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It is unfortunate that Italy will not be part of the 2022 FIFA World Cup after their recent 1-0 loss to North Macedonia. It was a shock to many, given the top-quality and highly experienced players they possess.
The Azzurri went 60 years without missing a World Cup presence and have now failed to qualify for the tournament for the second consecutive time. It is heartbreaking for the Italian fans but events like this make football the unpredictably beautiful game it is.
Italy are lacking consistent goalscorers
There have been some amazing Italian goal-scorers in the past, but in recent times, the country has struggled to find consistent ones. Since Alessandro Del Piero, Roberto Baggio, Filippo Inzaghi, Christian Vieri and others, not many have regularly been among the goals.
That being said, a few Italian players have done well in front of goal this season. Let's take a look at the best of these goal-scorers in the 2021-22 campaign so far.
Note: All competitions in club football are considered
#5 Gianluca Caprari (Sampdoria)
Having come through the ranks at AS Roma, Caprari has a long list of clubs he has played for in Italy. He's currently on loan from Sampdoria and playing for Hellas Verona in Serie A.
Gianluca Caprari is enjoying his best-ever spell in the league, having scored 10 goals in 27 appearances so far. Along with his goal-scoring, his dribbling and creativity has also been a delight to watch.
The 28-year old has executed the highest number of nutmegs (13) in the league and has dribbled past the third-most number of players (52) so far. Gianluca Caprari has been playing like a complete forward this season with Hellas Verona.
#4 Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)
Lorenzo Pellegrini started his youth career at AS Roma but went on to join Sassuolo at senior level in order to get more game time. Since the start of the 2017-18 season, he has returned to AS Roma and is now an important player for them.
The Italian midfielder has an attacking approach to his game and is known to be quite helpful to his forwards. Pellegrini is currently enjoying his best goal-scoring spell with the club, having scored eight league goals in 21 appearances this season.
His goals in the UEFA Conference League and their qualifiers have helped him take his total goal tally to 11 goals this campaign. Under Jose Mourinho's management, Pellegrini can improve his game and take it to the next level.
#3 Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo)
The 23-year old forward joined Sassuolo in the 2017-18 season from Jong PSV. After enjoying loan spells at Zwolle, Ascoli and Genoa, Gianluca Scamacca is back with the Black and Greens.
The Italian centre-forward has been in great form this season, having scored 13 goals in just 17 starts in Serie A. Scamacca has scored the second-most non-penalty goals per 90 minutes with an efficiency of 0.71 goals.
AC Milan have shown a keen interest in securing the Italian's services next summer. Sassuolo are hesitant to sell Scamacca and will not make it easy for the Seria A giants if they are to sign him.
#2 Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)
Another Sassuolo player on the list is Domenico Berardi. The Italian winger was unfortunate to miss a comparatively easier chance against North Macedonia which saw Italy miss out on the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
However, Berardi has been in amazing form in the 2021-22 season. The right-winger has scored 14 goals in 27 Serie A appearances this campaign.
Along with his goals, Berardi's creativity has also been of help to Sassuolo. The Italian forward has been strongly linked with a move away next summer and AC Milan are one of the leading contenders for his signature.
#1 Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
Ciro Immobile is arguably one of the most underrated strikers of his generation. The Italian striker has been phenomenal in front of goal for the past few years, yet failed to get the deserved recognition.
The 32-year old has been in terrific form this season and has been leading the goal-scoring charts in Serie A with 21 goals to his name. In the process, he has gone on to become Lazio's all-time highest goal-scorer.
With four goals in the UEFA Europa League and one in the Italy Cup, Immobile has so far scored 26 goals across all competitions. It is very likely that the Lazio forward will be winning the Capocannoniere award this season too given his amazing form in front of goal.
