Interesting read and I'm curious about him playing wing back as PDC is known for liking 3-5-2 ------------------------------ When Cesare Prandelli set his line up on Sunday for the match against Spain, there were a few surprises. There was the 3-5-2 formation, which had been "revealed" by Daniele De Rossi in the days prior to the match, and then there was one big surprise in the player selection department: Emanuele Giaccherini, who usually plays as a winger, was slotting in at left wingback. Considering the fact that Prandelli had Federico Balzaretti and Mattia Cassani to pick from, the choice of Giaccherini was a bit of a shock to some fans. Of course it was not a shock for Juventini. Giaccherini has played as a wingback before in Conte's 3-5-2, albeit only two times. That said, he's known as a generally versatile player. He's played most frequently as a winger under Conte, but he also plays as a central midfielder or even a wide midfielder. His versatility, in addition to his fighting spirit and strong work ethic, is one of the biggest reasons that he was purchased by Antonio Conte last summer. All of those attributes were on display against Spain, and this is exemplified by his seven interceptions. For comparison's sake, Giorgio Chiellini had the most interceptions with eight, and De Rossi had five. He was also one of the Azzuri's most active passers, completing 38, although his accuracy rating was not that high, so he had many pass attempts that did not end well. That said, it's pretty clear that he made up for any passing errors by winning the ball back numerous times. His relentless play was necessary as the wingbacks play a huge role in a 3-5-2, and they must be consistently running up and down the field depending on which side has possession. That's a role that Giaccherini was born for, at least in terms of endurance if not in terms of marking and tackling. Now that Giaccherini has made it to the international stage, let's look back at the path that led him to Euro '12. Giacca, as Antonio Conte likes to call him from the touchline, was born in Tuscany, more specifically in Bibbiena, but he began his calcio career with Cesena. He earned himself some positive attention from Cesena's management after scoring 15 goals in the '03-'04 Primavera season, and would then be sent off on a series of loans to Lega Pro sides over the next few seasons. Eventually Cesena would be relegated to Serie C1, now known as the Lega Pro Prima Divisione, and that is when Giaccherini found a spot in Cesena's senior side. Emanuele made an impact early on, scoring in a 3-1 Coppa Italia victory over A.C. Chioggia. He would become an important member of the Cesena side as they went on to finish first in Serie C1 and earn promotion to Serie B. In Serie B Giaccherini really began to blossom as an attacking player, and he managed to score nine goals in all competitions. He was a fixture in the Cesena team that year, consistently playing 90 minutes and becoming increasingly important as Cesena caught fire in May, winning seven out of nine matches. The little guy scored four goals in those nine matches, two of which came against Padova on May 8th, three days after his birthday. Giaccherini didn't hesitate at all when he joined Serie A with Cesena. He continued his good play and scored a very respectable seven goals in the 2010-2011 season. Two of those goals came against Inter and A.C. Milan, the latter coming in an early season 2-0 victory for Cesena. Despite the huge increase in opponents' quality from Serie B to Serie A, Giaccherini never really struggled. Cesena avoided relegation in their first season back in Serie A, and Giaccherini was one of the players who hugely contributed to that achievement. The rest of Serie A did not ignore Giaccherini's fine play, and when Antonio Conte took over at Juventus he made sure to sign the youngster on a co-ownership deal. Giaccherini debuted for Juve in the season opener against Parma, and played a full 90 minutes in both the Parma match and the subsequent game against Siena. As the season progressed, Giaccherini found himself becoming an increasingly important depth player for Juventus. The club had signed a dearth of wingers that summer, including fellow young players Marcelo Estigarribia and the Dutch winger Eljero Elia. While Esti disappointed and Elia was invisible, Giaccherini was winning the hearts and minds of his teammates and the Juventus supporters. His first assist for Juventus came, coincidentally, against his old side Cesena. Four days later, in the Coppa Italia against Bologna, Giacca scored his first goal for Juventus, and he would score several more in the next month, with his first Serie A goal coming against Atalanta. He followed that up with a goal against Roma in the Coppa Italia, a competition where he was critical for Juve. Evidently, as the Serie A sides noticed when he made his first big move to Serie A, Cesare Prandelli took note of Giacca's poise and skill in the midst of his first season at a big club. Giaccherini was an unexpected call up to Prandelli's Euro '12 squad, and of course now he can say that he's started against Spain in a very important international tournament match. At 27 years old, Giacca is definitely a bit late to his coming-out party. However, he made up for his lack of punctuality with his technical class and never say die attitude. If anything, he provides an incredibly inspirational story for all young athletes. In just a few years he has gone from a semi-professional league to playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and the Azzuri in a huge international tournament. He's not the Little Engine That Could, but he is the little winger that could, and did.
Paolo's never played it mate. He played 442 with Swindon, lower leagues and all that. He said in an interview that he admired Bayern Munich and the 352 they play. Still, not beyond the realms of possibility, However, think he'd use attacking wing backs over the defensive wingers (I would anyway). Danny Rose and Peruzzi would be perfect for that formation imo. Mainly for their engines than anything, I know he's played there before but I'd much rather Giaccherini remain a more attacking figure before we get the likes of Mclean getting pitch time.
Regardless of where he actually ends up playing, we look like we've got a versatile player who gives his all. Can't wait to see him in red and white
Good post. Juve fans are not happy about losing him, Conte did no want to sell him either - I think we have a great signing here. Similar kind of stature to Bobby Kerr, Wilf Rostron, Stan Cummins or is he the new Gianfranco Zola? I hope so - Come on Giaccherinho
One things for certain mate, we now have threats left right and center. Good to see we've finally got some attacking ballance. Who do you double up on? Giaccherini, Sess or Johnson? Can't double up on all of them otherwise all attacking threat against us will have gone, teams will end up being pushed so far back Jozy and Fletch would have a field day. Looking good on paper. Fullbacks now please.
