The fact that a 12th place finish in Serie A is considered a rather underwhelming season for Sassuolo just shows how far this modest club has come under Eusebio Di Francesco. They keep re-writing their own history but a first venture into Europe was both a blessing and a curse. The Neroverdi looked like they were taking to the Europa League like a duck to water. After breezing through the qualifiers, they produced a memorable first home match in the competition proper with a stunning 3-0 win over 2012 finalists Athletic Bilbao. However, their jaunts across the continent were adversely affecting results at home as a small squad struggled to cope with the demands of two major competitions. Fatigue and injuries started to take their toll - the most notable absence was star player Domenico Berardi who missed large portions of the season. The Europa League campaign eventually petered out and they were eliminated at the group stage whilst just three wins from 20 games in all competitions from late September to early January left many wondering if they'd bit off more than they could chew. However, Sassuolo were able to pick up some important wins at the turn of the year and the fact that the teams below them were performing so poorly meant they were never real candidates for relegation. Once the after-effects from their European adventure had been shaken out of the system and important players started to return, the real Sassuolo re-emerged towards the end of the season. Berardi was a big miss in attack but Gregoire Defrel and Alessandro Matri scored 20 goals between them. It was also a breakout year for youngster Lorenzo Pellegrini in midfield as he chipped in a handful of goals and assists too. There will be no European football next season so it's perhaps a chance for the Neroverdi to push on again but it's looking all the more likely that they might lose their most prized asset - the manager. Life without Di Francesco seems ominous for the club.
