Italian Football: 4 Young Stars with Big Futures for the Azzurri

In the three years of his tenure, one of the biggest achievements of Cesare Prandelli has been the injection of youth into the senior squad.

One of Marcello Lippi's failings during the 2010 World Cup was an over-reliance on the players who had won the 2006 championship.  Prandelli has not fallen into that trap.  Young players like Giuseppe Rossi, Leonardo Bonucci and Claudio Marchisio were integrated into the team that rampaged through qualifying for Euro 2012.

This trend continues with players like Mattia Destro, Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Verratti.  Italy is about to see a bumper crop of young talent break into the senior ranks.  That group will go a long way towards determining the Azzurri's future.

Here are four young players whose futures with the Azzurri are brightest.  The caveat: None of them have had a senior cap on the international level.  These players are the true future of the Azzurri.

Stats courtesy of WhoScored.com

Francesco Bardi

As the years go by, the search for the successor to Gianluigi Buffon has begun to take on a slightly more urgent note.

There are three young goalkeepers who will likely compete to be the long-term replacement for Italy's captain and soon-to-be most-capped player.  First is his Juve understudy Nicola Leali.  Second is Genoa's Mattia Perin, who earned much praise during his loan spell at Pescara last year.

Bardi is the third.  A product of the Livorno youth system, Inter purchased half of his rights in January of 2011 and eventually bought him outright for a total of €5.35 million, including a few player exchanges.

Bardi is currently blocked by Samir Handanovic at Inter, so the Nerazzurri will likely send him on loan again.  He spent last year at Novara but will probably be farmed to a Serie A squad in order to gain experience at the top flight.

The No. 1 for the Azzurrini at this year's U-21 Euros, Bardi is excellent insurance for Inter in the event Handanovic decides to force a move from the struggling Milan outfit, and his skills are immense.

There is still one more Euro cycle at the U-21 level for all three of the big keepers, and the competition between the three will be entertaining to say the least.

Alberto Masi

Italy is known for defense above all, and the latest in the line of excellent defenders for Italy is 20-year-old Alberto Masi.

Juventus won the race for his signature from Pro Vercelli last year, and the youngster will be playing with Ternana on a co-ownership this season.

In a few years Masi may be playing as part of a defensive unit that could include Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and/or Angelo Ogbonna.  Until then, his future is in the lower club levels and the junior level.

So far Masi has had two caps with the Azzurrini, one in a friendly against the Netherlands and one in U-21 Euro qualifying against Ireland.  With many of the defenders who participated in the tournament in Israel no longer eligible for the Azzurrini, Masi figures to play a key role in the next campaign, with a look towards a springboard for a move to the senior picture.

Riccardo Saponara

Riccardo Saponara may end up becoming instrumental to the Italian attack because of the position he plays.

Cesare Prandelli's favorite formation, the 4-3-1-2, has lacked a natural trequartista for that "1" in the hole.  Riccardo Montolivo has been his favorite choice, but the Milan man is a natural regista more suited for the deep-lying role currently occupied by Andrea Pirlo.

Saponara could change that.  A natural trequartista, Saponara was bought over the winter by AC Milan, where he'll have the chance to develop an on-field relationship with top Italian strikers Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy.

Saponara played in the U-21 European Championship this year and appeared in three games, scoring in the opening game against Israel, completing 86.7 percent of his passes and averaging 2.3 key passes per match.

As the 21-year-old develops, Prandelli's favored tactics will benefit greatly from his skill set, and the potential for a symbiosis between Saponara and Balotelli at both the club and international levels is a tantalizing prospect.

Ciro Immobile

Ciro Immobile broke out two seasons ago when Juventus loaned him to Serie B side Pescara.  In Zdenek Zeman's attacking tactics, he ran roughshod over the second tier, scoring 28 times and leading the Delfini to Serie A.

Last year on co-ownership with Genoa, Immobile wasn't overly impressive, scoring only five times and adding three assists.

But the U-21 Euros were a better showcase of his talents.  He notched two assists in the opening 4-0 victory against Israel and scored one of Italy's consolation goals in their 4-2 defeat against Spain in the final.

He's scored 10 times in only 14 matches for the Azzurrini, and there are some signs that things could be looking up for him this year.

Juve retained half of his rights, but the other half moved from Genoa to Torino.  The Granata finished a point ahead of Genoa last year.  It would've been two if it hadn't been for a one-point penalty.

Torino is a better squad than Genoa, and Immobile has the chance to form a partnership with winger and Italy international Alessio Cerci, whose work on the flanks could provide plenty of chances for the big target man.

Prandelli is looking for a strike partner for Balotelli—and a replacement should he be injured or suspended.  Alberto Gilardino proved at the Confederations Cup that he's incapable of doing so, and as a result Prandelli must look to his youth.

There is a bumper crop of good young striking talent.  Along with Immobile, Mattia Destro, Manolo Gabbiadini, Fabio Borini and even Balotelli's own teammate Stephan El Shaarawy could fill that role.