Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi has made the final 26-man squad list for Euro 2020 and Michelle Bonsu believes he can be a reliable option for Roberto Mancini.
Francesco Acerbi, in short, is one of those players who can be best described as a “late bloomer”. The powerful centre-back didn’t break into the upper echelon of Italian football until 22, when he was signed by Chievo Verona and eventually earned himself a move to Milan. However, he struggled for game-time in an already congested line-up and ended up being shipped out less than six months after arriving.
At Sassuolo, he finally found his footing and hit a personal rough patch as he was diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, he made a full recovery. As he admitted, fighting with the illness changed him on and off the pitch and was the turning point of his playing career.
Between 2015 and 2019, he came close to equalling Javier Zanetti’s record of 162 consecutive outfield appearances in Serie A. He reached 149 games before receiving a red card in January 2019.
However, that was the same year when he finally received his full competitive debut in Italy’s 2-1 win over Finland in a EURO 2020 qualifier. He didn’t have to wait much longer to score his debut senior goal, which arrived on November 15, as the Azzurri overpowered Bosnia 3-0 in another EURO 2020 qualifying tie.
And now, at 33, he’s finally set to feature at his first-ever senior tournament. Acerbi, who’s been playing for Lazio since 2018 is a solid centre-back who is more accustomed to play in a three-man backline. However, he also played in a four-man defence during his career, so Roberto Mancini will always have an extra option available, should he decide to change his system.
Despite his inherent lack of pace due to his imposing size, he makes up for this with his natural strength and height, which obviously puts him ability in both physical and aerial duels.
The experienced and well-travelled player is also quite comfortable with playing the ball out of the back. Although he is not expected to be among the starting defenders, he is a very reliable option in case of injuries or suspensions.