4' min
The first Sunday of the 2024/2025 Serie A season flew by, offering both interesting insights and concerning signals. It was certainly not a positive start for the new Napoli under Antonio Conte.
The arrival of the former Juventus and Inter coach, among others, was met with great enthusiasm and excitement this summer by the Neapolitan public. After a season to forget, which ended with a depressing tenth-place finish, expectations soared with the real star of the transfer window landing on the bench.
However, the transfer market has yet to deliver the striker Conte was expecting—Romelu Lukaku, who, under his mentorship during their time at Inter, scored 78 goals and provided 23 assists in 132 appearances. Patience is not Conte's strong suit, and in the press conference on the eve of the first match against Hellas Verona, he expressed dissatisfaction and concern regarding the transfer market situation.
At the Bentegodi, Napoli dominated possession, but it was Hellas Verona, under Paolo Zanetti, that won convincingly. A crushing 3-0 defeat that no one in the Neapolitan camp expected, least of all Conte, who apologized to the Napoli fans after the match.
The market stalemate, caused by the Osimhen-Lukaku situation, prevented the coach from fielding his ideal formation according to his game principles. The opening goal by Hellas Verona's new signing, Dailon Rocha Livramento, unlocked a game that had offered little excitement in the first half.
A delightful right-footed trivela assist from captain Darko Lazovic was finished in the best possible way by Hellas Verona's Cape Verdean striker, signed from the Dutch side MVV Maastricht.
By the end of the first half, Napoli also had to do without Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, who left the pitch unofficially due to dizziness and officially, according to the club, due to a muscle problem.
In short, things went from bad to worse. Fifteen minutes from full-time, Napoli's game plan completely collapsed following a glaring mistake and passivity from the Azzurri players in midfield. Ondrej Duda took advantage and served the ball deep to another new Hellas Verona player, Colombian Daniel Mosquera, who coolly slotted past Meret with a precise right-footed shot into the bottom corner.
The 24-year-old striker, who arrived in Italy directly from Colombia's América de Cali, savored his first joy in Serie A on his debut. But it wasn't enough, as in the 94th minute, he added the final touch for a 3-0 scoreline. A personal brace in the season opener for the Gialloblù's number 35 sent the Bentegodi crowd into a frenzy.
Meanwhile, today, David Neres undergoes a medical. The Brazilian winger arrives from Benfica, bringing great creativity and unpredictability to the attacking midfield.
At the Stadio Olimpico, Lazio treated themselves to an evening of celebration. Marco Baroni's Biancocelesti had to swallow a bitter pill in the 3rd minute when Venezia took the lead through Danish midfielder Magnus Kofod Andersen.
A defensive lapse by Rovella allowed Ellertsson to set up his teammate, who curled a shot past the helpless Provedel. A tough start for Lazio, who were without two stalwarts: Luis Alberto (who moved to Qatar's Al-Duhail) and striker Ciro Immobile (Lazio's all-time top scorer with 207 goals, now at Besiktas, where he netted a brace yesterday in a 4-2 win over Antalyaspor).
Stepping into the former captain's shoes is Taty Castellanos, who has decided to start his real Lazio season with a different attitude. And in the 11th minute, Lazio equalized: a grave mistake by Svoboda allowed Castellanos to steal the ball and slot it past Joronen, leaving him no chance.
The Argentine striker, formerly of Girona, enriched his performance with intelligent movements and several chances throughout the match.
The first half progressed until the 44th minute when Lazio's new captain, number 10 Mattia Zaccagni, converted a penalty to give the Biancocelesti the lead. The debut performance of Lazio's new signing, Nigerian midfielder Dele-Bashiru, was outstanding; a brilliant ball-winner who delivered a high-level performance in his Serie A debut.
The match was finally sealed in the 81st minute when Lazzari's low cross was deflected into the net by the unfortunate Altare. A convincing win for Baroni's Lazio, who managed to turn around a match that didn't start in the best way.
The arrival of Boulaye Dia from Salernitana will provide a quality backup for Castellanos up front. A well-matched and quality duo of strikers that could pose significant threats to opposing defenses throughout the season.
This will not be an ordinary season in Bologna. The long-awaited return to the Champions League has brought an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm to the city.
True, the mastermind behind last season's incredible run is no longer on the bench, with Thiago Motta now the new Juventus coach. And two key players, Riccardo Calafiori (who joined Arsenal in the Premier League) and Joshua Zirkzee (who scored on his debut with Manchester United), are also gone. Now, leading the Rossoblù is Vincenzo Italiano, fresh off three
