Blog: Giovinco Generation
Instead of shelling out millions for Diego, Susy Campanale asks why Juventus don’t build their future around Sebastian Giovinco?
On Saturday evening we saw the birth of a new era for Juventus. It is fitting then that it should emerge in the baby-faced features of Sebastian Giovinco, a player who with the right guidance can become the Alessandro Del Piero for the next generation, or more aptly a Kaka or Roberto Baggio.
Against Bologna he was absolutely everywhere taking men on, providing assists, scoring goals and whipping in set plays, but above all else he loaded the struggling team on to his tiny shoulders and carried them back from the brink. This boy is ready to lead.
Giovinco has incredible talent, this is clear to all, but he has so far been trapped in the ugly Italian desire for tactical clarity. Baggio was famously dubbed 'a 9 and a half’ because he didn’t quite fit into either role, but the Atomic Ant is even less easy to pin down. Trequartista, support striker or wide midfielder, he can cover them all. Yet perhaps the player he reminds me of the most is Kaka – that ability to run with the ball at breakneck speed, give the side a change of pace and absolutely terrify the opposition are all hallmarks of the Brazilian’s game.
Giovinco cannot defend very well, nor has he much stamina, so he would do better protected by an already-existing muscular midfield, letting Momo Sissoko be his Gennaro Gattuso. His introduction sparked Juve to life in the final half-hour against Chelsea, so who knows what would’ve happened if he had come on at half-time when heads were bowed and time was still on their side?
With the team ageing and in need of a radical overhaul, it is Claudio Ranieri’s duty to build the side around Giovinco and his fellow academy products Claudio Marchisio and Paolo De Ceglie. Juventus always pride themselves on being the only club side that can survive on its own income without the need for a benevolent patron, so why not construct a team from its own youth system? They were forced to do so in Serie B post-Calciopoli and discovered wonderful new talents that otherwise would’ve been lost to the endless loan spells around the country.
The millions proposed for transfer target Diego would be ill spent, especially as Ranieri has already complained he doesn’t fit into the tactical system. Imagine the Bianconeri side that could emerge with Giovinco, Del Piero and Amauri protected by an aggressive midfield. At last Juve could use the real characteristics of Italian football – ball to feet, quick passing and technique instead of trying to battle Premier League sides in a physical duel they’ll never win. It’s time we got back to what makes calcio great, starting from Giovinco.
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