An old article but a very interesting read
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del piero & cassano
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sundayherald [13 June 2004]
Saint & Sinner
Euro 2004: Alessandro Del Piero was supposed to be the new Baggio – skillful, unpredictable, exciting – but now there is a new kid on the block. Has Antonio Cassano’s time finally come? asks Gabriele Marcotti
When Alessandro Del Piero first began making waves at Juventus some nine years ago, he was usurping the place of a Serie A icon: Roberto Baggio.
Gianni Agnelli, the late legendary Juventus owner, viewed it in artistic terms. He compared Baggio to Raphael, the greatest of all Italian masters, while stressing that the young upstart Del Piero was, for now, Pinturicchio, a relatively minor artist who made his name as an apprentice.
A decade later Del Piero has failed to shed the Pinturicchio label. What’s more he now must come to terms with another upstart challenging for his spot in the Italy side: Antonio Cassano. And if Baggio and Del Piero at least belonged to the same artistic school, the Renaissance, in our footballing metaphor Cassano is a different animal entirely, a self-destructive genius like Carlos*son Pollock.
Tomorrow evening, when Italy square off against Denmark, it’s likely that Del Piero will retain his place on the left flank of Giovanni Trapattoni’s 4-2-3-1 formation, but he will do so knowing full well that most public opinion, and perhaps the Italian coaching staff itself, would rather see Cassano’s electric talents in that role.
On the surface, the pair have little in common, other than strong maternal figures. The difference is that Del Piero’s mum watches day-time soaps with him and accompanies him to Madonna concerts, whereas Cassano’s mother raised her son on her own (his father resurfaced a few years ago but soon backed away after the Roma striker said he would “kill him” if he ever crossed his path) in one of the most infamous ghettos in Europe: Bari Vecchia, which boasts the highest crime rate in Italy. Last year, she awoke one morning to find a bullet-riddled body on her doorstep.
Both grew up coddled, albeit in different ways. Del Piero joined Juventus as an 18 year old and was quickly fast-tracked to success, shielded from the media and launched on a rigorous training programme which included plenty of tactical and physical work. In many ways he is a testament to the “scientific” approach of Marcello Lippi’s first spell at Juve. His once slight frame filled out, resulting in a stocky powerhouse, with the pace of a sprinter and the stamina of a middle distance runner. He became the epitome of tactical nous, executing instructions perfectly, placing the team first, always and everywhere.
Cassano, still just 21, enjoyed protection too, except his came from gangsters. When his Porsche was stolen from outside his mother’s house two years ago, one of his neighbours reported it on local radio and the car was returned within 24 hours with a bouquet of flowers and a note of apology. His father, who has a history of drug abuse, was beaten by neighbours when he tried to make contact with his son after some 20 years of neglect.When under-21 boss Claudio Gentile, who dropped Cassano after the player criticised him in public, was spotted in a Bari restaurant a crowd of 40 people assembled within minutes to jeer him to the point where the police had to be called in to escort him out.
Yet in many ways the pair nicely summarise the two souls of Giovanni Trapattoni’s Italy squad, stuck in a philosophical shift between the cate naccio counterattacking ways of the past and a newer, more creative, offensive approach. Del Piero represents the former, with all the baggage that it brings. He is the typical Italian professional of the 1990s: ultra-professional, highly trained, tactically sound and, frankly, totally devoid of spontaneity. Coaches love him because he does exactly what he is told to do.
“Del Piero is the ultimate coach’s player,” says Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti, who worked with him for two seasons at Juventus. “He listens, never complains, executes your instructions precisely.”
The problem is that, in doing so, he tends to lose both his creative spark and his unpredictability. While his technique is probably as good as any striker’s in Europe, he rarely delivers the unexpected, probably because he is mentally shackled after 10 seasons in Juve’s football laboratory. Watching him on the pitch brings to mind Eastern European gymnasts of yesteryear: technically brilliant but unsmiling and, frankly, more than a little depressing.
That’s why a large chunk of the Italian public wants to forget all about Del Piero. To them he represents the worst excesses of the azzurri’s ultra-tactical obsession, a man who sacrificed his own talent on the altar of physical fitness and tactical acumen. To them, he’s also the man who never lived up to his potential in an Italy jersey. Not at the 1998 World Cup, when he forced Baggio to make way for him upon his return from injury and promptly flopped on the pitch. Not in 2000 when he was a marginal figure in Italy’s run to the Euro final. And not at the 2002 World Cup, when, relegated to the flank, he failed to turn the tide against South Korea.
“It feels like we’ve spent most of the past decade waiting for Del Piero to deliver,” wrote Rome’s Corriere dello Sport daily recently. “How much longer will we wait? Will Cassano have to rot on the bench until Del Piero graciously retires?”
It’s a sentiment many share as Italy slowly begins to awaken from its footballing slumber. Defending is still a priority of course, but now attacking prowess is valued too, and not just as a way of holding the ball up . Cassano is the exciting new kid on the block, the man who could symbolise a break with the past.
The trouble is that, as brilliantly gifted as he is, Cassano is also deeply flawed, and not in an amiable “troubled genius/George Best” sort of way either. He is impulsive, pig-headed and incredibly immature. He walked out of Roma’s training sessions three times this season and one gets the sense that it would have happened even more often if Roma’s manager weren’t Fabio Capello, the disciplinarian. He did not show up for scheduled interviews at Italy’s training camp last week and the rumours about what he puts in his teammates coffee would put anyone off their espresso.
“The guy is 21 years old and is coming to terms with the fact that he could be the most talented player in the world,” says Roma chairman Franco Sensi. “Add to that his upbringing, not having a father, seeing his childhood friends on drugs or in prison and, if you ask me, he’s coping rather well.”
It’s a charitable assessment of course, but it’s his football which really matters and in that department he has few equals, boasting a combination of speed, ball control and flair which most Italians haven’t seen since ... well, since they saw a very, very young Del Piero, before he was inserted in the Juventus machine .
Ever the pragmatist, Trapattoni knows that he is choosing between the recent past, unspectacular but reassuring, and the immediate future, stimulating, but filled with peril.
“I can’t really go wrong, can I?” he says. “I’ve got two great players, these are the kinds of problems most managers would love to have...”
He’s wrong and he knows it. Italians demand a decision, they want – at least, they say they want – a break with the old ways. Like the middle manager in mid-life crisis, they want to ditch the sensible Ford Mondeo which is Del Piero for the Cassano Harley Davidson. Whether it’s the choice to bring Italy closer to their second European title remains to be seen.