Gianluca Gaetano has not been left behind

Gianluca Gaetano has always had good feet and a keen eye. And players with good feet and a keen eye are usually deployed in the attacking midfield or up front. Gianluca Gaetano played in both the attacking midfield and up front throughout his youth career with Napoli and showed great promise, as he possessed a wealth of talent – at times, it was almost overwhelming.

Youth football, not only in Italy, however, tends to tell stories that differ from those of the professional game. It is a more innocent form of the game that rewards relative talent, not absolute talent – the talent of boys who are not yet men. It is a clue, not proof. And the proof is always what unfolds in stadiums packed with people, noise, enthusiasm and discontent. Where tactics can take centre stage, even at the expense of technique and beauty.

As for Gianluca Gaetano, despite possessing good feet and a keen eye, he drifted for a long time between the attacking midfield and forward positions without finding his place. In top-flight football, good feet and a keen eye are no longer enough to play in those areas of the pitch. You need the running, pace and ruthlessness of a central midfielder. These are all qualities in which Gianluca Gaetano was, if not entirely lacking, then at the very least deficient.

Football in recent years can be paradoxical: it fields big, powerful strikers with a fierce tackling style and an exuberant competitive spirit, whilst leaving behind those who can do marvellous things with the ball.

And so Gianluca Gaetano had to drop back, moving away from the attack to join the defence. Just like so many others, from Andrea Pirlo downwards, in terms of the beauty of his touch and his inventiveness.

Last year at Cagliari, he played exceptionally well in his new position. This year at Atalanta, he is getting to grips with Maurizio Sarri’s footballing philosophy. He felt a bit out of his depth in the first few matches. Now, little by little, he has found his feet on the pitch, with his team-mates and in his new footballing role. Because those with good feet and a keen eye, one way or another, know how to adapt to anything – even a style of football that considers them less indispensable than they ought to be.

Olive is back again this year – Giovanni Battistuzzi’s column on the (not necessarily) leading figures of Serie A. Brief, unfiltered profiles, perfect for reading over an aperitif. You can read all the other profiles here.