Position: 10th
Points: 53
Previous season: 10th, 50 points
Best Serie A scorer: Antonio Sanabria, 12 goals in 33 games
Rating: 7/10
Season overview
Another solid season for the Granata, who did not secure a European placement, but continued to improve under Ivan Juric, perhaps one of the most underrated coaches in Serie A. The Granata have earned three more points than last season and finally have a clear identity despite the many changes that occur in every transfer window. Juric is always forced to adapt at Toro. Gleison Bremer joined Juventus but was replaced by Perr Schuurs, Denis Praet was not signed permanently from Leicester City and the Granata secured the services of Aleksei Miranchuk and Nikola Vlasic on loan from Atalanta and Torino respectively.
Turnaround moment
The Granata probably reached their peak before the World Cup break. After collecting just one point in five games against Inter, Sassuolo, Napoli, Empoli and Juventus between September and October, the Granata bounced back by beating Cittadella in Serie A and then Udinese, Milan and Sampdoria. They also held José Mourinho’s Roma to a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico at the start of November, in the last game of 2022. The new year started with another victory against Milan, in the Coppa Italia Round of 16.
Coach – Ivan Juric
He may not be one of the easiest coaches to handle, but the Croatian is surely one of the best in the league. One of the many followers of Gian Piero Gasperini, Torino’s high pressing and attacking mentality troubled many teams in Italy’s top flight this term. Contrary to the last few seasons, Juric could also rely on a consistent goal scorer, Antonio Sanabria. The campaign had even started with an ugly argument between the coach and director Davide Vagnati during the pre-season with the coach demanding more efforts on the market from the club. The 47-year-old now expects the best players to stick around for at least one more season.
Player of the Season – Antonio Sanabria
Not difficult to pick this one. Many players shined at the Stadio Grande Torino this season, but nobody was quite as consistent as the Paraguay international, who reached double figures for goals in Serie A for the first time in his career. Andrea Belotti’s departure was well-digested thanks to the ex-Genoa striker who finished the season on a high, scoring eight of his 13 Serie A goals from February. Other players deserve a mention, including Schuurs, Alessandro Buongiorno, Samuele Ricci, Ivan Ilic, Vlasic and Miranchuk, but perhaps nobody was as consistent as Sanabria.
Disappointing player of the Season – Pietro Pellegri
Many Torino fans would put Vanja Milinkovic-Savic here, but although the Serbian made some obvious errors throughout the campaign, he was always trusted by Juric, who never used another goalkeeper in Serie A. Pietro Pellegri, on the other hand, had another disappointing season, mostly due to injuries. It’s not all his fault, the ex-Milan striker has an opened account with Lady Luck, but at the age of 22 it is time for him to start showing his quality and perhaps use a different approach in training to avoid suffering so many injuries. He netted two goals in 18 appearances and was reproached by Juric after scoring against Samp, mocking the Blucerchiati’s fans during celebrations.