With the end of the summer transfer window, Football Italia previews the 2021-22 Serie A campaign and what to expect from Verona. Words Apollo Heyes.
Mattia Zaccagni’s move to Lazio on the deadline day is a huge blow to the Scaligeri’s survival hopes, but Eusebio Di Francesco would want to redeem himself after two disastrous spells at Sampdoria and Cagliari.
VERONA PLAYERS IN
Hongla (M, Anversa), Montipò (G, Benevento), Frabotta (D, Juventus), Sutalo (D, Atalanta), Simeone (S, Cagliari), Caprari (S, Sampdoria)
VERONA PLAYERS OUT
Badu (M, retired), Dimarco (D, Inter), Benassi (M, Fiorentina), Sturaro (M, Genoa), Vieira (M, Sampdoria), Colley (S, Spezia), Salcedo (S, Inter), Favilli (S, Monza), Udogie (D, Udinese), Laribi (M, Reggina), Silvestri (G, Udinese), Lovato (D, Atalanta), Amione (D, Reggina), Zaccagni (M, Lazio)
PROBABLE XI
WHAT TO EXPECT
Hellas Verona look to play a possession-heavy style, controlling the ball and waiting for the right play to form in the final third. The ball moves quickly in the midfield and the two attacking midfielders provide the main creative elements, with either Giovanni Simeone or Kevin Lasagna playing the role of a centre forward. Defensively, the Gialloblu press intensively and look to win the ball back, working on a system of zonal based marking rather than playing man to man. The departure of coach Ivan Juric means that the team is still transitioning into Eusebio Di Francesco’s style.
COACH – EUSEBIO DI FRANCESCO
It feels like a lifetime ago since Eusebio Di Francesco guided Roma to the Champions League semifinals in the 2017-18 season. Since leaving the Giallorossi in 2019, the 51-year-old Italian coach has struggled to find his footing, having a disastrous seven-game spell with Sampdoria before spending the majority of last season as the head coach of Cagliari, being sacked in February of this year. Di Francesco is hoping to repair his reputation and rediscover the brilliance that saw him succeed with Sassuolo and Roma earlier in his career. This seems like a decisive season for the 51-year-old Italian, as his coaching career may not survive another failure of a season.
CAPTAIN – MIGUEL VELOSO
The 35-year-old Miguel Veloso is the Gialloblu’s captain, having signed from Genoa in 2019. The Portuguese midfielder, who previously played for Sporting and Dynamo Kyiv, is a vocal and commanding leader, being the anchor in the team’s four-man midfield. Being the oldest in the Hellas Verona squad, Veloso is an experienced and well-traveled player who acts as a good role model for the rest of the squad, working hard in a defensive role. The player, whose contract expires with the Gialloblu next year in 2022, won 56 caps for Portugal between 2007 to 2015.
PLAYER TO WATCH – IVAN ILIC
The 20-year-old Serbian midfielder may have only just arrived in Verona, but he is already turning heads. Ilic returned to the Bentegodi on a permanent deal this summer after a one-year loan in 2020-21. He is a young, promising player and his cocky chip against defending champions Inter last week displayed his confidence, flair and intense pressing. He is impressive both offensively and defensively and could become a talismanic figure in the squad following the departure of Mattia Zaccagni to Lazio.
He has been noted for his similarities to Biancocelesti star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, having good physicality and a powerful aerial presence. Considering his age, Ilic will still need time to reach his full potential, but there is a chance that he could become a household name in the future.