🇮🇹 Young Italians on the pitch: FINALLY! Who played this weekend 🌟 | OneFootball

After the first matchday of Serie A, the talking points we’ve seen are always the same: refereeing decisions, the transfer market still open, the post-match reactions where some criticize to vent and others take digs for strategic reasons.

But the routine we waited for all summer shouldn’t put us on autopilot, because something different happened: young Italian players actually played. It sounds unbelievable, but it’s true: Mattia Liberali, Simone Lontani, Alessandro Romano (Swiss with dual citizenship), Emanuele Lulli, Alphadjo Cisse and Alessio Cacciamani took the field.

Some started, others came off the bench: for not all of them it was an absolute Serie A debut, but the wider public really discovered them just a few days ago. The comparison with the other major European leagues is still a long way off (to put it kindly), but at least we’re trying: “Better something than nothing,” as Gianni Brera would have said.

Alphadjo Cisse (2006)

After an excellent pre-season with Milan and Ruben Amorim’s imprimatur in the press conference, Alphadjo Cisse (no accent, as he himself wanted to point out) made his Rossoneri debut and scored the first Serie A goal of his career. He handled the ball well in traffic, pressed constantly, and above all scored at the decisive moment.

During the summer he trained on his own in Montesilvano (Abruzzo) to get back in shape after rupturing his adductor tendon, an injury that had halted an excellent season with Aquilani’s Catanzaro. All summer Sassuolo and Torino wanted him on loan, but Amorim chose to keep him and throw him in. He’s already paying him back.

Mattia Liberali (2007)

It was actually Cisse’s injury that gave Mattia Liberali the chance to show himself: from February onward he became a starter at Catanzaro and displayed the qualities everyone already knew from Milan’s youth academy. Tight-space dribbling, quality on the ball, explosive first steps, and a mind always switched on from the attacking midfield line forward.

Milan—despite giving him a few first-team appearances—didn’t believe in him (and whoever made that call is no longer in that position), so Catanzaro picked him up. After 4 goals, 4 assists, and plenty of brilliant plays, Milan tried again. But forgiving a betrayal is always dangerous, so he chose Como instead: “If we didn’t think he was ready, we wouldn’t have signed him,” said Fabregas before his Serie A debut with Como, which came late in the game against Udinese.

Alessio Cacciamani (2007)

Another example of “cutting your teeth” in Serie B but under inspired guidance: Alessio Cacciamani was a starter throughout last season for Ignazio Abate’s Juve Stabia. His position is left wing-back despite being right-footed, a major advantage that gives him plenty of versatility going forward.

An impressive burst of pace (Chukwueze noticed that on the weekend), great stamina, and technique that still needs refining. That’s why Gasperini wanted him: the appointment seems only postponed for a partnership we all hope to see, except probably Torino fans. Now he has reunited with Abate and that minimum comfort zone he’ll need to face a league clearly superior to Serie B.

Simone Lontani (2008)

Simone Lontani is the second name developed at Milan who then decided to make the big leap elsewhere, and the choice seems to be paying off. After 4 years in Milan’s youth setup (signed from Cesena) and winning La Giovane Italia’s award as best U17 forward, Lontani decided to leave on a free transfer.

Parma signed him and Carlos Cuesta backed him right away: a brace in the Coppa Italia against Catania and an excellent match against Cagliari, complete with a nutmeg and a booking drawn from Ze Pedro early in the game. Flashes of quality dimmed only by second-half fatigue. Hopefully he plays as much as possible, because Diallo is in that role too.

Emanuele Lulli (2007)

Roma’s academy keeps producing talents, and Emanuele Lulli is just the latest: the surprise at seeing him start was only relative, given the excellent pre-season he had. In July, a loan move was being discussed, maybe to Avellino, but the 15 minutes he played in the friendly against Cardiff strengthened the doubt in Gasperini’s mind.

The market was struggling to deliver a right wing-back, so Lulli played again in the final minutes against Newport County and Brighton. His most convincing performance came as a starter against Dortmund, and then came the league decision: from minute one against Fiorentina.

It was an excellent match, full of challenges, recoveries, running, and attacking runs. More than anything, what stands out from his performance is the ball recovery for Malen’s 3-0. Lulli starts behind Molina in the pecking order, but he’ll get his chances: “This season, with so many games, everyone will be needed,” in Gasperini’s words.

Alessandro Romano (2006)

Alessandro Romano also came through at Roma, but he had to move to find space: he went directly from the Giallorossi Primavera side (apart from two Serie A appearances) to becoming a starter for Spezia in Serie B, in the middle of the park to set the tempo and provide physical and technical substance.

Cagliari wanted him badly, and Roma sent him out on loan with an option to buy (which can become an obligation, with no buy-back clause): not exactly a far-sighted decision. Pisacane immediately deployed him as a mezzala because he has every trait of a box-to-box midfielder. And Alessandro Romano showed it right away with forward runs, smart ball management, and a wonderful goal from outside the box. A starting spot now looks like a given.

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

📸 MARCO BERTORELLO - AFP or licensors