Benevento Calcio sits comfortably on top in the Serie B in Italy and they were playing against Pescara who could not test them in the slightest. The home side employed an attacking 4-4-2 formation in their 4-0 win against Pescara. Benevento defended as a unit of two blocks of four, but were quickly to transition from defence to attack when they regained control of the ball. They utilised space on the flanks with the wide midfielders providing crossed into the box for the two strikers.
Ratings
A1 – Very good, could play higher
A2 – Strong potential to play higher
B1 – Good, strong player at level
B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
C – Average for the level, rewatch
D – Below average, don’t follow up
Player profile:
- Nationality: Italian
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 20/02/1996
- Current Club: Benevento Calcio
- Career: Novara, Siena (L), Novara, Carpi (L), Novara, Benevento (L), Novara.
- Position: goalkeeper
- Preferred foot: Right
Lorenzo Montipo is the goalkeeper of Benevento Calcio and had a fairly easy game against Pescara. Montipo as a good right foot which he uses often to get the ball on the opponent’s half. His reflexes are strong which were illustrated when Pescara tried to shoot from close range. His control of the ball is decent as he can pass to his defenders, but also to the midfielder higher up the pitch. What’s impressive about him, is that he is a force in the air and will claim the ball in a set-piece situation, which ultimately makes it easier for his defenders.
Rating: B1
Montipo seems like a very decent keeper and absolutely looks like one of the better goalkeepers in the Serie B, but I’m not confident in saying that he would do better in the Serie A. I’ve to see more of him to assess that, but he definitely showed that he’s force to be reckoned with between the posts.
Player profile:
- Nationality: Italian
- Age: 26
- Date of birth: 11/05/1994
- Current Club: Benevento Calcio
- Career: Napoli (Y), Perugia (L), Napoli, Reggina (L), Napoli, Avellino (L), Napoli, Latina Calcio (L), Napoli, Parma (L), Napoli, Benevento (L), Napoli.
- Position: Right-wing attacker
- Secondary position: : Left-wing attacker
- Preferred foot: Left
Roberto Insigne played as on the right as part of the four-man midfield Benevento employed but switched to the left in the game. In their 4-4-2 formation, the widest midfielders were allowed to make runs down the line and that was something Insigne frequently did. With his 1,72 meters, he is not the a force in the air and he didn’t win any aerial duels in this game. He was, however, strong on the ball, quick on his feet and he was always looking for an option to cross the ball from the flanks or to reach the two strikers via through balls. This went very well as he provided two assists and scored one himself in this particular game. His passing was excellent in this game with almost every ball reaching a teammate.
Rating: A2
Insigne had a great game, where everything seemed to go right for the attacking player. His passes were excellent, he was constant looking for through balls and was involved in three goals against Pescare. Looking at this game I would say he definitely can play on a higher level, but I need to see him more against a tougher opponent.
Player profile:
- Nationality: Italian
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 26/04/1996
- Current Club: Benevento Calcio
- Career: Prato (Y), Juventus (Y), Cesena (L), Juventus (Y), Cesena, Prato (L), Cesena, SPAL, Cittadella (L), SPAL.
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Moncini played as one of the two strikers in the 4-4-2 formation. His positioning is very good, as he knows how to anticipate a pass from the middle or a cross from the flanks, which resulted in a goal against Pescara. His finishing is decent and effective. But he was awful at first touches and lost the ball a lot. He is 1,84 meters, but he lost almost every duel in the air, but also in the 1v1’s. His passing was okay, but he didn’t risk anything in the pass he gave, which could be the result of playing with no confidence – as he looked rather uncertain in his actions.
Rating: B2
I was not particularly impressed by his performance. Moncini scored a goal, was effective in has action and a good positioning – but he lacked in the aerial duels and the 1v1’s, which made me doubt his abilities.