Serie A Early Season Trends: The Players Who are Impressing According to the Data

It’s still very early days in the 2024-25 Serie A season, yet the league table is slowly beginning to take shape with many teams starting to find their groove. With Torino leading the way after five games and both Empoli and Udinese occupying top six spots, there have already been plenty of unexpected twists and turns in the Italian top flight.

Why are Stats Important?
Statistics play a vital role in the modern-day game and are used by everyone from television broadcasters and journalists, through to club recruitment departments. Online bookmakers and punters are also likely to use this data on a weekly basis with the latter hoping to gain an advantage when it comes to placing their weekend bets.

The large majority of new betting sites now offer fun features such as bet builders on notable topflight competitions. These empower bettors to explore additional markets such as shots on target, tackles and fouls with the increased availability of stats enabling bespoke bets to be easily constructed by savvy gamblers.

These numbers also allow us to look at the bigger picture. The league table rarely tells the full story, and the data helps us to spot trends which may enable us to predict how a team or player is likely to perform in the coming weeks. Recruitment teams are able to use this information to select players who are likely to fit into the squad, fill a gap or fulfil a manager’s requirement.

When it comes to individual players, the likes of Marcus Thuram, Mateo Retegui and Christian Pulisic have predictably caught the eye, and the data is suggesting that their early-season form is likely to be sustainable. However, we’ve picked out a handful of players who have started strongly and have unexpectedly racked up decent numbers throughout the opening couple of months.

Standout Performers in Serie A
It often takes a few weeks for summer signings to find their feet, particularly those who have arrived from South America. Nevertheless, Hellas Verona’s Daniel Mosquera has hit the ground running and has already notched three times, despite clocking up a total of just 150 minutes. The striker who arrived from CD America de Cali in July is being eased into first-team action, yet he had a debut to remember against Napoli. He is averaging 2.35 shots per game and a highly impressive 1.76 goals per 90 minutes. His average shooting distance is 12.9 yards which demonstrates an ability to get into the right areas and he has a joint-highest touches in the opposition’s penalty area (11). His non-penalty xG of 1.5 is far superior to any of his teammates.

Lecce’s Nikola Krstovic is another forward who has started the season in superb form. The 24-year-old has already registered nine shots on target and is averaging almost four shots per game in Serie A. Although a return of two goals may be a little disappointing as a result, the striker, who dreams of playing for Manchester United, has a total of 3.08 goal creating actions so far, showcasing his ability to bring others into play. An xG of 2.05 has contributed to his side’s impressive start to the campaign and with an average shooting distance of 17 yards, he is far more than just a penalty-box finisher.

At the other end of the pitch, Empoli’s Mattia Viti has also enjoyed a productive start to the season. He has won more tackles than any other players in the division (15) and ranks sixth for clearances (26). Although the Tuscans are expected to spend large portions of the game defending their own box, they are yet to be beaten, and Viti has played a significant role in this unexpectedly successful start.

He’s looked comfortable on the ball and has completed more passes than any of his teammates (134) with a completion percentage of 82.7%. He has blocked five shots and has won 75% of his duels with opposition dribbers. He sits joint-top for ball recoveries (20) and has committed just seven fouls so far. He is yet to be booked.

Finally, Venezia goalkeeper Jesse Joronen deserves an honourable mention. His side have made a poor start to the campaign, winning just one of this first five matches in the topflight. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old Finn saved all eight of Fiorentina’s efforts on targets during MD2 and almost prevented Torino from taking all three points the following week. Against Genoa, he wasn’t tested and managed to keep his second clean sheet of the season. It is likely to be a long season for the newcomers, yet Joronen’s shot-stopping ability may enable them to remain competitive for the majority of the contest.