With Italy preparing for their Euro 2024 qualifying fixture against England, Giancarlo Rinaldi highlights how the CT Roberto Mancini has been forced to think outside the box, hoping to find the Azzurri’s answer to Harry Kane.
If it were a film, it would definitely be a romantic comedy. Roberto Mancini has been looking in the most unexpected places for the striker of his dreams. Unlike schmaltzy Hollywood, however, there is no guarantee it will all be tied up with a bow in a happy ending.
His problem, to push the cinematic analogies to the snapping point, is that he has too many supporting actors but nobody willing to play a lead role. Italy has plenty of choices for second strikers, wingers and attacking midfielders but the good, old-fashioned centre-forward is in short supply. Names like Luca Toni, Bobo Vieri or even Pippo Inzaghi provoke sighs of nostalgia like reminiscing over a long-lost love.
Casting an eye up and down Serie A’s top scorers’ table only produces more exasperation. In the absence of an Italian granny for Victor Osimhen, the top-scoring Italians are Mattia Zaccagni – who is clearly not a striker and has not even been called up – and the injured Ciro Immobile. The first centre-forwards you come to in your race to the bottom are Sampdoria‘s Manolo Gabbiadini and Juve’s blink and you miss him substitute Moise Kean. Hardly names to set pulses racing or put a quiver in the knees of opposition defenders.
No wonder Mancio has been looking further afield but even there the news has not been comforting. After a decent early impact, Gianluca Scamacca has been posted missing in recent weeks for a West Ham side which has been struggling in the league if not in Europe. Wilfried Gnonto’s form is better with Leeds but, sadly, he hardly fits the bill as a big man to lead the line either.
There was talk that such desperate times might call for the desperate measure of plucking Andrea Compagno out of the Romanian league to tackle the situation. He has been scoring plenty of goals for his team, FCSB, and stands a towering 6ft 4in or so. It proved to be a gamble too far, however, for a man whose last Italian experience was with little Sardinian outfit Nuorese about five years ago. That doesn’t mean he should be ruled out – the incredible rise of Giovanni Di Lorenzo warns against that – but it does sound like a word of caution about pinning too much hope on his prospects.
It is to Argentina, instead, the homeland of many an Oriundo – Italian born abroad – that the focus has finally fallen. The bullish Mateo Retegui – whose Nonno hailed from Sicily – has been scoring freely for Tigre, on loan from Boca Juniors, and had reportedly been on the Azzurri radar for a while. When contacted, he quickly said yes to the overtures of La Nazionale.
His showreels – with obligatory awful soundtracks – look impressive enough. He certainly has some of the characteristics which this team lacks and the potential to lead the line, hold up the play and occupy a centre-back or two. If that allows the more lightweight and creative players to flourish then it could be a match made in heaven.
Mancini has shown himself willing to think outside the box in the past and it will be intriguing to see how Retegui is used and how he performs. You could hardly have two more different challenges in the upcoming fixtures – one against England and the other against Malta. Some players take to the blue shirt like a duck to water while others sink without a trace. Only time will tell if the striker from San Fernando will be any more than a one-cap wonder.
What is not in doubt is Italy’s craving to find a new hitman to build their attack around. It has felt for a while that faith in Immobile – which was never unwavering – has all but collapsed and there is a desire to move on from the 33-year-old as injuries continue to bite. His 15 goals in 55 appearances are a decent return but do look a bit paltry compared with his club figures. There have been faults on both sides but it does appear both sides would be happy enough to call things quits.
That leaves a situation vacant sign on the central striker’s role. Some have suggested Mario Balotelli – whose 14 Italy goals have come in considerably fewer games than Immobile – but there doesn’t seem any great desire to turn the clock back on that one. And there appear to be few answers from Serie B – where young talents can sometimes be found – with only Inter loanee at high-flying Frosinone Sam Mulattieri in double figures among relatively youthful potential call-ups. So perhaps South America will provide the answer.
We all know how it would play out if it were on the silver screen. Retegui would bang in the winner against England in Naples – where they are partial to an Argentinian – and go on to become a top scorer for the country his ancestors left behind. The closing titles, perhaps, would fall as he returned to some remote Sicilian village to celebrate with his long-lost relatives while carrying the World Cup in his hands. That’s probably only one for the most outlandish scriptwriter to come up with but Mancini would most likely settle for finding a solid and consistent striker like the one that their English opponents can boast. That would certainly help him look to the future – both short and longer term – with a little more confidence.
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