Football Season Guide

When he acquired Monza, after having given up on his beloved Milan, Silvio Berlusconi promised that sooner or later they would reach the Serie A for their first time. And so they have 4 years later. At the end of a season which saw them finishing 3rd and missing out on direct promotion in the last week of play, they made it to the Serie A via the playoffs, defeating Brescia and Pisa. Monza held the second-best attack of the Serie B and the 6th-best defence. Giovanni Stroppa led Monza to promotion and he will be confirmed also for the new campaign, although his previous Serie A experiences were very negative. He resigned after 13 weeks at the helm at Pescara and then he got the sack after 24 weeks at Crotone. He usually adopts a 3-5-2 formation. A few youngsters and a few fringe players aside, like attacking midfielder Ramirez and forwards Mancuso and Favilli, Monza did not see any relevant players quit over the summer. On the other hand, many new faces arrived, while several loans were turned into permanent deals. So, in goal, Di Gregorio is set to remain at the club but, due to Cragno’s arrival from Cagliari, he will have to step down to the bench. The new signings Carboni, Ranocchia and Marlon, returning to Italy after a stint at Shaktar Donetsk, would be forming a completely unusual back 3. Carlos Augusto and Birindelli, coming from Pisa, would play on the flanks, with Sensi, Pessina, both looking for redemption after mixed campaigns, and Barberis acting in the middle of the park. Ranocchia and Bondo would be the alternatives on the bench. In the attack, one between Dany Mota and Gytkjaer would step down with just-arrived Caprari, after a great season at Hellas Verona, ready to step in. Goal aside, Monza are still on the hunt for players in every area of the field.