Italy’s goalkeeping future in safe hands with these four young stoppers

Date: 27th September 2014 at 8:15pm
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mattia perinAs with any Serie A season, eyes fall on the man expected to be the long-term replacement Gianluigi Buffon for the Italian national team. In recent seasons, the youngster held in the highest regard has been Genoa shot-stopper Mattia Perin, but has the situation changed?

Although not new to this arena, Francesco Bardi has really staked his claim for contention so far this season. Having been relegated with Livorno last season the Inter-owned keeper now finds himself at Chievo.

After a two year absence, Nicola Leali makes his return to Serie A on loan at Cesena from parent club Juventus. Long considered the Bianconeri’s own personal replacement for Buffon at club level, Leali will most likely have his ambitions set on impressing Juventus rather than international coach Antonio Conte. Finally, there is a newcomer to the Serie A theatre in the form of Marco Sportiello. The Atalanta youth graduate has returned to Bergamo to replace the departed Andrea Consigli and is already looking a fine replacement.

As the oldest of the four, Bardi just so happens to be the most experienced having played three whole seasons of competitive football. His career includes three stints with his hometown club Livorno, including their triumphant return to Serie A last season. However, despite Bardi’s best efforts, Livorno were relegated. Now enjoying first team action in Verona, Bardi, once again has the chance to rival Perin for a place in the Azzurri squad.

Francesco BardiAfter a disappointing start to the campaign with a 1-0 loss at home to Juventus, Bardi and Chievo stunned Serie A fans when they beat Napoli by the same scoreline at the Stadio San Paolo. The 22 year-old’s performance was particuarly noteworthy, saving a penalty from Gonzalo Higuain and almost single-handedly nulifying the threat of the Napoli attack.

The greatest area of improvement of Bardi’s game has been his ability to parry the ball away safely. In his previous season with Livorno, Bardi was forced into making countless saves in the absense of his defenders. However, he was prone to directing his saves into the path of the attackers. This is something he has clearly worked on, as was evident in the Napoli game. By giving himself a second or two to properly assess the situation, Bardi has made his saves easier for defenders to work with.

While Bardi has kept just one clean sheet in his first four games, Perin has managed two at Genoa. The Grifone serviceman has fought hard to get where he is now, which includes a place in the Italy squad that took part in the 2014 World Cup. Already considered by many to be the natural successor to Buffon, his reputation on the peninsula has suffered just one setback.

leali cesenaDuring the build up to the World Cup in Brazil, Italy faced club side Fluminense in a friendly with Perin the man between the sticks. In a match that served up eight goals, Perin’s only notable involvement was to allow a tame effort to squeeze underneath him. It has been the only notable incident to have damaged the youngster’s otherwise squeaky clean record, but it’s been enough to show a degree of vulnerability to his rivals.

So far, Perin has conceded four times this season having faced Fiorentina, Lazio, Hellas Verona and Napoli. Making a total of 14 saves including one from point-blank range against Lazio, where he kept his side in the game before Mauricio Pinilla’s late winner. Another impressive performance against Verona follow and he 21 year-old appears to still be Italy’s best young goalkeeper; for now at least.

Next is Leali, who at first glance appears some way off his rivals. As the youngest of the three he has benefited from a commendable introduction to Italian football. A product of the revered Brescia academy, the 21 year-old has played two whole seasons in Serie B, maintaining a place in the starting-eleven on both occasions. His new adventure with Cesena will be his biggest test to date, with a chance to make up ground lost to Perin and Bardi in terms of Serie A experience.

It’s been a rought start for Leali: one clean sheet in his opening four games conceding eight goals. The low point so far will surely be losing 3-0 to his parent club Juventus, a match that could have been vital to his future with the Bianconeri. However, the season has only just started and Leali has plenty of time to prove his worth.

Marco Sportiello atalanta

Finally we come to Marco Sportiello. After two full seasons in the lower divisions and just one in Serie B, Sportiello is arguably the least experienced of the four goalkeepers.

He started the season on the fringes at Atalanta, but following the sale of Andrea Consigli he was handed his first start. He kept a clean sheet on his Serie A debut against Hellas Verona, making a smart save late in the game to rescue his side. In just three games, Sportiello has made 16 saves, but has just the one clean sheet.

In his fourth match of the season he faced Inter, and despite conceding two very good goals, Sportiello managed to save a penalty from Rodrigo Palacio. In many ways, Sportiello looks to be Consigli’s replacement. With competition for the Azzurri spot already fierce, the chances of the 22 year-old becoming Buffon’s heir seem slim. However, as the likes of Consigli and Antonio Mirante will testify, this is not to say Sportiello isn’t an excellent young keeper.

A season on and still Mattia Perin seems the most likely to replace Gigi Buffon. He will need to maintain his fine form or risk losing out to Bardi, who continues to keep pace with his compatriot. Nicola Leali will need to buck up his ideas if he wants to catch up , while Sportiello should definetly be focused on getting a full season with Atalanta under his belt.

Follow Louis Gibberd-Thomas on Twitter: @mercutio156

 

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