On Sunday, Napoli fell at the hands of a relegation-threatened Udinese putting a huge dent to their title hopes. The three points wasn’t the only thing they lost in Friuli as Gonzalo Higuain’s sending off and subsequent tantrum earned him a four game suspension.
Without Higuain in the lineup for crucial games against Hellas Verona, Inter, Bologna and Roma, many believe that Juventus’ fifth consecutive Scudetto is all but secured. However, like in anything in life, there is a silver lining to be had here. Due to the former Real Madrid man’s suspension, Napoli’s forgotten hitman that is Manolo Gabbiadini will finally get his chance to prove himself under Maurizio Sarri. This season the 24-year-old has only made one start and has played a total of 305 minutes in league play. Before making his move to Southern Italy, Gabbiadini was tipped to be Italy’s solution to their #9 problems.
As Antonio Conte shifts from mediocre striker to mediocre striker in hopes of something sticking before Euro 2016, Higuain’s suspension may have just helped him greatly. At the moment, Conte is left without a true striker he can count on and has resorted to using Graziano Pellè. If Gabbiadini comes into the fold for Napoli and scores a few goals in these next few games, the argument could be made that he should be included in Italy’s preliminary roster. While there won’t be many more opportunities for him to prove himself before the end of the season, Gabbiadini’s only real competition for one of the two spots is an injured Ciro Immobile and Simone Zaza, who can’t get a consistent run of games at Juventus. (Note: Graziano Pellè is pretty much a lock for the other spot)
In addition to potentially kickstarting his career with the national team, this is the perfect opportunity for Gabbiadini to show he belongs at a top club in Italy. From his days at Atalanta to his time with Sampdoria, Gabbiadini has always shown his killer instinct for goal and his deadly left foot. Naturally, after outgrowing the expectations at a smaller club, he moved on to bigger and better things but has since struggled to get playing time due to Higuain’s sizzling form. When given a chance, he has found the back of the net with regularity as seen through his four goals in four starts in the Europa League.
With Napoli’s title hopes hanging by a thread and their star man out, they need someone to step up. The partenopei’s next clash against the league’s bottom feeders Hellas Verona is the perfect game for Gabbiadini, Insigne and co. to get into the groove before playing Inter in an all important clash the following week. Should the former Sampdoria man slot into the eleven without any hiccups, the title race in Italy will still be alive. More importantly, so will his case to travel to France.
In a recent press conference, Conte said he wouldn’t do anything crazy and wouldn’t call up new players in the few months left before the tournament. While that is slightly off-putting for Gabbiadini and his chances, he has previously been called up by the Italian tactician in the past meaning that, by definition, a Gabbiadini call-up wouldn’t be “crazy.” Like Napoli, Italy needs a catalyst in the final third to come forward if they are to have any hope of lifting silverware. Simply put, Graziano Pellè and Eder won’t and will never be able to lead a nation to glory. But can that guy be Gabbiadini? Concerns have been raised as his Napoli career has been a bit of a mystery thus far but wouldn’t you take your chances with him leading the line over average journeymen?
Let us know if you’d take an in-form Gabbiadini over Conte’s current options. You can find me on Twitter @GCaltabanis.
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