.html Cremonese After playoff final heartbreak in 23/24 the Cremona side bounced right back to the and just about held on against Spezia to make their Serie A return. Last time we saw the grey and red side at the top of Italian football they weren’t far off safety. 4 points were all that separated Cremonese and Verona in 22/23. They will once again be underdogs in the race for safety but can new coach and relegation dodging master Davide Nicola pull off another miracle? Departures Cremonese have finally managed to properly replace Giovanni Stroppa. Poor guy got the sack on the 8th of October 2024 and was rehired just over a month later on November 11th. Not great from Cremonese in my opinion to sack him again. 2 playoff finals in a row. Brought you back to Serie A. Couldn’t give him a chance? I guess Nicola has a better reputation for keeping clubs up but Stroppa has only coached like 40 Serie A games and most...

A series looking at the promoted sides from around Europe’s top 5 leagues. Up next: Pisa The 34 year wait is over. Pisa are finally back in Serie A. The former runners up to the Italian title (1920/21) (if you can count that with Pisa being re-founded twice since then) will hope to finally establish themselves as a Serie A side having been swiftly relegated any time they came up in the 80’s. They will hope to do this without the man who brought them up. Pippo Inzaghi will stay in Serie B after Palermo agreed a deal that suits everyone. Pisa get some cash from Inzaghi’s release clause, Palermo get a promotion specialist, and Inzaghi gets a big pay bump. Departures Apart from Inzaghi it doesn’t look like there will be much activity on the departures front.  Christian Sussi, who made just the one appearance for the Nerazzurri last season, is leaving on a free. Arrivals Two Serie B youngsters make their way to Pisa this summer, both arriving from struggling Frosinone.  Isak Vural ...

A series looking at the promoted sides from around Europe’s top 5 leagues. Up first: US Sassuolo The promoted side you’ll be most familiar with. The giant killers in years past suffered somewhat of a shock relegation in 23/24 and as expected have bounced back the first time of asking.  The more things change the more they stay the same  23/24 it seemed like everything went wrong for the Neroverdi. After 2 decent seasons the team fell apart around Dionisi. Ballardini joined in February but failed to keep Sassuolo up. Fabio Grosso took over in July 24 and did well with a stacked Serie B squad, he got them where they needed to go and now has the opportunity to prove himself.  Even with the new coach Sass look set up to play with the same identity they went down with. Wide open attacking football. They should continue to line up with a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, even if they still are yet to really replace Locatelli who bosses their midfield for 3 seasons. Boloca might be good enough ...

1. Lowering Expectations  I am a very unhealthy person. My levels of unbridled optimism have driven even the most experienced therapist to question everything they believe in. And it’s around this time each season I open up paddy power, see Manchester United at 50/1 to win the league and think to myself why not? We could win the prem? Every season I look at our squad and think yeah these guys are good enough. That steak ends this year. We suck mega ass. Bruno is the only healthy, champions league level, in his prime, player we have. Casemiro is great but past his prime. Yoro, Amad, Mainoo are all amazing prospects but don’t yet have the experience. Cunha could be there but hadn’t played for a big team since Covid times.  I am even beginning to question my demand that we finish top 4. Without European football this year that was originally my expectation but golly (and I don’t use that word lightly) GOLLY we are lacking in real quality. Even the players we are linked to fucking...

A slow start for most Italian clubs in the transfer window but it’s early doors yet. Here is every confirmed transfer as of July 2nd and some grades to accompany them Atalanta: A+ The more things change the more they stay the same. Gaspo might be out but Atalanta continue to be the smartest in terms of transfers. I would have given them an A just for getting 12 mil from Cagliari for the worst player in Serie A last season. I know the deal was agreed earlier but I’m sticking with what Transfermarkt tells me. Ruggeri was an important player last season but they got decent money for him and I trust in the back room staff to replace his minutes without much drop off. Koss at just 23 can still improve a lot and has already proven he can hang in this Atalanta squad. Samardžić had just the one assist in 31 league appearances, however he created 35 chances. Expect the 23 year olds stats to double next season as Atalanta improve around him. 10 mil is a decent deal for Bresciani who played 38 ti...

  Streets Might Forget XI - The Underrated Team of the Season The Jeffrey Schluup All Stars, The Adnan Januzaj xi, The Wes Hoolahan TOTS. A collection of players who are more than just underrated, players who could’ve, would’ve, should’ve been starting for perennial Champions League contenders. If Wes Hoolahan instead of being born in Dublin was born 940 miles south south west in Catalonia he is one of the all time greats. Or if Januzaj had joined a functional football club instead of a post-Fergie United, where could he be now? Or if Jeffrey Schluup was a bit less stubborn and was given a chance on a big team he could have been Fede Valverde lite. What is the criteria? I shall be using my arbitrary 3 U’s system. 1. Underratedness - a player who gets either not enough recognition, or too much hate. 2. Uefaness - can I convince myself they would fit into a top European team. 3. Untapped Potential - a slight tweak and this player could be elite, whether that be in footballing, abilit...