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Serie A kicked off with a bang this month and we have been entertained with some scintillating football. Lazio, Inter, Napoli, AS Roma and Juventus are under new managers but their goal of winning the title at the end of the season remains the same.
"Attack wins you games; defense wins you titles" – but the one connecting the two is the midfield. Often, the midfielders are the ones who run the game and control the pace of it.
Serie A is no different and the Italian league is easily one of the toughest for midfielders to have a major impact in. On that note, let's take a look at the
Top 5 midfielders to keep an eye on in the 2021-22 Serie A season
Note: This listicle is not ranked and is just a list of 5 midfielders to keep an eye on in the 2021-22 Serie A season.
#5 Sandro Tonali (AC Milan)
AC Milan are without Franck Kessie right now as he suffered a muscle injury in training earlier this month. That saw Sandro Tonali start the season as the lone defensive midfielder for the San Siro side.
The young Italian did not disappoint and even scored a goal in Milan's 4-1 win over Cagliari. He played just 68 minutes in that game but was on the pitch for the entire match in their season opener at Sampdoria.
Sandro Tonali is seen as the future of AC Milan and this season, he will be out to prove why. The 21-year-old will be one to keep an eye on this season as the San Sio side start their transition away from Franck Kessie, who has been a vital part of their starting XI for the past few seasons.
#4 Lorenzo Pellegrini (AS Roma)
Jose Mourinho is back in Serie A and he is in charge of AS Roma this season. The Portuguese manager has been called out for his 'defensive style of play' at his former clubs but things seem to have changed.
AS Roma are playing some free-flowing football and Lorenzo Pellegrini has been in the middle of it so far. The Italian has scored twice already this season and was the man of the match in AS Roma's 4-0 demolition of Salernitana this past weekend.
Should Pellegrini keep his form going, there is no reason why AS Roma cannot challenge for the title this season. The addition of Tammy Abraham has seen the team's link-up play become better and that has certainly helped the Italian midfielder as well.
#3 Luis Alberto (Lazio)
Luis Alberto was a flop at Liverpool but at Lazio, he has been their most important player. People often tend to point Sergej Milinković-Savić out as the vital player in the starting XI, but it is the Spaniard who keeps them going.
However, the issue with Luis Alberto has been his consistency. The former Liverpool midfielder recorded 11 goals and 14 assists in the 2017-18 season but followed it up with 4 goals and 5 assists in 2018-19.
He registered 15 assists in the 2019-20 season, but once again did not keep his level consistent and only managed 2 assists in the 2020-21 season.
Luis Alberto and Lazio will be hoping for a more consistent set of performances this season. He has already registered 3 assists and a goal in the opening two games of the season.
#2 Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter)
Hakan Çalhanoğlu made a stunning decision this summer and he switched from the red side of Milan to the blue. The Turkish star failed to agree a new deal with AC Milan and the San Siro side released him at the end of last season.
Negotiations were still taking place between Hakan Çalhanoğlu and AC Milan when Inter swooped in. They matched his wage demands and things moved swiftly from there.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu has already made an impression under new Inter boss Simone Inzaghi. The Turkish midfielder scored a goal and made an assist on his league debut for the Nerazzurri as they ran out 4-0 winners against Genoa.
#1 Manuel Locatelli (Juventus)
Manuel Locatelli had a good outing at UEFA EURO 2020 and he was bound to leave Sassuolo this summer. Arsenal and Juventus were the two clubs chasing his signature with the midfielder 100% certain about where he wanted to move.
Arsenal were rejected by Manuel Locatelli despite having made a €40 million move for the Sassuolo star. He wanted to remain in Italy and informed his club he would stay if a move to Juventus did not happen
The Old Lady finally managed to agree a deal with Sassuolo and snapped him up on a 2-year loan deal with an obligation to buy. The midfielder is yet to start for Juventus and has only made two substitute appearances in the league so far. They will be hoping to see him hit the ground running after the international break and help them get their first win of the season.
Who do you think will shine the most this season in Serie A? Let us know in the comments section below!
