This will be the first ever top flight campaign for Monza after winning the Serie B play-offs, but run by ex-Milan moguls Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani, they’re not short on ambition and packed the squad with talent, explains Susy Campanale.
Monza make their debut in Serie A, although it’s difficult to call them minnows even in their first foray onto the main stage. After all, their President is Silvio Berlusconi, their CEO Adriano Galliani, the pair who took Milan from near-bankruptcy in the 1980s to the top of the world before selling up 30 years later. They are back in the top flight and just as ambitious as ever, targeting at least mid-table in their first campaign, if not Europa League spots.
Coach Giovanni Stroppa remains – another former Milan face – but the squad is unrecognisable after 17 signings this summer. Many of them are loans with obligation to buy if Monza avoid relegation, including Italy internationals Matteo Pessina of Atalanta, Verona’s Gianluca Caprari and Cagliari goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, while Stefano Sensi is on loan from Inter, joined by his free agent ex-Nerazzurri teammate Andrea Ranocchia. If all these obligations to buy are activated, Monza are going to face a huge bill next summer.
The worry before that point is the same as it was for sides such as Venezia, who tried revamping their squad after promotion in the past and paid the price by simply not gelling in time.
Key man: Matteo Pessina
Nobody was more excited when Monza got promoted than Pessina (pictured above challenging Lionel Messi in La Finalissima), because the Atalanta star is from Monza and returned right back to where his career began in 2015. He had a breakthrough season in 2019-20, followed by a star-making turn at EURO 2020, but lost his way along with the rest of La Dea last term. It’s the ideal opportunity for the creative midfielder to find himself again and be the hometown hero with the captain’s armband, boasting probably more Serie A experience than any of his teammates.
Coach: Giovanni Stroppa
The 54-year-old was appointed last summer and had Monza near or at the top for most of the Serie B season until a late crumble, forcing them through the play-offs route. Remarkably for a coach working under Berlusconi, Stroppa has managed to maintain his preferred 3-5-2 formation and resist the patron’s vocal adoration of a four-man defence. His Serie A experience is at best underwhelming, managing only six wins, five draws and 26 defeats during ill-fated spells at Crotone and Pescara, both of which resulted in dismissal.
Watch out for: A potentially rough start
It’s always tricky when newly-promoted teams go crazy on the transfer market and transform the side that got them into Serie A, but the positive in this case seems to be that Monza have largely focused on players familiar with this league and for the most part Italian, which might make for a smoother transition.
Get the full 2022-23 Serie A season preview here.