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Serie A is a tough league! A place where all the formidable defenders assemble, this league often gifts us with competitive matches.
Even though Juventus have dominated the Italian top-flight for quite some time now, other teams, notably AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Atalanta's growth, offer a promising season that lies ahead.
Ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, Serie A saw some massive switch of players within the league and from outside as well. Some notable names have arrived to bolster the intensity of the league.
Taking things to another level, under the guidance of Antonio Conte, Inter Milan managed to grab the Scudetto last year. They achieved the feat by beating Conte's former team Juventus, who had occupied the throne for nine straight seasons before that.
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With just weeks to go until the 2021-22 Serie A gets underway, let's take a look at five players to watch in Serie A this term.
Note: Expected and regular performers like Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ciro Immobile and others are not included in the list.
#5 Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter Milan)
Hakan Çalhanoğlu joined the current Serie A champs Inter Milan from arch-rivals AC Milan on a free transfer. The transfer gifts Inter with a great addition to their midfield.
A player with immense quality and impeccable set-piece skills, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, is certain to be starting every game for his new club. The Turkish international made headlines during his Bayer Leverkusen days.
His performances for Leverkusen landed him at the San Siro in 2017, where he played over 172 matches for AC Milan. It will be exciting to see how Hakan Çalhanoğlu fares under Simone Inzaghi this season.
#4 Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)
If you compile a list of the most underrated and under-appreciated strikers in modern football, Giroud would probably be one of the top names. Giroud shot himself to fame after having a stellar tenure at Arsenal.
He was certainly considered formidable in his Arsenal days but then left the Gunners for city rivals Chelsea. Now, in an attempt to add more trophies to his collection, the Frenchman has joined AC Milan.
Before making the switch from England to Italy, Giroud said:
"The time had come to leave Chelsea and discover a new league. God wanted me to play for Milan. This is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I really believe in the project here."
It will be exciting to see Giroud deployed alongside the lethal Zlatan Ibrahimović in the upcoming Serie A season.
#3 Álvaro Morata (Juventus)
Despite being a part of his national team that entered the semifinals in the recently concluded Euro 2020, Morata has more or less been on the receiving end of some harsh criticism.
Throughout the course of the tournament, the former Real Madrid forward was constantly under his critics' microscope, and missing a penalty against Italy was the final nail in the coffin.
Despite the critics, Morata's coach Luis Enrique trusted him all along.
"I’ve told Morata to keep doing what he is doing, to keep contributing everything he gives us in attack and defence," Luis Enrique said during Euro 2020.
Álvaro Morata had a successful run with Juventus between 2014-16. The Spaniard has now returned to his former team on loan from Atletico Madrid. Only time can unravel what Morata can do with Juventus in his second stint.
#2 Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan)
Lautaro Martinez's summer couldn't have started any better. The recent Copa America triumph, where Martinez ended up as the second-most goal-getter (3 goals), has raised the bar for the Argentine.
The 23-year-old is strongly pursued by Arsenal but with no European football or proper team balance at the Gunners, it is highly unlikely that Lautaro Martinez will make a switch. He's been directly involved in 27 goals off 38 games in Inter Milan's Scudetto-winning campaign last year.
Meanwhile, a dark cloud looms over Inter Milan's head in the form of Lukaku's Chelsea move. However, the club is doing its best to keep the Belgian with them in order to deploy the dangerous Martinez-Lukaku duo just as they did last season.
#1 Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
Federico Chiesa is another continental trophy winner within Serie A. The Juventus star forward, who won EURO 2020, which was also his first-ever major tournament, occupies the top spot on our list.
The Italian, who is currently on loan with Fiorentina, had a great season with the Old Lady last time out. His goal scoring abilities, coupled with playmaking skills proved fruitful for the Turin side.
Chiesa is expected to continue his fine form in the upcoming season as well. The talks even suggest Juventus are in an attempt to make the 2-year-loan deal a permanent one.
The 23-year-old winger was arguably the best player from Juventus in the Champions League last season. For the same reason, the Italian heavyweights would be relying a lot on him in the European competition.
