For a side taken over by wealthy owners, many would expect Inter Milan to go into the season looking to challenge for the title, or at least to nail down a Champions League spot. They might well be wrong on both counts.
While rivals Milan went on a frenzied supermarket sweep this summer, Inter were barely able to hold on to Ivan Perisic and saw Geoffrey Kondogbia desert preseason camp to force a move. Financial Fair Play has kept the Nerazzurri from buying flashy upgrades, too, a consequence of spending €70 million on Joao Mario and Gabigol last year.
The front office still needs a spring clean, as does a squad that is still sporting the likes of Yuto Nagatomo and Cristian Ansaldi.
Admittedly, fans have been encouraged by the strong performances in friendlies, which included wins over Chelsea and Bayern Munich. Trouble is, they still have no idea what to expect from Eder, Joao Mario, Gabigol or the defence, most of which is brand new. The two full-backs, Dalbert Henrique and Joao Cancelo, are recent arrivals, leaving them little time to learn coach Luciano Spalletti's tactics-heavy approach.
There are, to be rather frank, simply too many question marks to expect an immediate charge up the table: Milan Skriniar has looked good so far, but can he keep it up once the going gets tough? Would it not be more reasonable to expect a trial-and-error season, one in which the starting centre-backs only have Andrea Ranocchia as a backup?
And what if, Inter being Inter, someone previously uninjured (Miranda, Mauro Icardi) suddenly went down, leaving the Nerazzurri cruelly exposed? Remember, Patrik Schick and Eliaquim Mangala haven't been signed yet and may not be, for all we know.
The optimists will rightly claim that Spalletti got Roma to perform above their cash-strapped means (something that will become apparent this season). Then again, he will need a bigger squad to avoid major slumps, the kind that automatically exclude a team from top-two contention, not to mention Coppa success.
Missing out on that (wholly undeserved) fourth Champions League spot is very possible, too. The Giallorossi were regular podium finishers until recently, and Lazio are looking strong after their Super Cup win over Juventus.
Don't get me wrong; it's not all doom and gloom. Third place is perfectly reachable, with Milan needing to blood nine starters, Roma losing key men and Lazio replacing one of the best Lucases around (Biglia) with one (Leiva) who has started 30 league games only once this decade.
There's more: Eder, Joao Mario and Skriniar have played well this summer, for what that's worth. Samir Handanovic hasn't moaned about the Champions League. Perisic looks to have overcome his disappointment at not moving to Manchester United. Dalbert's highlight reel has reminded many of Maicon, and he isn't a bad defender (which Cancelo seems to be, in fairness).
The schedule affords Inter a relatively easy start before the derby on Oct. 15, ranging from a gutted Fiorentina in Week 1 to relegation fighters Crotone, Cagliari and Bologna, not to mention the three promoted sides.
Losing terrible passer Kondogbia is excellent news when he's replaced by artists such as Borja Valero and Matias Vecino, who will turn the midfield into a complex spider web and help Roberto Gagliardini bomb forwards.
They should also enable Perisic and Antonio Candreva to add some variety, and attack from better positions. If the friendlies prove anything, it's that the Nerazzurri are playing a far more intense and complex brand of football, not hoofing it into the box with little end product.
Though making big forecasts at Inter often misfires, the arrival of Spalletti, Valero and Vecino will probably produce stunning football, something rarely seen since the early days of Roberto Mancini.
All in all, however, it might turn out to be the only thing fans can hang their hat on this season. Recent history (10 coaches in seven years since the Treble under Jose Mourinho) is evidence that even the smallest of gains (not sacking Spalletti, tidying up the front office) are to be treated as major wins at the San Siro.
That might have to be enough for the time being.