For those who follow Serie A closely, Italy and Ciro Immobile’s fine start to Euro 2020 will not come as a surprise.
The Azzurri have started the tournament brilliantly and recorded back-to-back 3-0 victories over Turkey and Switzerland to book their place in the quarter-finals with one game left.
Lazio star Immobile has netted on both occasions, but in general the 31-year-old is still one of the most underrated strikers on the continent.
During the 2019/20 season, Immobile scored 36 Serie A goals in 37 matches, which matched the record that Gonzalo Higuain previously set and kicked Lazio in the Champions League.
In many ways, the former Borussia Dortmund freight forwarder has since fallen victim to the high standards he set during the aforementioned campaign and received harsh criticism after producing a smaller return this time.
Last season, he managed 20 league goals, an impressive return, but there were questions that went into the euro if he could trust to lead the line for the Azzurri due to his release.
So far, he has proven that his doubters are wrong with some brilliantly rounded screens.
2 – Ciro Immobile has become the first player to score in Italy’s two opening matches in a major tournament (Euro + World Cup) since Christian Vieri at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/Jsuy6jw4R2
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 16, 2021
Playing as the central man in Roberto Mancini’s top three means that much of Immobile’s good work can go unnoticed. He often takes on defenders and creates spaces on both sides where Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne can work.
He is so much more than just a poacher and has an underestimated ability to hold the ball, so the Azzurri can flood the attacking third with bodies and the speed with which they can do so is one of their greatest strengths.
Immobile has only been removed once against the Swiss and not at all against Turkey in the tournament opener, and is incredibly safe when in possession, even in pressure situations.
Ciro Immobile has scored 56 league goals for Lazio in the last two seasons / Marco Rosi / Getty Images
Forwards will inevitably be judged on the number of goals they score and in that sense, the 31-year-old is one of the elite. However, it is his overall play and willingness to do the ugly stuff along with what lifts him to be one of Europe’s finest players.
Immobile spent some time in Germany with Borussia Dortmund, but it is fair to say that his move to the Bundesliga did not succeed. He was sent on loan to Sevilla, who signed him a year later before lending him to Turin. At that point in his career, it looked like he might have been on the road to a party striker.
In Lazio, however, he has found a home and the fact that he does not let the difficult times he encountered abroad hold him back is proof of his character and strong mentality. If he continues to play on the international stage this summer, his reputation with the wider audience will only grow and maybe then he will get all the credit he actually deserves.
