Serie A: is the lustre back?

– Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Juventus, coach Carlo Ancelotti’s homecoming and Parma’s return to Serie A a mere three years after going bankrupt have made the new season one of the most eagerly-awaited in recent years.

After years of falling attendances and top players choosing to ply their trade elsewhere, there is a feeling that Serie A might be regaining some of its old allure.

Italy will even be back to four teams in the Champions League group stage this season – although that is thanks to a controversial re-formulation of the competition by Uefa rather than a significant improvement in performances.

Most of all, there is a hope that Serie A will continue where it left off last season, with Napoli moving closer to ending Juve’s domination which has led the Turin side to win seven successive titles.

Last season, Serie A was the only one of the five major European leagues to produce a genuine title contest, with Napoli’s brave challenge finally ending two matches from the end.

Napoli struck the first blow during the summer when they hired Ancelotti to replace Chelsea-bound Maurizio Sarri in an impressive coup.

After winning domestic league titles in France, England and Germany, and the Champions League with Real Madrid, Ancelotti seemed to have outgrown Serie A.

Ancelotti, who also won Serie A with AC Milan, seemed more comfortable at big clubs with spending power and where major titles were pretty much guaranteed, yet has now been lured to a club which last captured the Serie A crown in 1990. –