Italy look to Serie A superstars for a starter in goal

Italy has a tradition of producing fine goalies and are looking at a quartet of youngsters to maintain that ahead of the 2020 European Championship.

Roberto Mancini has some difficult choices to make over the next few months. As he continues to rebuild Italy’s national team after the debacle of not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, the Italian national team coach has to figure out who will be his starter in goal.

Italy has a very long and proud goalkeeping history. Some of the best goalies ever have been Italian. It’s no surprise that Italy has been known for having such stingy defenses. Part of that is because goalkeepers, such as Dino Zoff, Walter Zenga and Gianluigi Buffon, have been an integral part of past teams. Zoff and Buffon helped Italy capture the 1982 and 2006 World Cup, respectively.

With the 41-year-old Buffon retired from national team duty since 2017, Mancini has to look elsewhere for a reliable starter. Lucky for him, Serie A has a quartet of top young talent in nets to choose from. Who Mancini goes with will ultimately go a long way in determining Italy’s success heading into the 2022 World Cup qualifying cycle.

Goalkeeping is all about consistency, leadership and poise. If you can get that out of your starter (and backup during a tournament) that goes a long way in helping create the backbone for a starting lineup. Under Mancini, Italy have shown growth. That growth needs to continue throughout the fall if the Italians hope to qualify for the 2020 European Championship.

Buffon’s heir has been deemed to be Gianluigi Donnarumma, the 20-year-old AC Milan goalkeeper. He hasn’t been his best the past two years as the club continues to underperform. That’s left the door open to three others Mancini is looking at: Alex Meret (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino) and Pierluigi Gollini (Atalanta). These three play for clubs who had strong seasons last year and considered among the most-talented netminders in Serie A.

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Sirigu is the most experienced of this quartet. At 32, he’s played for Italy since 2010 (collecting just 22 appearances behind Buffon) and previously started for French club PSG. He could very well be the veteran second-choice needed at a major tournament. He’s already played a similar role at the 2016 Euros when Antonio Conte was national team manager.

The possible additions of Meret and Gollini add an interesting dimension to Italy’s goalkeeping sweepstakes. Meret is just 22, but mature for his age. Gollini, who is just two years older, is similar. Both are headed for their primes. Both are also going to gain plenty of valuable experience playing in the Champions League this season. That teams like Atalanta and Torino have overachieved in recent years has given Mancini more choices now and down the road.

Mancini is certain to test Meret and Gollini in upcoming friendlies. In addition, their club success this season could very well determine whether Donnarumma stays the No. 1 choice. In this past Thursday’s European Championship against Armenia, the Italians won 3-1. Donnarumma was the starter, while Sirigu served as the No. 2 on the bench. The AC Milan goalkeeper gave up a goal on a breakaway, something that was not entirely his fault after the defense got caught on the counterattack.

Mancini is in a good position. You want to have lots of choices at every position and be able to pick the best one. Selecting who will do the best is what can make or break the tenure of a national team coach. Mancini has his work cut out for him the next few months. He must choose wisely if the Azzurri hope to contend for next summer’s European Championship, a trophy the Italians haven’t won since 1960.