Italian League Prediction Thread (Serie A)

[Lida93]

Lukaku still remains an important player for Napoli, the only issue that he is faced with is the frequent injuries that he usually sustains which is quite inevitable considering the role he plays as a frontline striker in a league that is naturally, but under normal circumstances you can't dispute the fact that Napoli can't do without him at least for now unless they get a better striker that can outshine him in terms of goals scoring ability, speed and power.

I've always liked Lukaku as a player,
maybe because everyone has always accused him, in my opinion unfairly, of being a mercenary.
He's a professional who works and does his job, no more, no less.

When someone is accused so unfairly, I usually take a liking to them. (him)

Anyone who has watched Lukaku plays would always love him because he's a wonderful player that always pose threat to defenders. When I started picking interest on him was when he first joined Chelsea in 2011. At Napoli he has really being instrumental to the club victory after Victor Osimhen exit, and I share some doubt that Antonio Conte would want to do away with him regardless of any temporary slowdown on his form, however, to even think of it, he isn't doing badly in the ongoing World Cup for Belgium, in the US.

[Velvet78]

I don't think that Ibrahimovic is a person who can cover a managerial role, he wasn't sent away i don't know why, however i would be very careful when selecting the next coach, but i don't understand why they took someone like Allegri who is doing badly in any team he has been.

I also think the same about Zlatan honestly. He doesn't seem like a profile who can manage a team successfully to me. Maybe his ego makes me think like that I don't know. 

But he could be a coach on the other hand. A coach to train strikers to be a solid one like himself. But I don't know if there is any such idea in his mind now. For now he is an advisor at Milan...

[kennycryptoitalia]

Lukaku is a great player and I have had him on my radar for a long time. I watched him play in the 2018 World Cup where he caught my eye with his brilliant performances. He is a player who can make an impact on the pitch and on days when he is in form he is enough to win the game. But his main enemy is injuries, he is not as well known as he should be because of injuries. Napoli definitely missed him last season. In his absence, Napoli's attack was very weak.

lukaku a simply perfect player, the striker that all teams and all coaches want, I'm happy that Antonio Conte took him under his wing and that he always wants him in whatever team he plays, if he sees the goal it's a guaranteed goal, and there are few in Europe who do it.

[changaa]

Clearly, if a former player who is also linked to the club manages a team, the whole situation changes.
Because in addition to doing it with professionalism, knowledge of the team, the managers, the club, he will do it with a different spirit, that of being at home and at home and therefore working peacefully.
Does this sound stupid? It is not, the psychological factor in the players and the coach is often overlooked, yet it plays a very important role.

yes, they certainly don't want to lose the relationship that has been created with the player, clearly this player can give a lot to the team, whoever was a former player of that team can certainly go very far compared to the others, because he has a certain affinity with the club he played with.

[Iranus]

lukaku a simply perfect player, the striker that all teams and all coaches want, I'm happy that Antonio Conte took him under his wing and that he always wants him in whatever team he plays, if he sees the goal it's a guaranteed goal, and there are few in Europe who do it.

Lukaku is a talented player, no one will argue with that.  But scoring 20 + is quite difficult for him. He has  not even managed to score 15+ goals in serie a in the last  4 seasons. There is no doubt that napoli will benefit from having lukaku in the squad. But napoli need another talented forward. If they want to win the title , they will definitely  have to strengthen their attack. We  saw napoli's weak attack last  season too. But they were able to hold on to second  place in the table due to their strong defense.

[karabiber]

Lukaku is a great player and I have had him on my radar for a long time. I watched him play in the 2018 World Cup where he caught my eye with his brilliant performances. He is a player who can make an impact on the pitch and on days when he is in form he is enough to win the game. But his main enemy is injuries, he is not as well known as he should be because of injuries. Napoli definitely missed him last season. In his absence, Napoli's attack was very weak.

lukaku a simply perfect player, the striker that all teams and all coaches want, I'm happy that Antonio Conte took him under his wing and that he always wants him in whatever team he plays, if he sees the goal it's a guaranteed goal, and there are few in Europe who do it.

Despite his size, he’s an incredibly fast and agile player. He dribbles past defenders, holds up the ball in the final third, draws opposing center backs onto his back to wear them down, and creates space for the right and left wingers. It’s very difficult to take the ball away from him when he has his back to the goal. Although he’s not as fast as he used to be partly due to his age when he turns and drives forward with the ball, he completely dismantles the opposing defense and I’m talking about Serie A defenses here. He’s a complete player who can head the ball in the air and control it on the ground. I’d even go so far as to say that a fit Lukaku is still the best.

In the World Cup match against Egypt, Lukaku’s entry into the game not only led to the equalizing goal but also eased the heavy psychological pressure on the entire team. Belgium played better in the final minutes, and if Lukaku’s header had been just a bit more accurate, they would have almost secured all three points. He’s still showing his class.

[Alex077]

I have always liked Romelu Lukaku, i don't deny that this influences my opinion, i am aware of it, if you want to have the chance to win, with him you are sometimes certain, because he always manages to change the game and make it better in all points, also motivating the team to improve overall.

Lukaku is a beast if he is fit. There is no doubt that he has the ability to dominate and change matches single handedly. But his injury record also needs to be taken into account, so it is quite risky to have high expectations for him next season. I think the most important thing for Napoli right now is squad depth. They cannot rely on just one or two big players. So the best decision would be to properly reinforce the attacking side instead of blindly depending on him. Let's see who they bring in as a starting striker next season

If they are thinking of dropping Lukaku, then this decision may have a big impact on the team. Because Lukaku is definitely a good player and it is not easy to find a player as talented and strong as Lukaku in the team. Taking the decision to drop Lukaku from the team at this moment may not be the right decision. He has fallen victim to this situation because of his injury. If he had not suffered from the injury, maybe we would have seen him do much better on the field.

Totally agree. Lukaku is a massive presence and goalscorer when fully fit. But if we think he will be fit for an entire Serie A and UCL season, we will be disappointed. Without Conte, plus possibly Lukaku, Napoli's attack will now need heavy investment. With Allegri coming in, the style of play will also change.

[HajiBagi]

Lukaku still remains an important player for Napoli, the only issue that he is faced with is the frequent injuries that he usually sustains which is quite inevitable considering the role he plays as a frontline striker in a league that is naturally, but under normal circumstances you can't dispute the fact that Napoli can't do without him at least for now unless they get a better striker that can outshine him in terms of goals scoring ability, speed and power.

I've always liked Lukaku as a player,
maybe because everyone has always accused him, in my opinion unfairly, of being a mercenary.
He's a professional who works and does his job, no more, no less.

When someone is accused so unfairly, I usually take a liking to them. (him)

Anyone who has watched Lukaku plays would always love him because he's a wonderful player that always pose threat to defenders. When I started picking interest on him was when he first joined Chelsea in 2011. At Napoli he has really being instrumental to the club victory after Victor Osimhen exit, and I share some doubt that Antonio Conte would want to do away with him regardless of any temporary slowdown on his form, however, to even think of it, he isn't doing badly in the ongoing World Cup for Belgium, in the US.

When Lukaku leave Napoli they will know his advantage, Napoli is doing like he is not a good player after he has help them to win many trophies, after Osimhen leave the club Lukaku make them forget about Osimhen because he is doing well by scoring goals for them in many important matches, what affect Lukaku last season was injury and after he came back he also scored goal for the team in some games after he was sub in, Napoli think Hojlund is going to help them throughout the season and forget that he can not be depend on.

There are some rumours that Lukaku will not play for Napoli next season due to some personal issues with the club and i think it will be a good advice if the club and the player settle down and continue together, Napoli is playing in Champion League next season and if they don’t have good striker that is very strong against the opponent they will struggle to score goal.

[aipercoin]

Last season was the worst of Romelu Lukaku career, featuring in only five games before injury struck. Lukaku quality is undeniable, as he is a goal hungry striker.

His performance for Belgium in their opening World Cup match has certainly proven that he can be relied upon by the team to make a difference when they are struggling to score.

With this impressive performance, I think Lukaku will start in the next match against Iran. I actually prefer Lukaku over Charles de Ketelaere because of his superior quality and better finishing.

He's old now, obviously this translates into more injuries.
The "older" you are, the more your body breaks down even for trivial things, this is the price you pay even if you train a lot like Romelu Lukaku does or Cristiano Ronaldo does.

Never mind, they'll get another striker.

[Oluwa-btc]

I also think the same about Zlatan honestly. He doesn't seem like a profile who can manage a team successfully to me. Maybe his ego makes me think like that I don't know. 

But he could be a coach on the other hand. A coach to train strikers to be a solid one like himself. But I don't know if there is any such idea in his mind now. For now he is an advisor at Milan...

Then you'll literally see him punching and kicking any player who disrespects him both in the dressing room and also on the field of play  ( exaggerating ).

He could be a back up staff but not the main guy, he can just focus on punditry and other stuffs but never being a football manager. I love his role with Ac Milan though. I still don't know if he occupies that yet.

[bastisisca]

I don't think there is much left to talk about Lukaku and Napoli from now on. Because Conte has left so this probably means we are nearing the departure of Lukaku as well. 

I assume there would be some Saudi Arabia teams interested in signing him. However Napoli wouldn't get a high transfer fee I guess.

Anyway they have signed Hojlund permanently. What do you think? Have they done the right thing for the long term?

In what sense is Conte gone, are you serious?
I'm reading now that he left due to obvious disagreements with the president, i expected it.
As always the president of Napoli causes damage, this explains why Lukaku is leaving.
Lukaku goes where there are people he appreciates and respects. Once Antonio Conte is gone, he too is leaving.

[martinom]

Lukaku is a great player and I have had him on my radar for a long time. I watched him play in the 2018 World Cup where he caught my eye with his brilliant performances. He is a player who can make an impact on the pitch and on days when he is in form he is enough to win the game. But his main enemy is injuries, he is not as well known as he should be because of injuries. Napoli definitely missed him last season. In his absence, Napoli's attack was very weak.

Everyone knows Lukaku and at his best, he has a significant impact. Lukaku is also an experienced player, having played in several top leagues with big teams. His weakness is that he's been injured too often, which has led to a decline in his performance. What i like about Lukaku is his ability to score goals from various angles, from tight angles to headers thanks to his tall stature. Napoli lost him last season due to injuries, so he wasn't able to contribute to the team, although he's no longer young, his goal-scoring instincts are still quite good.

Lukaku is an incredibly strong player, who doesn't look at anyone, when he has to score he's like a train, he never stops, and I'm happy that he's emerging once again, because he always demonstrates his important character and never fails in important events, I'm really happy for him.

[Warkop]

I don't think that Ibrahimovic is a person who can cover a managerial role, he wasn't sent away i don't know why, however i would be very careful when selecting the next coach, but i don't understand why they took someone like Allegri who is doing badly in any team he has been.

I also think the same about Zlatan honestly. He doesn't seem like a profile who can manage a team successfully to me. Maybe his ego makes me think like that I don't know. 

But he could be a coach on the other hand. A coach to train strikers to be a solid one like himself. But I don't know if there is any such idea in his mind now. For now he is an advisor at Milan...

Zlatan's unsuitability as a coach is evident in his ego, and I see it that way too. However, if I had a choice, I'd rather be a motivator/talent scout than a coach.

I can't imagine if he were to actually become a coach, would Zlatan be like Gennaro Gattuso when he sees his team playing poorly and slap his players one by one, just as Gennaro Gattuso did when he coached a club.

[wakier]

Anyone who has watched Lukaku plays would always love him because he's a wonderful player that always pose threat to defenders. When I started picking interest on him was when he first joined Chelsea in 2011. At Napoli he has really being instrumental to the club victory after Victor Osimhen exit, and I share some doubt that Antonio Conte would want to do away with him regardless of any temporary slowdown on his form, however, to even think of it, he isn't doing badly in the ongoing World Cup for Belgium, in the US.

Lukaku is a player who is liked by Antonio Conte, he really played an important role for the club before he had a long injury, but I don't know how Antonio Conte feels about Lukaku now because if he continues to expect the player his performance might be different. He had an injury and didn't have surgery, resulting in a long recovery so his speed might be different. If the club were to sell him, I doubt any club would be willing to accept him due to his history of frequent injuries.

[babo]

Anyone who has watched Lukaku plays would always love him because he's a wonderful player that always pose threat to defenders. When I started picking interest on him was when he first joined Chelsea in 2011. At Napoli he has really being instrumental to the club victory after Victor Osimhen exit, and I share some doubt that Antonio Conte would want to do away with him regardless of any temporary slowdown on his form, however, to even think of it, he isn't doing badly in the ongoing World Cup for Belgium, in the US.

Lukaku is a player who is liked by Antonio Conte, he really played an important role for the club before he had a long injury, but I don't know how Antonio Conte feels about Lukaku now because if he continues to expect the player his performance might be different. He had an injury and didn't have surgery, resulting in a long recovery so his speed might be different. If the club were to sell him, I doubt any club would be willing to accept him due to his history of frequent injuries.

obviously the two have always gone hand in hand, it's nothing new
Antonio Conte leaving, and simply Lukako too, it seems like an absolutely normal thing to me
and he leaves slamming the door and Napoli is once again without a coach and without a striker
actually... he took Allegri as coach, we'll see

[cande86]

Like you have mentioned it is not his fault, if Napoli can do better, they will not have him exploit the said opportunity, but then they have chosen to handle things they way they have which has forced him to put up the reaction he is putting up now. I am even beginning to think it is a thing for Napoli because at a time we saw something close to similar with Osimhen, he at the time was the only decent striker they had untill  they felt he was beginning to be too important, so let them deal with it.

Napoli just have to face the second part of the championship in a balanced way. If they manage to do that then they can definitely do everything. I'm starting to think that they can return to where they started from. However, they won a Scudetto and that's no small achievement. This is necessary to ensure that Napoli becomes great again.

[banana33]

Romelu Lukaku is indeed a good player and he has proven himself very well in his prime, but somehow his fitness has decreased and he is prone to injury, could it be that there are activities outside the field that interfere with his fitness so that he is like that? I don't know about this yet.
His influence is great at Napoli and has satisfying results but because of frequent injuries makes him not so optimal so whoever the coach is definitely looking for other options that are more reliable, but for Hojlun himself last season he tried his best, even though the results could only reach second place in the Serie A standings.

there are many players who are great strikers but who are not at all at the level of Romelu Lukaku who instead always proves to be very strong and who always proves to have an edge, this makes Romelu Lukaku one of the best strikers in Europe, i am happy that he is in Belgium to always perform at the top.

[Cyber_warrior]

Romelu Lukaku is indeed a good player and he has proven himself very well in his prime, but somehow his fitness has decreased and he is prone to injury, could it be that there are activities outside the field that interfere with his fitness so that he is like that? I don't know about this yet.
His influence is great at Napoli and has satisfying results but because of frequent injuries makes him not so optimal so whoever the coach is definitely looking for other options that are more reliable, but for Hojlun himself last season he tried his best, even though the results could only reach second place in the Serie A standings.

there are many players who are great strikers but who are not at all at the level of Romelu Lukaku who instead always proves to be very strong and who always proves to have an edge, this makes Romelu Lukaku one of the best strikers in Europe, i am happy that he is in Belgium to always perform at the top.

Well age is not by his side and top level football especially Italian league football will definitely catch up with him because of the intensity in the league. During his prime days he his one of the deadliest and he won inter Milan and Napoli the scudetto. He his really a good striker for currently he his decreasing In performance and injuries are also cause of it.

Hojlund have proven to be a very good striker, he proved his worth at the club last season and I really think it a good move for Napoli to permanent his move at the club.  Well for Napoli it a win to have both strikers at the club but I know sooner or later one of them will have to go.

[bitgolden]

Milan already made the decision for Amorim, dwelling on that and considering if that was a good one or a bad one doesn't really mean anything at all anymore, it's done.

Now they need to reconsider the squad, because they are not doing that great on squad wise and they did not have enough good players to be top four, eventually fell off. They need to do better transfers this summer, sell anyone who they want to sell, and get people who are a lot better so they can do a lot better.

[tygeade]

Clearly, if a former player who is also linked to the club manages a team, the whole situation changes.
Because in addition to doing it with professionalism, knowledge of the team, the managers, the club, he will do it with a different spirit, that of being at home and at home and therefore working peacefully.
Does this sound stupid? It is not, the psychological factor in the players and the coach is often overlooked, yet it plays a very important role.

I think it is more about how most of the managers "used to be" from players in our fathers age, not ours, we did not see players grow up to be managers until we got old, and for that reason, to us, managers were just older players that we did not know as players but knew as managers.

Nowadays, I know almost all of the managers, and watched almost all of them, unless they are 60+ years old, in that case I still didn't see them, but I have seen some that are over 50 years old too, if a player was in his 30,'s and retiring early in 2000 then I watched them, and now it's 20 years later and they are over 50 and I knew them as both players and now also managers. This means I used to did not know managers as footballers, but now I do.