Italian football is a wonderful thing and not like the game anywhere else. The atmosphere is special; a unique blend of hostile and encapsulating, the perfect backdrop for such a remarkable sport.
But, in an international sense at least, Italy are again searching for an identity. The departure of Antonio Conte, who made an uninspiring squad on paper perform excellently at Euro 2016 last summer with an organised style of play brimming with intensity, was the catalyst for soul searching.
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Conte’s replacement has been former Torino coach Gian Piero Ventura. In his early reign, the Azzurri are going strong in Group G of the World Cup qualifiers, only behind Spain on goal difference with ten points after four games.
The majority of the legendary figures who have played for Italy have retired over recent years and are yet to be replaced by genuine quality, resulting in a string of poor tournament displays, including getting knocked out of the last two World Cups at the group stage.
But Ventura is putting his faith in youth now. Italy face Poland and the Netherlands in friendlies over the next few days, and here are five players in the squad set for a huge future in the Azzurri jersey.
#1 Alessio Romagnoli – Milan
At just 22 years of age, Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli has a long way to go to match up to some Italian defenders of yesteryear. Football in that country is all about tactics and defensive organisation, the history books state, and there is no shortage of role models. Fabio Cannavaro lifted the World Cup in 2006, but he need only look back at Milan, where the likes of Franco Baresi, Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini were so revered, for inspiration.
With just four caps to his name since making his debut last year, Romagnoli is far from the finished article, but he is arguably the most exciting defensive prospect in Serie A right now, even if the Rossoneri have seen better days.
He was signed from Roma almost two years ago for around £20million. The money was excellent, but after playing just 13 league games for them before impressing on loan at Sampdoria in 2014/15, it is hard to see the logic in letting him go, especially to a direct rival.
Comparisons to Nesta will flatter him, but they are understandable. At 6’2”, Romagnoli has obvious aerial prowess, and his composure, both on and off the ball, is excellent too.
As mentioned above, the defensive structure is the hallmark of Italian football, but in Romagnoli, a midfielder in his younger days, Italy have a throwback to a more stylish model of a defender.
#2 Roberto Gagliardini – Inter
It has been a rollercoaster season for Roberto Gagliardini, one of a number in the squad awaiting their full debuts. The 22-year-old midfielder, who operates in a central role and relies on his fitness and positional sense perhaps more than he does on technique, joined Inter from Atalanta, where he came through as a player, in January.
Gagliardini excels at the highest level nowadays, having come through in Bergamo. To some, signing for Inter was not the step up it may have been a few years ago, given how they and Atalanta are still battling it out for the Champions League and Europa League places. But he did so on a loan deal with an obligation to buy in the summer of 2018.
Having made his full debut in 2013, Gagliardini has not yet played 20 or more games for any one team, a testament to just how much he has improved on his game in a short space of time.
Operating in a box-to-box role, he is at his best when he has as a partner, and could strike up an excellent partnership with Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti in years to come.
#3 Leonardo Spinazzola – Atalanta (on loan from Juventus)
Another player looking for his first cap, and another with links to Atalanta, is Leonardo Spinazzola. As is the case with a lot of young players in Italy, the left wing-back, 23, belongs to Juventus, but he is yet to play a single minute in Serie A for the six-time champions.
Instead, he has flourished elsewhere, particularly this season. Atalanta are in sixth place, going strong with their youthful, energetic squad and Spinazzola represents their philosophy perfectly.
His pace and ability to get forward have seen him create 39 chances in 22 games, but the way the team is set-up means he must take responsibility going backwards too.
It is quite ironic that Spinazzola arrived at the top level after Conte, the man who so famously loves wing-backs, left the national side. Now is the first time he will get a chance to impress for the Azzurri, and he will thrive anyway, but working with Conte could have been a massive aid to his development.
#4 Andrea Petagna – Atalanta
A late arrival in the squad due to injuries elsewhere, even Andrea Petagna may believe this chance has come too soon, but defying the odds has been a running theme throughout his career.
The 21-year-old striker joined Atalanta in the summer and is yet another young player to benefit from the tactical flexibility of coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Before this campaign, the forgotten man in Milan’s recent production line of talent, which includes Gianluigi Donnarumma and Manuel Locatelli, had not scored in six Serie A games.
But, with the help of the 3-5-1-1 formation that Gasperini sets up with, Petagna has found his niche. He has scored five goals in 25 games, which may not seem like a lot, but given his previous record can be seen as a good start, and is now well in the reckoning for Ventura’s future revolution.
#5 Matteo Politano - Sassuolo
Sassuolo’s diminutive and versatile winger, Matteo Politano, is also looking for his big break after making only a handful of appearances for three international development squads.
Having started his career at Roma, it wasn’t until he joined Pescara in 2013 when Politano began to find his feet. In two years there, he scored 11 goals in just over 70 games. He moved to Sassuolo in 2015 and has gone from strength to strength alongside fellow talents like Stefano Sensi and Domenico Berardi, even if the team are struggling this season.
Politano is not tall, standing at five foot seven, but his low centre of gravity makes him an excellent dribbler. He loves to take on a man is a very disciplined worker, but he is more of an attacking winger, so may not be suited if Ventura wants to play three at the back.
