Serie A Season Preview

So, on Saturday evening Calcio kicks off for another season in Italy after a summer of frenzied transfer activity when Serie A lost its two best players and arguably its most decorated sitting head coach.

Seeing as they are the reigning Champions, it seems appropriate to start off with Internazionale, who with little fuss wrapped up the 2008-09 title thanks to stuttering and ultimately rather lacklustre competition from Juventus and AC Milan. Real Madrid may have stolen all the headlines with their spending spree totalling the GDP of Guatemala, but, not to be outdone, Massimo Moratti managed to hoodwink Joan Laporta into the summer's most mind-bogglingly ridiculous transfer, which saw moody Swedish talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic move to Barcelona for €46m PLUS Cameroonian goal machine Samuel Eto'o. Now, I'm not saying Zlatan is rubbish. He clearly isn't. But it was plain to see for anyone who watched Inter's Champions League campaign that he has hardly dazzled at the very top level - which Barcelona, as reigning domestic and European champions, undoubtedly is. Inter, for their part, have managed to bag a proven goal scorer, albeit a bloke who is clearly more difficult to work with than Val Kilmer.

The nerazzuri were a busy club in the transfer window - Hernan Crespo, Julio Cruz, Maxwell and Robert Acquafresca have also departed, to be replaced by Genoa's Diego Milito and Thiago Motta, while Brazilian defender Lucio has arrived on a free and FC Twente's Austrian playmaker Marko Arnautovic is on loan. Goals, with Eto'o, Milito and Mario Balotelli in the side, should not be a problem, and the likes of Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti and Dejan Stankovic will be as reliable as ever. The problem for Jose Mourinho will be competing in the European competitions, especially if key defenders such as Ivan Cordoba or Maicon pick up injuries.

At cross-city rivals AC Milan, the gaping hole left by the departure of Kaka is the principal worry for rossoneri supporters, a transfer which means a higher burden placed on the misfiring Ronaldinho and the ageing Clarence Seedorf. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, a big-money signing from Real Madrid, is a menace in the six yard box and Alexandre Pato continues to look the business, but the real lack of creativity in midfield is surely a concern, what with Yoann Gourcuff, seemingly Kaka's natural replacement, now a permanent signing for Bordeaux. New coach Leonardo has similar problems to Carlo Ancelotti - an ageing defence and high expectations although with the acquisition of Flavio Roma, he may at least be able to solve a notorious headache of Ancelotti's, the goalkeeper position. Without Kaka, it is hard to see Leonardo, a rookie coach, guiding his team ahead of Inter.

Juventus also have a new coach, of sorts, with club legend Ciro Ferrara given the reins on a permanent basis following the sacking of Claudio Rainieri. For the Gobbini there is of course no Pavel Nedved, but two big signings have somewhat placated anxious Turin fans - Brazilian playmaker Diego arrives for €24m from Werder Bremen and Ferrara will be hoping he gels with - rather than clashes with - the existing attacking industry of Alessandro Del Piero and Sebastian Giovinco. To add steel to the midfield, another Brazilian, Felipe Melo, has been signed after just one season with Fiorentina. The Tuscan outfit did good business on Melo, getting a €20m fee for the former Almeria midfielder. Fabio Cannavaro returns to Turin from Real Madrid and Uruguyan Martin Caceres arrives from the periphery of Barcelona's multi-talented squad. There is no doubting the pedigree of many Juventus squad members but Ferrara will have to be crossing his fingers on the fitness of Del Piero, David Trezeguet and Amauri if he is to mount a concerted challenge for the title.

Elsewhere, Fiorentina will be looking to build on another consistent 2008-09 campaign, yet they were strangely sanguine in the transfer market with only three notable additions - Marco Marchionni as part of the Melo deal and Cristiano Zanetti, both midfielders coming from Juventus; and relegated Lecce's Argentine forward Jose Castillo, who at 34 certainly ranks in the veteran category. Genoa's squad is much changed from just a few months ago, with Hernan Crespo and his compatriot Rodrigo Palacio now harbouring the goal burden alongside another new face, the experienced Sergio Floccari. Bosko Jankovic, the Serbian, turned his loan spell from Palermo into a permanent deal and Thiago Motta's defensive midfield spot is taken up by Spaniard Alberto Zapater, who was so instrumental in Real Zaragoza's return to the Primera. Roma, who were so ordinary for much of 2008-09, will again depend vastly on Francesco Totti after no major signings, just the departure of Alberto Acquilani. Expect them to fall short of the Top 4. Udinese, Palermo and Napoli will be there or thereabouts, but expect seasons of disappointment if you are a Lazio or Sampdoria fan. Of the promoted sides, it is good to see Parma again and they are well placed to fight relegation, which is where Chievo and Bologna, after narrow escapes last season, will once again find themselves doing.