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The 2022 World Cup was the perfect stage for some players to shine, but also others struggled more than expected. Serie A will be back on Jan. 4, almost two months after the break, and there are some key players that aim to show that their performances in Qatar were signs of what’s to come and others that need to respond after a disappointing tournament. Let’s take a look in particular at five players to watch in the coming weeks.
Lautaro Martinez, Inter Milan
Argentinian World Champion Lautaro Martinez had a particularly quiet and poor tournament. He was a starter in the first couple of matches but then lost his place to Manchester City’s striker Julian Alvarez. Despite the disappointment, Martinez scored the deciding penalty in the quarterfinal match against Netherlands and was a key player also in the final when he came on in the extra time. In the first part of the Serie A season, he scored seven goals in 15 games and more importantly a crucial goal against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou that helped Inter Milan to reach the round of 16 where they will play against Porto next month. There are now a lot of expectations around him, especially after winning the World Cup with Argentina and helping set up Lionel Messi’s extra time goal.
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Rafael Leao, AC Milan
Despite the disappointment of being eliminated with Portugal in the quarterfinals against Morocco, Rafael Leao had a quite positive World Cup. He didn’t play much and was always subbed in for all the five games Portugal played, but he scored two goals and showed on the pitch that he will definitely be a key player in the coming years for the national team. AC Milan are currently second in the league, and Leao scored six goals in 15 matches so far and also provided five assists to his teammates. The Rossoneri fans are worried about his contract situation, with the current agreement expiring in the summer of 2024. Negotiations are ongoing over a new deal and in recent days there were some positive contacts between his agent and the club to reach an agreement soon.
Sofyan Amrabat, Fiorentina
One of the most interesting players of the 2022 World Cup. Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat was one of the keys of the first African side to ever reach the semifinals. This season Sofyan Amrabat already played 20 games with Fiorentina and is a regular starter, but it’s fair to say that his impact at the World Cup has been a surprise also for those who watch him play in Italy every weekend. The way he played against Spain and Portugal in particular showed that he’s a midfielder that can bring quality to many European clubs that are looking for a central midfielder of this kind. Fiorentina’s American owner Rocco Commisso, on the other hand, won’t be an easy person to deal with to buy the player in 2023. He wanted him more than anyone else back in January 2020 when the Viola signed him from Hellas Verona and now he knows that the evaluation of Amrabat grew substantially after the tournament.
Dusan Vlahovic, Juventus
The Serbian striker had a difficult start of the season with Juventus and also had a difficult World Cup, where Serbia were eliminated in the group stage and the Juventus player scored only one goal against Switzerland. With his club, in the first part of the season, he scored six goals in ten matches and he’s currently suffering groin pain that is preventing him from playing regularly. It will be important to see how much this injury can impact his performances and also the ones of the club. Juventus desperately need to get into the top four of the league, especially after they were eliminated in the UEFA Champions League’s group stage.
Hirving Lozano, Napoli
Elsewhere, Napoli are the main candidates to win the Scudetto this year and have eight points more than AC Milan that are currently second in the league. Alongside Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, Mexican player Hirving Lozano has been one of the most impressive players in the first part of the campaign as he scored three goals in 13 matches but also showed on the pitch to be a crucial player in terms of creation. The World Cup was disappointing for him and Mexico, as they were eliminated in the group stage after losing against Argentina, drawing against Poland and winning the final game against Saudi Arabia. Napoli only had five players at the World Cup and the question is if this can also have an impact on the league in terms of health and rest. We will have an answer quite soon, starting Jan. 4 when Napoli will face Inter Milan at the San Siro.