Davide Frattesi and the trains to Rome

Simone Inzaghi had tailored the perfect role for him – one that suited him down to the ground: that of the game-changer. It involved limited playing time, more space to operate in, and the responsibility of leading the decisive attack. He had performed admirably on the pitch for two years. Yet off the pitch, Davide Frattesi believed he could aspire to more than just a part-time leading role. And he was convinced he could achieve this at Inter. Cristian Chivu, however, saw things differently. He had other plans for him. Within a few months, the role that Simone Inzaghi had tailored for him began to unravel before tearing irreparably.

Inter’s joyful and successful season coincided with the Italian midfielder’s dismal and lacklustre one, as he went from being a part-time leading man to a silent extra – just another face and body amongst the crowd. Ambition does not always make you better; sometimes it causes you to slip up, knocks you to the ground – especially if you fail to recognise the context in which you find yourself.

That face and that body craved attention; they craved a role and a purpose. And when one seeks a role and a purpose, one way or another, one ends up on the path that leads home.

Davide Frattesi has returned to Rome; he has returned to Lazio, the club that first put its faith in him.

In truth, it is not exactly a home. A semi-detached house, because Davide Frattesi moved from Lazio to Roma. A blow for Lazio fans. Or rather, half a blow: the midfielder never made his first-team debut. Or rather, a quarter of a blow: whilst at Sassuolo, he turned down the prospect of returning to Roma. Or rather, no blow at all: he’s one of ‘our own’, as they say amongst Lazio supporters. He’s never said as much himself, but his eyes were brimming with emotion at the presentation when he was handed the shirt. Who knows.

The fact is that Davide Frattesi, in Rome and wearing the Lazio shirt, has found his smile again. And he has found his smile because he’s back on the pitch and has rediscovered that wonderful feeling of starting from the first minute.

On the first day of the league season, he started on the bench, but that was because he’d joined the squad quite a while after pre-season had already begun. Gennaro Gattuso had other plans for him: to put him centre stage. And he took centre stage straight away: first match, first goal; second match, second goal. Both were decisive. Both were worth three points. Three plus three makes six – just like Inter, Juventus and Milan, who are looking down on everyone else from the top of the Serie A table.

Admittedly, it is merely a moment—a breath of warm air in a summer that shows no sign of cooling down. Yet, for now, it is a moment to remember: the moment of a smile regained, the moment a season got off to a good start. Above all, it is the conviction that he was right when he believed he could be a game-changer right from the first minute, and not just a part-time star.

Those who have travelled to Milan from Rome claim that the best thing about Milan is the train journey back to Rome. Davide Frattesi has given everyone who says this – and who argues that there is some truth in it – yet another reason to believe that it is indeed true. At least for now. Because August always harbours a sense of sorrow and melancholy.