Over the last few weeks, the likes of Manchester City and Inter have been linked with Sampdoria’s attacking starlet Mauro Icardi.
The 20-year-old Argentine has had a brilliant 2013 thus far, scoring eight goals in fourteen matches, and nine overall over the course of the season. He possesses good pace and is able to take over a game whenever he’s given enough space for a shot.
However despite all of this, it may not be the best move for Icardi’s career if he was to be transferred to a bigger club.
Icardi has scored nine goals in 26 appearances, which is a good ratio for a young striker in Serie A. However when examining the matches closely, a pattern emerges.
He had just one goal in the first 12 games of the campaign, but at the turn of the new year, he bagged eight. It sounds like a good output, but considering that he had a brace against Juventus and four strikes against a Pescara side with the worst defensive record in the league, that pads his statistics.
Take out those performances, and he has just two goals (plus his one from November 11th vs. Genoa). The Juve tilt was when a lot of fans took notice of the Argentine, as he showed brilliant skill to get both tallies. It has been his best display this season, and has a decent conversion rate, burying 20% of the shots he attempts, but all of this isn’t enough to perform at a bigger side.
If Icardi was to move to a team like Inter, he might get good minutes with the need of a younger forward needed (Diego Milito, Tommaso Rocchi, Rodrigo Palacio, and Antonio Cassano are all in their thirties), but the expectations of playing for a club of the Nerazzurri’s stature could prove to be too much for the youngster.
Considering how raw he still is, representing Sampdoria, where the needs of the fans are minimal, would be a good move mentally for the striker. His development under an experienced coach like Delio Rossi would make him a more mature player. Having a constantly stressed Andrea Stramaccioni would hurt both him and Icardi.
Icardi simply isn’t ready for any sort of move yet. He hasn’t scored in five straight matches, tied for his second longest drought of 2012/13.
His problem is that when he can’t find the back of the net, he is otherwise invisible. As he gets older, he’ll eventually impose himself in games, but for now, he’s still got to learn to work off the ball.
Defending is crucial, pressing the opposing back line to try and win the ball back is something that many top strikers have in their arsenal. Icardi also has just one assist (2-2 draw at Fiorentina on December 2nd), something else he needs to fix. Getting those helpers can result in more chances in case the goalkeeper gives up a rebound, not to mention it’ll help out the team more if the ball is distributed.
If Icardi tries to do everything himself, he’ll hinder himself and his squad. If he manages to stay at Samp next season and works on his weaknesses, he’ll be ready to make the leap to an Inter, Napoli, or a Juventus in a year’s time.
