Have you even saw a player making the most of a rare appearance and wondered “why doesn’t this guy play more often?”. We’ve all been there really. The answer for this question usually varies between a tactical decision, being unfit for the adopted formation, strong competition for places, or simply being disliked by the manager. For one reason or another, here are five Serie A players who simply deserve to be granted more playing time.
5- Merih Demiral (Juventus)
The Turkish international was regarded as one of the best rising defenders in Europe, but injuries and a tough competition for places have limited him to just 10 Serie A starts this season.
The former Sassuolo man is currently behind the likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Matthijs de Ligt in the pecking order, but he will be seeking more playing time next season – whether at Juventus or elsewhere.
4- Carles Perez (Roma)
The young Spaniard is another player facing some healthy competition for a starting berth – in the presence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Pedro, Stephan El-Shaarawy and Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Nonetheless, whenever the Barcelona youth product gets the nod, he manages to showcase his splendid skills.
Luckily for Perez, he has been starting more matches recently, and has contributed with a goal and an assist in last Sunday’s defeat against Cagliari.
3- Stefano Sensi (Inter)
During the earlier stages of last season, the Italian international was amongst the best performers at Inter. Nonetheless, the midfielder faced injury problems, and has never been able to reclaim his spot ever since.
This campaign, the former Sassuolo man has made 13 Serie A appearances, with just two as a starter.
Whenever Sensi plays for the national team, he reminds us that he’s one of the most talented Italian midfielders, but Antonio Conte seems to be adamant on his current choices.
2- Felipe Caicedo (Lazio)
There are late goals, and then there are late, late goals, and the Lazio striker enjoys scoring the latter category.
Despite being the author of some of the most dramatic goals for the Biancocelesti, the well-travelled bomber remains mostly a substitute in Simone Inzaghi’s plans, with Ciro Immobile and Joaquin Correa favored to start.
Whilst the Ecuadorian can be attributed as a super-sub, perhaps a little more playing time would be a fair call.
1- Aleksey Miranchuk (Atalanta)
Despite the departure of former captain Alejandro Gomez in January, the Russian has mostly been an after-thought in Bergamo.
Nevertheless, the attacking midfielder delivers the goods almost every time he enters the pitch, and has already displayed his exquisite finishing touch with three Serie A goals, including one against Inter.
Knowing Gian Piero Gasperini, the great manager is arguably slowly integrating the 25-year-old into his own tactical schemes, and we might be seeing more of him in his second season with the club – similarly to Ruslan Malinovskiy who was in an identical position last year.