(S9) Season Preview

lol... no-show Wednesday was simply to make way for DOUBLE FEATURE THURSDAY!!!!!!!

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HANNOVER 96​

rschwep​

Projected Finish: 6

Having joined TFS in Season 3, it took just 2 seasons for rschwep to rise up the ranks to Serie A. But after a 4th-place finish in his debut season at the top in Season 5, rschwep has failed to duplicate that result. With 3 mid-table finishes since then, will Season 9 finally be the time for Hannover to break out? rschwep has gotten better with the German club over two seasons, going from 20 points with the club in Season 7 to 26 points (in 2 less games) in Season 8. In fact, had rschwep completed all 20 games last season, Hannover easily could have finished in 4th. However, this could easily be another season of mediocrity for the club, despite the "Mayor of Hannover" Steve Cherundolo's best efforts.

Best Player: ST Mohammed Abdellaoue (79 ovr)

Along with Mame Diouf who is also 79 overall, Abdellaoue is a clinical striker. With 86 finishing ability, 83 shot power, and 82 long shots, Abdellaoue is a stud at the top of the lineup. Manager rschwep often likes to spell Adbellaoue with Diouf during matches, and the duo are both equally dangerous. We'll see if perhaps both will be on the pitch at the same time this season, but with so many attacking options available, Hannover will still have the ability to throw in fresh legs to make differences late in matches.

Player to Watch: CDM Sergio da Silva Pinto (76 ovr)

One thing that has flown under the radar in recent seasons is just how poorly Hannover has been on defense. Hannover allowed the most Serie A goals in Season 7, and followed that up with the second-worst goals against average in Season 8. Hannover doesn't really have that one stud defender, and thus da Silva Pinto will be relied upon to be that extra man in defense. He is also an excellent long shot taker, so should he find open space outside the box, don't be surprised when he rips it into the net.

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LOSC LILLE​

RedAL925​

Projected Finish: 5

Lille, led by TFS' Captain and Commander, is a dangerous team. With 3 players rated above 80 overall, including one of each in defense, the midfield, and on the attack, Lille is a well-balanced team. But after 8 seasons, Lille is slowly becoming TFS' Arsenal- just can't quite get over the hump to win that title! Excluding Season 7, RedAL's squads have always finished between 3rd and 6th. So unsurprisingly, I'm predicting that trend to continue. In the past, RedAL's teams have been marked by inconsistency and have failed to string together a strong 2 months of play. But at his top team of choice and with loads of talent out on the pitch, RedAL's time to break through is now.

Best Player: CDM Rio Antonio Mavuba (82 ovr)

One of two players rated 82 (the other being CB Aurelien Chedjou), Mavuba controls the midfield for Lille. The captain and France international is a well-rounded defensive mid who is also Lille's second-best tackler, behind Chedjou. With RedAL's favored 4-3-3 formation, Mavuba works well in the midfield with fellow center mids Marvin Martin and the club's nominated MVP from a season ago, Florent Balmont.

Player to Watch: RW Salomon Kalou (77 ovr)

There's no denying fellow winger Dimitri Payet's playmaking abilities. But on the other side, Kalou provided little to the Lille attack last season. With just 2 goals and 1 assist (which was even 1 less than the club's starting LB), Kalou failed to put his stamp on any of Lille's matches. If Lille is to take the next step in Serie A, they can't afford another dud season from the ex-Chelsea man. Once Kalou comes out of hibernation, hopefully he will be able to use his talented skill set to make a major difference in attack.

First of all, I have always aspired to be TFS' Arsenal, and I'm more than pleased its been recognized.

Second, if its my time to break out, why are you picking me 5th?!?

I have the same question. That's far too high!

Do you wear the stylish sleeping bag jacket though RedAL925 while you play with a sour look on your face?

only when I manage to get the zipper to work

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ANZHI​

Broncos218​

Projected Finish: 4

Despite winning Serie A titles in Seasons 1 and 5, Bronc has failed to live up to expectations in just about every other season. In the other 6 seasons Bronc has been in Serie A, his best finish is just a measly 5th place. Furthermore, last season marked the third consecutive season in which his teams finished with more losses than wins. So what positive take is there from any of this? Well despite some lackluster Serie A performances, Bronc has continued his success in the cups. Bronc took home the Coppa Confederazione title in Season 7 with Bordeaux before being upset in in Season 8's Coppa Tradizione Final against VfL Wolfsburg. But after that devastating loss, reports out of the club's training site in Moscow claim Coach Bronc was severely unsatisfied with the team's loss and is placing huge expectations for his players this upcoming season.

Best Player: ST Samuel Eto'o (84 ovr)

Tied as the highest rated player in Serie A, Eto'o is one of the best attacking options in the game. Now 31 years old, he still hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. At 91 speed and 90 acceleration, Eto'o has breakaway speed. And once you let him by, his 85 finishing ability and 83 shot power isn't easy to stop. Eto'o is the headliner for Anzhi on the attacking front, but don't forget about the plethora of other attackers in Anzhi's starting XI. Between Mbark Boussoufa (82 overall), Yuriy Zhirkov (80), Willian (81), and Lacina Traore (78), there simply isn't a weak spot for this attacking team.

Player to Watch: CB Emir Spahic (77 ovr)

After losing Christopher Samba, Spahic was recently brought in as Samba's replacement. Spahic doesn't have the physical presence like Samba, but he's still Anzhi's best defender. In the center of the backline flanked by Ewerton and Joao Carlos, Spahic will be depended upon to prevent any opponents from running free. Of the top 8 teams in Serie A last season, Anzhi had the second-worst goals against average. Spahic must lead an improvement in that area.

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GREMIO​

shiftee​

Projected Finish: 3

WHAAAAAAAAAA??????? You're going to pick the 4-time Serie A champion, who nearly went undefeated last season, to not even finish in the top-2? That's right. There's no doubting just how dominant shiftee was with CSKA Moscow in Season 8, but that was CSKA Moscow. Displaying the second-best offense in the league and by far the best defense, allowing just 10 goals over 19 games, shiftee manhandled opponents. The 10 goals allowed set a new Serie A record, but after the season, shiftee was forced out of Moscow. Then instead of another stop elsewhere in Russia, shiftee made a surprise move in packing up his bags and heading to Brazil. Now at Gremio, a team that has yet to ever be selected in TFS, shiftee will attempt to make a run at title #5. It won't be as easy as it was at CSKA, and it will also won't help that he'll be relatively unfamiliar with Gremio at the start, but shiftee certainly has the ability to crush opponents week in and week out.

Best Player: ST Welliton (80 ovr)

When shiftee chose to manage Gremio, I personally did not know much about the team. Even looking briefly at their starting XI, I still didn't see anyone who truly stood out. And then I saw Welliton. Welliton was a major part of Spartak Moscow's attack when shiftee managed them. In his 2 seasons with Spartak Moscow, shiftee won back-to-back titles and Welliton scored 46 goals in those two seasons (including a TFS record 29 goals in Season 4). With 92 sprint speed, you can now expect Welliton to duplicate Season 8 Serie A MVP Seydou Doumbia's performance.

Player to Watch: CAM Ze Roberto (79 ovr)

Gremio's second-best player, Ze Roberto at age 38 still has plenty left in the tank. Excellent on the ball and at passing, he will surely play a part in setting up Gremio's attacks. But with speed to burn at CSKA Moscow, shiftee simply doesn't have that same arsenal of players now at Gremio. Outside of Welliton and winger Facundo Daniel Bertoglio, Gremio doesn't have any true burners. How this will affect shiftee's strategy remains to be seen, and likely begins with the play of Ze Roberto.

also a heads up, Santa's gonna be out of office on Sunday, so the 2nd and 1st place teams write-ups will both be Monday

Who else is left? Zikry and CMac?

Can't get anything past this guy

What was passed was your most successful season when you became 3rd ! Oh ! I got that in my fist Serie A season by the way good luck with getting 5th spot

Zikry was actually my preseason favorite to win it all, but shiftee had the advantage of having a team like CSKA which was rated higher than any team in A!

On the other hand CxMacx10 just needs to play all of his games , and he will finish in top 2 with no doubt !

You should know by now that I don't win the title Three 2nd place finishes and twice 3rd...........If only this was a cup style competition then I might actually have a chance at winning.

Gremio and CSKA are pretty even with speed players dink and dunk to Welliton.

i agree 100%... not sure where all this talk about Gremio being a slow team is coming from.. dink and dunk or not.

Dink and Dunk offense is an offense that relies on short passes, short runs and moves the ball in that kind of manner.

There is no way Doumbia was doing all that! He always received a long through pass, run fast and all of a sudden he was 1 to 1 against goalkeepers!

Im winning it all.

So, yup - thats all.

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UDINESE​

Zikry​

Projected Finish: 2

Just short of 1st is Udinese. That's a common sight for Zikry, as even though he rips apart cup competitions, he can't quite get that elusive Serie A title. With 3 2nd-place finishes and 2 3rd-placers, Zikry was closest to the league title in Season 6 when his Ajax side fell 2 points off the leader's pace. With 49 points that season, it was the third-highest point total ever in a Serie A season. And he came away empty-handed. Last season Udinese finished, you guessed it, 2nd, and of course happened to have the 2nd-best defense. Zikry is always on the brink of winning the Serie A title, and once he finally does, he'll likely have a legitmate shot at a league and cup double or even perhaps the treble. But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet... we can probably count on Zikry falling just a few points away from first again this season.

Best Player: ST Antonio Di Natale (84 ovr)

At 5'7'', it's easy to look over the miniature Italian. But that would be quite the mistake, as Di Natale is tied with Samuel Eto'o as Serie A's highest-rated player. Di Natale has exceptional physical skills, with 90+ ratings in acceleration and agility, along with 80+ ratings in sprint speed, balance, and reactions. Di Natale is also deadly as a dribbler. Whether it's setting up his fellow teammates (which is often the 6'5'' Swede Mathias Ranegie), or scoring on his own, Di Natale is without a doubt the leader of Udinese's attack.

Player to Watch: CM Giampiero Pinzi (76 ovr)

While Di Natale got all the credit, Udinese's strong debut season under Zikry was due in large part to Pinzi's play. Pinzi finished as Udinese's third-highest goal scorer behind the club's two strikers, and second on the team in assists. But perhaps most telling of his game-to-game performance was his 4 MOTM awards. Only Serie A MVP Seydou Doumbia had more than Pinzi in that category. But with a new season on the horizon, can Pinzi repeat his performances from a season ago? If Udinese takes a dip this season despite continued success from Di Natale, Pinzi's play could very well be the hidden factor behind a change in results.

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WEST HAM​

CxMacx10​

Projected Finish: 1

And with 11/12 of Serie A'ers accounted for, that leaves Mac standing at the top this preseason. Mac has been dominant a the top-flight. In 4 seasons in Serie A, Mac has finished in every spot from 1st to 4th. But if there's one thing preventing Mac from earning his second Serie A title, it might just be himself. In 7 seasons, Mac has completed just 92% of his total match schedule, the lowest percentage of any TFS member not to drop out during a season. And failure to finish his matches has bit him before- failure to play in Season 3's promotion playoffs saw him stay in Serie B for an extra season, and completing just 16 of a possible 20 matches last season was the difference between his 4th-place finish and a shot at challenging shiftee for the title. If Mac desperately wants to grab the title, just showing up might do it for him.

Best Player: CAM Joe Cole (77 ovr)

Just one of 3 Serie A teams without an 80 overall player, Mac manages to do a lot with a little. Cole is tied as West Ham's best player along with Carroll. But while Carroll shows up on the stat sheets with goals, Cole's work is often the build-up to Carroll's strikes at net. Not the fastest player, Cole's best attributes are on the ball. With great dribbling, ball control, crossing and curve, it's no mistake that Cole finished with the most MOTM performances on West Ham. You can expect more of the same this upcoming season from the English man.

Player to Watch: GK Jussi Jaaskelainen (73 ovr)

West Ham's Finnish keeper is the lowest-rated starting goalie in all of Serie A. Mac has always had excellent defensive statistics, excelling at keeping opponents away from the net. With Jaaskelainen, it's imperative that West Ham's defense does not let opposing strikers anywhere near the box. In fact, Jaaskelainen had the second-lowest number of clean sheets among starting GKs in Serie last season, with just 2. If other teams are able to pepper the ball at West Ham's net, it's only a matter of time until Jaaskelainen makes a blunder and puts his club in a hole.

and that concludes the 12 Days of Christmas: Serie A preview. GL to everyone and hope it' shapes up to be another great season!

I would like to remind everybody of this. Can you say Top 5 finish in S9???

I guess you were right when just after that, you said: