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Serie A is blessed with technical midfielders. Therefore, a midfielder who has developed in this league is usually intelligent at reading the game and proves to be a valuable asset to any side.
The forward's role is clearly defined - score goals. The defender's role, too, is self-explanatory - preventing the opposition from scoring goals. However, the job of midfielders in football is complex.
The midfielders are expected to provide a link between defense and attack, while chipping in with tackles as well as goals.
Is Serie A the ideal grooming ground for midfielders?
Serie A has produced some legendary midfielders over the years. The Italians' emphasis on technical ability is one of the prime factors for this. This was evident at Euro 2020 as Italy's midfield trio of Jorginho, Marco Verratti and Nicolo Barella dominated just about everyone.
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While Jorginho and Verratti do not play in Serie A, this list looks at the best midfielders currently in Italy, with relevant statistics provided to justify their respective ranks.
#5 Franck Kessie (AC Milan)
Franck Kessie enjoyed a fruitful 2020-21 season with AC Milan, helping them finish second in Serie A. His output in terms of goal contributions is pretty high for a defensive midfielder, scoring 13 goals and further assisting four. However, 11 of the 13 goals came from the penalty spot.
Kessie is not a player to be judged by his goal contributions though. The 24-year-old is a midfield powerhouse. He was everpresent in Milan's midfield, featuring in 37 of the 38 games. Kessie's main role in the side was breaking opposition attacks, and his physical nature certainly aided him.
Kessie is ranked sixth in Serie A for opposition dribblers tackled, with a 61.9% success rate. He also ranks fourth in the league for blocks made, with 75. The Ivorian midfielder can be rash at times though, committing 65 fouls last season, which ranks him eighth in Italy.
Kessie's role in possession cannot be undermined either, as he had the 10th highest touches in Serie A. Stefano Pioli will continue to expect such performances from the midfielder in the upcoming season too, as Milan continue their quest for the Scudetto.
#4 Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio)
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is one of Lazio's most important players alongside Ciro Immobile. The 26-year-old midfielder is the definition of a complete player. He ranks among the best in tackles, aerial duels and progressive passes, while also chipping in with goals and assists.
Having been a part of the title race for the 2019-20 season, a sixth-placed finish was disappointing for Lazio last time around. Regardless, Milinkovic-Savic had an excellent season, raking up eight goals and nine assists in 32 appearances.
Although his ball progression metrics are impressive, he did not break into the top 10 for midfielders in Serie A 2020-21. The Serbian, however, ranks seventh for passes into the penalty area.
Milinkovic-Savic's defensive contributions are also integral, which is why he is labeled as one of the most complete midfielders. He was ranked ninth for tackles in Serie A in the 2020-21 season. His 191cm frame also enabled him to be an aerial threat, as he ranked eighth for aerial duel wins.
Under new boss Maurizio Sarri, Milinkovic-Savic will be looking to elevate his game to an even higher level next season.
#3 Piotr Zielinski (Napoli)
Compared to other Serie A midfielders like Kessie and Milinkovic-Savic, Piotr Zielinski plays a more advanced role for Napoli. The 27-year-old midfielder had an extraordinary 2019-20 campaign, ranking in the top five in every single ball progression metric.
In the 2020-21 season, however, he turned into a more output-oriented player. Zielinski scored eight goals and further recorded 10 assists, taking his total goal contribution tally to 18. Ruslan Malinovskyi and Romelu Lukaku were the only two players to claim more assists, ranking the Polish midfielder third.
An interesting statistic is that Zielinski recorded the highest number of nutmegs in Serie A 2020-21, with 13. After an underwhelming campaign, Napoli will be hoping Zielinski can gain further ascendacy in the list of midfielders under new coach Luciano Spalletti.
#2 Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
Nicolo Barella was the most important player for Inter Milan after Romelu Lukaku under ex-manager Antonio Conte. His role, which is often referred to as a mezzela, is very important to how the team functions as a whole. Barella also executed the role brilliantly for Italy at the Euros.
The 24-year-old midfielder ended the 2020-21 Serie A season with three goals and seven assists, having featured 36 times. Now, while these may not seem like world-class numbers for midfielders, his real strength lies in providing the link between defense and attack.
Inter Milan usually lined up with just Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez up front, and Barella was tasked with converting the defense into attack. He was also instructed to watch Hakimi's overlapping run from right wing-back.
The Italian midfielder did everything that was asked of him. He was ranked sixth in Serie A in 2020-21 for progressive passes as well as passes into the penalty area. Barella was also ranked seventh in Serie A for through balls, and eighth for carries into the attacking third.
In fact, he is ranked in the 93rd percentile among midfielders in the top five leagues for progressive passes, and 94th percentile for progressive passes received. This means he gets into advanced positions, and also has the ability to carry the ball into more dangerous situations.
It will be interesting to see how new Inter boss Simone Inzaghi utilizes one of the most extraordinary midfielders in Serie A next season.
#1 Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo)
Manuel Locatelli was simply on fire in Serie A 2020-21. The 23-year-old midfielder, along with Domenico Berardi, who bagged 17 goals, led Sassuolo to an impressive eighth place finish under Roberto De Zerbi. They finished level on points with Roma, but missed out on European qualification due to goal difference.
On paper, Locatelli had just four goals and two assists in Serie A in 2020-21. However, when one takes a look at how good he is at progressing the ball, it becomes evident why the Italian tops the list of midfielders.
Locatelli is not among the midfielders who usually like to move forward and rather prefers to operate from the middle of the pitch. He was impressive at Euro 2020 too, when he was given the chance.
Locatelli was ranked first for touches of the ball in Serie A in 2020-21, which means that every single Sassuolo move went through him. He was also ranked first for passing targets, as well as passes into the final third.
Locatelli ranked second in the league for progressive passes, only behind Lazio's Luis Alberto. However, it is easy to forget that the 23-year-old does not fall in the category of advanced midfielders, unlike Alberto who is a traditional attacking midfielder.
As if this is not impressive enough, Locatelli also ranks third in the league for tackles. All in all, Loctaelli is surely among any manager's wishlist of dream midfielders.
Juventus seem to be courting him seriously this transfer window after Locatelli reportedly rejected Arsenal's advances.
Regardless of whether the new Sassuolo boss Alessio Dionisi utilizes him, or if it is Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus, the Serie A fans will continue to have the privilege of watching one of the best midfielders.
