In recent years, Italy has found itself with an uncharacteristic abundance of talented young goalkeepers, all vying for the chance to take over Gianluigi Buffon’s mantle when the legendary shot stopper hangs up his gloves. Raffaele Di Gennaro, though rarely mentioned alongside the likes of Mattia Perin and Nicola Leali, could soon stake his own claim as a contender for the coveted spot between the sticks.
What you need to know
Full name: Raffaele Di Gennaro
Date of Birth: Oct. 3, 1993 (21 years old)
Position: Goalkeeper
Nationality: Italian
Current club: Latina Calcio (on loan from Inter Milan)
Height: 1.85 meters
International Caps: U-16 (1), U-20 (3)
Who is Raffaele Di Gennaro?
Brought up in Inter Milan’s academy, Di Gennaro started grabbing the spotlight early in his career, winning the NextGen Series (a European youth tournament) with the Nerazzurri in 2012. Rising through the team’s ranks, the San Marino native captured the attention of his club’s youth coaches with his adeptness at keeping clean sheets and quick reflexes. Several successful seasons with Inter’s primavera sides eventually led to the decision to send Di Gennaro out on loan, in order to hone his skills against professional opposition rather than youth players. In the summer of 2013, the then 19-year-old relocated roughly 250 kilometers east to Serie B’s Cittadella. Immediately thrust into the starting lineup at his temporary club, Di Gennaro’s heroics established him as a major Italian goalkeeping prospect. Keeping 12 clean sheets in his debut pro season, including one on his loan (and senior) debut, Di Gennaro had a major hand in keeping the struggling team afloat and away from the relegation spots. Despite conceding nearly 50 times, the Inter-owned player was heralded as a hero by Cittadella and it’s supporters, making very few mistakes and rising to the occasion when called upon.
Though largely successful with his loan club, Inter nonetheless sent Di Gennaro on another loan to Serie B for the 2014-15 season, this time to Latina Calcio, which in 2013/14 nearly achieved Serie A promotion, finishing 3rd and losing out to Cesena in the promotion playoff final. Relegated to the bench for the majority of his first two months with Latina, a series of poor performances from starting keeper Simone Farelli led coach Roberto Breda to promote his young loanee to the starting spot, where he remained for the duration of the season. His second consecutive campaign with 10+ cleans sheets, Di Gennaro managed to shut out his opposition 11 times, conceding just 23 goals in the 28 matches he took part in. Orchestrating a remarkable comeback, his inspired performances brought the club from 21st at the moment of his takeover, to a respectable 14th place finish. While Latina lost six times in the club’s first 15 matches, only eight losses were suffered during Di Gennaro’s reign for the subsequent 27.
He made his Italy under-20 debut in a 3-3 draw with Switzerland in September of 2013, kickstarting a to date fairly unremarkable international career. Two further U20 are the extent the goalkeeper’s time with the Azzurrini, and his last appearance came in the beginning of 2014. This limited career can be attributed to the abundance of young Italian shot stoppers, with players like Marco Sportiello, Nicola Leali, and Francesco Bardi all seemingly ahead of Di Gennaro in the goalkeeping hierarchy.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Despite his age, Di Gennaro already looks extremely well rounded, displaying few poor traits and improving on his primary ones season after season. Highly adept at making key saves, the 21-year-old has not let his shorter-than-average (for a keeper) height limit his aerial ability and command of the penalty box. Able to use his feets as well as his hands highly effectively, Di Gennaro’s time with small Serie B teams like Cittadella and Latina has served as a godsend, as the constant barrages of attacks created plenty of opportunity for learning experiences. Despite these positives, Di Gennaro’s youth and relative professional inexperience still make appearances as lapses in concentration, and he has been somewhat fortunate to concede only one own goal the past two seasons. Fortunately, this isn’t a flaw that will not remedy itself with time, and as the Inter man continues to grow as a player, so too will his focus and reading of the game improve.
2015-16 and Beyond
Should Di Gennaro continue on his present course, big things look to be in store for the San Marino-born shot stopper. With his loan at Latina extended for another season, Di Gennaro will enjoy another season as a near-guaranteed starter, and will undoubtedly continue his ascent into a Serie A career. If Inter end up selling much-wanted goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, the Nerazzurri will have themselves a very capable replacement already on the books, ready to break into his youth club’s senior ranks and establish himself as a serious contender for a future Azzurri spot.
The post Player Focus: Raffaele Di Gennaro appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
from Italian Football Daily http://ift.tt/1DFqDMe
via IFTTT berita selengkapnya Follow @jadwalliga
