Porthos
Mentor
Serie A starts this week with Verona-Milan (Saturday, August 24, 6 PM CET) and might be an interesting competition for those (like me) who like a more tactical sort of football.
Undoubtedly Serie A declined from its hayday in the 90s, but this year they managed to stage a bit of a comeback. Serie A is still the third league in Europe by the value of players (after after EPL and the Spanish Liga, just slightly ahead of the Bundesliga).
As a reminder, last year Juventus won the scudetto well in advance, with Napoli in CL and Milan in the CL qualifier. Lazio won the Cup (and an EL slot), while Udinese is qualifying for EL. Siena (which started with -6 points), Pescara (which sold the best players) and Palermo (which fought until the end but was too weak) were relegated. Sassuolo, Verona and Livorno were promoted from Serie B. See last year's thread here.
However, while last year they were loosing players left and right (Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi, Thiago Silva, Verrati), this year they also managed to attract several important players (Higuain, Tevez, Gomez...). Several teams are either starting to build new stadiums (Udinese) or already have them (Juventus) or are in the planning phases. The league is full of foreigners (52%), but mostly White Argentinians, Brazilians and Eastern Europeans. This has somewhat crowded out homegrown talent, with the best Italian players often in their mid-30s (Pirlo, Totti, DiNatale). Racially this is still an overwhelmingly white league (almost 90%). The number of Blacks actually declined by about 13% from 68 to 60, same with Asians (from 2 to 1), while the number of Arabs increased slightly (from 8 to 10) and same with Mesitzos/Amerindians (from 9 to 10). There are no Jewish players this year (1 last year). France continues to be the main gateway for the Black players who are entering Italy, with about half of all Blacks having a French passport. However, this year there is also a 100% White team (at least at the time of this writing, the transfers are still going on) which is Hellas Verona.
The total number of players also went down from 600 last year to 566 (-34).
Regarding this year's outlook, Juventus is the super favourite to win the scudetto (title) - and this would formally be their 30-th title, so they would earn the right to have 3 stars on their jerseys. The closest competitor is Napoli which looks stronger than last year, while Milan, Inter, Fiorentina and Roma have some slight chances to participate in the fight for the top position(s).
I would divide the teams in 4 big groups:
1. Scudetto/CL contenders: Juventus, Napoli, Inter, Milan, with Juve by far the favorite.
2. Upper middles (EL or thereabouts): Lazio, Fiorentina and Roma with one or two of these possibly challenging group 1
3. Middles (slight chance for top positions, but also little danger of relegation): Parma, Udinese, Genoa, Atalanta, Sampdoria, Cagliari, Catania, with the last possibly dropping to group 4
4. Danger Zone (will have to fight not to be relegated): Hellas Verona, Atalanta, Sassuolo, Bologna, Torino, Livorno, Chievo
Some high level data:
Total Players - 566 (-34 vs last year)
Foreign Players - 299 (52.8%) unchanged
Racial Breakdown:
Blacks 60 (10.7%) -8 vs last year
Arabs 10 (1.7%) +2
Mesitzo/Amerindian 10 (1.7%) +1
Asian 2 (0.7%) unchanged
Turks 1 (0.3%) -1
Jews 0 (0%) -1
Whites 485 (85.2%) -25
% Whites by team:
Hellas Verona 100%
Atalanta 96%
Sassuolo 96%
Bologna 93%
Livorno 92%
Torino 92%
Sampdoria 92%
Cagliari 92%
Napoli 90%
Chievo 90%
Catania 90%
Fiorentina 88%
Roma 86%
Genoa 82%
Udinese 81%
Parma 80%
Juventus 80%
Lazio 76%
Inter 67%
Milan 56%
Foreign Players By Country:
Argentina 46 (15.4%)
Brasil 42 (14%)
Uruguay 21 (7%)
Serbia 13 (4.3%)
Spain 12 (4%)
Croatia 11 (3.7%)
France 10 (3.3%)
Colombia 10 (3.3%)
Switzerland 9 (3%)
Grece 8 (2.7%)
Ghana 8 (2.7%)
Romania 8 (2.7%)
Chile 8 (2.7%)
Portugal 6 (2%)
Germany 6 (2%)
Slovenia 6 (2%)
Sweden 6 (2%)
Poland 6 (2%)
Senegal 5 (1.7%)
Belgium 4 (1.3%)
Slovakia 4 (1.3%)
Netherlands 3 (1%)
Albania 3 (1%)
Algeria 3 (1%)
Ivory Coast 3 (1%)
Montenegro 3 (1%)
Morocco 3 (1%)
Hungary 3 (1%)
Tunisia 2 (0.7%)
Australia 2 (0.7%)
Denmark 2 (0.7%)
Nigeria 2 (0.7%)
Mali 2 (0.7%)
Bosnia 2 (0.7%)
Austria 2 (0.7%)
Sierra Leone 1 (0.3%)
Macedonia 1 (0.3%)
Island 1 (0.3%)
Kenia 1 (0.3%)
Guinea 1 (0.3%)
Peru 1 (0.3%)
Finland 1 (0.3%)
Paraguay 1 (0.3%)
Bulgaria 1 (0.3%)
Lithuania 1 (0.3%)
Czech Republic 1 (0.3%)
Japan 1 (0.3%)
USA 1 (0.3%)
Ukraine 1 (0.3%)
Egypt 1 (0.3%)
Here is a list of teams with data ant the locations on the map:
Here is a breakdown and small analysis of the teams ordered by market value.
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Juventus - value: 357M euros, 10 foreigners 35.7%, White - 80%, Black 10%, Mesitzo/Amerindian 10%
Absolute favourite for the third title in the row. This year probably stronger than last with Tevez and Llorente. Relatively White for an European heavyweight (look at Inter or Milan).
Black - 3
Angelo Ogbonna (italy/Nigeria)
Paul Pogba (France/Guinea)
Kwadwo Assamoah (Ghana)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3
Arturo Vidal (Chile)
Carlos Tevez (Argentina)
Mauricio Isla (Chile)
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Napoli - value: 239M Euros, 19 Foreigners 63.3%, White: 90%, Black 6.7%, Turk 3.3%
Probably the strongest contender to Juve, they sold their top scorer Cavani to PSG, but brought Higuain from Real Madrid. Their young and talented Insigne could "explode" this year. Goalkeeper De Sanctis left for Rome, and they brought the Spaniard Pepe Reina who should be a good replacement. The Whitest of the "big" teams.
Black - 2
Camilo Zuniga (colombia)
Pablo Armero (Colombia)
Turk - 1
Gokhan Inler (Switzerland/Turkey)
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Inter Milan - value: 226M Euros, 28 foreigners 84.8%, White 67%, Black 24%, Arab 3%, Mesitzo 3%, Asian 3%
Probably not a contender for the title but possible contender for a spot in the Champions League. They were reinforced by the arrival of the forceful coach Mazzarri (ex-Napoli) and the purchase of the Argentinian talent Icardi from Sampdoria, Campagnaro and Laxalt. Cassano left for Parma. There are persistent rumors that the club could be sold to the Indonesian tycoon Erick Thohir (yet another piece of Europe sold to Asians).
Blacks - 8
Rolando (Portugal/Kap Verde)
Juan Jesus (Brazil)
Wallace (Brazil)
Gaby Mudingayi (Belgium/Brazil)
McDonald Maringa (Kenia)
Fredy Guarin (Colombia)
Joel Obi (Nigeria)
Niang M'Baye (France/Senegal)
Arab - 1
Ishak Belfodil (Italy/Algeria)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
Jonathan (Brazil)
Asian:
Yuto Nagatomo (Japan)
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AC Milan - value 217 M Euros, 13 foreigners 44.8%, White - 56%, Black - 41%, Arab - 3%
Racially the most troubled team in Serie A. No significant reinforcements except the young talent Riccardo Saponara who came back from second division Empoli. Could compete for a spot in the Champions league, but it could also prove to be a big flop.
Blacks - 12
Cristian Zapata (Colombia)
Jherson Vergara (Colombia)
Kevin Konstant (France/Guinea)
Nigel DeJong (Netherlands/Suriname)
Sulley Muntari (Ghana)
Bakaye Traore (France/Mali)
Kevin Prince Boateng (Germany/Ghana)
Urby Emanuelson (Netherlands/Suriname)
Robinho (Spain/Brazil)
Mario Balotelli (Italy/Ghana)
M'Baye Babacar Niang (France/Senegal)
Arab - 1
Stephan El Shaarawy (Italy/Egypt)
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AS Roma - value - 171M Euros, 18 Foreigners (63.3%), White 86%, Black - 11%, Arab - 3%
Roma might be slightly weaker this year. The defender Marquinhos, Argentinian striker Osvaldo and even possibly the Argentinian talent Lamela might leave, while the only proven reinforcement will be the Dutch middlefielder Kevin Strootman. Their main player will once again be the veteran Francesco Totti, De Rossi and the Bosnian Pjanic. Probably in the upper half of the table but not even close to a place in CL.
Blacks - 3
Maicon (Brazil)
Gervinho (Ivory Coast)
Tallo (Ivory Coast)
Arab - 1
Mehdi Benatia (France/Morocco)
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Fiorentina - value 170M Euros, 25 Foreigners (80.6%), White - 88%, Black - 3%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3%, Arab - 6%
Fiorentina this year is stronger than last year with the arrival of Mario Gomez from Bayern Munich, oldie-but-goodie Ambrosini from Milan and Giuseppe Rossi (after a long pause due to injury) from Villareal. Should join the group of clubs behind Juve, possible "dark horse".
Black - 1
Juan Cuadrado (Colombia)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
David Pizarro (Chile)
Arab - 2
Ahmed Hegazy (Egypt)
Mounir El Hadouni (Netherlands/Morocco)
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Lazio - value 154 M Euros, 27 Foreigners (77.1%), White - 76%, Black - 18%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 6%
This traditionally right-wing club is going down the drain fast. Their captain Mauri is on the verge of being suspended for (yet another) betting scandal, while racially they are definitely not in good shape. Possibly Europa League material.
Black - 6
Mickael Ciani (France/Guadaloupe)
Abdoulay Konko (France/Marokko)
Luis Pedro Cavanda (Belgium/Angola)
Ogenyi Onazi (Nigeria)
Balde Diao Keita (Spain/Senegal)
Brayan Perea (Colombia)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 2
Freitas VinÃcius (Colombia)
Hernanes (Brasil)
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Udinese - value 92 M Euros, 20 Foreigners (74.1%), Whites - 81%, Blacks - 19%
Udinese is probably a mid table to Europa League team, depending on how much the veteran Antonio Di Natale can score. Instead of betting on African and South American players, this year they have a number of Eastern Europeans. Their owner Pozzi also owns Watford which was just promoted to EPL. They are building a new stadium.
Blacks - 5
Naldo (Brasil)
Allan (Portugal/Brasil)
Maicosuel (Brasil)
Luis Muriel (Colombia)
Mathias Ranégie (Sweden)
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Cagliari - value 72 M Euros, 11 Foreigners (44%), Whites - 92%, Blacks 4%, Asians - 4%
This team from the fiercely clannish island of Sardinia did well last year even though they had to play all their home games 700 km away in Trieste because their stadium is crumbling. However there are rumours that some of the best players may leave (especially Astori), so their performance this year remains to be seen.
Blacks - 1
Victor Ibarbo
Asians - 1
Radja Nainggolan (Belgium, Indonesia)
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Parma - value 69 M Euros, 16 Foreigners (45.7%), Whites - 80%, Blacks - 11%, Arabs - 6%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3%
This is a traditionally a middle of the table team and and will probably stay the same this season. Their main reinforcement is the arrival of Antonio Cassano from Inter.
Blacks - 4
Raman Chibsah (Italy/Ghana)
Afriyie Acquah (Ghana)
Jonathan Biabiany (France/Guadaloupe)
Stefano Okaka (Italy/Nigeria)
Arabs - 2
Yohan Benalouane (France/Tunisia)
Djamel Mesbah (France/Algeria)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
Jaime Valdés (Chile)
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Sampdoria - value 68 M euros, 14 Foreigners (46.7%), Whites - 92%, Blacks - 8%
Some of the best players from Sampdoria (in particular Poli and Icardi) left, so the team could be somewhat weaker this season. Probably destined for the lower half of the table.
Blacks - 2
Simon Poulsen (Denmark)
Pedro Obiang (Spain/Equatorial Guinea)
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Genoa - value 66 M Euros, 11 Foreigners (47.8%), Whites 82%, Blacks 18%
Genoa, Sampdoria's traditional city rival might be somewhat stronger this year with the arrival of the very good middlefielder Lodi from Catania, the Croatian defender Sime Vrsaljko from Dinamo Zagreb and the return of the striker Alberto Gilardino. Lower part of the table, but probably not struggling for relegation.
Blacks - 4
Sebastien De Maio (France)
Rodney Strasser (Sierra Leone)
Isaac Cofie (Ghana)
Moussa Konaté (Senegal)
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Atalanta - value 64 M Euros, 8 Foreigners (25%), Whites 96%, Blacks - 3%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3%
Atalanta could be an interessting team this year, possibly a surprise. They mostly kept their best players (the Argentinian Denis, Cigarini and Bonaventura), the young Croatian striker Livaja is a promissing player and they brought the strong Colombian defender Mario Yepes from Milan.
Blacks - 1
Moussa Koné (Ivory Coast)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
Carlos Carmona (Spain/Chile)
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Catania - value 63 M Euros, 19 Foreigners (73.1%), Whites - 90%, Blacks - 7%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3%
Catania was a pleasant surprise last year and this year they could repeat the performance. The Argentinian striker Maxi Lopez is back, but they lost a very good middlefielder (Lodi) to Genoa. Probably destined for the middle of the table.
Blacks - 2
Alexis Rolin (Uruguay)
Souleymane Doukara (France/Senegal)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
Fabián Monzón (Argentina)
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Bologna - value 49 M Euros, 16 Foreigners (53.3%), Whites 93%, Arabs - 6%
Bologna is somewhat weaker than last year. They kept their star player and captain Diamanti but the main striker Gilardino returned to Genoa. I see them in the lower part of the table.
Arabs - 2
Saphir Taider (France/Algeria)
Abdallah Yaisien (France/Egypt)
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Torino - value 48 M Euros, 8 Foreigners (34.8%), Whites - 92%, Blacks - 4%, Arabs - 4%
Torino will probably be one of the teams that will have to struggle to stay in serie A although they may be slightly stronger than last year. They replaced the black defender Ogbonna (who occasionally plays for Italy and went to Juventus) with the veteran Moretti (ex Juventus, Fiorentina, Valencia), brought the talented Ciro Immobile from Genoa and kept the winger Alessio Cerci.
Blacks - 1
Lys Gomis (Italy/Senegal)
Arabs - 1
Omar El Kaddouri (Belgium/Morocco)
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Sassuolo - value 39 M Euros, 7 Foreigners (29.2%), Whites - 96%, Blacks - 4%
Sassuolo is a first time Serie A participant from a small city city of 40000 best known for their ceramic tile industry. No major stars although the striker Simone Zazza is a rising star. Probably destined to fight for survival in Serie A.
Blacks - 1
Alberto Aladje (Portugal / Guinea Bissau)
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Hellas Verona - value 38 M Euros, 11 Foreigners (44%), Whites 100% :first:
Hellas is a famous team which went through hell in the last decade. After dropping to Serie B in 2002, they even dropped to Serie C (Lega Pro) for 3 years and risked dropping even further. Last year they managed a drammatic comeback to serie A after 11 years. Hellas supporters are well known for their right wing and anti-multikulti worldview. Their best known players will be Daniele Cacia, the top scorer in Serie B last year and the vetaran Luca Toni. They will probably have to fight to consolidate their stay in Serie A. They are the only 100% White team in Serie A. Go Hellas!
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Chievo Verona - value 37 M Euros, 13 Foreigners (43.3%), Whites - 90%, Blacks - 10%
Chievo is the "politically correct" city rival to right-wing Hellas Verona and is a somewhat artificial club with very few supporters. This year they will probably be one of the teams who will struggle for relegation. Their strong points are the French White striker Cyril Thereau, the Italians Sergio Pellissier and Luca Paloschi as well as the middlefielder Luca Rigoni.
Blacks - 3
Boukary Dramé (France/Senegal)
Maxwell Acosty (Italy/Senegal)
Mamadou Samassa (France/Mali)
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Livorno - value 30 M Euros, 5 Foreigners (22.7%), Whites 92%, Blacks 8%
Livorno is a team whose supporters are known to be extreme left wing, often sporting giant banners with the picture of Che Guevara during the games. They were promoted from Serie B but are the least valuable team in the league and as such they will struggle to remain in Serie A.
Blacks: 2
Alfred Duncan (Italy/Ghana)
Mbaye Ibrahima (Senegal)
Lat the games begin!
Undoubtedly Serie A declined from its hayday in the 90s, but this year they managed to stage a bit of a comeback. Serie A is still the third league in Europe by the value of players (after after EPL and the Spanish Liga, just slightly ahead of the Bundesliga).
As a reminder, last year Juventus won the scudetto well in advance, with Napoli in CL and Milan in the CL qualifier. Lazio won the Cup (and an EL slot), while Udinese is qualifying for EL. Siena (which started with -6 points), Pescara (which sold the best players) and Palermo (which fought until the end but was too weak) were relegated. Sassuolo, Verona and Livorno were promoted from Serie B. See last year's thread here.
However, while last year they were loosing players left and right (Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi, Thiago Silva, Verrati), this year they also managed to attract several important players (Higuain, Tevez, Gomez...). Several teams are either starting to build new stadiums (Udinese) or already have them (Juventus) or are in the planning phases. The league is full of foreigners (52%), but mostly White Argentinians, Brazilians and Eastern Europeans. This has somewhat crowded out homegrown talent, with the best Italian players often in their mid-30s (Pirlo, Totti, DiNatale). Racially this is still an overwhelmingly white league (almost 90%). The number of Blacks actually declined by about 13% from 68 to 60, same with Asians (from 2 to 1), while the number of Arabs increased slightly (from 8 to 10) and same with Mesitzos/Amerindians (from 9 to 10). There are no Jewish players this year (1 last year). France continues to be the main gateway for the Black players who are entering Italy, with about half of all Blacks having a French passport. However, this year there is also a 100% White team (at least at the time of this writing, the transfers are still going on) which is Hellas Verona.
The total number of players also went down from 600 last year to 566 (-34).
Regarding this year's outlook, Juventus is the super favourite to win the scudetto (title) - and this would formally be their 30-th title, so they would earn the right to have 3 stars on their jerseys. The closest competitor is Napoli which looks stronger than last year, while Milan, Inter, Fiorentina and Roma have some slight chances to participate in the fight for the top position(s).
I would divide the teams in 4 big groups:
1. Scudetto/CL contenders: Juventus, Napoli, Inter, Milan, with Juve by far the favorite.
2. Upper middles (EL or thereabouts): Lazio, Fiorentina and Roma with one or two of these possibly challenging group 1
3. Middles (slight chance for top positions, but also little danger of relegation): Parma, Udinese, Genoa, Atalanta, Sampdoria, Cagliari, Catania, with the last possibly dropping to group 4
4. Danger Zone (will have to fight not to be relegated): Hellas Verona, Atalanta, Sassuolo, Bologna, Torino, Livorno, Chievo
Some high level data:
Total Players - 566 (-34 vs last year)
Foreign Players - 299 (52.8%) unchanged
Racial Breakdown:
Blacks 60 (10.7%) -8 vs last year
Arabs 10 (1.7%) +2
Mesitzo/Amerindian 10 (1.7%) +1
Asian 2 (0.7%) unchanged
Turks 1 (0.3%) -1
Jews 0 (0%) -1
Whites 485 (85.2%) -25
% Whites by team:
Hellas Verona 100%
Atalanta 96%
Sassuolo 96%
Bologna 93%
Livorno 92%
Torino 92%
Sampdoria 92%
Cagliari 92%
Napoli 90%
Chievo 90%
Catania 90%
Fiorentina 88%
Roma 86%
Genoa 82%
Udinese 81%
Parma 80%
Juventus 80%
Lazio 76%
Inter 67%
Milan 56%
Foreign Players By Country:
Argentina 46 (15.4%)
Brasil 42 (14%)
Uruguay 21 (7%)
Serbia 13 (4.3%)
Spain 12 (4%)
Croatia 11 (3.7%)
France 10 (3.3%)
Colombia 10 (3.3%)
Switzerland 9 (3%)
Grece 8 (2.7%)
Ghana 8 (2.7%)
Romania 8 (2.7%)
Chile 8 (2.7%)
Portugal 6 (2%)
Germany 6 (2%)
Slovenia 6 (2%)
Sweden 6 (2%)
Poland 6 (2%)
Senegal 5 (1.7%)
Belgium 4 (1.3%)
Slovakia 4 (1.3%)
Netherlands 3 (1%)
Albania 3 (1%)
Algeria 3 (1%)
Ivory Coast 3 (1%)
Montenegro 3 (1%)
Morocco 3 (1%)
Hungary 3 (1%)
Tunisia 2 (0.7%)
Australia 2 (0.7%)
Denmark 2 (0.7%)
Nigeria 2 (0.7%)
Mali 2 (0.7%)
Bosnia 2 (0.7%)
Austria 2 (0.7%)
Sierra Leone 1 (0.3%)
Macedonia 1 (0.3%)
Island 1 (0.3%)
Kenia 1 (0.3%)
Guinea 1 (0.3%)
Peru 1 (0.3%)
Finland 1 (0.3%)
Paraguay 1 (0.3%)
Bulgaria 1 (0.3%)
Lithuania 1 (0.3%)
Czech Republic 1 (0.3%)
Japan 1 (0.3%)
USA 1 (0.3%)
Ukraine 1 (0.3%)
Egypt 1 (0.3%)
Here is a list of teams with data ant the locations on the map:
Here is a breakdown and small analysis of the teams ordered by market value.
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Juventus - value: 357M euros, 10 foreigners 35.7%, White - 80%, Black 10%, Mesitzo/Amerindian 10%
Absolute favourite for the third title in the row. This year probably stronger than last with Tevez and Llorente. Relatively White for an European heavyweight (look at Inter or Milan).
Black - 3
Angelo Ogbonna (italy/Nigeria)
Paul Pogba (France/Guinea)
Kwadwo Assamoah (Ghana)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3
Arturo Vidal (Chile)
Carlos Tevez (Argentina)
Mauricio Isla (Chile)
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Napoli - value: 239M Euros, 19 Foreigners 63.3%, White: 90%, Black 6.7%, Turk 3.3%
Probably the strongest contender to Juve, they sold their top scorer Cavani to PSG, but brought Higuain from Real Madrid. Their young and talented Insigne could "explode" this year. Goalkeeper De Sanctis left for Rome, and they brought the Spaniard Pepe Reina who should be a good replacement. The Whitest of the "big" teams.
Black - 2
Camilo Zuniga (colombia)
Pablo Armero (Colombia)
Turk - 1
Gokhan Inler (Switzerland/Turkey)
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Inter Milan - value: 226M Euros, 28 foreigners 84.8%, White 67%, Black 24%, Arab 3%, Mesitzo 3%, Asian 3%
Probably not a contender for the title but possible contender for a spot in the Champions League. They were reinforced by the arrival of the forceful coach Mazzarri (ex-Napoli) and the purchase of the Argentinian talent Icardi from Sampdoria, Campagnaro and Laxalt. Cassano left for Parma. There are persistent rumors that the club could be sold to the Indonesian tycoon Erick Thohir (yet another piece of Europe sold to Asians).
Blacks - 8
Rolando (Portugal/Kap Verde)
Juan Jesus (Brazil)
Wallace (Brazil)
Gaby Mudingayi (Belgium/Brazil)
McDonald Maringa (Kenia)
Fredy Guarin (Colombia)
Joel Obi (Nigeria)
Niang M'Baye (France/Senegal)
Arab - 1
Ishak Belfodil (Italy/Algeria)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
Jonathan (Brazil)
Asian:
Yuto Nagatomo (Japan)
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AC Milan - value 217 M Euros, 13 foreigners 44.8%, White - 56%, Black - 41%, Arab - 3%
Racially the most troubled team in Serie A. No significant reinforcements except the young talent Riccardo Saponara who came back from second division Empoli. Could compete for a spot in the Champions league, but it could also prove to be a big flop.
Blacks - 12
Cristian Zapata (Colombia)
Jherson Vergara (Colombia)
Kevin Konstant (France/Guinea)
Nigel DeJong (Netherlands/Suriname)
Sulley Muntari (Ghana)
Bakaye Traore (France/Mali)
Kevin Prince Boateng (Germany/Ghana)
Urby Emanuelson (Netherlands/Suriname)
Robinho (Spain/Brazil)
Mario Balotelli (Italy/Ghana)
M'Baye Babacar Niang (France/Senegal)
Arab - 1
Stephan El Shaarawy (Italy/Egypt)
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AS Roma - value - 171M Euros, 18 Foreigners (63.3%), White 86%, Black - 11%, Arab - 3%
Roma might be slightly weaker this year. The defender Marquinhos, Argentinian striker Osvaldo and even possibly the Argentinian talent Lamela might leave, while the only proven reinforcement will be the Dutch middlefielder Kevin Strootman. Their main player will once again be the veteran Francesco Totti, De Rossi and the Bosnian Pjanic. Probably in the upper half of the table but not even close to a place in CL.
Blacks - 3
Maicon (Brazil)
Gervinho (Ivory Coast)
Tallo (Ivory Coast)
Arab - 1
Mehdi Benatia (France/Morocco)
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Fiorentina - value 170M Euros, 25 Foreigners (80.6%), White - 88%, Black - 3%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3%, Arab - 6%
Fiorentina this year is stronger than last year with the arrival of Mario Gomez from Bayern Munich, oldie-but-goodie Ambrosini from Milan and Giuseppe Rossi (after a long pause due to injury) from Villareal. Should join the group of clubs behind Juve, possible "dark horse".
Black - 1
Juan Cuadrado (Colombia)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
David Pizarro (Chile)
Arab - 2
Ahmed Hegazy (Egypt)
Mounir El Hadouni (Netherlands/Morocco)
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Lazio - value 154 M Euros, 27 Foreigners (77.1%), White - 76%, Black - 18%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 6%
This traditionally right-wing club is going down the drain fast. Their captain Mauri is on the verge of being suspended for (yet another) betting scandal, while racially they are definitely not in good shape. Possibly Europa League material.
Black - 6
Mickael Ciani (France/Guadaloupe)
Abdoulay Konko (France/Marokko)
Luis Pedro Cavanda (Belgium/Angola)
Ogenyi Onazi (Nigeria)
Balde Diao Keita (Spain/Senegal)
Brayan Perea (Colombia)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 2
Freitas VinÃcius (Colombia)
Hernanes (Brasil)
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Udinese - value 92 M Euros, 20 Foreigners (74.1%), Whites - 81%, Blacks - 19%
Udinese is probably a mid table to Europa League team, depending on how much the veteran Antonio Di Natale can score. Instead of betting on African and South American players, this year they have a number of Eastern Europeans. Their owner Pozzi also owns Watford which was just promoted to EPL. They are building a new stadium.
Blacks - 5
Naldo (Brasil)
Allan (Portugal/Brasil)
Maicosuel (Brasil)
Luis Muriel (Colombia)
Mathias Ranégie (Sweden)
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Cagliari - value 72 M Euros, 11 Foreigners (44%), Whites - 92%, Blacks 4%, Asians - 4%
This team from the fiercely clannish island of Sardinia did well last year even though they had to play all their home games 700 km away in Trieste because their stadium is crumbling. However there are rumours that some of the best players may leave (especially Astori), so their performance this year remains to be seen.
Blacks - 1
Victor Ibarbo
Asians - 1
Radja Nainggolan (Belgium, Indonesia)
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Parma - value 69 M Euros, 16 Foreigners (45.7%), Whites - 80%, Blacks - 11%, Arabs - 6%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3%
This is a traditionally a middle of the table team and and will probably stay the same this season. Their main reinforcement is the arrival of Antonio Cassano from Inter.
Blacks - 4
Raman Chibsah (Italy/Ghana)
Afriyie Acquah (Ghana)
Jonathan Biabiany (France/Guadaloupe)
Stefano Okaka (Italy/Nigeria)
Arabs - 2
Yohan Benalouane (France/Tunisia)
Djamel Mesbah (France/Algeria)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
Jaime Valdés (Chile)
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Sampdoria - value 68 M euros, 14 Foreigners (46.7%), Whites - 92%, Blacks - 8%
Some of the best players from Sampdoria (in particular Poli and Icardi) left, so the team could be somewhat weaker this season. Probably destined for the lower half of the table.
Blacks - 2
Simon Poulsen (Denmark)
Pedro Obiang (Spain/Equatorial Guinea)
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Genoa - value 66 M Euros, 11 Foreigners (47.8%), Whites 82%, Blacks 18%
Genoa, Sampdoria's traditional city rival might be somewhat stronger this year with the arrival of the very good middlefielder Lodi from Catania, the Croatian defender Sime Vrsaljko from Dinamo Zagreb and the return of the striker Alberto Gilardino. Lower part of the table, but probably not struggling for relegation.
Blacks - 4
Sebastien De Maio (France)
Rodney Strasser (Sierra Leone)
Isaac Cofie (Ghana)
Moussa Konaté (Senegal)
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Atalanta - value 64 M Euros, 8 Foreigners (25%), Whites 96%, Blacks - 3%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3%
Atalanta could be an interessting team this year, possibly a surprise. They mostly kept their best players (the Argentinian Denis, Cigarini and Bonaventura), the young Croatian striker Livaja is a promissing player and they brought the strong Colombian defender Mario Yepes from Milan.
Blacks - 1
Moussa Koné (Ivory Coast)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
Carlos Carmona (Spain/Chile)
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Catania - value 63 M Euros, 19 Foreigners (73.1%), Whites - 90%, Blacks - 7%, Mesitzo/Amerindian - 3%
Catania was a pleasant surprise last year and this year they could repeat the performance. The Argentinian striker Maxi Lopez is back, but they lost a very good middlefielder (Lodi) to Genoa. Probably destined for the middle of the table.
Blacks - 2
Alexis Rolin (Uruguay)
Souleymane Doukara (France/Senegal)
Mesitzo/Amerindian - 1
Fabián Monzón (Argentina)
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Bologna - value 49 M Euros, 16 Foreigners (53.3%), Whites 93%, Arabs - 6%
Bologna is somewhat weaker than last year. They kept their star player and captain Diamanti but the main striker Gilardino returned to Genoa. I see them in the lower part of the table.
Arabs - 2
Saphir Taider (France/Algeria)
Abdallah Yaisien (France/Egypt)
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Torino - value 48 M Euros, 8 Foreigners (34.8%), Whites - 92%, Blacks - 4%, Arabs - 4%
Torino will probably be one of the teams that will have to struggle to stay in serie A although they may be slightly stronger than last year. They replaced the black defender Ogbonna (who occasionally plays for Italy and went to Juventus) with the veteran Moretti (ex Juventus, Fiorentina, Valencia), brought the talented Ciro Immobile from Genoa and kept the winger Alessio Cerci.
Blacks - 1
Lys Gomis (Italy/Senegal)
Arabs - 1
Omar El Kaddouri (Belgium/Morocco)
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Sassuolo - value 39 M Euros, 7 Foreigners (29.2%), Whites - 96%, Blacks - 4%
Sassuolo is a first time Serie A participant from a small city city of 40000 best known for their ceramic tile industry. No major stars although the striker Simone Zazza is a rising star. Probably destined to fight for survival in Serie A.
Blacks - 1
Alberto Aladje (Portugal / Guinea Bissau)
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Hellas Verona - value 38 M Euros, 11 Foreigners (44%), Whites 100% :first:
Hellas is a famous team which went through hell in the last decade. After dropping to Serie B in 2002, they even dropped to Serie C (Lega Pro) for 3 years and risked dropping even further. Last year they managed a drammatic comeback to serie A after 11 years. Hellas supporters are well known for their right wing and anti-multikulti worldview. Their best known players will be Daniele Cacia, the top scorer in Serie B last year and the vetaran Luca Toni. They will probably have to fight to consolidate their stay in Serie A. They are the only 100% White team in Serie A. Go Hellas!
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Chievo Verona - value 37 M Euros, 13 Foreigners (43.3%), Whites - 90%, Blacks - 10%
Chievo is the "politically correct" city rival to right-wing Hellas Verona and is a somewhat artificial club with very few supporters. This year they will probably be one of the teams who will struggle for relegation. Their strong points are the French White striker Cyril Thereau, the Italians Sergio Pellissier and Luca Paloschi as well as the middlefielder Luca Rigoni.
Blacks - 3
Boukary Dramé (France/Senegal)
Maxwell Acosty (Italy/Senegal)
Mamadou Samassa (France/Mali)
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Livorno - value 30 M Euros, 5 Foreigners (22.7%), Whites 92%, Blacks 8%
Livorno is a team whose supporters are known to be extreme left wing, often sporting giant banners with the picture of Che Guevara during the games. They were promoted from Serie B but are the least valuable team in the league and as such they will struggle to remain in Serie A.
Blacks: 2
Alfred Duncan (Italy/Ghana)
Mbaye Ibrahima (Senegal)
Lat the games begin!
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