League Focus: Serie A Not Just A Country For Old Men

Paul Pogba sensationally wrote his way into Italian football headlines this past weekend, scoring a superb goal in the top of the table clash between Napoli and Juventus. His shot completely wrong footed Morgan De Sanctis in the visitors goal but perhaps more surprising is the speed at which the young Frenchman has played his way into the Bianconeri line-up.

His move from Manchester United had been touted in the media for some time but, upon moving to Turin, the 19-year old has quickly earned the faith of Antonio Conte and has been rewarded with four appearances for the Serie A Champions. That is something which eluded Eljero Elia – and still evades Nicklas Bendtner – but is also seen in the belief the coach places in Luca Marrone, himself only 22.

The prominence of both players flies in the face of the perception that Calcio’s top clubs do not allow young players the space and time to develop, with the departure of Marco Verratti to Paris Saint-Germain seen as proof positive of that tired ‘analysis’. The midfielder’s former Pescara team-mates Ciro Immobile – who has already made seven starts (scoring two goals) for new club Genoa –and Lorenzo Insigne (2 starts, 1 goal) are continuing the good form they showed last term in the top flight.

However, the aforementioned duo average just 6.65 and 6.79 respectively according to the WhoScored.com ratings system, while Marrone sits on 6.61. Pogba fares much better – recording a figure of 7.19 – yet even he trails some other impressive youngsters on show around the peninsula. Below is a closer look at the top four performers under the age of 21 currently delighting fans of Serie A as they show not only their own individual quality but also that young players can thrive in this league.

4. Stephan El Shaarawy (Milan) – Avg Rating 7.36

One of very few bright spots in what has been a dismal season for the Rossoneri, the 19-year old striker has netted five goals in the opening eight rounds of the campaign and, by also netting against Zenit St Petersburg, he became the first ever teenager to score for Milan in the Champions League. In addition to his goals, the former Padova starlet has also completed an impressive 85.7% of his pass attempts and made 1.3 key passes per game.

3. Mattia De Sciglio (Milan) – Avg Rating 7.49

Unlike the much heralded El Shaarawy, whose talent was identified very early in his career, his Milan teammate De Sciglio is perhaps the revelation of the early part of 2012-13. Filling in at right-back for the injured Ignazio Abate, the 20-year old has already been at Milan for over a decade, progressing through the youth ranks with very little fanfare.

Averaging 3.2 tackles, 1.6 interceptions, 5.8 clearances and winning 2.6 aerial duels per game, it is first and foremost his defensive ability which marks him out as one to remember, but he also completed 86.4% of passes and 35.5% of crosses to make an impressive contribution to the attack. Despite his clear talent and ability to also play as a left-back, he has been inexplicably dropped in recent weeks for a succession of lesser players; yet another failing of Massimiliano Allegri.

2. Juan Jesus (Inter) – Avg Rating 7.63

Across town, things are going much better for Andrea Stramaccioni and the Nerazzurri as they seem to have hit the ground running with a rebuilding approach that sees veterans of their 2010 Tripletta side blended alongside youngsters such as the 21-year old Brazilian. In a revamped defence which occasionally has seen a back three of him, Andrea Ranocchia and Walter Samuel, Juan Jesus averages 4.3 tackles, 2.5 interceptions, 7.8 clearances and won 3.8 aerial battles per game. He rarely offers much to the attack but has completed 87% of 247 pass attempts and was man of the match in Inter’s early season win over Torino.

1. Erik Lamela (Roma) – Avg Rating 7.66

Currently the tenth highest rated player in Serie A, the Argentinian forward is undoubtedly thriving under the guidance of Zdenek Zeman, netting three goals and two WhoScored Man of the Match awards in his seven appearances to date. Given a prominent role by the new coach, he has seized upon it, averaging 3.1 shots, 2.7 key passes and 1.9 completing dribbles per game as he constantly looks to threaten opponents from his nominal right sided role. Providing an entirely different set of skills to either Francesco Totti or Pablo Osvaldo, the former River Plate man is Serie A’s best young player right now.