admin
Rome – Inter Milan kick off the new Italian Serie A season today in the midst of fan protests and money troubles.
The chaos threatens to derail their title defence before it has even begun.
A dramatic summer for the champions reached its lowest ebb last week when star striker Romelu Lukaku was sold to Chelsea. The transfer enraged not just supporters but also CEO Giuseppe Marotta and new coach Simone Inzaghi.
The Gazzetta dello Sport reported Inter’s cash-strapped Chinese owners Suning forced the sale of Lukaku after having already offloaded buccaneering right-back Achraf Hakimi, a key figure in their first Serie A triumph since 2010, to Paris Saint-Germain.
Ready to pounce will be Juventus, who have Massimiliano Allegri back at the controls, and have added Euro star Manuel Locatelli to a midfield which was the Old Lady’s weak point under Andrea Pirlo last season.
Rumours of Cristiano Ronaldo’s desire to leave Juve have not dampened enthusiasm around the team’s chances.
Also sniffing to overtake Inter is a new cast of managers led by Jose Mourinho at Roma, who on Tuesday celebrated the arrival of Tammy Abraham, from Chelsea.
Mourinho was welcomed back to Italy this summer, memories of treble glory at Inter over a decade ago leaving Roma fans hoping the once Special One’s star has not definitively waned.
Elsewhere Maurizio Sarri will try to bring his brand of passing football to Lazio while Luciano Spalletti has a chance to get a talent-packed Napoli back in the top four on his return to club management after two years away.
Supporters will finally be able to watch the unfolding drama in stadiums after the Italian government permitted clubs to open their stadiums to 50 per cent capacity earlier in the month.
Italian Serie A Fixtures
Today: Hellas Verona v Sassuolo (6:30pm); Internazionale v Genoa (6:30pm); Empoli v SS Lazio (8:45pm); Torino v Atalanta (8:45pm).
Tomorrow: Udinese v Juventus (6:30pm); Bologna v Salernitana (6:30pm); AS Roma v Fiorentina (8:45pm); Napoli v Venezia (8:45pm).
Monday: Cagliari v Spezia (6:30pm); Sampdoria v AC Milan (8:45pm).- AFP
Online Reporter