Football Season Guide

At a time when no team looks capable of dominating the Super League, Lugano - who came into money last season following a takeover - really should be pushing for a top three finish. They’ve got an exciting young manager with superb tactics, a very capable squad, and have only added to it pre-season. In terms of losses, only Lovric will be sorely missed. Midfielder Custodio presumably knew his number was up when Croci-Torti started deploying him at CB last season. Unpopular figure Lavanchy was another to leave. Outcast Baumann has been cut loose, and youngster Muci has left on loan for more game time. Maric’s retirement would normally cause an issue at CB but not after the arrival of Mai and Arigoni, not to mention those already in the squad. Their arrivals have been impressive. Arigoni is a very solid performer at this level, and should help keep the back three in line. Mahou can play just about anywhere, and brings an abundance of speed and tenacity - two things Croci-Torti values enormously. Babic’s arrival ensures that Celar has a proper backup now, which is good news - they were forced to use Bottani as a lone striker on occasion last season, which did not work. The biggest arrival was that of Doumbia though, signed from the champions FC Zurich, where he was one of three key players in midfield - the Mascherano-Doumbia-Dzemaili axis. He’ll help Lugano control games even better so it’s a massive signing. Saipi was the best goalkeeper in the division last season; keeping hold of him is essential. Ziegler is getting on a bit but is still a brilliant winner, and one they cannot be without. Goal-scoring could be an issue if Celar doesn’t start the campaign strongly; he relies heavily on his confidence levels. Every other area of the team is seriously well-loaded though, whether playing on the front foot or on the break. Should really be in for a very good campaign, assuming they score the required goals. The owners will be seeking a return on their investments either way though... Key players: Bottani, Doumbia, Ziegler, Saipi