Many new midfielders have arrived in Serie A this season, while plenty of others have moved from one team to another in the same Italian league, looking for more playing time and striving to get their opportunity to shine in one of the most competitive and complicated leagues in terms of tactics, especially in midfield.
Yacine Adli, Teun Koopmeiners, Scott McTominay, Youssouf Fofana, and Davide Frattesi are some of the midfielders expected to have a major impact on their own teams this season.
Their level is witnessing a significant upgrade and is more likely to improve even further during the season.
These five players notable progress took place either due to their change of teams and the possibility of getting more playing time, plus the motivation that increases with such changes, or simply due to developing their skills and abilities further.
Perhaps the best example of someone who developed his skills and improved a lot as a player compared to last season is Frattesi, the player who joined Inter Milan on loan last season and is under contract until 2028.
That being said, numerous other midfielders are also capable of making their breakthrough this season and surprising everyone with their level, but it would be complicated to discuss every profile in detail in one article.
This tactical analysis and Serie A scout report will illuminate these five names and their actual importance to their teams’ tactics.
The analysis will also aim to explore what makes these players worthy of being mentioned as players expected to make their breakthrough this season.
This means that we will be trying to cover the signs that show these players’ progress and impact on the games.
Yacine Adli Scouting Report
Adli was formed at PSG before moving to Bordeaux, where he got more playing time and shone in Ligue 1 to attract the interest of AC Milan.
Afterwards, he did not earn Stefano Piolis confidence to play as a starter.
The Italian manager used him occasionally, delaying his breakthrough and impacting his match sharpness but working with him to improve his abilities at the same time.
Last season, he started playing a bit further and produced some convincing performances, but he was not able to consistently get a starting spot with the Rossoneri.
During the last summer transfer window, Adli was loaned to Fiorentina with an option to buy and started the season convincingly.
He showcased his developed passing skills and contributed significantly to Fiorentinas positive results at the start of this season.
The French midfielder hopes to integrate into the French senior national team soon and will surely do so if he maintains his current form.
He knows that he contributed to Fiorentina’s results not only by providing key passes but also by scoring very important goals against difficult teams like his former team, Milan.
He started the season as a substitute and then convinced Raffaele Palladino with his performances.
He got a few starts recently and confirmed his abilities by scoring key goals against Milan and against The New Saints in the Europa League.
Although Fiorentina is actually in the 11th position, Adli’s contribution will continue to be very important.
He showed great fluidity in his positioning in midfield, with and without the ball, by consistently providing passing options.
Thanks to his pinpointed long passes, he also showed his ability to lead the building from the back and find the perfect passing solutions.
With an overall passing accuracy of 83% and a long passing accuracy of 58.3%, we can argue that Adli has the potential to be even more dangerous using his long passes and by working even further on his key short passes to provide more assists per season despite not being an advanced playmaker.
This goal example against Milan can represent the revolution of this player as it was his proof to everyone that he has the abilities needed to score against any team and put on convincing performances at the highest level.
The curved shot from a complicated angle showcases Adli’s talent, excellent vision, and accuracy of shooting technique.
If he keeps working on his shooting abilities, Adli has the potential to become one of the most dangerous midfielders in Serie A, especially if he gets shooting from distance opportunities often.
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