Predicting the Top Scorer on Each Italian Serie A Club in 2011-12

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It feels like an eternity since the final match day last season, but in only a few short weeks, the Serie A will return, ready for another exciting season!

As we get into the home stretch, I will be doing a couple previews of what we will see during the season in Italy.

I have always admired the Serie A as a defensive league, but one cannot deny that there are quite a number of great goalscorers in the top flight.

In this preview, I will pick a top scorer for each of the 20 teams as well as pick my ultimate Golden, Silver, and Bronze Boot winners along with my overall top 10 goalscorers for this season.

Atalanta: Maximiliano Moralez

2010-11: Eight goals in 32 league games with Velez Sarsfield (Argentina)

 

Atalanta do not have many attacking options of note, except for Cristiano Doni, but the addition of Moralez this summer could help them fight for survival in Serie A.

La Dea are back in the top flight after a one-year trip to Serie B, during which they won the second division, but they had no prolific scorer. Moralez comes over after a great run of form at Velez Sarsfield in Argentina.

Despite Sarsfield having several leading goalscorers during both the Apertura in which they finished second and their championship success in the Clausura, Moralez totaled eight goals. He has an eye for goal that Atalanta could benefit from.

Bologna: Marco Di Vaio

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2010-11: 19 goals in 35 games

 

I mean, does it really need to be said?

Di Vaio is always the leading scorer on Bologna. Even at 35, the captain remains an important piece of the team.

He will have help from Daniele Paponi and Robert Acquafrresca, but Di Vaio's age does not change the fact that he is one of the league's best scorers.

Cagliari: Moestafa El Kabir

2010-11: Played in Swedish Allsvensken (which plays from March to November in one calendar year) with Mjallby AIF. Scored 15 goals in 33 total league games before move.

 

El Kabir is an under the radar addition by Cagliari.

Even though he is not going to be leading the Sardinians to the top three anytime soon, he will still has an eye for goal that even the Serie A defense may find hard to blind.

This could also be a great opportunity for the 22-year-old Dutchman to make a name for himself and get Bert van Marwijk looking his way.

You probably have not heard much about him, seeing as he has been playing in Allsvensken, but he really made headlines scoring four times against Swedish giants Malmo FF in a 4-1 win for Mjallby in the fourth round of the Svenska Cupen. He also doubled up against them in a 4-2 win during the 2010 Allsvensken.

El Kabir has a bright future that has been completely overlooked. Keep an eye out for this kid.

Catania: Maxi Lopez

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2010-11: Eight goals in 35 games

 

If the former Barcelona player can get back to the form from when he made the move from Gremio to Catania in January 2010, Lopez could be a Golden Boot competitor.

That's probably an ambitious thought for a guy playing for the Sicilians, but during the 2009 season in Brazil, he scored 11 goals in 25 games before moving to the Elephants and scoring 11 in 17 during the second half of the 2009-10 season.

It may have just been an off year and it did not help that Catania are not the most inspiring team around, but it certainly can not be that he is not getting laid. Lopez is married to the incredibly attractive Wanda Nara. It has to be that last year he was unlucky to only get eight goals.

Expect a better season from the 27-year-old Argentine this year.

Cesena: Adrian Mutu

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2010-11: Four goals in 20 games with Fiorentina

 

Mutu has cleaned up his act it seems after a doping scandal which saw him banned from football for several months.

With a new team that has high aspirations and a new attitude, Mutu could be great for Cesena.

I truly look at Cesena as a team to watch during this season. I do not think that they will end up in a European spot, but they will be a tricky team for the big clubs to deal with. We saw already last year that they can give trouble; just ask Milan, Inter, Lazio, Palermo, Juventus and Roma, whom all had trouble with the Seahorses last year.

Mutu adds a star touch to this team that could see them finish around the top half of the table and look like a pest for the giants.

Chievo Verona: Sergio Pellissier

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2010-11: 13 goals in 38 games

 

The Flying Donkeys captain will once again be the top scorer. Pellissier has been the man in front of goal with 22 and 13 goals, respectively, in the last two seasons.

Even at 32, the Italian is the top option for a club that is hoping to soon return to the prominence that it had when it qualified for the UEFA Cup after the 2005-06 season, which led to them playing the Champions League after the Calciopoli trial.

Fiorentina: Alberto Gilardino

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2010-11: 12 goals in 35 games

 

La Viola are certainly excited about the highly anticipated return of Stevan Jovetic, but look for Gilardino to still be the top man in front of goal.

Since his move from Milan in 2008, he has scored 46 league goals and been a key player for the Florence-based club.

Again, even with Jovetic's return, Sinisia Mihajlovic's men will be relying heavily on the 29-year-old Italian.

Genoa: Rodrigo Palacio

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2010-11: Nine goals in 27 games

 

After four memorable years with Boca Juniors that saw Palacio garner heavy attention, especially after his Bronze Ball-winning performance at the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup for the runners-up, Palacio got the move to a major European league by signing on as Diego Milito's replacement at Genoa.

Palacio has shown his class since arriving at the club. He scored seven goals in his first season and improved with nine this past year.

The 29-year-old Argentine is sure to impress this season, especially being the best attacker in the Genoa setup.

Inter Milan: Giampaolo Pazzini

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2010-11: 17 goals in 36 games with Sampdoria and Inter

 

Samuel Eto'o was Inter's best scorer until Giampaolo Pazzini made his move from Sampdoria.

Between Sampdoria and Inter, the Italian netted 17 times, including 11 with Inter after the winter break, and really earned his way into the main fold for the Italian team.

After five straight years at the top, Inter slipped to second behind their city rivals Milan. With a new manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, and with offensive firepower from two of the league's best in Pazzini and Eto'o, Inter could compete for the Scudetto once again.

Look for both Pazzini and Eto'o to be near the top of the scoring charts.

Juventus: Alessandro Matri

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2010-11: 20 goals in 38 games for Cagliari and Juventus

 

Milan probably had no idea what Matri was to become when they let him go in 2007.

Matri went on to be a stud for Cagliari for three and a half seasons before a move to Juventus this winter. In 16 games at the end of the season, he netted nine times to add to his 11 at Cagliari and was right near the top in scoring in the league overall.

Juventus have only gotten better, especially in the midfield where they have added the likes of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo, who will help set up Matri to likely be even better this year.

Lazio: Djibril Cisse

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2010-11: 24 goals in 32 games with Greek side Panathanaikos

 

Cisse has been all over Europe, scoring goals left and right. Lazio got a great pickup with the arrival of the Frenchman.

He came on the cheap for a player of his caliber (€5.8 million). He has flown under the radar quite a bit in his career, but has quite the eye for big goals.

The 29-year-old is going to have a bright season in Italy. With many attacking options: such as Miroslav Klose, Mauro Zarate, Sergio Floccari and Hernanes, Lazio are going to be dangerous up top.

Lecce: Daniele Corvia

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2010-11: Six goals in 30 games

 

Lecce are my pick for bottom of the table (my full prediction will be published this week). The team is horribly thin and has literally no options anywhere on the field.

The best options Lecce have and two they will need to find a lot this season are Davide Di Michele Daniele Corva.

Di Michele has lost a step and, at 35, is nearing the end of his career. Corvia will be the main target this season.

The 26-year-old's numbers were down from 2009-10 to last season, but expect Corvia to be the leading scorer for the club from the southeast.

Milan: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

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2010-11: 14 goals in 28 games

 

The champions had three players share eighth place in the Serie A scoring table last year: Robinho, Pato and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. All three ended up with 14.

I think this year, Zlatan takes top spot for himself and surpasses 20 goals.

Ibra should have had far more than 14 last year and missed several games for suspension. An improved attitude and more focus on scoring should see the Swede return to the top of the Serie A scoring charts, where he was regularly with Inter Milan.

Ibrahimovic, Robinho and Pato will lead the scoring charge this season, and I see both Ibrahimovic and Pato cracking the top 10. Ibrahimovic's play could see him compete for the Golden Boot and will surely help Milan in their attempt to keep the title.

Napoli: Edinson Cavani

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2010-11: 26 goals in 35 games

 

Napoli will look strong again this season, and once again Cavani will lead the charge up top.

The Naples club finished third last season and return vital attacking threats in Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Marek Hamsik. They will lead the charge for the Azzurri to keep their place in the UEFA Champions League, which will be an extremely difficult task.

The Uruguayan won the Silver Boot last year, finishing just two goals behind Antonio Di Natale. He will certainly be in the discussion for the Golden Boot again this year.

Novara: Riccardo Meggiorini

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2010-11: One goal in 25 games with Bologna

 

Meggiorini is on loan from Genoa and while he only netted once for Bologna last year (of course, he was playing next to Marco Di Vaio), he still has the ability to net several goals for the Biancoazzurri.

Novara are unlikely to do much in Serie A this season, but look for Meggiorini to strike the net a few times, and should Novara stay up, probably earn himself a permanent transfer.

Palermo: Josip Ilicic

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2010-11: Eight goals in 34 games

 

Javier Pastore is gone after being sold to Paris Saint-Germain, meaning the scoring will fall primarily to Fabrizio Miccoli and Josip Ilicic.

The move from Maribor to Palermo was a beneficial one for the Slovenian. Since the World Cup, which he missed out on, he has played 10 times for his country and has been a key member of the Rosanero.

Miccoli is a great scorer as well, but I see Ilicic being able to step up and beat the goalkeeper more than eight times this year.

Parma: Sebastian Giovinco

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2010-11: Seven goals in 30 games

 

What a player this guy will turn out to be.

There was a lot of hype about Giovinco when he first started garnering attention at Juventus. To gain experience, he was loaned to Parma, where he is going to stay.

Seven goals in 30 games helped the Italian earn his place with the club. Making the season more special, three of his seven goals came against Juventus, the same club who were loaning the 24-year-old to the Crociati. In the two matchups, Parma swept the all-time Italian champions, outscoring them 5-1.

Hernan Crespo will join Giovinco up top at the Tardini, but this year, the younger of the two (Crespo is 35, Giovinco 24) will prevail as top scorer for a fiesty Parma side.

Roma: Marco Borriello

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2010-11: 15 goals in 34 games on loan

 

Roma bought Borriello outright from Milan this summer. For a player who lost his place in Lombardy, he has quite earned a spot in the side of the Giallorossi.

Playing alongside Francesco Totti, who is moving ahead in years, Borriello could once again be tearing the net apart for Roma.

The club look better than in the past couple seasons as they want to return to the Champions League. The new energy in the capital could help Borriello and the attack.

Siena: Emanuele Calaio

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2010-11: 18 goals in 35 games in Serie B for Siena

 

Calaio was a big part in the club's promotion back into Serie A this year, following a short relegation into Serie B.

The 29-year-old netted 18 of the goals that helped Siena to second place last year and will likely be vital in keeping the team in Serie A next season.

Certainly his numbers rose significantly with the drop to the weaker Serie B, so whether or not he keeps up that kind of production is yet to be clear. Twelve may be a more realistic possibility this year.

Udinese: Antonio Di Natale

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2010-11: 28 goals in 36 games (Serie A Golden Boot winner)

 

This really can not possibly come as a shock, especially with Alexis Sanchez on his way to Barcelona.

Di Natale dominated last season, scoring 28 and helping Udinese qualify for the Champions League. As the best scorer in the league last year, it is unlikely the 33-year-old captain has any ideas of slowing down.

Just in case, he has the aid of Antonio Floro Flores, who netted 10 times in his 17 games after a midseason loan move to Genoa.

Top Goalscorers Overall

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1) Golden Boot - Antonio Di Natale, Udinese

2) Silver Boot - Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan

3) Bronze Boot - Alessandro Matri, Juventus

4) Edinson Cavani, Napoli

5) Giampaolo Pazzini, Inter

6) Alexandre Pato, Milan

7) Samuel Eto'o, Inter

8) Sebastian Giovinco, Parma

9) Marco Di Vaio, Bologna

10) Marco Borriello, Roma