P17th (W7 D16 L15 GF50 GA69 Pts37
Coppa Italia: Round of 16 Team rating: 4/10 Top scorer: Andrea Belotti (13) Europe: N/A
Torino had another tumultuous season with a change in the dugout and a COVID outbreak that hit the team in March. If not for Davide Nicola and Andrea Belotti, it could have been disastrous, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.
Disappointing Granata
Since the moment it was announced, the appointment of Marco Giampaolo didn’t look like a smart move. Not because of the coach’s abilities, but because his demanding playing style requires a lot of daily work on the pitch, which was impossible to get this season. The fixture list in the first full campaign after the COVID pandemic was going to be packed, and everyone knew that from the very beginning. Torino wanted to put a disappointing 2019-20 season behind them, but in a way, 2020-21 was even worse.
The Granata did everything they could to help the former Milan, Sampdoria and Empoli coach by signing some of the players he had demanded, such as Ricardo Rodriguez and Karol Linetty. They had a slow start, with just one point in the opening five games of the season where they conceded as many as 14 goals.
On November 1, they lost 3-4 against Lazio amid great controversy. Ciro Immobile and Lucas Leiva came off the bench in the second half, but had tested positive for COVID prior to their Champions League game against Club Brugge earlier that week. They also missed the following trip to Zenit St. Petersburg for the same reason. The Biancocelesti didn’t face a points deduction, but their president, Claudio Lotito, has been banned for seven months. It was just the beginning of the disputes between the two sides.
The first victory of the Granata came at the beginning of November away at Genoa, but then they failed to win in the following eight. The only good news came from captain Andrea Belotti who scored eight goals in the opening 12 games of the season. However, Torino were too fragile; during Giampaolo’s five-month spell in Turin they lost 23 points from winning positions and in mid-January, after a 0-0 draw against Spezia, the coach was sacked.
Former Torino player Davide Nicola was appointed until the end of the season. Torino had still time to bring in new players in the January transfer window and signed both Rolando Mandragora and Antonio Sanabria, who were crucial for the Granata’s survival. Nicola went unbeaten in the first five games in charge but won only once. However, victory was probably the most important of the season as it came at the Sardegna Arena against fellow struggling Cagliari.
When they seemed to be on the right path, a COVID outbreak with the so-called English variant hit eight players in the team, including Belotti. The games against Sassuolo and Lazio were postponed, causing even more tension with the Rome club, who had lodged an appeal to win the game by default. Torino’s return to the pitch was marked by a shocking 4-2 defeat away at Crotone. They seemed to to have gone back in time, but this time around, it was not entirely their fault.
After that point they managed wins against Sassuolo, Udinese, Roma and Parma and draws against Juventus, Bologna and Hellas Verona. Somehow, it was not enough to gain survival as in May they lost 7-0 against Milan and fell 4-1 away at Spezia. Nicola’s side needed one point in the last two games of the season, including the rescheduled fixture against Lazio. They managed a draw at the Stadio Olimpico amid new controversy with President Urbano Cairo who allegedly accused Lazio players of being too competitive.
It was another disappointing campaign for the Granata, who have had four coaches over the last two seasons. Giampaolo may have been the right man to begin a new project, but he indeed arrived at the wrong moment, both for him and the club. The rest came as a consequence.
The coaches – Marco Giampaolo/ Davide Nicola
Moreno Longo had replaced Walter Mazzarri in 2019-20 and Nicola did the same with Giampaolo this season. The Granata had lost 23 points from losing position with Giampaolo in the dugout and recovered 11 from losing position with their new coach. However, that doesn’t seem to be enough for the former Crotone coach to keep his job at the Stadio Grande Torino.
Player of the Year – Andrea Belotti
The captain netted 13 goals in 34 appearances, but only two of them came in the second part of the season with Nicola in the dugout. Testing positive for COVID had a considerable impact on the Italy international who scored when it was most needed. With his contract expiring in June 2022, it remains to be seen whether the Granata will be able to match his ambition convincing him to stay.
Defining moment – January transfer window
The acquisitions of Rolando Mandragora and Tony Sanabria were crucial for the Granata. The former Genoa man scored five goals in 13 appearances. Mandragora provided quality and quantity in the middle of the park and scored three goals. The victory against Cagliari thanks to a Gleison Bremer goal was undisputedly the most important one of the campaign.
Did you know?
Andrea Belotti reached double figures for goals in every Serie A season he’s played in his career, except the first one (2014-15) when he scored six goals with Palermo.
Read the full 2020-21 Serie A season review here.