Five rounds into the Serie A season, the first international break has offered an early measure of those players who have yet to find their footing. In the Fantacampionato Gazzetta ratings, limited to footballers with at least three graded appearances, Monza goalkeeper Thiam has produced the lowest average so far.
Thiam’s fantasy average stands at 2.5 after three matches, built on individual scores of 1, 5 and 1.5. His difficult opening has come as Monza’s goalkeeping order appears to be shifting, with Törnqvist likely to move ahead of him in the pecking order.
The defensive line in the early-season flop XI is completed by Gaspar and Marcandalli, both on an average of 5, alongside Moreno and Bella Kotchap, who have each returned 5.2. None has yet given his club the dependable run of performances expected from a regular defender across the opening Sundays.
An early warning for midfield and attack
In midfield, Brescianini and Sohm are level on 5.5, while Loftus-Cheek has the lowest figure among the three, at 5. The numbers remain an early snapshot rather than a final judgement, but they underline how quickly the opening weeks can place pressure on players expected to influence matches in the middle of the pitch.
The forward line has also lacked decisive moments. Stulic and Lorenzo Colombo are both averaging 5.2 after failing to score in the first five rounds. Colombo’s return has been further affected by a missed penalty for the Rossoblu.
De Ketelaere completes the attacking trio with a 5.3 average. He has finished below the passing mark in four of his first five appearances, an uncharacteristically quiet start for a player whose quality can often shape Atalanta’s attacking rhythm.
With only five matchdays played, there is ample time for each of these players to alter the course of his season. For now, however, the first chapter of Serie A has left them searching for the performances that can turn early concern into a recovery.
