|
|
 |
| Raising the Bar
|
| Andrea Barzagli has been touted as an international star of the future for some time.
Antonio Labbate
reports on the Palermo captain who could end 2008 as one of the first names on the Azzurri teamsheet
|
|
 |
|
It’s widely accepted that when it comes to defending, Italians do it better. Having produced a wide variety of stoppers who ranged from the physically imposing, sly and cynically ruthless to the more accomplished, intelligent and elegant incarnation, the peninsula has long been viewed as the home of the central defender.
Blessed with legends such as Gaetano Scirea, Claudio Gentile, Beppe Bergomi, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini to name but a few, it’s understandable why the Italian side mastered the fine art of defending to such a degree that the Azzurri were often the yin to their more attacking opponent’s yang. It may not have been pretty at times, but it was certainly effective.
However, Italian football seems to have reached a crossroads when it comes to its central defenders and a crisis could loom large once Euro 2008 comes to an end. With Alessandro Nesta already out of the frame following his international retirement, Italy’s current first-choice pairing of captain Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi of Inter will both be 35 by the time qualifying for the 2010 World Cup kicks off.
With not even an Italian defender able to stop the sands of time, change will be required and that is expected to come in the form of Andrea Barzagli. Touted as the future of Italian stoppers for some time, the Palermo ace is a leading candidate to become a first-team regular once the side’s Austria and Switzerland adventure comes to an end in the summer. Currently the No 1 alternative to Cannavaro or Materazzi, he’s the best Serie A has to offer.
The Fiesole-born star has been a top-flight regular since his year at Chievo in 2003-04. A fine campaign at the Bentegodi saw him win Under-21 recognition and he was a leading figure in the Azzurrini’s European Championship success which preceded his move to Palermo. It wasn’t long before he was promoted to Marcello Lippi’s full set-up and he played a part in the side’s Germany 2006 success.
Nevertheless, it’s going to be tough for Barzagli to win over his doubters. Although he seems to have all the attributes needed to mix it with the best, there are still question marks over his ability. Lapses of concentration have hampered his Rosanero form and the uncertainty over his talent was underlined by the media after Materazzi was ruled out of September’s qualifiers with France and the Ukraine because of injury.
“They snub me,” he argued. “It annoyed me that after the injury to Materazzi, I was pretty much ignored by all of the nation’s Press. After Nesta’s farewell and Materazzi’s injury, I heard and read every single name in the country for the San Siro clash against the French except mine. We even had old stagers being dragged up. Yet I played with Cannavaro in the World Cup and in the match in France – nobody had any complaints then.
“When people say that after Nesta, Cannavaro and Materazzi there are no central defenders, it is putting very little faith in the young players. I understand that the aforementioned trio are the best around and I’m still not at their level, but I deserved more consideration. Perhaps I didn’t get that because Palermo are not a top tier side like Inter, Milan or Juventus.”
Barzagli didn’t let anybody down in the France and Ukraine games, while he also did well against Georgia and Scotland. His performance in the Hampden rain impressed many onlookers and rekindled the interest in his services which a number of Italian and European clubs had previously shown in him. Juventus too, who were on the verge of a swoop last summer before boss Claudio Ranieri vetoed it, are known to again be keen on landing Barzagli and teammate Amauri for 2008-09.
“I’m honoured that the big clubs are following me, but I belong to Palermo,” Barzagli recently admitted. “I’ve seemingly been on the market for three years now and as you can see I have always remained here. A professional needs to hear the rumours but without being distracted by them. The opportunity of moving to a giant depends on how you play and what results your team achieves.”
Working well in the expectant and demanding city of Palermo, under the fiery ownership of Maurizio Zamparini, is rightly Barzagli’s top priority for now. He may be one of the club’s most prized assets, but the first half of this campaign was fraught with some unexpected difficulties.
“I did reasonably well in 2007, but there were far too many highs and lows,” continued the former Ascoli man. “The 5-0 loss at Juventus was tough to take and we got everything wrong which cost Stefano Colantuono his job. One journalist wrote that my performance illustrated why Juventus didn’t get me in the summer. That was a thought he could have kept to himself, but I’m used to such comments.”
It was not only the football writers who Barzagli had to ward off in the first half of the campaign, it was also a section of the home support. Having enthusiastically inherited the captain’s armband from Eugenio Corini following his controversial Barbera exit in the summer, the 25-year-old’s Tuscan tongue has proved to be too sharp for some of the Rosanero faithful.
“I liked the idea of becoming captain as I love challenges,” he noted. “I was honoured as it proved that Palermo believed in me as a man and not only as a footballer. However, I am seen as a captain who doesn’t deserve the armband by a section of the support. At times, I act on instinct and my character is typically Tuscan. I say things which I perhaps shouldn’t – rather like Zamparini. However, I don’t regret becoming this side’s leader.”
Fending off criticism is something which Barzagli is going to have to get used too. In the land of Scirea, Baresi and Maldini, every defender is going to be considered a rookie until he’s consecrated at the top level. Having been modelled into a stopper by Bepi Pillon during his Ascoli days, Barzagli won’t be considered as a great until the media starts to worry about who’ll step into his shoes when he brings his international career to an end. He has the ability to do that, we’ll just have to see whether he has the character.
|
|
|
|
|