Both Ciro Immobile and Mattia Destro have been two of the most in-form, young Italian strikers in Serie A this season.
Since it’s a World Cup year, the debate with every Azzurri supporter is who should be called up by coach Cesare Prandelli. Both players have been battling to see which one will ultimately impress Prandelli the most.
However, considering it’ll be a physically demanding couple of weeks (at least), Prandelli has said that he wants “23 athletes” as opposed to footballers. All the more reason why he should bring both forwards.
Not only does it give Prandelli more options up front, it’ll be a smart decision to bring two of the hottest scorers over the last few months in Italy. Mario Balotelli is a near-guarantee to be on the plane, as is Giuseppe Rossi assuming he’s fit. Alessio Cerci and Alberto Gilardino have been regulars for the Azzurri over the last year or so, meaning they’ll probably be joining the former two.
Lorenzo Insigne is one of those who has an outside chance, but both he and Cerci could operate as wingers in a 4-3-3 or a system similar to it. Antonio Cassano has had a resurgence at Parma this season, scoring 11 goals and assisting five. He too isn’t a prima punta though, which still leaves Prandelli with three.
Since Rossi is a gamble at this point, it may be best to bring an alternate. Also, despite Gilardino’s 13 goals for Genoa, he doesn’t offer much else except for finishing. In the warm climate, Prandelli will need everyone to work hard, including his strikers.
This is where Destro and Immobile come in. It’s especially hard to argue against the latter. He’s joint top with Carlos Tevez in the Capocannoniere race with 18 goals and hasn’t scored once from the penalty spot. He’s also exceptional at finding open space and poses a threat on counter attacks. His prowess for goal is demonstrated during this play and this one.
Destro is also a threat on the break like Immobile. On top of that, he would be lot fitter than Gilardino, plus he’s enjoying the best stint in his career at present. He’s scored 13 overall in 17 matches.
However, his goal to minutes ratio is impressive notching one in every 85 which has been encouraging as Destro hasn’t been this impressive since the 2011/12 season when he was with Siena. In comparison, Juve’s Tevez hits the net once every 124 minutes.
Maybe Zdenek Zeman was right in spending all of that money on him last campaign.
There’s obviously a reason why Prandelli has only named Gianluigi Buffon to his World Cup squad at this point. There are plenty of players to evaluate from now until the June 2nd cut-off date. If the former Fiorentina boss wants both Destro and Immobile, it may mean sacrificing someone else in attack or in another position.
However, it’s evident that both will continue this form from now until the end of the season. That will leave Prandelli with a tough decision to make, but if he has the space, it’ll be a lot easier to choose between the two of them. He can simply select both for Brazil.
