Before the advent of the internet, before dedicated television channels filled their schedules with matches from the farthest corners of the planet, all football fans had was the World Cup. In the years before football truly became the global game, supporters would have to wait four years to see the very best up close.
Stuck watching the same style of play and players, the tournament would brighten the viewing experience, delivering silky Brazilian forwards, intelligent continental midfielders and crazy South American goalkeepers. Yet the World Cup also offered reassurance, as the Italian defenders were always the very best.
For in this maelstrom of supreme talent they did not bend, bestriding the game in just the same way they did at home. The cool and supremely talented Gaetano Scirea was complimented perfectly by the guile and cunning of Claudio Gentile. Even as the world grew smaller, they remained giants, from the brilliant Franco Baresi and Beppe Bergomi, through to the partnership of Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro.
Since the latter pair retired however, it appears the great well of Italian talent has run dry. Much like our sports channels are filled with games from Argentina, France or beyond, Serie A defences have been globalised. Beyond Juventus, who arguably have the four best central defenders available to the Azzurri, Cesare Prandelli is somewhat short of options as a quick look through the WhoScored.com statistics highlights.
Many of the categories essential to identifying top quality central defenders are dominated by foreign players, such as Atalanta’s Mario Yepes leading the league in terms of clearances with 8.3 per game. The 37-year old Colombia captain, released by Milan this past summer, has enjoyed a great start in Bergamo and recorded a WhoScored Rating of 7.25 across the opening seven games. That places him above all but Giorgio Chiellini of those central defenders in Cesare Prandelli’s latest squad.
It is far from an isolated case as Serie A’s top clubs all employ imported players in the heart of defence. The highest ranking defender is Inter’s Hugo Campagnaro (8.17), the Argentinean following boss Walter Mazzarri north from Napoli this past summer. Brought to help the coach transfer the philosophy which served him so well with the Southern giants, the 33-year old leads a back three usually comprised of Brazilian Juan Jesus and Andrea Rannochia. The Italian trails his teammates in almost every category, finishing above them only in terms of blocked shots (0.9 per game), and his rating of 7.34 is behind both men.
Table-topping Roma undoubtedly boast the best defensive record in the league, conceding only a single goal during the first seven rounds as Rudi Garcia transforms them from the porous side they were during 2012-13. He has done so by building upon a brand new defensive partnership of the Brazilian Leandro Castán and Mehdi Benatia of Morocco. The latter, who’s rating of 7.97 sees him ranked as the league’s sixth best overall performer to date, has registered two goals, 2.4 tackles per game, 2.7 interceptions per game and a pass completion rate of 89.1% since arriving from Udinese. His partner has also made an excellent contribution, adding 2.7 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game.
Rafael Benitez has abandoned Mazzarri’s 3-4-2-1 formation at Napoli, and with it cast Paolo Cannavaro to the bench. With Raúl Albiol (Spain) and Miguel Britos (Uruguay) firmly implanted in the starting line-up, finding Italian players gaining regular playing time is extremely challenging. Fiorentina duo Gonzalo Rodríguez (Argentina) and Stefan Savic (Montenegro) regularly get the nod from Vincenzo Montella, Lazio boss Vladimir Petkovic opts for Michaël Ciani (France) and Lorik Cana (Albania), while Udinese field Brazilian duo Naldo and Danilo alongside Frenchman Thomas Heurtaux in their back three.
Indeed, as even Milan – home to many of the Azzurri’s greatest stoppers – rely on Philippe Mexes and Cristian Zapata - the only Italian defenders seeing action on a weekly basis outside of Juventus are at much smaller clubs. Prandelli is therefore forced to opt for players such as Cagliari’s Davide Astori, a product of the Rossoneri youth sector, but a player deemed not good enough to follow in the footsteps of those iconic Milan legends.
Even the Italian Under-21 side offers little in the way of encouragement, with none of the central defenders in the current squad plying their trade in the top division. It is increasingly difficult to see where or when the next wave of defensive talent for the Azzurri is going to emerge. For a country that built its reputation on the effectiveness of its flawless ability to shut down opponents, it is a strange situation. Prandelli will continue to rely on the ‘Blocco Juve’ and will be thankful that, aside from Andrea Barzagli, the Juventus defence is still all under thirty years of age.
Who are Italy's best centre-back options outside of Juventus? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
