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AC Milan-Juve: Daniele Rugani and Alessio Romagnoli will give Italy a taste of its future
The Old Lady’s experienced defender Barzagli, 34, has recently backed both his compatriots, but has also warned Italian football.
“Rugani and Romagnoli are the future of the game in Italy, but I see no more good defenders after them.”
The Italian duo were among the most promising central defenders last season. Rugani played each of the 38 Serie A games scoring three goals and failing to pick up one single yellow card throughout the whole campaign, while Alessio Romagnoli played under Sinisa Mihajlovic at Sampdoria scoring two goals in 32 games in all competition before completing a shock € 30 million AC Milan switch last summer.
Juventus did not spend a fortune for Rugani (he was loaned out to Empoli to gain experience last term), but the Old Lady rejected several offers for her toy boy. Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri is known to be a long-time admirer of 21-year-old, so much so he offered € 25 million to secure the player’s services, though Juventus did not accept their direct Scudetto rivals’ bid.
This season has been initially disappointing for the former Empoli starlet. Rugani struggled to settle in well in Turin, also due to the BBC (Barzagli,Bonucci,Chiellini) extreme reliability. However, because of the senior defenders’ injuries and suspensions Rugani has slowly increased his playing time and is also expected to start against the Diavoli tonight.
Romagnoli has understandably played much more than his counterpart this term. His mentor Mihajlovic deployed him 27 times out of 31, but after a good start to the season he has been recently criticized for his lack of concentration and mentality.
Lot of critics have also highlighted that he has not enough quality to pick up the baton of Alessandro Nesta, being the 21-year-old still considered the former Italy International’s heir at the San Siro.
Ironically, Rugani’s talent is shining now that Romangoli’s performances are decreasing.
Controversies mounted as Italy national team coach Antonio Conte preferred the Juventus’ centre-back over AC Milan’s to replace injured Andrea Barzagli during the last International break.
The Italian tactician had previously revealed he would have only called those players who playing on a regular basis with their club teams. Romagnoli played two games with Italy’s U-21 squad instead, scoring one goal against Ireland.
Even if Rugani has struggled with playing time and Romagnoli’s form has been too unpredictable this term, Italy need the defensive duo to carry on working, improving and be ready to claim a starring role in the 2018 Russia FIFA World Cup.
Matteo Serra, translated by Lorenzo Bettoni @lorebetto
