Serie A, the summer standouts: who shone brightest in pre-season 🏖️ | OneFootball

The new Serie A season is approaching and the pre-season has concluded for almost all Italian teams: a crucial moment in view of the upcoming season.

Let's see who stood out the most, also in terms of Fantasy football, during the pre-season.

David, Vlahovic, Yildiz, and Cambiaso

New signing Jonathan David immediately showed his characteristics: precision in his plays and high-level linking phase, scoring a goal with a backheel "only" in the last friendly match against Atalanta.

Dusan Vlahovic, on the other hand, scored three times: against Reggiana, Next Gen, and Atalanta. The best way to gain confidence in a season that, if he were to stay in bianconero, would be a continuous challenge.

Yildiz continued the trend from the Club World Cup: whenever he touches the ball, the team's maneuver ignites, no goals in the pre-season, but he reaffirmed that he has the number 10 on his shoulders. For Cambiaso, instead, a brace against Borussia Dortmund and consistent performances of substance (always present in every game).

Leao and Loftus-Cheek

In Milan, Rafael Leao stood out, favored by the counter-attacks that Max Allegri used in several games, especially against Liverpool. The Portuguese played even closer to the goal and scored three goals, including two against Perth Glory (a game that ended 9-0).

A great Loftus-Cheek was also seen in the false nine position, especially in those occasions when Gimenez was missing (one goal for the Mexican). The English midfielder had space to insert himself into the area and score a goal against Liverpool.

Lucca, KDB, and Politano

In Napoli, Lorenzo Lucca made himself heard in the penalty area: four goals against Catanzaro, Brest, Sorrento, and Olympiacos. The striker responded positively, trying to associate himself more with the team than he was asked to do at Udinese.

Kevin De Bruyne started more slowly, due to his ongoing physical preparation, but never failed to deliver champion-level plays. Flashes of quality that became concrete against Girona: a brace and an assist for Di Lorenzo.

An evergreen is Matteo Politano, active in defense and attack every time he was placed on the right flank. Antonio Conte's trusted man confirmed himself to be a precious element: two goals against Casertana and Olympiacos.

Soulé and Ferguson

Perhaps the most significant impact in the Italian pre-season is that of Matias Soulé, the cornerstone of Gasperini's Roma: three goals against Lens, Everton, and NEOM. His place on the three-quarter line seems assured thanks to the combination of intensity and quality in the last meters of the field.

Who started very well and then decreased slightly is Evan Ferguson: four goals against Unipomezia (a 9-0 thrashing), coldness in the penalty that led to the victory against Kaiserslautern, and then a final goal against Rennes. Net of the goals, he seems to offer a good presence in the area and an associative ability superior to Dovbyk.

Bonny, Pio Esposito, and Sucic

Beyond the growing performances and goals from the Lautaro-Thuram duo, Pio Esposito and Bonny also showed excellent movements and finalizations: Inter found the right replacements in attack. Both with two goals, Pio Esposito (U23 and Monza) and Bonny (U23 and Monaco) gave good responses and showed complementary qualities.

Sucic - although he didn't score - convinced in the role of mezzala: four games as a starter, three of which were positive, but in the last game against Olympiacos, he didn't convince in the role of regista.

Matteo Cancellieri

In the pre-season, Cancellieri was deployed as a starter in all important games, scored the winning goal against Burnley, and also scored in the first game against the Primavera team. Pedro was also ready: two goals, one of which in the final minutes as a super-sub, as usual.

Sohm and Dzeko

Sohm's situation is particular: the midfielder arrived at the beginning of August and played only two friendlies, convincing everyone against Manchester United. He scored the only goal for Viola against the Red Devils, a game in which he was among the best on the field.

For Dzeko, instead, we need to look at the scoreboard in a relative way: only one goal against the Primavera team, but a lot of quality in the three-quarter field. Fiorentina found an attacker and an offensive regista who can coexist with both Kean and Gudmundsson, or rather, Pioli has already tried to do so.

Martin Baturina

In Como, Baturina's presence convinced from the very first moments: one goal against Ajax and performances as a complete player who can be deployed both on the three-quarter line and in the middle. Fabregas, in fact, alternated him with Caqueret, while against Betis, he tried him further forward, where, however, there is the untouchable Nico Paz (one goal), in addition to different profiles: pure wingers like Diao (one goal), Addai, Kuhn, and Jesus Rodriguez.

Immobile and Orsolini

Ciro Immobile had a great pre-season: a brace at Gitschberg (a game that ended 8-0), a goal against Virtus Verona, and a brace against Levadiakos. The striker is competing for a spot with Castro, although the two played together for about 10 minutes against Stuttgart.

Orsolini didn't need to confirm himself in the eyes of fantasy football fans, but he maintained his excellent level in friendlies: five goals during the pre-season and among the top scorers of the Serie A pre-season.

Lazar Samardzic

Atalanta's pre-season, apart from the comeback win against Leipzig, wasn't rich in successes. However, in the last month, one player emerged clearly on the three-quarter line: Lazar Samardzic scored two consecutive goals against Opatja (on a penalty) and against Juventus with a solo action. If he finds consistency, he could take the three-quarter line of the Dea.

Gronbaek and Stanciu

Albert Gronbaek demonstrated that he has taken a spot on Genoa's three-quarter line, his versatility as a mezzala, winger, and pure trequartista pleased Vieira. The Dane played almost all friendlies as a starter, scoring a goal against Villarreal. He also started in the Coppa Italia against Vicenza.

Who, instead, broke through in the Coppa Italia is Stanciu: the Romanian captain took the starting spot in the last two friendlies and against Vicenza, he caused the own goal for 2-0 and scored a goalazo on the volley for 3-0.

Francesco Camarda

The presence of Krstovic didn't hinder Francesco Camarda's pre-season with Lecce: a hat-trick in the 11-0 win against Natz, then a goal against Spezia, Emirati Arabi Uniti, and especially a beautiful assist in the Coppa Italia against Juve Stabia, playing personally to free Kaba's goal in insertion. Krstovic's possible departure could give him even more space.

Luvumbo and Adopo

Cagliari is still searching for its stable identity, and in the pre-season, they had several setbacks, but within the testing done by Pisacane, Luvumbo and Adopo stood out.

The striker will have competition in his department, yet he showed himself with two goals against Ospitaletto and Racing Santander. In midfield, instead, Michel Adopo took the starting spot, with substantial performances, running, and scoring two goals against Galatasaray and Saint Etienne.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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