Football

The two strikers causing chaos in Serie A

November 1, 2021 1:22 pm

To say it’s been a crazy Serie A season so far is an understatement. Juventus are perhaps worthy of much of the headlines. But that would be very unfair on Napoli and AC Milan. The pair sit joint top of the table after 11 games. They are yet to lose, with Napoli’s better goal difference putting them in first place.

But it was before a ball was even kicked that the mayhem in Italian football began. Champions Inter started things off. After winning their first league title in 11 years, financial difficulties and off-field problems saw them lose a whole host of key figures. At the top of that pile were manager Antonio Conte and Romelu Lukaku.

Also in the news were Juventus. They had just missed out on the Scudetto having won the competition nine years in a row. What’s worse, star man Cristiano Ronaldo was also on his way out.

And Juve certainly haven’t recovered. They currently occupy ninth spot in the table, with just four wins to their name. Quite simply, the Bianconeri have failed to replace their goalscoring sensation. They have, however, reportedly set their sights on one man in particular…

And he is one of two strikers currently upsetting the status quo and dominating all the headlines in Serie A this season:

Dusan Vlahovic

One name being linked with several top European clubs – including Juve – in recent weeks is Dusan Vlahovic. The 21-year-old is currently loving life at Fiorentina.

The Serbian banged in a 30-minute hat-trick against Spezia on Sunday. That was his second of 2021 so far. He now has eight league goals this season, one behind leader Ciro Immobile.

His incredible stats continue to astound, with 35 Serie A goals at just 21 years old perhaps the most impressive. Worryingly for Fiorentina, the towering forward has reportedly turned down their latest contract offer, as per Fabrizio Romano.

Giovanni Simeone

The Hellas Verona man is the other forward currently finding his name in all the papers. And that is thanks to another stellar weekend in front of goal.

Five years older than Vlahovic, Simeone put two past Juventus in four minutes. The brace secured a 2-1 win for his side. It puts him level on goals with the Serbian, having played one game less.

Thanks to his father Diego Simeone’s career path, he holds both Argentine and Spanish nationality. But it is the former who he chose to represent. And that started in perfect fashion. Called up to face Guatemala in a friendly in 2018, the striker netted on his debut in the 3-0 win.

Unfortunately for Simeone, international caps have been hard to come by ever since. With the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain, Lautaro Martinez and Joaquin Correa all vying for a spot up front over the years, it’s clear to see why. But don’t rule out a return to the national setup soon.

Serie A strikers of old still on top

Of course the old guard cannot be disregarded. As mentioned, Lazio’s Immobile sits top of the table with nine for the campaign. Inter’s new hero Edin Dzeko meanwhile has seven. 

And no Italian football striker discussion would be complete without Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 40-year-old just smashed in his 400th league goal – and 150th in Serie A. It came from a free-kick in Sunday’s 2-1 win against Jose Mourinho’s Roma.

Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!