Serie A: Predicting the ultimate top 7 sides of the 2020-21 campaign
As we are constantly hobbling towards the final whistle of the Serie A 2020-21 campaign, the picture of Andrea Pirlo celebrating his maiden league victory — a 3-0 triumph against Sampdoria on the opening day of the season — with one or two exhilarating fist pumps in the hollow air keeps reminding us of the promise that the ongoing season heralded with its introduction.
It was a perfect commencement for Il Maestro to his new managerial life at his beloved club, the one where he had won countless titles and individual honours. But, things don’t always go as initially planned. And It didn’t go in the same way Pirlo had thought either, with now Juventus sitting 10 points adrift of the top of the table.
Just by seeing the points table, one could understand what an exciting season it has been in the Italian Serie A — a ton of ups and downs, a few shocks, and most importantly, the indication of a different champion have all been present there.
But is it going to remain the same? Would Inter Milan finally be successful in their attempt to dethrone Juventus from the zenith of the Italian footballing scene? Who could make it to the Champions League next season? Who could qualify for the Europa League? And who is likely take part in the inaugural edition of UEFA’s newly-launched Europa Conference League next term?
Through the next few slides, we will be trying to answer (or you could say we will at least try to predict since football, in general, is an unpredictable sport) all these questions on the basis of the recent performances that the teams, currently occupying the berths from one to seven on the points table, have produced.
Here is our final top seven of the 2020-21 Serie A campaign [all the below-mentioned stats and concepts are taken before the Matchday 29]:
#7 A.S. Roma — UEFA Europa Conference League
Currently standing 6th on the table, AS Roma are our pick to finish the season from the seventh position and perhaps be the first Italian team to play the maiden edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
If you are a Roma supporter, you might feel dissatisfied with this prophecy, and you should be. But there are data available to back up the claim.
Having played one game more than the two teams encircling him on the table, Roma are set to undertake a difficult end to this season, with matches against Ajax, which also includes a hectic away trip to Holland, making the fixture list tougher than anyone else near them for the Giallorossi.
Plus, Paulo Fonseca’s side is the only team to have lost three of their last five Serie A matches (the most among the top seven), meaning the recent records are not the companion of the Rome-based club.
They will play three matches against the opponents involved in the fray for the top seven finish prior to the culmination of the campaign. So, here’s AS Roma at the seventh spot.