Blink and You’ll Miss It: Sampdoria Are Top!

We might be dating ourselves a bit here, but the last time we really expended much thought on Sampdoria was back in the early 1990s when they won their only scuddetto –and then later hired a lad from Lancashire named David Platt. But the Blucerchiati are back in vogue thanks to their comprehensive defeat of Inter Milan over the weekend and their current appearance at the top of the Serie A table for the first time in a very, very long time. Everyone seems to agree that Sampdoria lack the depth to maintain a sustained challenge for the title, but here are three keys to their perfect start:

Antonio Cassano: The mercurial striker has had his fair share of critics, but his form this season has been without reproach. Although he has scored only one goal, he has four assists and has played a hand in several others. If he keeps it up, even Italy coach Marcelo Lippi might have to sit up and take notice.

One goal... and four assists make Cassano the go to guy

Luigi Del Neri: Although Del Neri has had 17 different jobs during his 25-year career, it’s looking like the gaffer may finally have found a long-term home at Sampdoria. Since arriving over the summer, he has made the team harder to beat by abandoning last season’s 3-5-2 formation, which let in 52 goals, in favor of a more compact 4-4-2. Defenders now cover for each other better, with midfielders also dropping back to help out when the team loses possession.

Team unity: Most crucially, Sampdoria seem to be unified both on and off the field. They’ve become renowned for dining out as a group. In fact, after beating Inter 1-0 last weekend a draw is all the team needs to win a bet they made with a local restaurant owner. Seven points from four games was the challenge they were set – and now they have six in the bag with just a home game against Parma to come.