Serie A Review: 5 Things We Learned from Round 1

With the start of every season in Italy, plenty of bizarre drama is expected, along with all the most interesting and convoluted subplots and storylines you could imagine.

As the highly anticipated start of Round 1 in Serie A has finally come to a close, here are five things we learned from all the action.

Chemistry Takes Time to Build

Even though Napoli managed an easy 3-0 win against lowly Bologna, there's still plenty of room for new coach Rafa Benitez to figure out what his best starting XI is.

Almost unsurprisingly, Benitez gave the nod to new signing Jose Callejon over the homegrown Lorenzo Insigne, who is a fan favorite.

Callejon repaid the coach by scoring in his debut.

However, Insigne will need to be used as much more than just a super-sub, as he is also becoming a focal point of the Italian national team.

No Serie A Side Can Be Taken for Granted

Newly promoted side Hellas Verona gave Milan a drubbing at the Stadio Bentegodi after the immortal Luca Toni struck twice with his head.

This raised a few problems for Milan, who seemingly still haven't addressed their set-piece defending woes from last season.

Also, it showed that a Mario Balotelli temper tantrum is never too far away, although they have improved substantially from his time at Manchester City.

Carlos Tevez Is Fitting in Nicely

Carlos Tevez not only scored on his opening for Juventus, he also linked up nicely with a host of teammates.

Antonio Conte chose to go with a pairing of Tevez alongside the mercurial Mirko Vucinic, who did not disappoint in his start.

It'll be interesting to see how Fernando Llorente is incorporated after basically being out of football for the past year. It didn't help that he seemed very rusty in preseason.

Roma Sides Rise

Lazio and Roma both won their first match of the season, with Roma beating newly promoted Livorno 2-0 and the Biancocelesti winning 2-1 against Udinese.

The two Capital clubs will look to fight for one of the top five spots in Serie A until the end. Although neither of them is expected to reach the elite three for a Champions League berth, the two Europa League spots would be enough to somewhat satisfy their fanatical fans.

Fiorentina the Question Mark

Only one match remains to be played in Serie A. Fiorentina will take on Catania at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Monday, August 26th.

All eyes will be on star signing Mario Gomez, who will look to spearhead the Viola attack alongside the resurgent Giuseppe Rossi. 

The former Villarreal man has impressed in preseason, scoring more than any other teammate and winning a place in Vincenzo Montella's starting XI.

Tune in to see what's expected to be the most aesthetically pleasing side to watch in Italy.

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