Now is the time for Gabbiadini to become integral for the Azzurri

Date: 27th November 2015 at 5:26pm
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A man who divides opinion, Manolo Gabbiadini turned 24-years-old this week, with that in mind, Louis Gibberd-Thomas pondered whether or not the Italian could cement a place in the Azzurri team for years to come.

Gabbiadini Napoli

In England, the name Gabbiadini is likely to strike a chord with fans of both Sunderland and Derby County.

This isn’t anything to do with the Azzurri and Napoli forward, but rather the striker from Nottingham called Marco Gabbiadini. A gifted goalscorer who made over 750 competitive appearances and scoring in excess of 250 goals. He was particularly prolific with Sunderland, maintaining  an average of a goal every 2.13 games.

Although the similarities are limited to just their name and profession, Manolo Gabbiadini should be targeting this kind of proficiency if he’s to be immortalised.

A product of the illustrious Atalanta academy and with his older sister, Melania, already an Italian international, the young striker had an excellent introduction to the game.

Manolo Gabbiadini

The Paolo Rossi comparisons began, reinforced as his exploits with the Azzurri youth team surpassed that at club level. His early promise was enough to prompt Juventus into shelling out on the forward, a move that was almost seen as obligatory from the Bianconeri.

A subsequent loan to Bologna proved fruitful before a positive two-year spell with Sampdoria saw Napoli take a punt on the young man from Calcinate.

It’s nearly a year into his stay with Napoli and the results have been mixed. Hardly a first choice player, Gabbiadini has had to accept a second fiddle role to Gonzalo Higuain, who has a wonderful record in the light blue jersey.

This has seen Gabbiadini pushed out into a wider position, something that has demanded a lot from the Italian and can only improve his all-round development. However, it does force Antonio Conte into looking at more established strikers around Italy.

Manolo Gabbiadini italy

In truth, the competition ahead of Gabbiadini isn’t fierce. Southampton poacher Graziano Pelle is the resident first choice striker for the Azzurri, but his position is precarious to say the least. Despite a decent run under Conte there are question marks over the 30-year-old and the longevity of his Azzurri career.

Eder is another who could have a short run in the Italian side, giving Gabbiadini the opportunity he needs to squeeze into the squad.

Italy has seen strikers come and go in recent years. Mario Balotelli was the Euro 2012 star while Ciro Immobile and Mattia Destro have faded from view altogether.

The likes of Sebastian Giovinco and Lorenzo Insigne, although prolific in their respective leagues, are not quintessential strikers and aren’t suited to leading the Azzurri attack.

Gabbiadini can certainly play in any position up front, but it is this very versatility that has cast doubt over his ability as a sole striker.

Manolo Gabbiadini Italy

Should Conte choose Gabbiadini in the future, he will have himself a hard-working and creative player willing to cover the ground.

Compared to the other forwards, Gabbiadini is somewhere in between a second striker and an out-and-out poacher. This makes him difficult to anticipate for defenders and means he can fulfill a variety of roles. Conte can certainly shape a player like Gabbiadini to suit his tactical setup, a big upside going forward for the former Juventus boss.

It isn’t like the pair are strangers. Conte was in charge at Juventus when Gabbiadini was signed in 2012, not to mention his recent call up against Romania.

His performances for Napoli have whet the appetite of Italian fans the country over, particularly his wonderful goal against FC Midtjylland, but a lot needs to be in place for Gabbiadini to succeed at national level.

He celebrated his 24th birthday this week, something that can hopefully serve as a wake-up call for the Napoli forward.

 

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