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Following a summer of turmoil, the Serie A finally got underway.
Everyone knows that the likes of Patrick Vieira, Kaka and Adriano
will be the main attractions, yet which young players will emerge
over the next months to make a name for themselves?
Alberto Aquilani (Roma)
When Alberto Aquilani was sent on a season long loan to Triestina
two years ago, the then 19 year-old was expected to gain some experience
in the Serie B, perhaps playing in a handful of games. No one expected
such a young player to become a regular.
Yet, by the end of the season he had figured in 41 of Triestina’s
matches, having imposed himself in the side quickly becoming the
heartbeat of the team.
His vision and penchant for playing off the main striker inevitably
led to comparisons with fan idol Francesco Totti. And, whilst it
is too early for such judgments, Aquilani certainly has the talent
to match the Roma captain.
When Bruno Conti - the man who has worked tirelessly to improve
Roma’s youth set-up and who has already overseen the rapid
progress of Daniele De Rossi – was appointed caretaker boss
last season he gave Aquilani an extended run in the side. Conti
has since gone back to the youth set-up but Aquilani should go on
to establish himself as a regular for many years to come and perhaps
the real reason why Roma don’t seem to be too bothered about
losing Antonio Cassano.
Paolo
Barreto (Udinese)
Udinese have a knack for discovering talented young players. Over
the years they have put the likes of Abel Balbo, Marcio Amoroso
and Oliver Bierhoff on the road to stardom. Last year’s historic
qualification to the Champions League was also built on a similar
strategy with practically the whole team being made up of players
developed by the club.
Having signed in the summer, Paolo Barreto already looks set to
become another success story. The 20 year-old was with Treviso in
the Serie B last season where he scored 12 goals and was a primary
reason behind their rise up the league.
By the time the Italian federation decided to promote Treviso to
the Serie A instead of Torino and Genoa in mid-August, Barreto had
already packed his bags for Udine.
Originally, the idea was for him to be the backup striker to the
Iaguinta – Di Michele partnership. An injury to the latter,
however, meant a change in plans. Barreto played in the first leg
of their Champions League qualifier against Sporting Lisbon and
earned the penalty from which Iaquinta scored the only goal of the
game. Barreto then went on to score the third goal in the 3-2 2nd
leg victory, his first for Udinese but undoubtedly not his last.
Gianluca Curci (Roma)
The recent injury to Gianluigi Buffon and the subsequent decision
by national team boss Marcello Lippi to use Monaco’s Flavio
Roma for the international friendly with Ireland alarmed many. Not
only are Italians unused to the idea of anyone playing outside the
Serie A being good enough for the Azzurri but Lippi’s decision
also revealed the apparent dearth of quality Italian keepers.
Yet they need not worry as Roma seem to have unearthed a talent
to match that of the Juventus number one. Gianluca Curci was thrown
into the spotlight by his former mentor in the youth teams Bruno
Conti and showed an impressive ability to cope under pressure. With
the team playing badly and the defence giving him very little protection
(suffice to say that they even turned to former Liverpool ‘defender’
Abel Xavier), Curci ended up getting beaten sixteen times in eleven
games.
Yet a good keeper is judged by the goals that he saves and not those
he concedes. In this respect, Curci showed his real class so much
that Roma sent out former number one Ivan Pelizzoli on a season
long loan with Reggina thereby virtually guaranteeing 20 year-old
Curci his place in the side.
Giampaolo Pazzini (Fiorentina)
Amidst all the publicity generated by Fiorentina’s purchase
of 19 year-old Bulgarian starlet Valeri Bojinov last January, the
fact that the Viola had also signed one of the most promising Italian
strikers went largely unnoticed.
Giampaolo Pazzini signed from Atalanta just days after scoring a
hat-trick against Juventus in the Coppa Italia. Given the bitter
rivalry that exists between Fiorentina and the Italian champions
that in itself was enough to convince the fans of his merits.
Still, for Pazzini joining Fiorentina was a step into the unknown.
He had come through the ranks at Atalanata, undoubtedly the club
with the best youth set-up in Italy, scoring nine times in their
promotion season two years back. The Serie A, however, proved to
be a different story. Two goals for Atalanta and a similar tally
for Fiorentina was a poor return, with poor finishing often doing
good work in the build up.
Yet Pazzini has the talent to succeed and already this season he
is making more headway. Over the summer, the elegant forward has
added more consistency to his game and the end product is getting
better. In the latest round of the Coppa Italia at Cesena, Pazzini
came off the bench to score the winner.
And he could finally be getting out of Bojinov’s shadow, with
new coach Cesare Prandelli hinting that the Italian might even start
the season as Luca Toni’s partner up front.
Andrea Mantovani (Chievo Verona)
The fallout from Torino’s financial difficulties has hit the
club hard. Not only have they seen the dream of the Serie A being
snatched away they’ve also had to face up to losing most of
their players.
Andrea Mantovani was one of the most reluctant to go. He had come
through the ranks and supported the club to play a prominent role
in their promotion season. Yet the 21 year-old central defender
realised that he couldn’t afford to stay with Torino in the
Serie B, particularly with their future looking increasingly uncertain.
So, when the opportunity to join Chievo Verona came up, he promptly
accepted. Last year the Veronese club endured its most difficult
season since promotion to the Serie A four years back. But their
reputation for giving young talent a chance evidently appealed to
Mantovani.
It won’t be his first experience in the top flight. Three years
ago he played eight times for Torino in their last appearance in
the Serie A. Since then, Mantovani forced himself in the highly
successful Italian Under 21 national team that is on course for
another European title. With Marcello Lippi willing to give every
player a chance, a good season with Verona could even win Mantovani
a trip to Germany next summer.
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