Italy is the place to be at the moment. After the national side won Euro 2020, the football-mad country has now entered a new phase of fanaticism and the players who conquered Europe are treated like deities.
There is never any lack of passion in Serie A. But after the Azzurri continued its three year unbeaten run at the Euros, the football community in Italy is once more standing tall and looking proudly at its heroes.
There were a couple of young guns who starred at Euro 2020 and we’re going to take a look at them to assess how far they can go this season. We’ll also look at another three rapidly emerging stars who could be in for a breakthrough campaign.
Manuel Locatelli (23) – Sassuolo
He won plaudits for his contribution to Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph, often making appearances as a substitute as Roberto Mancini looked to use his skills in ball retention and outstanding distribution.
Italy bossed the extra time period in the final against England and Locatelli’s introduction made it harder for the Three Lions to get a foothold in the game.
He’s a strong-minded character. When his club AC Milan suggested he should be loaned out in 2018, he pushed for a permanent transfer – citing a lack of trust from his parent club and Milan may now be regretting that while Sassuolo benefit.
Employed as a deep-lying midfielder, in the position made famous by Andrea Pirlo, he can dictate the pace of play and pull the strings. As a good shield for his defence and a supply of ammunition for his forwards, Locatelli is the perfect box-to-box midfielder.
Here at SBOTOP, we sang Locatelli’s praises in the last campaign and he didn’t let us down at the Euros. So this season we reckon he could be one of the standout players in the league.
Federico Chiesa (23) – Juventus
What a year 2021 is turning out to be for Locatelli’s international teammate Federico Chiesa.
Last October, the Fiorentina winger signed a two-year loan deal to move to Juventus at a cost of 10-M Euros to the Turin giants and he made a nervy start.
But in the new year, Chiesa’s confidence grew after he scored his first goal for I Bianconeri, which was a long range effort in a 1-1 draw with Atalanta.
Juve have a 40-M obligation to buy at the end of the loan period and that could turn out to be a bargain after Chiesa certainly increased his transfer value at Euro 2020 with a series of eye-catching performances and his electric change of pace and penchant for scoring spectacular goals.
There has been speculation surrounding Chiesa’s future. But the pre-season Serie A 2021 betting odds back the Bianconeri to win back the Scudetto, and if they keep hold of their man then that outcome looks even more likely.
Alex Meret (24) – Napoli
A 35-M transfer took Meret from Udinese to Napoli in 2018 and he has been touted as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation.
At 6-foot-3, he has good reach and is dominant in the area. He’s a brave shot-stopper and has intelligent distribution.
Napoli rotated their goalkeepers last season. But at 24 years old, he has eight years on former Arsenal keeper David Ospina and this could be the season Meret really comes of age.
And if there is any dip in the form of Gianluigi Donnarumma, then there is no doubt Meret will be in Mancini’s thoughts.
Luca Pellegrini (22) – Juventus
This quicksilver wing-back has been on his travels since signing for Juventus for a cool 22-M Euros in 2019.
Having signed his first professional contract with Roma in 2018, the Old Lady snapped him up 12 months later and promptly loaned him out to Cagliari for the 19/20 season and Genoa for the 20/21 campaign.
There aren’t many players quicker than Pellegrini. And as his delivery and defensive positioning have improved, he’s now ready to make his mark and this could be his breakthrough season.
Nicolo Zaniolo (22) – Roma
We really hope this could be the year for Roma’s attacking midfielder who has had terrible luck over the past two seasons.
At such a young age he has suffered two serious knee injuries. First was an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee which kept him out for six months, then he had the same injury on his left knee when playing for Italy against the Netherlands.
Since moving to Roma in 2018, he has established himself as one of the best young players in the world breaking into the senior Azzurri team.
At 6-foot-3, he is tall, fast, strong, and versatile – which is a dream for any manager. If he can stay fit, then Zaniolo has a very bright future.
So those are our five young guns to watch folks. Let’s see if we have it right when the Serie A 2021 results start to roll in!
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