⚠️ Seem likely starters but may be benched, who to watch for 🧙‍♂️ | OneFootball

Certain players have great qualities but this year they risk not being absolute starters, due to competition or the formation used by their teams.

Let's look at the list of those useful and highly valuable players who, however, do not have a 100% guaranteed spot in the starting eleven.

Beukema and Lucca

Two new signings for Napoli that expand the squad and bring quality, especially with the Champions League commitments in mind. At the same time, Beukema and Lucca start as reserves for a central defender (Buongiorno or Rrahmani) and for Lukaku, who is an absolute starter for Conte.

Pavard and Mkhitaryan

If an offer came in, Benjamin Pavard would be one of the players Inter could sacrifice, but if he stays with the team, he wouldn't have a guaranteed spot in defense. The presence of Bisseck and (in extremis) also Darmian makes that position crowded, considering that Inter's defensive roster also includes Acerbi, De Vrij, and Bastoni.

Mkhitaryan is a year older and Inter has strengthened its midfield with the arrival of Sucic, plus the negotiations for Koné from Roma send signals: the Armenian could lose the absolute starting position he had with Inzaghi.

Koopmeiners

Tudor openly stated in a press conference and it was seen on the field: Koopmeiners will play in Juventus's "two-man midfield," but the competition should not be underestimated. The presence of K. Thuram seems essential, and benching Locatelli is a feat achieved by few players at Juve.

Fofana

Milan's midfielder might be less central compared to last year: the arrivals of Ricci, Jashari (both starters), and Modric will surely reduce his playing time. The physical recovery of Loftus-Cheek also gives Allegri another option, allowing him to vary the midfield depending on the preferred formation: for this reason, Fofana will have his space but might not repeat last year's 2510 minutes.

Dia

Sarri's 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with Lazio could reduce Dia's games, an important element during last season with Baroni. His linking play will be useful to Sarri: he can be deployed both as an attacking midfielder and in place of Castellanos, who, however, starts as a starter. Additionally, Boulaye Dia will play in the Africa Cup of Nations, certainly a downside in fantasy football.

Dybala

The presence of Soulé, along with negotiations for Sancho and Bailey, does not reassure Dybala's position: plenty of quality but perhaps little intensity in the long run for the football envisioned by Gasperini. He will have his space but in selected matches and crucial moments, injuries permitting.

Santiago Castro

Santiago Castro did very well with Bologna last season, but the arrival of Immobile will surely reduce his playing time, as Ciro did not return to Italy to sit on the bench. Besides him, the presence of Dallinga, another competitor in his role, should not be forgotten.

Giovanni Simeone

Giovanni Simeone will have more space at Torino compared to Napoli, but if Baroni were to use the 4-2-3-1, he still wouldn't be sure of his spot. Che Adams is very likely to be a starter, and the return from injury of Duvan Zapata could further reduce playing time for Cholito.

Almqvist

Cuesta's Parma showed a 3-5-2 formation in this pre-season, and Almqvist might suffer during the season. A hypothetical two-man attack with Pellegrino/Djuric and Benedyczak would push Almqvist to the wing or, worse, to the bench. The names in Parma's attack are not too many, so Almqvist will play, but his centrality is not certain.

Stanciu

Genoa's experienced and quality signing will have to contend with the balance sought by Patrick Vieira: there are several names in the attacking midfield, and the competition from Valentin Carboni, Messias, Gronbaek, and Malinovsky is not easy to beat. Stanciu could earn his spot but certainly does not start among the absolute starters.

Luvumbo

Last year, Luvumbo played further from the goal, often almost as a pure winger, and this year he has more competitors in Cagliari's attack. The signings of Sebastiano Esposito (more mobile) and Kilicsoy (more central) will reduce his playing time.

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

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