The will he or won’t he talk surrounding Torino striker Ciro Immobile’s chances of making the Italy squad for this summer’s World Cup must stop.
There should be no cause for argument any more following his latest heroics in taking down Genoa with a sublime run and last minute curling equaliser against Genoa last weekend, followed up by Alessio Cerci (who also should be headed for Brazil) and his even more outrageous 93rd minute winner.
That equaliser was his 19th goal of an incredible campaign that has saw him defy all expectations after his arrival from Genoa over the summer.
Last season at the Marassi, he struggled both in terms of goals and even simply in terms of overall ability to influence a game in the final third within a Grifoni side who battled the drop for much of the year.
Now, he is thriving being the focal point of a Toro team mirroring his own cycle at the moment: very much on the up.
How can you argue against Immobile being assured of at the very least being in the Italy squad? In truth, the only debate surrounding the former Pescara striker is whether or not he should start in the South American sun.
Even that question too, looks to have an easy answer. He is the top scoring Italian in one of the most notoriously difficult leagues in the world to find consistent success in front of goal in.
In fact, at the time of writing, Immobile is not just the top scoring Italian. He is out alone, the best of the best, the star of Serie A strikers and the lone Capocannoniere.
It is still too soon to know if he will retain that honour come the end of the season but he has did enough to justify his inclusion in the squad to myself and many Azzurri and Torino supporters.
When you consider Cesare Prandelli is set to name six strikers to bring to the World Cup, it is impossible to name six that are better than this man. Mario Balotelli may be the big name hotshot but even Cerci has the same amount as him without occupying a similarly central role.
Given the competition he faces, he would have every right to be outraged should he not be included. Pablo Osvaldo has yet to score a goal since January having joined Juventus, Giuseppe Rossi is still currently unavailable through injury, Alberto Gilardino’s best years in a national team shirt may arguably be behind him and neither Lorenzo Insigne, Francesco Totti or Antonio Cassano could be relied on to deliver regular goals should they be brought to Brazil.
The 24-year-old’s form is made even more remarkable by the fact that not one of his goals has come from the penalty spot. Only one of the other top 20 league scorers, Mattia Destro of Roma, has managed to score all of his goals without relying on spot kicks.
His ability to bring others in play with his astounding ability to hold the ball back up to goal is arguably better than every other Italian striker, aside perhaps from Luca Toni but let us not veer down that well-worn path.
Rumblings coming through to Forza Italian Football from the national team test camp at Coverciano in which the players were put through their paces had Immobile ranked as one of the best out of all 42 players on show.
His willingness to track back and unwavering dedication and effort put in to prove he is worthy of a spot with his country are believed to have greatly impressed Prandelli and co. every bit as much as his goalscoring exploits.
Regardless of how the Torino hero finishes the season, he should have already did enough to convince Prandelli that he does not only warrant a place on that famous plane but that he should be starting games.
An unknown commodity at international level, he could be just the man to turn the keys over to in a bid to unlock the world’s defences. Mistakes have been made in the past when it comes to international selections and Prandelli must ensured he is not guilty of making the most glaring one of all.
