A closer look at Sassuolo, Serie A's surprise success story
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Gregory Caltabanis
3 Yrs Ago
Italian soccer has regularly been dominated by its traditional giants over the years, with Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan among others taking turns at the top. Atalanta was the most recent outsider staking a claim for a seat at the table, going toe-to-toe with Italy’s best for the past three years. Gian Piero Gasperini demonstrated that belief and a system tailored to his players can go a long way, a model Roberto De Zerbi has certainly drawn upon at Sassuolo.
The Neroverdi (The Black and Greens) are one of three unbeaten sides in Italy and currently sit just two points behind the league-leading AC Milan. Most recently, Sassuolo overcame Napoli in a comfortable 2-0 victory, all this without attacking stars Domenico Berardi and Francesco Caputo. De Zerbi has shown he is unafraid to take risks since arriving in 2018, putting into place an offensive, possession-based system.
The Neroverdi look to impose their own brand of fearless football, no matter the opponent. Sassuolo regularly looks to play out from the back and commit many men forward in support of possession. In fact, Sassuolo is currently averaging nearly 60 percent possession per game this season, with only Inter Milan faring better.
De Zerbi confessed his players were worried ahead of their clash against Napoli considering their notable absences, but the 41-year-old had other ideas.
“I was giving the team talk today (Sunday) and said I saw a strong starting XI that could win in Naples. They looked at me and didn’t seem to believe I meant it,” said De Zerbi. If we are going to lose, let us choose how to lose. We can be defensive and showcase their qualities or we can try to showcase our own.”
Manuel Locatelli is a crucial cog in De Zerbi’s intricate system, operating from the base of midfield. The Italian international dictates proceedings in the middle of the park and is largely tasked with feeding possession quickly into Sassuolo’s front four. Locatelli was most recently on the scoresheet, registering his second goal of the season against Napoli.
De Zerbi typically deploys his side in 4-2-3-1 of sorts, with the front four interchanging freely. Jeremie Boga is tasked with providing width and unpredictability from the left, while club captain Domenico Berardi operates in a free-roam role on the opposing wing. Boga was heavily linked with a move away this summer, after breaking onto the scene last season with 11 goals.
Sassuolo was reluctant to part ways with its maestro, negotiating with his former side Chelsea, to remove their buyback option from Boga’s contract. The Ivorian international previously came through the Blues’ youth ranks but failed to assert himself with the first team. Boga’s move to Italy has since paid dividends, with the 23-year-old emerging as one of the brightest prospects in the league.
Boga is but one piece to De Zerbi’s offensive puzzle in Emilia-Romagna. Berardi - the club’s all-time leading goalscorer - has made a home for himself in Sassuolo, despite being linked with a move away nearly every other summer. The 26-year-old has flourished in De Zerbi’s system and has since established himself as one of Serie A’s elite creators. Operating mainly from the right-wing, Berardi is constantly looking to get his teammates in dangerous areas but has also proven to be equally devastating himself.
Caputo has been the main benefactor of Berardi’s creativity, recording a career year last season with 21 goals. The 33-year-old initially joined from the relegated Empoli for just under eight million euros and has since proven to be quite the bargain. Caputo has picked up from where he left off last season, registering five goals in five starts already. Flanked by Boga and Berardi, Caputo has kicked into another gear and is ready to fire Sassuolo into the upper echelons of the table.
Sassuolo’s dynamic attack has shown no signs of slowing down as of yet, netting 18 goals in its first six games. The Neroverdi are flying high, sitting in second place but will be hoping to continue their fine run of form well after the international break when their schedule gets harder. De Zerbi and his men have shown they will stick to their principles regardless of the opposition and in doing so, will hopefully provide a blueprint for success for Italy’s smaller clubs.