In order to celebrate what has been an excellent season, I invited Torino fan Peter Bourne to discuss each member of the member, with a focus on which players should be retained for next season.
Tommaso Berni
(ITA, age 31), 0 appearances, no vote
Former
Sampdoria, Lazio and curiously Wimbledon man was drafted in following Gillet’s
ban as third choice goalkeeper. Never featured, aside from in touchline goal
celebrations.
Verdict:
Unlikely to be retained
Jean-Francois
Gillet (BEL, age 34), 0 appearances, no vote
Toro’s
virtual ever-present goalkeeper in the 2012-13 season and a faithful stalwart
of Ventura. Was embroiled in the calcioscommesse scandal (related to his time
at Bari) and received a belated three year, seven month ban during pre-season
(later reduced to a little over a year on appeal). Gillet has always protested
his innocence but the saga has cost him both his first team place and a spot in
Belgium’s World Cup squad as back up goalkeeper. At nearly 35, still has time
to resurrect his career. Toro have stayed loyal to the player who has one year
remaining on his current deal.
Verdict:
Would be surprising if Ventura reinstated Gillet over Padelli as first choice.
And given that, unlikely Gillet will stay as a reserve. I would move him on. Feeling
is though club will retain his services (short term)
Lys
Gomis (SEN, age 24), 1 appearance (-1 conceded), vote 6
The
goalkeeper who never plays, the perennial ‘number 13’. At nearly 25, Gomis
still has a mere 22 first team appearances under his belt. On a positive note,
a bout of sickness suffered by Padelli during the second half of the game
against Genoa handed Gomis a 36-minute appearance and long-awaited Serie A
debut. He looked nervous but was not to blame for the Rossoblu’s equaliser in a
1-1 draw. Cuneo-born and raised, Gomis switched his international allegiance to
his parents’ native Senegal and made his debut in March against Mali. Desperately
needs a full season (most likely in Serie B) to mature and improve. Now finds
himself behind younger brother Alfred in the pecking order for next season.
Verdict:
Lys, go out on loan and play some football somewhere.
Daniele
Padelli (ITA, age 28), 38 appearances (47 goals conceded), vote 7
A
lesson for Gomis. On signing at the age of 27, Padelli had less than 70 first
team appearances to his name, keeping the bench warm in the provinces in
between spells at Liverpool, Samp and Udinese. Was signed as an understudy to
Gillet but seized his chance when the Belgian was banned for the season.
Padelli’s form in pre-season convinced the club not to sign a new No 1. There
were though a number of reservations, including the point @TorinoBlogger
made that Padelli perhaps showed a lack of ambition have initially signed on as
a reserve. Perhaps it was a calculated gamble by both club and player. The
opening games were not too encouraging. Padelli lacked Gillet’s tidy footwork
(a prerequisite of a Venturian goalkeeper) and looked both nervous and
unconvincing on crosses (notably in the 3-3 draw with Inter) and long-range
shots. His is a fine example of the benefits of giving someone a run in the
side. By the turn of the year, Padelli had improved his kicking (and the
defence readjusted to his style), mistakes were few and far between and he made
several match winning saves (pick of the bunch away at Roma). Spent the final
months of the season one booking away from suspension and sensibly trod the
fine line to avoid missing a crucial game in the run in. Matured into a fine
and reliable goalkeeper by the season’s end.
Verdict:
Has earned his stripes and highly likely to be number 1 next season.
Plan
for 2014-15: Padelli should be number 1. With (seemingly) no Europa League
football, there is less need for an experienced back-up. Alfred Gomis has had
an outstanding break out season in Serie B with Crotone and would be my choice
as reserve. Lys Gomis to move out on loan, Berni and Gillet to depart.
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