Serie A 2018/19: 5 players to watch out for

The Italian Serie A has been the breeding ground for some of the most talented players to have graced the game. Players such as Gianni Rivera, Jose Altafini, Francesco Totti, Paolo Maldini etc., rose to prominence by showcasing their talents in Italy's premier club competition.

Serie A 2018/19 has seen defending champions Juventus lead the table after Gameweek 3 with wins over Chievo, Lazio and Parma.

Sassuolo, Fiorentina and SPAL 2013 make up the top four places while Inter, who invested heavily in the summer transfer window, started slowly as the Nerazzurri picked up four points out of a possible nine. Last season's runners-up Napoli secured six points and find themselves placed fifth in the table.

While the onus will be on experienced campaigners and big money signings such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain, Leonardo Bonucci and Mauro Icardi to continue their exploits and deliver for their clubs, the younger players would use this opportunity to seek greener pastures or enhance their reputation after performing well throughout the season.

In this article, we take a look at five players to watch out for in the 2018/19 Serie A season.

#1 Amadou Diawara

Diawara is set to play an important role for Napoli during the current campaign

Guinean international Amadou Diawara started his career in Serie C club San Marino and a string of impressive performances saw Bologna's sporting director Panteleo Corvino act swiftly to secure his services. After an impactful debut campaign at Bologna, Diawara was snapped up by SSC Napoli where he operates as a defensive midfielder.

Operating at the base of the midfield, Diawara's main task is to break up play and maintain the game's flow. His impressive positioning, tackling, awareness and passing range make him a perfect fit for the Naples side, who expect him to fill in the void left by Jorginho.

Diawara is never shy of playing between the lines and helping Napoli transition from defence to attack. An impact substitute, Diawara averages 0.95 key passes per 90 minutes, making 421 forward passes compared to 292 backward passes and successfully completed 100% of his take ons in the 2017/18 Serie A season.

The Guinean started as a substitute in Napoli's first two fixtures and made an instant impact while coming on. His immediate impact was seen when he provided a through ball to Allan, in a move which resulted in Napoli scoring the winner against Milan.

It remains to be seen what Diawara can do when started regularly, but he has shown his worth whenever called upon.

#2 Milan Skriniar

Skriniar has enhanced his reputation with some resolute defensive displays for Inter

Milan Skriniar's rise to prominence has been nothing short of meteoric, with the Slovakian Centre Back ending up at one of Italy's biggest clubs from MSK Zilina in a period of 18 months. It cost Inter a total fee of around €20 million which made Skriniar the most expensive Slovakian player of all time.

An outstanding reader of the game, Skriniar's greatest strength is his patience while dealing with forwards and the tendency to not commit himself in duels. The former Sampdoria defender's composure on and off the ball makes him one of the most mature Centre Backs in Europe, considering the fact that he's only 23 years old.

Coming to the numbers, Skriniar played a total of 34 games in the previous campaign in which the Slovak had a pass completion rate of 91%. The Slovak made 32 interceptions, 23 blocks and did not commit a single error which led to a goal. Coupled with these stats, Skriniar was booked only twice last season, which highlights his disciplined defensive approach.

Along with Miranda, Skriniar played an integral role in helping Inter qualify for the Champions League for the first time in six years.

With the likes of De Vrij and Miranda assisting the young Slovak and his best years yet to come, Skriniar is bound to become an all-rounded defender and his sturdy defending will be key for Inter to compete on all fronts.

#3 Mattia Caldara

Caldara is expected to partner Romagnoli in defence

Italian powerhouse AC Milan signed Mattia Caldara from Juventus for an initial fee of €15 million, rising to an estimated €25 million after including add-ons.

Caldara has represented his nation in the U-21 level and recently earned a call-up to the senior squad for their upcoming fixtures against Portugal and Poland. The youngster rose to prominence after playing a key role for Atalanta during the previous season.

Functioning as a Centre Back, Caldara is a prime example of a modern day Centre Back due to his front footed manner of defending. The previous season saw Caldara feature 22 times for La Dea and win 1.14 tackles per 90 minutes. He is also known for his astute reading of the game and ability to snuff out the advances of some of the best strikers in the league.

On comparing Caldara to Mussachio, we observe that the former commits less defensive errors (0.05 per ninety minutes) than the latter (0.08 per ninety minutes). Caldara also had a much better defense score of 140.55 in comparison to Mussachio's score of -21.03.

The only negative aspect in Caldara's game is his tendency to pick up silly yellow cards.

In Caldara, Milan have signed a perfect defender who could complement Romagnoli's pragmatic approach.

#4 Marco Benassi

Benassi has played an instrumental part in La Viola's opening fixtures

La Viola has a roster filled with exciting potential such as Giovanni Simeone, Alban Lafont and Federico Chiesa to name a few. They currently occupy third place in the table after winning their opening fixtures against Chievo Verona and Udinese.

Marco Benassi has started off the season with a bang, scoring three goals from the opening two fixtures. Aged 23, Benassi operates as a midfielder and his best attribute is his ability to find his teammates in the right positions.

In other words, Benassi thrives on the space left in between the midfield and defence and links up well with his forwards, creating a plethora of chances.

Along with the above-mentioned attributes, Benassi is a versatile midfielder, capable of operating as a defensive midfielder, as a number 8 and also as a winger. His vision and smart runs behind the opposition defence have seen himself and the likes of Simeone, Eysseric and Chiesa score seven goals in La Viola's opening fixtures.

He scored seven goals in 38 games in his debut season and his rich vein of form has seen him getting called up to the national side for friendlies against Poland and Portugal. Benassi is an entertaining player and is certainly one to watch out for in the 2018/19 Serie A season.

#5 Alban Lafont

Lafont in action for Fiorentina

Fiorentina signed Lafont from Ligue 1 side Toulouse in July for a fee of €7 million and the Frenchman made his debut for the Florence outfit in a 6-1 demolition of Chievo.

Lafont is highly reputed in his native land and is considered one of the biggest prospects and future number one for the French National side.

At the tender age of 19, Lafont has already faced some of the fiercest forwards such as Mbappe, Cavani and Neymar, all while playing for Toulouse. Despite such a young age, Lafont is a fearless keeper who commands his back four with authority.

Despite not being one of the largest keepers in terms of physical stature, Lafont has an extraordinary reach for a 19-year-old and positions himself at the right place which makes life difficult for the opposition forwards.

Dubbed as the French answer to Gigi Donnarumma, Lafont is a raw diamond who needs polishing. Despite his physical shortcomings (considering his age), he's a tough nut to crack and one who is really confident at his craft.

With more exposure to higher quality oppositions, Lafont's overall performance is bound to improve and he could turn out to be one of Fiorentina's most shrewd pieces of business,