After a disastrous start to the season, Roberto Mancini has turned to Giacomo Raspadori. The 21-year old striker is on loan from Inter Milan and has been in excellent form for his new club.
The roberto mancini is a player who has been linked with many of the top European clubs. Roberto Mancini is looking for Italy’s next star striker and may have found him in Giacomo Raspadori
At Euro 2020, Giacomo Raspadori made his competitive debut for Italy against Wales.
The unexpected selection of Giacomo Raspadori in Roberto Mancini’s 26-man squad for Euro 2020 during a strange live TV presentation at the start of June sparked the most discussion.
Why was an uncapped baby-faced forward – allegedly earning about £2,000 per week, a pittance compared to his new teammates’ earnings – selected in a side aiming to win the trophy?
As it turned out, he only made one replacement appearance throughout their successful Euros campaign, against Wales.
However, Mancini’s vision is becoming clearer. Raspadori is on his way to becoming Italy’s next centre-forward, a player the former Manchester City manager believes is capable of filling a job that has been a source of frustration for the Azzurri.
In the near term, Mancini is focused on this week’s Nations League semi-final against Spain, but he views Raspadori as a crucial player in next year’s World Cup.
During the Euros, Raspadori only made one appearance.
While Raspadori’s promotion to the senior team came as a surprise over the summer, it was not entirely unexpected.
Last season, he scored six goals in 27 games for Sassuolo, and his double against AC Milan at San Siro in April threatened to derail the Rossoneri’s return to Europe.
He was handed the captain’s armband earlier that month, when he was 21 years old, for a game against Roma. It was a time that solidified the stature of a player who had joined the club at the age of eight and guaranteed Sassuolo would go to great lengths to retain him.
Almost all of their most valuable assets were put up for sale over the summer. Manuel Locatelli and Francesco Caputo went to Juventus and Sampdoria, respectively, while Domenico Berardi and Jeremie Boga were available but chose not to go.
Only one participant seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. Giovanni Carnevali, the club’s chief executive, said before and during the previous transfer window, “By no means will Giacomo leave Sassuolo.”
Raspadori, who is now captaining Sassuolo, has been linked with a transfer to Inter, his favorite club.
Raspadori, an Inter Milan supporter, is a modest young guy who juggles frightening Serie A defenders with university studies in sports science. He has good shooting ability with both feet, can connect play with his teammates, and understands where the goal is.
He previously described himself and his playing style as “a combination of Gianluca Vialli and Mancini.” “I am comparable to Sergio Aguero, but Samuel Eto’o is the striker I like the most.”
Many likened his selection to Paolo Rossi’s for the 1982 World Cup in June. Rossi’s was also surprising, but for a different reason: he had recently returned from a three-year suspension for his role in the Totonero incident.
What occurred next in Spain is legendary, with Rossi completing the tournament as the tournament’s best scorer.
Raspadori’s summer effect was nothing like that, but the Qatar World Cup may be his big break.
Ciro Immobile’s job is jeopardized as a result of his arrival. With an injury sustained in his club’s last Europa League game, the Lazio striker will miss the Nations League finals, and there are few doubts about who will start the San Siro semi-final against Spain on October 6.
The Azzurri, along with their opponents this week, were the most productive team at Euro 2020, scoring 13 goals, although Immobile only scored two and fellow striker Andrea Belotti none.
Mancini has always supported his joint top scorers, who have each scored eight goals since taking over, but he has also said that there are no fixed rankings.
Mancini brought Raspadori to the Euros in order to integrate and prepare him for the next responsibilities, as well as to begin the succession process early.
After just one pre-tournament friendly, the 15 minutes he played against Wales in Rome were his first real taste of top international football.
It was striking how confident he seemed, and that confidence has persisted in the opportunities he has been given since the Euros.
He came off the bench twice during last month’s internationals and started the most recent game – his complete debut – against Lithuania, scoring one goal and forcing an own goal in an outstanding performance.
Raspadori recently said, “I want to keep dreaming while doing what I love the most.”
Mancini is a pragmatic, and he has chosen to go all-in on Raspadori based on what Italian football has to offer.
Can Immobile and Belotti be the future, or might Gianluca Scamacca of Sassuolo or Moise Kean of Juventus – despite a brief stint at Everton – grow into a true number nine? Is there a ‘false nine’ around whom Italy can construct their attacking game?
Given that the most probable answer to all of those questions is “no,” Mancini is relying on a player who he thinks has all of the characteristics he seeks.
Raspadori recently said, “I have the abilities and physique of a fake nine, but I also have the qualities of a real nine.”
“Giacomo is a little of a number nine and a bit of a number ten because he ties up play extremely effectively,” his former Sassuolo boss Roberto de Zerbi remarked.
This week, he will most likely get the opportunity to demonstrate that he is capable of being Italy’s main man.
