Serie A 2022-23 superlatives: The players and teams that will define the season in Italy’s top flight

Serie A is finally back and we have plenty of new players and teams to watch and things to predict in the coming season. AC Milan will try to defend their title after winning the Scudetto eleven years after the last time they made it, while Inter Milan and Juventus are willing to bring back the title to their fans. After winning the UEFA Conference League, Jose Mourinho will have all eyes on him in his second season at AS Roma after the club signed free agent Paulo Dybala. Napoli have rebuilt their team this summer after many key players of the last decade decided to leave the club. Strap in and let’s get to some predictions. 

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Best Newcomer: Charles De Ketelaere, AC Milan 

AC Milan signed young talent Charles De Ketelaere over the summer. After a long negotiation Rossoneri agreed a fee with Club Brugges for around €35 million, add-ons included. De Ketelaere has also signed a five-year deal until June 2027 and will become one of the players to watch this season. He’s expected to become the starter as a number ten between the deeper lying midfielders and the attacking line which will see Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud leading the team upfront. Despite his young age — he was born in 2001 — De Ketelaere already played Champions League soccer with Club Brugges and he has all the right technical abilities to impress in Italy. 

Golden Boot Winner: Dusan Vlahovic, Juventus

He arrived in January at Juventus and immediately showed all his skills. This will be his first full season at the club and Massimiliano Allegri knows that he has the potential to become one of the best strikers in Europe. The Bianconeri completely changed directions after his arrival last January from Fiorentina and there are a lot of expectations around him. This year the roster looks way better for his style of play as well with Angel Di Maria, Filip Kostic and Federico Chiesa on the wings to provide him plenty of service. During his first six months at Juventus, the Serbian striker played 21 matches and scored nine goals across all the competitions, and this year it’s only going to get better. 

Most Improved Team: AS Roma

It was the summer of AS Roma. After winning the UEFA Conference League, Jose Mourinho’s side impressed everyone with some very solid transfer business that brought players such as Nemanja Matic, Gini Wijnaldum and, most importantly, free agent Paulo Dybala to the club. Nicolo Zaniolo is also set to stay, despite the interest of Juventus and Jose Mourinho’s main issue will be to find a way to fit together players such as Zaniolo, striker Tammy Abraham and Dybala at the same time. AS Roma are expected to fight for the top four alongside Napoli, Atalanta and Lazio. 

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Biggest Drop in the Table: Hellas Verona

The side is dealing with many changes on the roster, a new coach and a key player, Giovanni Simeone, who is now set to leave the club to join Napoli. There is a good chance that Hellas Verona won’t be the same as over the past couple of seasons under coaches Ivan Juric and Igor Tudor. Gabriele Cioffi took charge of the club and there are already rumors that he’s at risk after losing against Serie B side Bari in the Coppa Italia playoff. Last season they ended up ninth in the league, only six points behind Atalanta in eighth, after a very solid year but this year it’s likely that they will have to fight to avoid relegation. 

Best Promoted Side: AC Monza 

AC Monza’s first ever Serie A season comes with a lot of noise because the club is owned by former Italian Prime Minister and AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi. They made some important signings such as goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, new captain Matteo Pessina, Stefano Sensi and they are now on the verge of signing former AC Milan striker Andrea Petagna. The Berlusconi-Galliani era at Milan was probably one of the most successful in the history of European soccer. From the late 80’s they won 29 trophies in 31 years, including eight Serie A titles, five Champions Leagues, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana, three FIFA Club World Cups and five UEFA Super Cups. After an incredible spell at AC Milan, they are now working to write another successful chapter in Monza. 

Best comeback: Paul Pogba, Juventus 

The return of the French midfielder was an important statement in the title race and one which makes Juventus the best team positioned team to win the Scudetto if he can come remotely close to replicating his form during his first stint. He’s a difference maker in a place that he knows and where he is comfortable, as he’s back ten years after he arrived at the club for the first time before making his return to Old Trafford for a €105 million transfer. Pogba ultimately chose to join Juventus despite being on the radar of multiple European clubs, including Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. His debut will be delayed by a knee injury, but if he has anything near the impact he did during his first stint, nobody will remember the late start when he’s hoisting the trophy in May.

Best Young Player: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Napoli 

Coming from Dinamo Batumi, the Georgian talent is a player to watch this season especially after a very positive start in the pre-season tour. Napoli’s roster changed a lot this summer, with key players such as Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens and Kalidou Koulibaly all leaving the club, and Fabian Ruiz rumored to be on his way to PSG. Luciano Spalletti needed some new fresh talent and Kvaratskhelia has a lot of potential as he can play in different positions on the attacking line. Born in 2001, he’s one of the best new talents of Italian soccer, alongside De Ketelaere. Obviously the jump from the Erovnuli Liga, Georgia’s top division, but if he can manage that transition he’ll have ample opportunity to succeed at Napoli. 

Most Valuable American Player: Weston McKennie, Juventus

It’s a very easy choice this time, considering that the current Juventus midfielder is the only American player in Serie A this season! That, said he remains an important part of Juventus’s midfield, even with Pogba’s arrival. He may have to fight for a starting role, but his ability to do a little bit of everything ensures that no matter how often he’s in the starting XI, he’ll still have a big part to play when he returns from injury.