Continuing our collaboration with The Scouting App, The Cult of Calcio analysis team brings to you the second installment of our analysis of the best Under-20 players on the books of Serie A teams.
Next up in this scouting series is our player analysis on the best young defensive midfielders who have the potential to become household names in the coming years. Some of these players have only just started playing first team football while others have already gained enough experience to become mainstays of their respective teams.
After careful evaluation through our own scouting methodology, we shortlisted four players who we believe could become integral members of their respective sides and perhaps go further than that.
Simon Sohm
Simon Sohm is a 19-year-old defensive midfielder currently on the books of Serie A outfit Parma. Standing at 188cm, the Switzerland born midfielder spent last season on loan at Swiss Super League outfit Zurich, for whom he played 31 games and managed to score one goal. In total, the youngster managed 41 appearances in all competitions and demonstrated great playmaking abilities while playing in a much deeper role.
As you can see from his heat map, Sohm is an all-action midfielder who prefers to operate on the left side of a double pivot while also moving into a more advanced role during transition. However, the youngster does not venture too further up the field which clearly illustrates his willingness to stick to his role on the pitch.
Adaptability to Different Formations
Last season, Zurich manager Ludovic Magnin tested out different formations which saw Sohm move between the left and right side of the double pivot. Even though the club’s manager did not go for a stable formation, Sohm’s presence at the base of the midfield was a true constant.
While he is a defensive midfielder by trade, Sohm’s great close control and ability to get himself out of tricky situations allow him to instigate offensive moves.
In this screenshot, Sohm receives a pass from his teammate and has two options up ahead; Either play a simple pass to the nearest teammate in front of him or wait for the furthest forward to make a run and go for a smart through ball.
In most of these situations, defensive midfielders would usually try to keep things simple and leave the creativity to the other teammates.
In this case, however, Sohm goes for a nice through ball after waiting just a bit for the striker to make a diagonal run. The defense-splitting pass is received by the striker who only has the goalkeeper to beat and put the result beyond any doubt for Zurich.
Throughout the last campaign in Switzerland, Sohm kept showcasing his ability to deliver quick first time passes that resulted in several goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.
This is why the youngster boasts a great average of passes in the final third.
The above map is the youngster’s passes into the final third in a league game against Lugano. Sohm averages 7.66 passes into the final third with an accuracy of 72.2% which is a very good number for a player who is still developing.
Interceptions and Breaking Up Play
For a player in his position, Sohm is naturally expected to add an extra layer of protection for the back-line.
In this game from the current Serie A season, Parma are facing a swift counter-attack from Udinese while trailing 2-1. A third goal would kill the game and this is where Sohm’s positioning helps him anticipate the opponent’s next move.
Noticing that the winger is going to cut inside, Sohm simply puts himself in front of the opponent and cuts off a passing lane, thus killing the move that could have led to the third goal for Udinese.
This interception map is taken from Zurich’s 2-1 loss at the hands of Young Boys. As you can see, Sohm had to play a much deeper role than usual and helped out the defense, making six vital interceptions.
The youngster averages 4.28 interceptions per 90 minutes which bodes well for Parma whose leaky defense has left them mired in a rather early relegation battle.
While he is a very hardworking player who would track back and help the defense, Sohm still needs to learn the art of tackling and the even finer art of conceding a technical foul. According to The Scouting App, Sohm boasts a tackle rating of 6/10 which is pretty much in line with our analysis.
The Swiss averages 7.27 defensive duels won but it is the sliding tackles side of things where he really needs to improve, boasting a miserly average of 0.34 successful sliding tackles per 90 minutes.
Conclusion
While Sohm is slowly gaining experience, the 2020-21 campaign would be the youngster’s first big test. He is playing for a team that is expected to be involved in a relegation scrap and he is likely to feature more heavily in the coming months.
Experience of playing in the Swiss Super League was definitely necessary for his development but what he does in the Serie A in the coming months would tell us more about his mental strength and ability to continue developing into a world class defensive midfielder.
Nicolò Rovella
Nicolo Rovella is an 18-year-old defensive midfielder currently on the books of Serie A outfit Genoa. The teenager is a deep-lying playmaker who has regularly featured for Genoa’s Under 19 side throughout the 2019-20 season.
While he spent the majority of the previous campaign playing at the Primavera level, the youngster made a couple of appearances off the bench for the senior side.
Style of Play
Rovella is predominantly a defensive midfielder but operates more as a deep-lying playmaker which sheds light on some of his attributes that we will discuss later in the analysis.
As you can see from the player’s heat map, Rovella is not necessarily a player who would play in a deeper role. The youngster likes venturing further up field where he can involve himself in attacking plays.
Passing Ability
The following pass map from his first Serie A game of the campaign would give us a better idea about his presence in the midfield and the sort of characteristics he brings.
This pass map is taken from Genoa’s goalless draw against Hellas Verona. In that game, Rovella played for 79 minutes as a defensive midfielder and boasted a passing accuracy of 94%. However, as you can see, most of Rovella’s passes are lateral or going backwards.
This seems to suggest that the youngster is better at keeping things simple and moving while not taking any unnecessary risks.
But in order to really gauge his passing ability as a deep-lying midfielder, we need to see how he performed in the Primavera league last season. Rovella averaged 64.85 accurate passes last season which is a very good number for someone of his age.
Defensive Contribution
As a defensive midfielder, Rovella has to have a high interception rate. The youngster averaged 6.74 interceptions per 90 minutes last season and boasted a 65.2% of defensive duels won which is yet another good indicator of his all-round ability.
Conclusion
At the age of 18, Nicolò Rovella has a lot of time to develop and now that he is expected to get enough minutes for Genoa, we can hope that he is able to further improve on his attributes and become a key player for the senior side.
Lucien Agoumé
Lucien Agoumé is an 18-year-old French midfielder who operates as a defensive midfielder for Inter and is currently on loan at Spezia.
Last season, the youngster played in three Serie A games for Antonio Conte’s side after putting in some really consistent displays in the Italian Campionato Primavera.
Style of Play
Agoume is an all-action midfielder who is blessed with great physique. He is a strong tackler both on and off the ground and even ventures further up field to make recoveries. His passing ability allows him to instigate attacking moves.
As you can see in the heat map, Agoume is pretty much comfortable in all central midfield areas. Due to his adaptive nature, the teenage midfielder can be a true asset for a side that wants to have a player who can fill in a wide variety of midfield roles.
Passing Ability
Last season, Agoume averaged 59.89 accurate passes per 90 minutes which is a fairly high number. Moreover, you can observe the player’s range of passing by looking at the accurate long passes he averaged (8.29) per 90 minutes. Boasting an 80.27% forward pass accuracy, Agoume is truly a live wire and likes to stay involved in games.
The above pass map is from Inter Under 19’s entertaining 3-3 draw with Roma’s Under 19 side from last season. As you can see, the young midfielder was heavily involved in everything throughout the 90 minutes.
Based on our scouting analysis which is concurred by The Scouting App’s results, the youngster has great technique and passing range for his age.
Defensive Contribution
In order to have a better understanding of Agoume’s defensive characteristics, we must take a look at attributes such as interceptions and defensive duels won. Here, the 18-year-old averaged 5.68 interceptions per game and won 11.52 defensive duels per 90 minutes.
Conclusion
Agoume is definitely one for the future. So far, he hasn’t played for Spezia in the Serie A but the youngster should get more minutes in the coming weeks. Agoume has great work rate, is a good passer of the ball and, due to his pace, can make vital interceptions.
However, the coming months are going to prove crucial to the player’s success as he looks to further his development and eventually force his way in Antonio Conte’s side.
Ivan Ilic
Ivan Ilic is a 19-year-old Serbian midfielder who is currently playing for Hellas Verona, on loan from English Premier League outfit Manchester City.
Following some really promising displays for Red Star Belgrade in the youth teams, the youngster was snapped up by Manchester City. Since then, he has gone back to Serbia and then to the Dutch Eredivisie in order to gain more experience.
Style of Play
Ivan Ilic is a very versatile midfielder who can play a wide variety of roles. However, the youngster is predominantly a defensive midfielder.
And while he is a defensive midfielder, Ilic really likes to go up field, something that becomes quite clear in his career heat map.
Now at Hellas Verona, it will be very interesting to see how much the youngster can progress and perhaps one day return to the Etihad Stadium and become the club’s long-term replacement for Fernandinho.
Passing Ability
One of the most eye-catching things about Ivan Ilic is that the youngster really has a good eye for a pass. So far in the Serie 2020-21 campaign, the young Serb has managed to average 63.79 accurate passes in just three games.
As you can see from the pass map taken from Verona’s goalless draw with Genoa, a majority of the youngster’s passes originate from the left side of the pitch. During that game, he was deployed as a left-sided central midfielder.
But what was the most interesting thing about the player’s passes to final third was that a big majority of them were aimed towards a teammate down the left flank which means that he is more suited to a team that likes its players to make use of space down the channels.
Defensive Capabilities
During the game against Genoa, Ilic made 12 interceptions while won 50% of his defensive duels. He even managed 10 recoveries in the opponent’s half.
As you can see, the Serb is a very strong reader of the game which is why his interceptions map shows that his interceptions are not concentrated in a particular area of the pitch.
Conclusion
Based on our analysis, Ivan Ilic has a lot of potential to become a player similar to Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. He has great positioning, spatial awareness, and passing ability. Moreover, the youngster is great at anticipating offensive moves which allows him to snuff out dangerous attacks before they even happen.
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