One Game is Enough for Arnautovic

How long does it take to judge a player? In Inter's case the answer is one game and it doesn't even have to be a meaningful one.

That, at least, is judging by Marko Arnautovic's example. The Austrian forward arrived last summer from Twente Enschende and was promptly labelled as the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic. To be fair, there is a certain physical likeness between the two but reality is that it was the Slavic surname that really brought about the comparison.

Inter had battled hard to get Arnautovic. Twente were playing hard to get, a stand boosted by Chelsea's rumoured interested in him, but what looked like turning into an auction quickly fizzled out after the player suffered from a stress fracture to his leg that was to keep him out of action for a couple of months. Still, Inter were interested enough to press ahead with a loan deal that includes a clause allowing them to buy the player for €9 million.

Now it is increasingly looking as if they went through all that trouble for nothing. Already there had been rumours of Jose Mourinho's lack of enthusiasm over the player's attitude, what with his unwillingness to work hard to get back to shape and his increasing waistline. Rumours that increased considerably after Inter set up a friendly with Piacenza (which thely lost 2-1) last week specifically to test out Arnautovic and in which he was, by all accounts, crap.

Now talk has turned from 'if' Arnautovic will leave to 'when' with some insisting that it will be January and others going for next May. Either way, he doesn't seem to have a future at the club and will go down as another dud spotted by Inter's permanently beleagured sporting director Marco Branca.

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Serie A Preview 2009/10: Udinese

Main Transfers: Bernardo Corradi (Reggina), Jose Alemao (Santos), Leandro Caruso (Godoy Cruz), Kelvin Matute (Arezzo)

Outlook: Having waiting as long as they could, Udinese cashed in on Fabio Quagliarella this early on during the summer and with the money that they got ensured that they could comfortably price the likes of Gaetano d’Agostino, Gokhan Inler and Cristian Zapata out of the market.

It is around that trio that coach Pasquale Marino will build his squad that, as per tradition, has been boosted by a host of new players from South America and Eastern Europe in the knowledge that one or two of them will turn out to be quite good.

Having to shift their focus between the league and the UEFA Cup didn’t help last year as they failed to achieve any of their goals. There will be no such distractions this time round so nothing short of a Europa League spot will do.

Manager: Last season was a tough one for Pasquale Marino as the side seemed to hit the wall mid-way through the campaign and he was unable to lift them back up. This led to talk of Pasquale Marino being replaced but such knee-jerk reactions aren’t in Udinese’s style. That said, they’re unlikely to be as forgiving if the team suffers another disappointing season so the pressure is on.

Key Player: Having some of the biggest clubs in Europe express an interest in you can play havoc with a player’s mind so it will be interesting to see how Gaetano d’Agostino (pictured) does after a summer when Juventus, Real Madrid and Liverpool were all willing to sign him until they heard of the price tag that Udinese had placed on him. An intelligent ball playing midfielder, hopefully he will realise that in World Cup year it might be better for him to stay at Udinese where he is guaranteed a starting spot and as a result the opportunity to remain in Marcello Lippi’s mind.

One to Look Out For: Manchester United are apparently interested in signing striker Alexis Sanchez and it is easy to see why as the young Chilean striker has both the skills and the strength to be a world beater. Now that Fabio Quagliarella is gone, he is expected to step in and play on a more regular basis, something that is likely to lead more clubs into following United’s lead and try to sign him.

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Serie A Preview 2009/10: Siena

Main Transfers: Gael Gennevier (Pisa), Gianluca Pegolo (Parma), Reginaldo (Parma), Francesco Parravicini (Atalanta), Albin Ekdal (Juventus), Michele Fini (Cagliari)

Outlook: Another summer, another host of key players that have left but still no one seems overly worried. Key for them was holding on to manager Marco Giampaolo whose organisational skills are at the heart of their continued survival in the Serie A despite the constant sale of key players.

Maintaining their impressive home form will be of imperative importance for Siena as it is there that they must gain the points that will ensure a stay in the Serie A for the eight consecutive year.

Manager: With such a good track record both at Cagliari and at Siena, there were expectations that Marco Giampaolo (pictured) would move this summer yet, as with many others, the big clubs’ decision to look within for new managers meant that his options were limited and ultimately he ended up staying at Siena. Not that he seems all too disappointed as it gives him the opportunity to keep building on the side that he already knows so well.

Key Player: Captain Simone Vergassola is not a player that many are likely to notice but his hard work in midfield is key for Siena and typifies their attitude where working hard for the team as at the base of everything.

One to Look Out For: Agostino Garofalo’s season at Grosseto didn’t end in the best of manners as he was accused by the club’s president of focusing largely on not getting injured to ensure that nothing jeopardised his move to Siena but up till that point the left midfielder had played a significant role in the small club’s surprising run to the top of the Serie B. Now that he gets his wish of playing in the Serie A, Garofalo will have to fill the void left by Daniele Galoppa.

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Serie A Preview 2009/10: Sampdoria

Main Transfers: Daniele Mannini (Napoli), Fernando Tissone (Argentina), Marco Rossi (Parma), Matteo Guardalben (Treviso).

Outlook: The arrival of manager Gigi del Neri was the big news of the summer for Sampdoria whose transfers have largely been low key. Of utmost importance for them was keeping the strike duo of Giampaolo Pazzini and Antonio Cassano after the two hit it off so well in the second half of last season.

The two did so well that it led to inevitable comparisons to Sampdoria’s other strike partnership made up of Roberto Mancini and Gianluca Vialli. Pazzini and Cassano are perhaps just as talented as those two, and their understand almost as telepathic, yet the rest of the team is nowhere near as good as the one of Sampdoria’s golden era so dreaming of repeating their success is just that: dreams.

Sampdoria is usually a tranquil club where expectations aren’t too high but neighbours Genoa’s success last season has raised the stakes and they will now be expected to do just as good, even though the squad doesn’t look good enough to do so. A youth system that seems to be producing a number of promising players will help but the Coppa Italia once again looks like their best bet.

Manager: For some years, the man who had led Chievo Verona to the Serie A and then the Champions League looked to have lost his way as spells at Porto, Palermo and Roma all ended abruptly and with his reputation shredded. Yet the beauty of Italian football is that, despite all the sackings, coaches still keep of finding jobs and Gigi Del Neri was lucky enough to be given the chance to manage Atalanta, one of the most stable ones around. That stability allowed him to rediscover his touch as he led the Bergamo side to two good seasons. Having decided that he had taken them as far as he could, Del Neri now moves to an equally stable but perhaps more ambitious Sampdoria in the hope that here he can continue his upward ascent.

Key Player: Off the pitch he might not be the model professional that everyone seems to expect football players to be and his lifestyle leaves a lot to be desired. Yet there are few players in the world that can ignite a football game with a piece of individual magic as much as Antonio Cassano (pictured) can. There were rumours of Inter making a move for him but most probably it is better for him to stay at Sampdoria where he is the big fish in a small pond rather than end up being swallowed by the squad culture as he was in Madrid.

One to Look Out For: The best player of the last Viareggio Tournament – a famous youth competition held annually in the city of Viareggio – Guido Marilungo made his first full start for Sampdoria against Cagliari and marked the occasion with two goals. Five further games ensued during which he scored once more but enough had been seen of the twenty year old to offer him a five year contract at the end of June.

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Serie A Preview 2009/10: AS Roma

Main Transfers: Stefano Guberti (Bari)

Outlook: Contrary to most other clubs, most rumours surrounding Roma haven't included players' names but names of those who could buy the club from the Sensi family. So far, however, nothing concrete has come about meaning that nothing has been made available to be spent on new players.

That might change now that Alberto Aquilani has been sacrificed to raise some funds - without being missed by many - even if none have been used so far despite a host of players being linked.

As things stand, Roma start the season with effectively the same men as last season with the hope that at least fortune favours them a bit more. Indeed injuries ravaged their squad which led to questions being asked about the competence of their medical squad.

With a florid youth system, Roma can look within to bbolster their squad but that is hardly likely to allow them challenge for the league.

Manager: Luciano Spalletti has found out the hard way that people quickly turn on you when results aren't going your way as he ended the season being booed by his own fans. Which, of course, is extremely short sighted as he is the one has got them to play such good football in recent years.

Key Man: There is no doubt that Francesco Totti (pictured) is Roma's main man. Forget the technical skills that he adds to the team, his most important quality is the belief that other players seem to get when they're playing with him.

One to Look Out For: After a couple of years loaned out, Stefano Okaka might finally get an opportunity to prove his worth in Rome. Finding space in their forward line, however, won’t be an easy task.

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Serie A Preview 2009/10: Parma

Main Transfers: Davide Lanzafame (Bari), Christian Panucci (Roma), Valeri Bojinov (Manchester City), Jonathan Biabiany (Modena), Daniele Galoppa (Siena), Antonio Mirante (Sampdoria)

Outlook: Gone are the days when Parma were one of the heavyweights of Italian football and now just being back in the Serie A should be reason enough for them to be happy. Not that they can bank on that given that they look to be in for a tough season with a squad that is full of veterans and inexperience youngsters.

The return to Italy, and to Parma, of Valeri Bojinov is intriguing because he looked set to become quite a player before injury wiped off the past two seasons of his career whilst Christian Panucci will be out to prove that Roma were wrong to get rid of him but you have to wonder whether it is too little for them to stay up.

Manager: Having seen his career go down in ruins after a number of negative experiences at Palermo (where he kept being sacked and then re-hired), Francesco Guidolin chose Parma as the place to restore his credibility and did so to a certain degree by taking them up. Getting them to stay there will be a big challenge but Guidolin is expected to try and do so by going with the flow of much of the Serie A and switch to a system that includes the tridente (i.e. three strikers)

Key Player: After two seasons at Siena, midfielder Daniele Galoppa was probably looking for a move to a bigger side then Parma, especially as he was constantly linked with Inter and he made his Italy debut (along with half of the Serie A) in a mid-summer friendly with Northern Ireland. It is difficult to determine whether this is a move forwards or backwards for him but what is certain is that Parma will need his surging runs from midfield.

One to Look Out For: Constantly named as a future Italian international, striker Alberto Paloschi (pictured) didn’t really excel in the Serie B but still scored eleven goals which is quite impressive for someone so young. Indeed, that has served to further raised expectations and the nineteen year old should be a regular starter for Parma as he tries to convince Milan that he is good enough to return home.

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Serie A Preview 2009/10: Palermo

Main Transfers: Rubinho (Genoa), Javier Pastore (Huracan), Nicolas Bertolo (Banfield), Dorin Goian (Steua Bucharest)

Outlook: Walter Zenga has promised that his side will challenge for the league title but no one seems to believe him. With good reason because, whilst the squad has some excellent players, it is still some way off having the quality that is

needed to come good on Zenga’s words.

Much of their transfer work has focused on South America where they hope to have brought in two players – Javier Pastore and Nicolas Bertolo - who still need to develop and grow but who undoubtedly have talent. Romanian defender Dorin Goian, who Zenga knows from his days of coaching in Romania, will strengthen the defence although exactly why Palermo opted to exchange Marco Amelia for Rubinho remains a mystery.

If they avoid the usual controversies and Zenga is allowed to work in piece, then the feeling is that Palermo could do pretty well this season. Yet, with Maurizio Zamparini in charge, the prospects of a quite season are pretty remote.

Manager: Having started at Catania as a laughing stock, Walter Zenga quickly shut people up and last season almost led Catania to a European spot. However, after he publicly criticised the club’s fans for their failure to support the side when results had started to peter out at the end of the season, it was clear that his time there was over. No one expected him to be out of a job for long but, similarly, no one would have imagined him joining Catania’s fierce rivals Palermo. It is a bold move by him and he knows that very few managers have thrived under Zamparini.

Key Player: Capable of playing some exhilarating football, Fabrizio Miccoli (pictured) is Palermo’s star player and the man that they look to when things aren’t going to plan. Having made Giuseppe Mascara the fulcrum of his Catania side, Zenga will do likewise with Miccoli who should thrive under the former Italy goalkeeper’s guidance.

One to Look Out For: Initially he had the look of someone thrown into the deep end and unable to cope but as games wore on, Danish defender Simon Kjaer started becoming more confident. Strong but good with the ball at his feet, he is a player who is maturing rapidly and for whom this will be a big season.

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