As the the 2011-2012 Serie A season is about to commence this weekend (hopefully) there a few young players ready to take to the field and entertain the fans like only young players can. The emerging talents are always exciting and their enthusiasm reaches a certain level that connects to the supporters and really gets the adrenaline pumping. Below are a few players who have shown early potential and could very well turn out to be the revelation of the season with their respective sides.
Diego Fabbrini (Udinese)
Fabbrini is a player of whom great things are expected by Italian football fans. Viewed as the next great ‘fantasista’ by many fans, Fabbrini has the opportunity this season to live up to the hype surrounding him in the top flight. The 21-year-old playmaker has admitted his idol is Kaka and his playing style is in many ways similar to the Brazilian International. Blessed with quick acceleration and also a very good dribbler of the ball, Fabbrini could be just the player to replace Alexis Sanchez for Udinese.
Italy’s next great no. 10?
A natural trequartista, Fabbrini has done well in pre-season for Udinese. He can also play along the flanks. One criticism of the Italian U21 International is his lack of goals. While he is a great provider of them, he isn’t as prolific as one would hope. Under Guidolin and at Udinese, Fabbrini will be a given a stage to exhibit his qualities and hopefully live up to expectations.
Erik Lamela (Roma)
19-year-old Argentine Erik Lamela made the move from River Plate in Argentina to Roma this summer in a € 12million move. Lamela, one of the brightest prospects to come out of South American football reportedly rejected the opportunity to join Barcelona at just the age of 12. His claim to fame is his magical left foot. Lamela can play as a central midfielder or even on the wings but at as a trequartista he can fully exploit his extraordinary talent.
Lamela will have to win over the Roma faithful.
He’s known for his passing, enormous creativity and possesses a low centre of gravity that has found comparisons to Lionel Messi. Technically a very adept player, Lamela however isn’t a real threat in the air. Alongside Francesco Totti at Roma, Lamela will have the chance to improve upon his already growing reputation and establish himself as one of biggest stars in Italy and indeed Europe. Luis Enrique will want to capitalize on Lamela’s early promise and help him grow into a possible world-beater during his tenure at Roma.
Fabio Borini (Parma)
Fabio Borini joined Parma this season after spending four years in England with spells at Chelsea and Swansea City. The diminutive striker has drawn comparisons to legendary AC Milan striker Pippo Inzaghi. He has the uncanny ability of finding himself at the right place at the right time. Not very pacy, neither is he a physical beast of nature; Borini’s poaching instincts is what has made him so highly rated. He has been touted as a possible heir to Inzaghi for La Nazionale.
Will Chelsea regret letting him go?
During his stay at England, Borini famously scored five goals against West Brom reserves for Chelsea reserves. At Chelsea, he couldn’t break through into the first team and often found himself way below the pecking order. Now 20 and at Parma, a club well known for their youth policy, Borini will get more chances to showcase his exciting young talent in Italian Football and could end up raising a few eyebrows.
Stephan El Shaarawy (AC Milan)
The Little Pharaoh joined Serie A champions Milan from Genoa this summer in a co-ownership deal. Having caught the eye of the bigger sides in the peninsula, El Shaarawy has shown plenty of promise with his spell at Padova. An attacking midfielder by trade, the Pharaoh can even play on the either side of attack effectively. Genoa’s chief Preziosi hailed his prodigious talent by claiming he was ready to get into the Italian National Team, while that maybe a bit far-fetched right now, it’s almost a certainty in the near future given that he is abundantly gifted.
A potential successor to Clarence Seedorf?
El Shaarawy is renowned for his ability with the ball and can also make that incisive pass to unlock opponents defense. He’s also got electric pace and is a very tricky player to deal with. He could well be Max Allegri’s wild card this year in what is likely to be a very long season. It remains to be seen how much playing time El Shaarawy is given by the boss. His agent has claimed that Milan want him to bulk up and increase the physical nature of his game. If indeed does fulfill his talent, Milan have a very special player with them.
Bojan Krkic (Roma)
One of the many jewels to come out of the famed La Masia academy, at the age of 20 Bojan Krkic can already boast of having two Champions League medals under his belt. Bojan is versatile, incredibly quick and a very good dribbler. He also has a keen eye for goal and his records speak for themselves. Roma struck a rather complex deal with Barca for the transfer of the young striker. Roma have purchased him for €12 million while Barca have an obligatory buy-back clause which they can exercise to bring back Bojan to the Camp Nou for €13 million. However, should Roma decide to block Barca’s clause they would have to pay the Blaugrana an additional €28 million.
Will Bojan help Roma’s cause?
While there remains no doubt that Bojan is loaded with bundles of talent, he fails to showcase his gifts on the field with consistency, which is arguably his greatest drawback. He also lacks composure and isn’t the most imposing figure on the field. At Roma he will reunite with his mentor Luis Enrique and start afresh in an entirely different league in a bid to live up to his potential. Bojan is expected to play a huge role in Roma’s season and one can definitely count on him to make an impression in Serie A.
Luc Castaignos (Inter)
Inter have a real gem of a player in their hands in the form of 18 year old Dutchman Luc Castaignos. The Nerazzurri managed to fend off competition from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United to sign him for a paltry sum of €3 Million. The attacker has been likened to Thierry Henry due to his tall frame and also due to similar characteristics of the former Barca striker. He however claims his idol his Samuel Eto’o and could well turn out to be his successor given Eto’o’s lucrative move to Anzhi.
Built like Henry, plays like Eto’o
Castaignos is reputed for his pace, skill and creativity. He was even named in the top 10 players to watch out for in 2011 by FIFA. The young striker came into the spotlight in the UEFA European under 17s Championship in Germany as he finished top-scorer and was also named in the team of the tournament. Coach Gasperini also spoke highly of Castaignos and he looks to be part of his plans this season. He will however have to fight for a starting spot but certainly has the talent to back him.
Other players well worth keeping an eye on in Serie A include Juve youth product Cristian Pasquato as well as Inter’s new signing Ricardo Alvarez. Newly promoted Atalanta have a potential stars in attacking duo Manolo Gabbiadini and Giacomo Bonaventura. While Alexander Merkel who joined Genoa as a part of the El Shaarawy swap deal will want to impress with his new club.