Sassuolo ended up finishing in the exact same position as they did last season with an identical points tally but that doesn't tell the whole story of what has been a year of progression for the Neroverdi.
After Eusebio Di Francesco left the club, Sassuolo were left without an identity last season and two different managers couldn't find one. Roberto de Zerbi was perhaps a surprise choice to lead the team this term after a couple of failures at this level but the former Palermo boss rewarded the board's faith in him with comfortable survival and a recall to the exciting brand of football that was played in Di Francesco's memorable stint.
De Zerbi's achievements were made all the more notable considering he lost a couple of hugely important players in defensive mainstay Francesco Acerbi and arguably their best performer from last season - Matteo Politano. Without huge resources available, the manager was forced to rely on youth - a squad with the second youngest average age in Serie A.
One man who is still relatively young but feels like he's been around forever is Domenico Berardi - a man who looked lost at times last season but this term showed glimpses of the player who was set to be the next big thing in Italy a couple of years ago.
The biggest area of improvement for Sassuolo was the number of goals they scored - a whopping 24 more than last season. An attacking style that allowed the full-backs to get forward at every opportunity. Pol Lirola got 6 assists from right-back - second only to the outstanding Manuel Lazzari in his position.
De Zerbi has reminded everyone of who Sassuolo really are but improvements still need to be made to the defensive side of their game - only the bottom three and Parma conceded more. They will struggle to outscore everyone at this level so a a Plan B may be required for continued success.
