Debunking Kneejerk Reactions to the Opening Week in Serie A

The Serie A season is just one game old, yet fans and pundits alike are already making a number of definitive proclamations about the prospects of various teams for the 2017/18 campaign.

There are some clear indicators that a number of narratives will unfold, but while some of the matches looked to deliver conclusive verdicts, it is too soon to jump to many conclusions.

In this post, Bleacher Report sets out to debunk some of the more extreme reactions to the opening league fixtures in Italy.

VAR Won't Help Serie A Referees

This was the first round of games where Italian officials were able to call upon the video assistant referee, and the new technology certainly made an impact during its Serie A debut.

It was used in the opening fixture after Juventus defender Alex Sandro appeared to tread on Duje Cop's ankle. Several minutes went by as referee Fabio Maresca ran off to consult the monitors before eventually giving a penalty to Cagliari.

However, as Diego Farias stepped up to take the spot-kick, Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon guessed the right way and denied the Sardinian side, becoming a pub-quiz answer for years to come in the process as the man who saved the first VAR-awarded penalty.

After the 39-year-old made history, the system would go on to have an increasingly bad weekend. As a number of incidents negatively affected games, it would be Juve’s cross-town neighbours who suffered more than most.

With five minutes to go in Torino's 1-1 draw at Bologna, the Granata scored what appeared to be a winning goal only for it to be chalked off as Andrea Belotti was ruled to be offside. But replays clearly showed the pass was made by opposing striker Mattia Destro rather than Torino team-mate Tomas Rincon, much to the chagrin of supporters.

"It makes a mockery of VAR if valid goals are still being disallowed," Torino fan Rob Gillman told Bleacher Report. "I was not a supporter of VAR in the first place, and decisions like this do nothing to change my viewpoint, especially when it costs the team points."

There was another issue in the Inter Milan-Fiorentina clash (more on that later), but in truth all the problems stemmed from officials still adjusting to the technology.

In time, when referees have learned to let play continue so VAR can make a decision, mistakes like the one in Bologna will be eradicated and the situation will be far better.

"We're still in the early stages, we need to oil the mechanisms," referee designator Nicola Rizzoli told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia). "But one of the goals of the technology—perhaps the most important one—is to return to a better, more relaxed climate, suitable for families. If VAR contributes to this cultural change then we're on the right track."

AC Milan Have Already Become a Formidable Team

Few clubs have generated as much interest this summer as AC Milan, with their activity in the transfer market earning them much-deserved respect from observers everywhere.

As discussed in a previous post, there is little doubt they have improved their squad immeasurably, providing head coach Vincenzo Montella with the quality he needs to make the club a force once again.

Despite overseeing two comfortable wins in the past week, he will need time to turn his new arrivals into a properly cohesive unit. Supporters are right to be in good spirits after a 3-0 demolition of Crotone, but an early penalty and a red card made that fixture even more comfortable for the Rossoneri.

"There is some real talent on the pitch for Milan and it's easy to get excited right now," Gino de Blasio—a lifelong fan of the club—told Bleacher Report. "What we can't afford to do, though, is overthink two results; one against a 10-man Crotone and another against a Macedonian team in the UEFA Europa League. We have to go one game at a time, so let's see where we end up in May."

That is the right approach, as there will be some much tougher tests for the Rossoneri in the coming weeks, ones they won't overcome so easily. How they react to any setback will tell us much more about Montella's side than this first easy outing could.

Fiorentina Are in Trouble

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Fiorentina supporters have arguably endured the most difficult summer of any Italian side. Not only did the club sack coach Paulo Sousa after two ineffective seasons, they also made sweeping changes to their squad, selling player after player as the weeks pressed on.

Federico Bernardeschi was allowed to join bitter rivals Juventus, and he was followed out of the exit door by 14 other members of the squad. No fewer than six new faces lined up in their clash with Inter, but it was the presence of Matias Vecino and Borja Valero in their opponents' starting XI that hurt the most.

Valero in particular meant so much to Fiorentina fans, but the recent signings of Giovanni Simeone and Marco Benassi hint that the future may not be as gloomy as it had appeared for La Viola.

Within six minutes of the opening whistle, though, their bright new dawn was interrupted by a Mauro Icardi penalty, with referee Paolo Tagliavento calling on a VAR ruling after Davide Astori was adjudged to have fouled the Argentinian striker.

It is astonishing that the decision could stand after watching the replay in the tweet above, but it did and Ivan Perisic doubled the Nerazzurri advantage less than 10 minutes later.

From there however, Luciano Spalletti's men eased off and Fiorentina came back into the game, controlling possession for large spells and creating a number of promising chances.

"It's a heavy result, but I saw the right character and my players never gave up," Viola boss Stefano Pioli told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) after the match. "There's a lot of work to be done, but also many new players to count on. Clearly, it's up to us to inspire the fans."

It's Business as Usual for Juventus

Like Milan and Inter, there was a comfortable-looking 3-0 win for Juventus on the opening day of the season, but—just like the San Siro giants—the champions should not take that result as a sign of things to come.

The arrival of Blaise Matuidi should help in a midfield that has lacked dynamism for over a year, but even with a clean sheet and outstanding performances from Paulo Dybala and Miralem Pjanic, there are clearly issues that must be addressed by the Bianconeri.

New players need to be eased into the attack, while the previously resolute back line has to adjust to life without Leonardo Bonucci, something manager Massimiliano Allegri touched on after the final whistle as he saw minor improvements as the match wore on.

"We defended well out there, especially after the penalty," Allegri told Mediaset Premium (h/t FourFourTwo). "Before then we let them in a few times, including the move that led to the penalty itself."

It was three vital points and a good bounce-back performance following the Supercoppa Italiana defeat to Lazio, but Juventus still have a long way to go to rediscover their best form.