Emanuele
Giaccherini has his share of critics. Despite being a bench-warmer at Juventus,
he still gets selected for Italy’s squads. Fans shouldn’t blame him for Cesare
Prandelli’s decision to call him up regularly.
“Giac” has
his roles but he hasn’t played in his natural position since his Cesena days.
Most Azzurri fans probably know him
for his bench-warming at Juve but he isn’t as bad as most people think. He is perhaps
one of the most misunderstood figures in calcio.
Since he has
left Cesena, Giaccherini has been used in positions that he isn’t known for
playing in. Juve coach Antonio Conte has used him as a central midfielder when
he comes off the bench and Italian national team coach Prandelli has used him
in many roles.
He was a
left wing-back at Euro 2012, played as a central midfielder in other matches
and he has been used in the trequartista role
in the last two internationals. Giaccherini doesn’t start for Juve so why does
he still get Prandelli’s attention?
“The fact
that I call him up despite the fact that he is not a starter signifies that he
has extraordinary qualities,” said Prandelli. “He’s a serious professional and
that is his strength.”
There’s no
doubting his Giaccherini’s attitude. “Giac” said himself after Italy’s 2-2 draw
with Brazil: “I’m at the Coach’s total disposal and I would even go in goal if
it meant winning another cap for my country.”
The Juve
midfielder is a versatile player and he has great stamina. When he does play,
he gives 100 per cent for the cause. Giaccherini is happy to play in these
roles if it means he will win more caps. If he isn’t a conventional midfielder,
Italy fans must be wondering, “What is his natural position?”
“Giac” came
to prominence at Cesena as a left-winger in a 4-3-3 formation. Before that, he
scored nine goals in 28 matches in an impressive loan spell with Pavia in
2007/08. After his stint with the Serie C2 club, he played a part in Cesena’s
rise from the Lega Pro Prima Divisione to Serie A.
Giaccherini
scored five goals in the 2008/09 Lega Pro season and another two in cup
competitions. The Sea Horses were promoted to Serie B and “Giac” scored eight
goals in 32 matches in the 2009/10 Serie B season, helping Cesena achieve
back-to-back promotions.
His first Serie
A season was the 2010/11 season and Cesena was back in the Serie A for the
first time since 1990/91. Giaccherini scored seven goals in 36 matches and the
Sea Horses survived relegation.
Two of those
goals were against Sampdoria, who were relegated in that season. In a 3-2 win
for Cesena, Giaccherini scored two goals in two minutes! He also netted in a
shock 2-0 win against AC Milan earlier that season.
If there was
one disappointing moment for Giaccherini in his first Serie A season, he
squandered a chance against future employers Juve. In a 2-2 draw, the
then-Cesena winger hit the post and then missed a goal from a metre!
Even with
that miss, Juve still bought him for the 2011/12. Conte started him on the left
side of attack but a formation change sent Giaccherini to the bench.
He might
have been a good fit in Juve’s starting line-up if Conte still used his
preferred 4-2-4 tactics or even the 4-3-3 formation. The need to accommodate
Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal in midfield has limited
Giaccherini’s match time as well as Mirko Vucinic’s presence in attack.
The scenario
with the Azzurri is similar. The likelihood
of “Giac” playing in his natural role for Italy is very little. If Prandelli
uses the 4-3-3 formation, the Juve player faces competition from club teammate
Sebastian Giovinco as well as Stephan El Shaarawy, Lorenzo Insigne and Antonio
Cassano.
With the
number of support strikers and wingers at Prandelli’s disposal, there isn’t a
need for Giaccherini to play in his natural position. Against Brazil and Malta,
“Giac” played as a trequartista, a
role which is pretty unknown to him.
Against
Malta he was disappointing but he put in a good performance against the
Brazilians. His passing accuracy could have been better but he knew how to get
into space and ran directly at the Brazilians. He also had a chance to score
early in the match.
“Giac” might
make people groan when he is on the field for Italy but if he can combine his
stamina and versatility with better passing efficiency and some goals from
midfield, he might win the fans over.
Giaccherini’s
selection will still be considered to be perplexing for most people and heads
will continue scratching. If “Giac” can play his roles and combine his
strengths, maybe his selection will be
questioned less frequently.
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