Luca Toni is considered the last truly great centre-forward that Italy had, so he casts his eye over the new batch, including Gianluca Scamacca and Giacomo Raspadori.
The former Fiorentina and Bayern Munich striker helped his country win the 2006 World Cup and the search has been on since his retirement for a reliable big man upfront.
Ciro Immobile has been so consistent over the years at Lazio, but struggled to replicate that kind of form at international level with the Azzurri.
“It is fortunate for the Nazionale that two Italian teams at the top level have an Italian centre-forward,” Toni told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
He was referring to this evening’s match between Atalanta and Napoli, where Scamacca is set to face off against Raspadori.
“I think these two will be the strikers for Italy at EURO 2024, especially as playing in Europe at club level gives you more experience and takes the pressure off. Our problem is not a lack of good strikers, but the different treatment that our players get compared to foreigners. Our strikers don’t get the benefit of the doubt and that remains a cultural issue.”
Raspadori is playing regularly as a centre-forward for Napoli now, largely because Victor Osimhen is injured, so that situation will soon change with the Nigerian’s return too.
“I think they can co-exist upfront. I saw Raspadori grow up at Sassuolo, he always kept his head on his shoulders and is a modern striker, the kind that is two-footed and connects the midfield to the attack. He might not be as physically impactful as other centre-forwards, but he can move in very different roles.”
Scamacca is more of a traditional centre-forward in the Toni mould, tall and strong, but his attitude when coming off the bench against Ukraine infuriated coach Luciano Spalletti.
“He is your classic centre-forward. I think he lost his way a little, but is now on the right track and Atalanta is the ideal place to find some consistency. Gian Piero Gasperini’s style and training methods take a lot out of you, so after a difficult season at West Ham, he is probably taking a while to get into gear.
“The psychological aspect is also crucial, he must see himself as ‘the’ centre-forward of this wonderful Atalanta team,” added Toni.
Bro balotelli would take these guys to school
i agree he is never given another friendlies coming up test it out we will be leaving the euros early