The promising youngster spent 2015-16 converted into a wing-back but moving to the left-wing in recent weeks has turned the Italian into a potent scoring threat for the Gigliati.
Throughout their history, Fiorentina have had some exceptional wingers such as Julinho, Kurt Hamrin, Daniel Bertoni, and Juan Cuadrado as well as superb No.10s like Giancarlo Antognoni, Roberto Baggio, and Rui Costa.
Those players were footballers with either great speed, dribbling skills, scoring ability, or a combination of those attributes. They had an X-factor and could turn games around with their individual talent.
Current Gigliati forward Federico Bernardeschi is a player who wears the No.10 jersey, but he often operates in wide positions on the pitch. The 22-year-old has been considered to be one of Italy’s brightest young prospects in recent years and his recent form has been impressive.
In his first 47 Serie A matches, the Viola attacker had scored on just four occasions but a change in role has improved his scoring rate, and he has found the back of the net five times in the last five rounds.
When Fiorentina tactician Paulo Sousa became the coach in 2015-16, he placed attacking midfielders Borja Valero and Josip Ilicic behind lone striker Nicola Kalinic. With no room in attack for Bernardeschi, Sousa decided to use the starlet as a wing-back in the 3-4-2-1 formation and it was a move that worked surprisingly well for the player as well as the team.
Early last season, the Viola were challenging for the scudetto, but their form dropped and they finished the Serie A campaign in fifth place. It seemed that the 22-year-old would be spending another season as a wing-back but after just two wins as well as two defeats from eight matches, Sousa was forced into changing his formation.
Now Fiorentina are playing in the 4-2-3-1 formation and Bernardeschi is functioning as a left-winger. This switch has been ideal for the starlet, who is a natural left-footer and doesn’t need to cut-in like he would whenever he operated on the right flank.
Although he is a player who starts in wide positions, he knows how to move into the inside channels so he can be well-placed to score goals.
His goal in the 1-1 draw at home to Sampdoria in Week 12 was a strike which came from the wing after taking a shot from a short corner. His other four goals throughout this purple patch have either come from well-timed runs into the penalty area or outsmarting the defenders before unleashing a powerful shot with his left-foot.
Despite Bernardeschi’s fine form of late, Sousa still acknowledges that the starlet isn’t the finished article and still needs to perfect his role.
“Federico is growing in this position [and] he is giving us lots of solidarity,” Sousa told La Gazzetta dello Sport after the 4-0 victory against Empoli on Sunday.
“He still has to grow a lot [and] we work so that he is effective in every situation. He is a player that can help us win matches.”
Bernardeschi might not be at the height of his powers just yet but his recent form suggests his career is progressing on the right path and Fiorentina fans could be witnessing the emergence of another Gigliati hero.
