Why Juventus Must Keep Hold of Italy's Simone Zaza Amid Premier League Interest

For an hour against Sweden on Friday afternoon, Italy laboured in attack. Never giving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his team-mates a sniff of Gigi Buffon’s goal, the Azzurri once again showcased their sound defensive resolve yet visibly struggled to create scoring opportunities of their own.

The midfield trio of Marco Parolo, Daniele De Rossi and Emanuele Giaccherini worked tirelessly without the ball, but in possession, their limitations were exposed. Coach Antonio Conte had clearly instructed his side to bypass that trio and focus their efforts down the flanks.

With Giorgio Chiellini shackling Ibrahimovic, the game appeared to be headed for a stalemate until the former Juventus boss turned to his bench. He called upon a man who has learned to deliver as a substitute for the Bianconeri, Conte opting to send Simone Zaza on in place of Graziano Pelle.

The Southampton striker had become increasingly isolated during his time on the pitch, with WhoScored.com statistics showing the 30-year-old touched the ball on just 23 occasions before being withdrawn.

Zaza immediately seemed intent on being much more involved, his first touch sending Parolo forward, only for the Lazio man’s hesitation to deny what could have been a good chance for Giaccherini to score.

From there, the Azzurri suddenly became a little sharper and more dangerous, the tenacity and drive of their first substitute seeping into the rest of the team, and it was little surprise he played a major role in the only goal of the game.

Chiellini took an 88th-minute throw-in quickly, launching the ball long toward Zaza. The 24-year-old showed great determination to win the header, nodding down for the onrushing Eder, who burst into the box before firing an unstoppable shot beyond Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson.

Italy held on to win 1-0 and secure a place in the last 16 with one match—against the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday—still to play. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia shortly after the final whistle, Chiellini was quick to praise the play of the two forwards and explained how the strike showcased their qualities perfectly.

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“Zaza and Eder made a great play with their individual qualities,” he said (h/t Italian Football Daily). “Simone [Zaza] has this physical arrogance going into balls believing he’s going to beat whoever it is that’s trying to challenge him for possession.”

Meanwhile, his Juventus team-mate was happy to have made such a telling impact on the Group E clash, as he explained during his own post-match interview with Sky Sport Italia and Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia):

"

I’m glad that I made my debut in this tournament, as I was on the bench against Belgium. I am glad to have given my contribution to the team. We played well and qualified, so of course I am happy. Giorgio Chiellini was even able to provide an assist with his hands!

The Coach will make his choices, he knows what all the strikers can give. I hope we will play many more matches and therefore everyone will get their chance.

"

That follows an all-too-familiar pattern for the Policoro native, whom Juventus used in a similar role throughout 2015/16. Their official website shows they paid Sassuolo a fee of €18 million to sign Zaza last July, yet the presence of Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Alvaro Morata made playing time extremely difficult to find.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri gave him a place in the starting XI on just eight occasions, five times in Serie A and the other three in the club’s triumphant Coppa Italia campaign. But Zaza refused to let long spells on the sidelines affect his play, making 18 substitute appearances and making some vital contributions along the way.

Playing a total of 927 minutes in all competitions, he never produced less than maximum effort for the Bianconeri, managing to cram eight goals and no fewer than nine yellow cards into that limited amount of action.

Naturally an exuberant character, Zaza weighed in at important moments, his first goal responsible for a difficult September draw with Frosinone. His maiden Champions League goal—shown above—sealed an important win against Sevilla later that month.

A brace in Juve’s Coppa Italia clash with neighbours Torino provided another notable case in point as he carried the game to a determined rival, but both those would pale in comparison to February’s match-winning effort against Napoli.

Just as he did against Sweden, Zaza watched his team struggle to unlock a resolute opponent for almost an hour, Allegri eventually sending him on to replace Morata. The 88th minute would once again prove to be when the decisive moment occurred, but against Napoli the Italy international made no attempt to set up a team-mate.

A long cross-field ball from Paul Pogba found its way to Patrice Evra, who slipped the ball to Zaza just outside the Napoli box with—as can be seen in the tweet above—no fewer than four defenders in close proximity.

Clearly brimming with confidence, he unleashed a left-footed shot that Pepe Reina never came close to stopping; the strike, which lifted the team to the top of Serie A for the first time in 2015/16, was voted goal of the year by Juventus fans.

They would never look back, clinching a fifth consecutive Scudetto and eventually finishing nine points clear of their closest challengers. It would not have been possible without that contribution from Zaza, but speaking to Mediaset Premium after that match (h/t his club's website) he was keen to stress it was a group effort:

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It was a very difficult match. We knew that they could cause us harm on the counter-attack and therefore we looked to limit their goalscoring opportunities. Clearly it was a game that required the utmost effort from every member of the team. Our aim was always to win the match and we’re very satisfied that we’ve managed to do that.

"

He has continually shown a desire to be part of a successful side at both club and international level, something that is important to both teams and a major reason why the Bianconeri would be wise to reject any offer they may receive for the player this summer.

According to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia), Premier League sides Crystal Palace, Everton, Southampton and West Ham United have all expressed an interest in signing Zaza.

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The club reportedly turned down offers back in January, with Allegri quick to stress the importance of the striker at a press conference that same month. “Zaza is staying, he's untransferable,” the coach told reporters, adding that the 24-year-old “deserves to play more.”

Juventus have already added to their squad ahead of next term, with the acquisition of Miralem Pjanic—discussed in this previous post—part of a concerted effort to go further in the Champions League in 2016/17 than this season’s last-16 exit.

That would mean more chances for every player, particularly those willing to give their all whenever they are sent onto the field. That applies to nobody more than Zaza, a player Italian football’s grand Old Lady would be well advised to hold onto for the foreseeable future.