Bourne's Season Review Part Four : Central Midfielders

Part Four : Central Midfielders

Marko Bakic, 1 appearance, 0 goals, no vote

One of the interesting young foreign players on Toro’s books. The 19-year old is already a full Montenegrin international and arrived in the summer with a promising reputation. If there has been little fanfare about the young playmaker then there is good reason. He is half-owned by Fiorentina and following the ill-fated experience with a young Kwadwo Asamoah (who went on to fame at Udinese), the feeling is that if Bakic emerges as a player he will soon be wearing a purple shirt. Sat on the bench 18 times before making his first appearance, when he looked a little overwhelmed making his debut at home to Catania. A victim of the club’s inability to secure survival earlier in the season.

Verdict: Has not shown enough to warrant a first-team place. A year long loan in Serie B may help him realise his potential

Migjen Basha, 21 appearances, 1 goal, vote 6.5

A frankly strange season for the 26-year old Swiss-born Albania international. Following a timid start and a scattering of appearances, Ventura axed him completely in the New Year following Matteo Brighi’s return to form. Basha spent nine games rooted to the bench before returning to favour and enjoying a positive run-in. The ex-Atalanta man has shown enough this season to warrant a further chance in Serie A. Age is on his side, he is rarely injured and his athleticism and determination are commendable assets. Unlike most of his midfield counterparts, he is occasionally a goal threat. An unglamourous but useful option.

Verdict: Under contract until 2015 and his permanence will allow for some stability in a midfield which is due an overhaul.

Matteo Brighi, 23 appearances, 2 goals, vote 6.5

The most talented, experienced and fragile of the Toro midfield. With over 300 Serie A appearances under his belt, Brighi’s arrival last summer offered an inexperienced side some guidance. His season – a little like his career – was interrupted by injuries and the struggle to overcome them. Brighi’s best period of form arrived after the New Year when a series of commanding performances led the side to their best run of the season. This commenced with his goal in the crucial 3-2 win over Siena where his provocative celebration suggested a difficult relationship with Ventura.

Verdict: At 32 and on loan from Roma, it is difficult seeing Toro making a financial commitment to a player so unreliable physically. A replacement for Brighi is most likely to come from a fresh loan move. In many ways, a pity.

Alessandro Gazzi, 32 appearances, 2 goals, vote 7

Toro’s 14-month pursuit of Gazzi ended last summer when Ventura was finally reunited with his former Bari soldier. Signed for a sizeable fee from Siena, Gazzi proved to be one of the signings of the season offering some solidity, consistency and quality in a weak and continually rotating midfield. A tough-tackling holding midfielder, his energy galvanised the team in the early part of the season where he showed a surprise ability to get among the goals (against Atalanta and Chievo). During the final weeks of the season, the 30-year old seemed to run out of gas perhaps a sign that next season Ventura needs to balance his resources better. Will be a pleasure seeing him play alongside a genuine regista.

Verdict: One of Ventura’s favourite players and the fans too. An unassuming and likeable character and one of the best signings of the Ventura and maybe even Cairo era. A certain starter in 2013-14.

Sergiu Suciu, 1 appearance, 0 goals, no vote

The 23-year old Romanian is one of the most vaunted products of the Toro youth team but bad luck with injuries (two cruciate ligament breaks in 2011-12) have disrupted his career. Given 11 minutes of Serie A football against Siena, he was loaned to Juve Stabia to aid is rehabilitation. In Serie B he featured intermittently showing some of the driving midfield play that has encouraged scouts.

Verdict: Perhaps needs another full season in Serie B although the club will most likely review his progress in pre-season.

Giuseppe Vives, 25 appearances, 0 goals, vote 5.5

One of a clutch of players who I felt didn’t need to be retained at the start of the season. In Ventura’s preferred 4-2-4 formation he has often been a hard player to accommodate. The former Lecce captain lacks the physicality and presence to play in a two-man midfield and when deployed on the left-wing has a tendency to drift into his preferred position of inside left. It was there during the promotion season and when Ventura adopts an occasional 4-3-3 that he plays his best football. Vives has essentially been a squad player who in a midfield bereft of quality has played far more football than he may have expected. Like Masiello, he is a top half of Serie B player, and while he didn’t let the team down there is no major evidence of the quality he brings.

Verdict: Rumours link him with Palermo where Toro have negotiations pending. Highly likely to find himself at a progressive Serie B club next year.

Overall Verdict: Gazzi will be a mainstay of next year’s team in either a two or three-man midfield. Basha is a reliable back-up. At least three new quality midfielders are needed unless Ventura is ready to gamble on the emergence of Bakic or Suciu.

Peter is the author of the outstanding Torino book 'Passion in the Piazza' which is available on Amazon, and you can follow him on Twitter here.

Torino 2-0 Chievo

Torino ended 2012 on a high by securing only their fourth win of the season with a 2-0 victory against Chievo on Saturday afternoon.

Gianluca Sansone was preferred to Alessandro Sgrigna upfront, whilst Salvatore Masiello started in place of Danilo D'Ambrosio.

Despite a quiet start to the game, Torino took the lead after twelve minutes when Gianluca Sansone's corner was diverted past Chievo keeper Stefano Sorrentino. On first look it seemed as though Kamil Glik had got the final touch, but on the replay it was clear that it was an own goal from Chievo defender Gennaro Sardo.

That goal gave the Granata momentum, and fifteen minutes later they doubled their lead after fine play from Alessio Cerci. The former Fiorentina winger beat full back Boukary Dramé before delivering a right footed cross which fell to Alessandro Gazzi, and the hardworking midfielder found the back of the net with the aid of a deflection.

The away side came back into the game into the second half, and Jean-Francois Gillet was forced to make an outstanding save to deny Perparim Hetemaj scoring from long range. At the other end, Alessio Cerci and then Gianluca Sansone came close to adding to Toro's lead, but both of their efforts went wide of the target.

Despite being unable to add to their lead, Torino had done all of the hard work in the first half, and with many of their rivals losing - this victory moved them up to 13th place and gave both the players and fans reasons to celebrate before Christmas.

Whilst the first half of the season has certainly had its ups and downs, I'm sure that the majority of fans would have been delighted with their tally of 19pts from 18 matches, and it gives Toro an excellent chance of maintaining their Serie A status in the second half of the season. 

Atalanta 1-5 Torino

Torino won their first away game of the season with a sensational 5-1 victory at Atalanta on Sunday afternoon.

After starting on the bench in midweek against Udinese, Rolando Bianchi came back into the starting eleven, as did winger Alessio Cerci who was also rested for that match.

The home side attacked from the outset, and it was very evident that this match would be an entertaining affair - a stark contrast to Torino's last two away games.

Atalanta came close to taking the lead when Luca Cigarini's free kick hit the crossbar, but just before the half hour mark they did open the scoring when Torino failed to clear a corner and when the ball was played back into the area, German Denis narrowly beat the offside trap to slide the ball past Jean-Francois Gillet.

That goal forced Torino to attack, and their equaliser was quite literally "handed" to them ten minutes later. The away side were awarded a penalty when Danilo D'Ambrosio's cross hit the arm of Giacomo Bonaventura, and captain Rolando Bianchi sent goalkeeper Andrea Consigli the wrong way with his spot kick to level things up.

On the stroke of half time, German Denis was fouled on the edge of the area, as once again the Toro defence struggled to cope with the powerful Argentinean striker. Denis picked himself up to take the resulting free kick, but once again the ball cannoned off the crossbar - perhaps early proof that Torino's luck was beginning to change, as the Granata had hit the woodwork on three occasions themselves in their previous match.

At the beginning of the second half, Toro had to rely on Jean Francois Gillet to keep the scores level, as the Belgian keeper first denied Federico Peluso, and then Bonaventura in quick succession. And those saves became even more important, as moments later the Granata took the lead, when Alessio Cerci's corner was headed in by an outstanding diving header from Alessandro Gazzi.

Just four minutes later Torino had a third goal and effectively ended the match as a contest, when Alessio Cerci delivered a perfect cross to find substitute Alen Stevanovic who scored with an exquisite left footed volley. The away side were still not satisfied, and scored a fourth goal when another Cerci corner found an unmarked Torino player - this time Danilo D'Ambrosio, who scored yet another headed goal to further his claim as the best full back in the world (maybe I'm exaggerating) at scoring with his head. 

Three minutes later Toro added a fifth goal, as Rolando Bianchi met Alen Stevanovic's through ball before blasting the ball past Andrea Consigli, who like many, must have been wondering what had happened to his defence. That goal was Bianchi's 70th in a Torino shirt, and he now enters the record books as Torino's tenth top scorer of all-time (tied with Ezio Loik) - an incredible achievement in the modern era.

The remaining fifteen minutes of the match was played at a slow tempo, with Torino more than happy with their margin of victory, and a shell-shocked Atalanta side still trying to comprehend what had happened. This was the first time Toro had scored five goals in a Serie A away game since May 1993, and was enough to move the Granata up to sixth place in the table.

Forza Torino

Gazzi arrives, Rubin departs

After a year long chase, Torino have finally completed the acquisition of Siena midfielder Alessandro Gazzi - who will finally be reunited with his former Bari coach Giampiero Ventura.

Ventura was interested in signing Gazzi last season, however with the midfielder reluctant to drop down to Serie B, he instead moved to Siena and he enjoyed a good campaign in the top tier with the Tuscan side. However, Torino have continued their pursuit this season, and have finally signed their man on a permanent deal.

As part of the deal, Torino defender Matteo Rubin has moved in the opposite direction on a co-ownership deal. However, as full back Rubin has not played for Torino since 2010, after loan spells at Bologna and Parma, then it shouldn't be too much of a loss for Toro.

Sansone and Santana join

Torino have made two more acquisitions ahead of their return to Serie A, with Gianluca Sansone arriving from Sassuolo and Mario Santana from Napoli.

Striker Gianluca Sansone has signed on a co-ownership deal from Serie B side Sassuolo, fresh from scoring an impressive tally of twenty goals last season - the best scoring season of his career.

The second new arrival is Argentinean winger Mario Santana who has signed on loan from Napoli. Santana has played for a number of Italian clubs, including Palermo, Chievo and Fiorentina and will add some much needed depth and experience to the Torino squad.

These two players take Torino's summer signing total to four - including Roma midfielder Matteo Brighi, who despite training with Toro, has still not been officially announced as joining the club. With Toro departing for their pre-season training camp in Sappada today, Giampiero Ventura will want to add a few more new faces to the squad as quickly as possible, with Siena midfielder Alessandro Gazzi apparently close to signing.

Forza Torino.

Toro make double move

With Torino beginning their pre-season training camp on Monday, Giampiero Ventura has made two signings in order to strengthen their somewhat depleted squad.

Experienced goalkeeper Jean-François Gillet has signed on a three year contract from Bologna, and the Belgian stopper has now been reunited with Ventura, who was his one of his many coaches at Bari. Gillet is sometimes referred to as Il Gatto di Liegi (The Cat from Liege) and is known for his good reflexes and his ability to begin attacks from the back with his feet.

The obligatory YouTube video -

 

Torino have also re-signed full back Matteo Darmian from Palermo, this time on a co-ownership deal. The former Milan defender spent last season on loan at the club, and was one of Torino's most impressive performers, so his acquisition is certainly a boost. With pre-season beginning imminently, Toro are almost certain to make a few more signings before Monday, with Djamel Mesbah, Alessandro Gazzi, Matteo Brighi and Gianluca Sansone being heavily linked.