Disappointing numbers and unmet expectations: it’s time for the attacking midfielder to reverse course. Could returning as an ex to Monza be the right opportunity to turn around an entire season?
A return to an ex as an opportunity to make a change. This is the next appeal that Andrea Colpani will have to answer presently. The attacking midfielder born in 1999 returns to the U-Power Stadium in Monza as an opponent, after four years in the red and white. Last season he enchanted Serie A, scoring 8 goals and 4 assists in 38 appearances. His ability to move between the lines and his feeling for goals had attracted the attention of prestigious clubs and earned him a call-up to the national team by Luciano Spalletti. For the talent from Brescia, arriving in Florence during the summer transfer market seemed like the ideal opportunity for definitive consecration. But, once we arrive in January, the reality is very different and the question arises spontaneously: Andrea, where are you?
the Palladino loyalist
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“Call him, he already knows what I want.” The story is always the same, only the protagonists change. The epilogue, then, can be sweet or bitter: sometimes great certainties prove to be the case, other times unexpected disappointments. The coach, in this case, is Raffaele Palladino, who leaves the Monza bench and brings with him his protégé, Andrea Colpani, a fixed point from which to lead a new team. Convince the player to follow him? When there is trust everything is simpler. Just one call and it was done. As the Viola number 23 said: “Palladino called me saying: Andrea, I’ll wait for you in Florence to continue what good we did in Monza. I immediately said yes.”
the numbers disappoint
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After five months in the purple shirt, the player’s performance proved to be below expectations and there was certainly no shortage of opportunities: fielded in 19 games in Serie A (16 as a starter), he scored 2 goals and an assist, all arrived in the victory against Lecce on 20 October. For the rest his performances appeared dull, far from the brilliance shown in Brianza. “Reach double figures”: the goal declared by the player at the beginning of the season. However, reality tells a different story. The two goals are still far from not only his personal goal, but also from the numbers of a year ago.
average rating
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The Gazzetta’s report cards leave no room for interpretation: in the first round, Andrea Colpani was unable to reach a passing grade (5.61). A performance that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, especially when compared to that of last season in Monza: 6.81.
THE JUMP BETWEEN MONZA AND FLORENCE
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The greater pressure encountered in Tuscany seems to have complicated the adaptation of the Viola player. Florence, notoriously a demanding place with European ambitions, could have amplified the gap compared to the reality previously experienced, influencing its performance.
limits and suffering
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Too thin, too light. His lack of physicality, in contrast to today’s football, has always been his limitation, highlighted since his time in the youth sector at Atalanta and admitted several times by the player himself: “Especially as a child I always struggled to play. I was physically frail and was often preferred to boys who were physically more ready than me.” A apprenticeship between the Primavera and Serie B helped him improve, but even in Florence his Achilles heel did not disappear. The other flaw? The rapid expenditure of energy in the match, which limits the player in completing the 90 minutes of play. Already in Monza, Palladino’s pupil had shown continuity, but not resistance: even disappearing (literally) in some moments of the match, no longer able to manage the team’s maneuver or be proactive in the last 25 metres. In Florence he may have also suffered some of the coach’s tactical choices: he sacrificed himself by moving back to allow Dodô to push into the lane. Sure, it may have had an influence, but the qualities that drove half of Italy crazy last year certainly cannot have vanished.
show
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With the start of the new year, Fiorentina expects a turning point from Colpani. The second part of the season represents a decisive test for him: he will have to demonstrate that he can be “El Flaco” admired in Monza. His future is in his hands or, better yet, in his feet, to gain the trust of the public and the will of the club to redeem him. Fiorentina has already paid 4 million into the Brianza coffers in the summer for a loan with right of redemption set at 12 million. The Viola are waiting for him, but time is running out. And pay attention to market developments: in the event of the arrival of a winger, his place would be at risk. Now more than ever it is time for demonstrations.
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