Football Update: How the outrageous talent of Sebastian Giovinco was wasted by Juventus.
With the ageing legs of Alessandro Del Piero not fit enough for international football and Francesco Totti’s self imposed international retirement, the Azzurri fans were desperately in search for the next great Italian no. 10 or the trequartista, as they like to call the man. Along came the atomic ant, the diminutive Sebestian Giovinco who won over fans across the peninsula with his outrageous skill and youth full exuberance long lost since the glory days of the divine pony tail. Some of the skill put on display by tiny forward would have had a certain Roberto Baggio on his toes. Fans and pundits alike were quick in praising juventus youth product some even asking to bench Del Piero in favour of Giovinco.
Giovinco has represented Italy at every youth level since he appeared first for the Italy U-16. He went on to play for the Italy U-21 forming a fearsome trident with the mercurial Mario Balotelli and Robert Acquafresca. In the summer of 2009, Giovinco appeared in the U-21 European Championship in Sweden, where the young Azzurrini were favourites to take the trophy home but lost out to eventual champions Germany in the semi finals. The defeat was unfortunate for the Azzurrini as the team had outplayed Die Mannschaft for much of the match and some heroic defending and inspired goal keeping from Manuel Neuer kept the score at bay. Giovinco and company outplayed a certain Mesut Ozil and Semi Khedira for much of the match.
Things have been downhill ever since for the outrageously talented Giovinco. The 2009-2010 season started with high hopes. Atomic ant must have been enthusiastic about his future at the club but he only managed a meagre fifteen appearances for the club, most of them as a substitute when Juventus had the three points in the bag or when the game was simply lost. Why Claudio Raineri, Ciro ferrara and Alberto Zaccheroni never continuously fielded the young dynamo in their respective tenures is beyond comprehension.
At the ripe age of 23, Giovinco should have been conquering pitches right, left and centre instead he was made to rot on the bench by Juventus hierarchy. Flashes of his genius were on show occasionally, particularly when he roasted likes of Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa in a thirty minute cameo on European stage.
Giovinco for his part stayed fiercely loyal to the Bianconeri cause, frequently declaring his love for this boyhood club. Sentiments that he would like to emulate the likes of Pavel Nedved and Alex Del Piero were frequently echoed. As the concern for his development and a place in Italian national team place began to surface, Giovinco started raising concerns about his future. With the introduction of Del Neri as the head coach at the start of current serie A season, Giovinco became a tactical misfit. The 4-4-2 played by Del Neri primarily depends on wing play leaving likes of Giovinco and Diego redundant. Both were offloaded instantly to Parma and Wolfsburg respectively.
Where Juventus had a horrible start to their season, losing to Bari 1-0, Giovinco was busy shredding Brescia to pieces. His explosive footwork and urgency was exactly what Juventus were missing in their defeat to AS Bari. Giovinco has now managed to break the scoring duck for his new club in only his second appearance, scoring a stunning free kick that would have made David Beckham proud. The goal arguably the best goal of the week in serie A, only Daniele Conti’s stunning volley against Roma coming close.
The future looks bright for the young Italian based on his recent performances. He will only grow more confident and deadly with time. Next time Juventus visit Parma, don’t be surprised if Giovinco teaches the likes of Zdenek Grygera and Leronardo Bonucci a footballing lesson. Giovinco will certainly have the last laugh it seems.
Tags: