Starting on the 18th August, the Serie A tournament for 2018/19 kicked off with its first set of matches. Coming into a new season, fans are on the edge of their seats with anticipation to see how their beloved team will fair going forward. Although there have only been a few matches played so far, it is all about first impressions in supporter’s eyes and the moves and scores made at the beginning are a reflection on how the teams are expected to perform throughout the tournament.
Which is why in this article we are taking a look at how each soccer team playing in the top-flight Italian football league are coping this early on in the season. From the most outstanding performance to date, the scheduling of the games and even taking a quick peak at how Ronaldo is doing with his new club Juventus.
Fixtures and Scheduling
17/18 Serie A winners Juventus started off the new season’s fixtures with their match against Chievo which they won 3-2, however one of the goals was scored by the opposition into their own net, so on a skill level the team only managed to acquire 2 out of the 3 goals themselves.
Right behind them in the scoring table from last season, Roma also won their first game against Torino 1-0. And this courageous win was secured just in time at Dzeko hit it into the back of the net at 89 minutes.
And finally, second place winners of 17/18 – Napoli played their first fixture against Lazio, winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Milik and Insigne towards the second half of the game.
In terms of how the teams are scoring at the moment from the few matches played, it really could be anyone’s game. However, the most impressive result so far would be for Atalanta after they triumphed against Frosinone 4-0. Other than that, the goals have been very close between the clubs, so they are all most certainly putting their best foot forward to begin with.
When looking at how they have scheduled the matches this season we can see that there has been a slight change to how they operate over the Christmas period. Usually planned for weekends, as we get closer to the widely celebrated holiday the games have been moved away from the normal Saturday and Sunday fixtures and slotted in during the week.
Ronaldo and His New Team
During this season’s transfer window Ronaldo signed a new contract with Juventus for 100m Euros and stepped away from his 9-year stint with Real Madrid in order to start his new journey with the Italian soccer club under a four year agreement.
Since then he has been welcomed by the manager, fellow team-mates, training staff and coaches and sees a bright future with the new team. He first took to the pitch decorated in his new monochrome striped jersey and scored a goal within the first eight minutes of the match during the pre-season friendly against their B team.
Not only has his speed and accuracy with scoring been a hit with the fans and team-mates alike. Also, it is believed that his work ethic when it comes to training is admired by his fellow Juventus members. It has been said that when the players arrive Ronaldo had already been there training for a while prior to that, and he is always the last one to leave too. And this type of mentality and dedication when it comes to soccer and perfecting your technique is hoped to influence the rest of the members and lead them to further victories, thanks to the legend that is Ronaldo.
Despite the club already being successful last season, fans are eager to see how Juventus perform this season with such a strong player and motivator amongst them bringing a fresh approach to the team. And they could quite frankly become unstoppable and dominate the Serie A 2018/19 tournament if their performance is on point.
How are the Promoted Clubs Doing?
Finding themselves in the bottom three at the end of last season, we had to say farewell to Crotone, Verona and Benevento. This therefore meant that three spaces were free within the Serie A tournament to allow the promotions of Empoli, Parma and Frosinone to take place. So far they have only played a couple of games in this highly competitive league, let’s have a look to see how they are faring so far when it comes to scores.
Winning first place was Empoli who had their first match scheduled against Cagliari on the 19th August. Despite them being new on scene, they have most certainly impressed fans of the club and of the Serie A tournament with this fantastic first impression. Securing 2 goals against the opposition, Empoli achieved their first success against long term competitors.
Parma finished second place in the 17-18 Serie B league and actually drew points wise with third place winners Frosinone but Parma has a considerably better goal difference between for and against. Taking to the pitch against Udinese, they managed to draw 2 all and when looking at the statistics of the match Parma was hot on the oppositions tails by acquiring a 44% possession during the match.
The most unsuccessful of the newbies, Frosinone lost 4-0 with Atalanta after their spectacular opening match to the season. Although they lost the game, looking at the stats you can see that they were really close when it came to the possession ratio.
How do You Feel About the Latest Season?
With only a handful of matches to go off, what are your first impressions of the Serie A tournament for 2018/19? Who do you think has the strongest chances of lifting the trophy based on how they have performed in previous seasons and during these first few fixtures? Let us know over on our social media channels where we will happily engage in all things soccer and you can also connect with fellow supporters across the world.
There is also still time to purchase you favourite team’s jersey and this is possible by shopping on our website – Soccer Box. Due to our extensive range of tops available, you are sure to find one adorned with your cherished club’s crest on. Show your support for new comer Ronaldo by ordering the Juventus home shirt now and cheer on the previous champs in style!
This article was written exclusively for Soccer Box by Loren Astbury
