Upcoming youngsters in Italian Serie A - Part 1
Marco Rossi:
Born: September 30, 1987
Current Club: Bari (originally on loan from Parma)
Position: Centre-back (L.C.B)
Marco Rossi is a young but experienced centre-back. The 23 year old Italian defender made his Serie A debut in October 2005. The tall left-footed centre-back has abundant pace and can quickly change direction, an attribute that helps him cover the ground in good time and also make amends if he commits a defensive mistake.
The youngster has high fitness level and the abundant energy allows him to perform at a high rate throughout the game. He is physically strong as well but sometimes gets out-muscled by an opponent with superior physical attributes. The youngster is confident and composed on the ball and usually decides to play a ball forward rather than back passing it to his keeper.
Marco Rossi is competitive on the pitch and his desire to win possession back for his team often upsets the opposition. The 23 year old is aware in terms of positional play and leads the defence while bosses the defensive line by making accurate calls like when to push an opponent and when to lay down an off-side trap.
However, questions are often asked about the youngster's decision making ability especially against opponents who attack with pace and make him leave his position, forcing to give away easy free kicks.
Last season, Rossi showed on his loan spell at Sampdoria under new Juve coach Luigi Del Neri that he has the intelligence and willingness to work according to instructions and quickly adapt to his coach’s playing system. The youngster can easily change his game according to the game plan like switching from zonal marking to man to man marking.
When he started playing in the 1st team for Parma, it was thought that the youngster would settle in effectively as a left back but now, Rossi has become a centre back and is making name for himself as a promising centre-back in Serie A.
During his time at Bari, he has been compared to Leonardo Bonucci and the way he carries himself defensively, he does play a lot like Bonucci. And just like Bonucci, the youngster has the tendency to lose concentration that sometimes sees him lose his man in open play. His back-tracking ability makes up for the concentration lapses but sometimes, the youngster does get punished against a top-class side.
Rossi is an enthusiastic and ambitious youngster. When Parma won promotion in 2009, the youngster asked to leave in order to get more 1st team opportunities and made the most of his surprise loan move to Sampdoria in a like for like exchange that saw Antonio Mirante go the other way.
At Sampdoria, the youngster worked hard and had an impressive pre-season as he bonded excellently with his teammates and was rewarded for his efforts when he received an active role at centre-back during the first half of the season. The youngster lost his place when Stefano Lucchini came back from injury but grabbed every opportunity and made the most of it and in the memorable game against A.C. Milan, deputized excellently.
Like many young defenders in Italy, Rossi takes inspiration from Alessandro Nesta. The 2009-2010 season at Sampdoria was a big season for Rossi and people started taking notice of the youngster's performances but surprisingly, Sampdoria did not keep the player for the current season.
After returning to Parma, Rossi was sent to Bari where he was guaranteed regular football as the club is always up for giving talented youngsters game time if they work hard. Parma and Bari have already agreed a deal in which Bari will be allowed to buy a 50% share in the player from next season. Rossi is currently rumoured to be valued in the region of €4m.
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