🇮🇹 Young Italians on the pitch: finally! Who played this weekend 🌟

🇮🇹 Young Italians on the pitch: finally! Who played this weekend 🌟 After the first matchday of Serie A, the talking points we’ve seen are the usual ones : refereeing decisions , the transfer market still being open, the post-match reactions where some vent by criticizing and others take little digs as a strategy. The routine we waited for all summer, however, mustn’t put us on autopilot, because something different happened: young Italians actually played. It seems 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 did so as starters, others came off the bench: for not all of them was it their absolute Serie A debut, but the wider public really discovered them just a few days ago. The comparison with the other top 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 a press conference, Alphadjo Cisse (without the accent, as he himself wanted to point out) made his debut at San Siro 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 into shape after tearing his adductor tendon, an injury that had cut short an excellent season with Aquilani’s Catanzaro. Throughout July, Sassuolo and Torino wanted him on loan, but Amorim chose to keep him and throw him in. He is already repaying that faith. Mattia Liberali (2007) It was 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 ranks. Tight-space dribbling, quality on the ball, explosive first steps and a brain that is always switched on in the attacking third. Milan—despite a few appearances with the first team—didn’t believe in him (and those who didn’t are no longer in their positions), so Catanzaro signed him. After 3 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," Fabregas said before his Serie A debut for Como, which came late in the match against Udinese. Alessio Cacciamani (2007) Another example of “earning your stripes” in Serie B, but under inspired guidance: Alessio Cacciamani was a starter throughout last season for Ignazio Abate’s Juve Stabia. His position is as the left-sided “fifth” despite being right-footed, a major advantage that gives him plenty of long-term versatility. An impressive burst of pace (Chukwueze noticed that over the weekend), great stamina and technique that still needs polishing. That’s why Gasperini wanted him: the appointment seems merely postponed for a partnership we’re all hoping for—except, probably, Torino fans. For now, he has reunited with Abate and found that bit of comfort zone he’ll need to face a league clearly above Serie B. Simone Lontani (2008) Simone Lontani is the second name developed by 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 academy (signed from Cesena) and winning La Giovane Italia ’s award as best U17 striker, Lontani chose 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 game against Cagliari, complete with a nutmeg and a booking drawn from Ze Pedro early on. Flashes of quality dimmed only by second-half fatigue. Let’s hope he plays as much as possible, because Diallo is also in that role. 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 considered, perhaps 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 closing minutes against Newport County and Brighton. His most convincing performance came as a starter against Dortmund, and then came the league decision: from the first minute against Fiorentina. It was an excellent performance full of challenges, balls won back, running and forward surges. Above all, what stood out from his game was the ball recovery that led to Pisilli’s final 4-0. Lulli starts behind Molina in the pecking order, but he will get his chances: "This season, with so many matches, 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 playing time: he went straight from Roma’s Primavera side to being a starter for Spezia in Serie B, in the middle of the park to set the tempo and add physical and technical presence. Cagliari wanted him badly, and Roma sent him on loan with an option to buy (but no buy-back clause): not a particularly far-sighted decision. Pisacane immediately used him as a box-to-box midfielder because he has all the characteristics for the role. And Alessandro Romano showed it straight away with forward runs, smart ball management and a wonderful goal from outside the box. A starting spot now seems inevitable. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.