Palestra proved he is ready to shine for Italy at age 21
Marco Palestra made his senior Italy debut last night and in just a few minutes showed why he’s being seriously considered to start against Bosnia.
There had been suggestions before the game with Northern Ireland that Palestra could be chosen on the right flank, but Matteo Politano of Napoli shrugged off a knock and was able to play instead.
The Cagliari starlet, who is on loan from Atalanta, celebrated his 21st birthday earlier this month.
As this is Italian football and not Spain, England, Germany or France, that means he is still considered too young to rely on for the national team or a big club.
Italy needs fresh Palestra influence
Palestra came through the legendary Atalanta youth academy, which he joined in 2015 first as a midfielder, then a full-back or wing-back, and was loaned to Cagliari in order to finally give him some regular Serie A playing time.
La Dea repeatedly refused to include a purchase option in the deal, as they know full well the talent they’ve got on their hands and don’t want to risk losing him.
He contributed one goal and four assists in 29 Serie A appearances this season, but the statistics don’t tell the full story of the impact he has had in Sardinia.
Palestra is fearless, ready to take opponents on and use his blistering pace to get away down the right flank.
As he is arguably more of a right-back than a winger, it means he can also provide more defensive cover than Politano, who has been transformed by Antonio Conte from part of a trident attack to a wide man in a five-man midfield.
When he came off the bench against Northern Ireland for seven minutes, Palestra showed one moment of extraordinary skill by taking down a long cross and stopping it dead, only failing to set up a goal because Francesco Pio Esposito’s first touch was too heavy.
This means he might be inexperienced, but he’s not afraid to try something spectacular under pressure.
If Italy are to surprise Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday in the World Cup play-off final, then the pace and class of Palestra could do real damage to some tired old legs.
He gets opponents booked repeatedly in Serie A and causes huge problems for the opponents covering the entire right flank, taking men on without fear.
The Nazionale looked so painfully predictable last night, this youngster can shake things up.