Mattia Destro Must Take His Chance to Remind Roma Just How Good He Can Be

This has been a summer of highs and lows for Mattia Destro. It began with the player being selected for Cesare Prandelli’s 30-man Italy squad ahead of the World Cup, only to eventually miss out on a place in the final 23. It continued with him being linked to a lucrative Premier League move, only to instead start the season as an unused substitute in Roma’s win over Fiorentina.

That is not to suggest that the striker was sad to stay with the Giallorossi. Destro had told Corriere dello Sport back in May that he was happy at Roma (quotes in Italian via ilgiallorosso.com), and his agent, Renzo Contratto, reiterated that line as the transfer window was about to slam shut at the end of last month. 

"When a player is sought after by other teams it is always a pleasure,” said Contratto (via Sky Sports). "This does not mean, though, that he will leave. Mattia wants to stay in Rome and have a starring role with the Giallorossi in both Serie A and the Champions League." 

Destro, still just 23 years old, certainly has the talent to justify that ambition, as his performances last season proved. After losing almost all of 2013 to a knee injury, he returned in December looking decidedly chubbier than before, prompting a wave of mocking internet memes . But he quickly silenced his critics' laughter with a string of goals that helped to prolong Roma’s title challenge.

Returning to action as a second-half substitute against Fiorentina in early December, Destro needed just 10 minutes to make his mark—timing his arrival perfectly to prod home a Gervinho cross from the right. That turned out to be the winning goal in a game that finished 2-1 to Roma.

By the end of the season, he had struck 13 times in 20 appearances. Destro averaged one goal every 95.2 minutes—the best ratio, according to Opta, of any player in Serie A. Those numbers look even more impressive when you consider that he was not taking Roma’s penalties.  

There is every reason to believe that Destro could be similarly effective this season—if only he can get on the pitch. But Rudi Garcia’s decision to leave him on the bench for the opening game has raised some difficult questions about the player’s chances of securing a regular place in the first team.

Although he has played out wide at different times in his career, Destro is, by instinct, a penalty-box striker who does his best work within 18 yards of the goal. Besides being an efficient finisher, he has the poacher’s knack of finding space in packed penalty areas. But there is only room for one central forward in Garcia’s 4-3-3, and that role is presently occupied by Francesco Totti.

Last season the Roma captain was moved out to the right of attack, in order to accommodate Destro in the middle. Since then, however, the club has gone out and invested more than €20 million in Juan Iturbe, a man whose natural home is on the wing. The Argentinian’s pace, paired with that of Gervinho on the opposite side, give Roma a fast-break potential that few other Italian sides could equal.

All of which has meant Totti returning to the centre. Although his strike rate is not as spectacular as Destro’s, few could dispute Er Pupone’s right to a place in the team. Totti scored eight times last season, but more crucially provided 10 assists. No other player in Serie A had more, according to Whoscored.com.

Which is not to say that Destro will rot on the bench all season. Totti turns 38 this month, and—much as he would never admit it—does not have the legs to play every game in every competition for Roma. Garcia, indeed, will need to think much more carefully about squad rotation in general this season as his team returns to European competition.

It is for exactly that reason that I expect Destro to start for Roma against Empoli this Saturday. The Giallorossi begin their Champions League campaign with a home game against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday. Garcia will want to have Totti as fresh as possible for the occasion, and might reason that he can allow his captain a rest at the weekend. 

If that does indeed turn out to be the approach, then it will be up to Destro to seize his opportunity, and remind the manager quite what a special prospect he is. In the meantime, he should draw encouragement from the knowledge that the new Italy manager, Antonio Conte, holds him in very high esteem.

Destro married Ludovica Caramis on September 1, ensuring that his summer of ups and downs would end on a perfect high note. The date had been planned in long before he knew that Conte intended to call him up to the Italy squad to face the Netherlands and then Norway. The manager was not impressed when he learned that Destro would have to miss the first day of the national team’s training camp.

Conte joked that if it had been up to him, then Destro would have cut the cake and then left immediately to join up with his Italy team-mates (quotes in Italian, via La Repubblica). As it was, the player was allowed to enjoy his first night of married life with his new wife, before being picked up by a car to bring him to Coverciano first thing the next morning.

Although it was another young striker, Simone Zaza, who stole the spotlight in Italy's two subsequent matches, Destro still caught the eye after entering as a substitute in both games. He was on the pitch for less than 30 minutes between the two matches, but came close to scoring against the Netherlands with a header that flashed just over the bar. 

On Sunday, Destro must aim to go one better. It is not up to him to work out where he would fit in Garcia's starting XI, but only to score the goals that make it impossible for his manager to leave him out of the team.