Fabio Capello has claimed Juventus are the favourites but believes it will be ‘hard for Massimiliano Allegri’, as Inter still have ‘quality’ and said Jose Mourinho is perfect for Roma.
The former coach was interviewed by La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the new campaign, which kicks off next weekend.
Capello pointed out the many changes in the Serie A dugouts, as Allegri returned to Juve, Simone Inzaghi replaced Antonio Conte at Inter, Mourinho took over at Roma, Luciano Spalletti succeeded Gennaro Gattuso at Napoli and Maurizio Sarri is now in charge of Lazio.
“It will be the championship of the coaches,” Capello told the newspaper. “We have filled up: Mourinho, Allegri, Spalletti, Sarri.
“There are people who have already given so much but will have to give more. The market is open, and they must be good at intervening.
“Jose [Mourinho] has the right personality for a place like Roma, but the problems are not lacking. [Edin] Dzeko’s departure surprised me. He was not only the centre-forward: he was also a source of play.
“Roma got the goalkeeper right with Rui Patricio, [Tammy] Abraham can be a good solution. The something extra could be [Nicolò] Zaniolo. He’s the biggest Italian talent.”
On Allegri’s return to Juventus, he continued: “Juventus start in pole position after Inter’s transfers. The expectations are all on Allegri and I say it dispassionately: it will not be easy to repeat the successes of the previous stint.
“Max must show strength and a decisive punch. The players can’t take his return as an alibi to discharge responsibility.
“I expect something special from [Matthijs] de Ligt and [Paulo] Dybala. The Argentine has the potential of a number one, but he has always lacked something.”
But Capello disagrees that the Scudetto team has been ‘disassembled’ at Inter.
“I disagree. The coach left, two champions left, but the chassis remains of good quality,” he continued. “Dzeko is perfect to replace someone like [Romelu] Lukaku.
“Calhanoglu has great shots. Simone Inzaghi, with a few words, can change the group: show that Inter were not just Lukaku and [Achraf] Hakimi.”
Stefano Pioli’s Milan finished second in Serie A last term and Capello believes the Rossoneri can convince again.
“Milan have a project underway,” he said. “[Olivier] Giroud is an international striker. I expect the explosion of a talent with enormous potential like [Rafael] Leao.
“[Sandro ]Tonali must show signs of growth. However, we need to evaluate the effects of [Gigio] Donnarumma’s departure. He has joined a club that is now being talked about all over the world, but Milan deserve more gratitude.”
On Spaletti at Napoli, he added: “Luciano has the team ready, he just has to avoid losing pieces. The sale of [Kalidou] Koulibaly must be avoided.
“Napoli have a more solid basis than the competition.”
Sarri has returned after a year off and took over Lazio after Inzaghi’s departure.
“The key is the impact of Sarri’s football with a quality group, shaped by the years of Simone Inzaghi.”