The Expert: The youngsters breathing new life into ageing Italy side
Giampiero Ventura could have been wrong but as far as he could tell he wasn’t acting strangely. On something of a high after his recently promoted Bari side held champions Inter to a surprising 1-1 draw at the beginning of a year that would end with them winning the treble, the journalists waiting for him in the press room at San Siro inquired: “Are you on drugs?”
The comedown hit when Ventura suddenly realised they were not commenting on the euphoria the result brought but rather on his decision to play centre-backs Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Ranocchia, a couple of kids, against grown men like Samuel Eto’o and Diego Milito. “You must be out of your mind, Giampiero.” It mattered little that both passed the test with flying colours.
Ventura told this anecdote last week in an attempt to explain the consternation and resistance to giving homegrown talent a chance in Italy. On the one hand it makes those willing to do so think twice. On the other it hardens the resolve of the risk-averse to stick with experience. “It’s a cultural problem of ours,” Ventura argues.
“When I decided to give Alessio Romagnoli [21] a shot against Spain, there were people who said: ‘That’s madness. He’s sending him to the slaughter’.” But Romagnoli did more than just survive. He was one of Italy’s better performers, making the most tackles [3] and clearances [3] for the Azzurri, as only goalscorer De Rossi garnered a higher rating [7.06]. “Alessio never once lost his concentration,” marvelled La Gazzetta. “He was always in the right position,” La Stampa delighted.
O ye, of little faith. More of it definitely needs placing in Italy’s kids. Of the 60 players Antonio Conte called up during his time as Commissario Tecnico, only 11 were new to the national team. Just five went to the Euros. The average age of the Azzurri’s starting XI in their opening game against Belgium was 31 and 169 days; the oldest in tournament history. “We have got to think about making the transition from one generation to another,” Ventura believes. “We have the old guard and they are fantastic but we can’t fool ourselves into thinking they are eternal.”
A hint of what is to come arrived in his first game in charge, a friendly with France in Bari. Gianluigi Donnarumma, 17, became the youngest goalkeeper ever to make their senior debut for Italy, breaking the record established by Piero Campelli in 1912. Daniele Rugani and Andrea Belotti, both 22, also came on to win their first caps with the Azzurri at this level. Delicate qualifiers away in Israel and then at home to Spain understandably made Ventura more cautious. They are not occasions to experiment in and it wasn’t at all surprising to see Italy play with more or less the same group and same system as they did in the Euros.
Macedonia was slightly different. One-nil up, 2-1 down and fortunate to win 3-2 in Skopje, the performance itself was a concern, of that there is no doubt, but the silver-lining was the average age of the team, which came down to 27 and five months. Although Federico Bernardeschi, 22, disappointed in a role that isn't his own and Marco Verratti, 24, helped Macedonia get back in front with an careless pass, he did then lead Italy’s successful fight back with some delicious playmaking. It shouldn’t be forgotten either that Belotti also got his first Italy goal and Immobile’s brace revealed there to be life after Graziano Pellè and Èder.
By accident and design the process of rejuvenation is to be speeded up over this international break. Lazio midfielder Danilo Cataldi, 22, and Sassuolo trickster Matteo Politano, 23, are the new faces at Coverciano. Torino full-back Davide Zappacosta, 24, is back after earning his first call-up in Conte’s final two friendlies against Finland and Scotland. Claudio Marchisio’s withdrawal also presented Ventura with the opportunity to make Roberto Gagliardini’s year by surprising the Atalanta midfielder, 22, with a place in his squad.
It’s taken a while but talent is emerging. Four of the players used by Gigi di Biagio in the Under-21 qualifier against Lithuania last month are members of the Atalanta team that has won six of their last seven games and sits joint fourth in Serie A. Gagliardini, incidentally, wasn’t among them. It still boggles the mind that Sassuolo striker Domenico Berardi, the most talented player of the next generation, is still yet to train with the first team. Currently out injured at the moment, his time will surely come.
As for Milan, the youngest side in Serie A, they have six players in Ventura’s 28-man squad although Manuel Locatelli, their break-out star this season, isn’t one of them. He’s preparing to play Hungary and Armenia with the Under-19s.
Talk to people at the FIGC and academy directors in Serie A and they are quietly optimistic about the next crop of young players. Juventus for example are excited about Moises Kean and Fabio Caligara. Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi, formerly in charge of their youth team, continues to promote from within and has been rewarded with goals from Alessandro Murgia, 20, and Cristiano Lombardi, 21. Sassuolo have led the way these last couple of years, not only with Berardi and Simone Zaza but by investing in kids Roma chose not to keep around like Politano, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Luca Mazzitelli and Federico Ricci.
Focusing back on the Italy squad for a moment, this international break is precious to Ventura, principally because it allows him to be more revolutionary than each of the previous two. Liechtenstein are the lowest ranked team Italy have faced since San Marino in 2013; the perfect opponent to give some of these kids their first taste of senior international football. It isn’t completely without risk or responsibility. Spain put eight past Liechtenstein and when it comes to deciding the group winner goal difference could be crucial but frankly there is no time like the present to try out a new system [4-2-4] and players new to this stage. As Ventura insists “it would be blind and not particularly smart” to pass it up.
