Football Season Guide

Monza started the last season, their first since President Berlusconi’s passing away, with great ambitions, following all the good done in the second part of the previous campaign. Truth be said, they only flirted with European football until the end of March, when they were sitting in the top 10, but they eventually run out of gas and, thanks to no wins in the final 9 games, they ended up finishing 14th. The reasons for this disappointment can be found in an injury crisis that hit some important players, the lack of a prolific striker, they scored 39 goals only, and a vulnerable defence, as they conceded 51 times. Coach Raffaele Palladino, who led them to quiet salvations twice, while also offering an entertaining football, decided to quit for pastures new, joining Fiorentina, and Monza thus hired 48-year-old Alessandro Nesta, who has no experience as a coach at this level and is coming off a decent campaign with Reggiana in Serie B. Monza have not been very active over the transfer campaign but they certainly lost a couple of fundamental players in Di Gregorio and Colpani. The goalie, crowned the best of the past season in Serie A, was loaned out to Juventus and, thus far, he was not properly replaced yet. Moreover, they also saw key attacking midfielder Colpani following Palladino in Florence. At the moment, they only signed 19-year-old Forson, coming from Manchester United but with hardly any experience at the top, and he does not look like an adequate substitute. Apart from them, they also lost a few players who had arrived on loan from bigger clubs, like striker Colombo, from Milan, and attacking midfielder Carboni, from Inter. Petagna, returning from a forgettable experience at Cagliari, could act as back-up striker. Monza are still a bit of a work in progress as they are still looking for a goalkeeper, a midfielder, beside just-arrived Sensi, a winger and a striker.