The beauty of Alessandro Bastoni
Antonio Conte’s exit from Inter came as an undoubted shock to many across the Calcio land, let alone for the club’s faithfuls. It transpired within 24 hours and the aura at the Nerazzurri went from being euphoric to strained during that delicate time period. For some, this twist of fate was inevitable as reports had pointed towards some disturbances between the ex-manager and the club’s owners. As unfortunate as the exit was, Conte certainly managed to impose his authority on the team, playing a vital role in the development of multiple players.
One of those players is certainly Alessandro Bastoni. His emergence is perhaps the definition of how Conte managed to gradually impose his style on the team, after some initial wobbles, the young Italian’s dynamism as a defender allowed the Lecce-born boss to have a more versatile system than how it was in the 2019/20 campaign. As time went on, Bastoni’s diverse abilities as a footballer often set the tone for the Scudetto winners’ system.
A product of the now-respected Atalanta academy, Bastoni had actually joined Inter for a big £28 million fee back in the summer of 2017 after he had impressed for La Dea’s first-team and Primavera team in the same campaign, briefly plying his trade under Gian Piero Gasperini. Inter loaned him back to the Gewiss Stadium-based club, where his status remained quite the same, as the then teenager kept bouncing from the first team to the Primavera side.
In the summer of 2018, a loan spell at Parma followed and that’s where Bastoni got his real taste of top flight football. Under Roberto D’Aversa, who generally likes his team to play a possession-based brand of football, Bastoni played as the left sided centre-back in a 4–3–3 shape and even though it was a rather new experiment for a youngster who was more used to playing in a 3–4–3 at Atalanta, he came out with flying colours.
In the 2019/20 campaign, Conte’s Inter had Milan Skriniar and Diego Godin struggling to get to grips with the idea of playing a back three on a regular basis. Both of them had been accustomed to playing in a back three for a vast majority of their careers. In Conte’s demanding 3–5–2, they had to cover more spaces and pick up wider positions. Their struggles lead to Bastoni slowly making his way into the Nerazzurri first-team, as he began playing at left centre-back regularly.
Post lockdown in 2020, a stark change was seen in the way Conte’s teams approached games in possession. Breaking down packed defences was a problem for them as the opposition crowded the midfield and shifted them wide. To have more numerical advantages out wide, Conte’s system modified along the lines of Atalanta’s usage of overlapping centre-backs. Bastoni was fundamental to this system, as his technical ability allowed him to often play as a left-back, maraud forward and protect the wing-backs’ weakness of being easy to go past in 1v1 situations.
Fast forward to the 2020/21 campaign, Bastoni came a key part of the backline, as Godin was offloaded to Cagliari and Skriniar became the regular option at right centre-back, also offering the option to maraud forward. This tactical versatility of the central defenders allowed Conte to add a sprinkle of his older ways to the Inter side, making sure that they played a 4–2–4 when possession advanced.
More details about Inter’s Scudetto winning tactics can be found here in my article here.
Bastoni essentially became a left-back in this case and Skriniar became a right-back, with Marcelo Brozovic dropping deeper as a central defender. It made Inter a much more cohesive unit, helping Bastoni thrive in a dual-role on the left and making him a key outlet for ball progression from deeper areas.
In the 2020/21, Bastoni came up with a tally of 6.62 progressive carries per 90 minutes. That’s the highest tally out of centre-backs. He also played 3.85 progressive passes per 90 minutes, finishing as one of the top ten centre-backs in that regard. His ability to break opposition lines has proved crucial, as he constantly picks the locks from deep, allowing the midfield more possession of the ball between the lines too.
As mentioned before, Inter’s issue was often dealing with crowded midfields, but Bastoni’s emergence has forced the opposition to adapt and change their ways to nullify Inter.
Not just that, but Bastoni offers a lot off the ball too which complemented Conte’s system at the club. His quick recovery pace and physical ability makes sure that Inter don’t face the issue of being exposed in these wide areas. There were games in the 2019/20 campaign (especially against Parma earlier in the season) when the opposition could catch Inter wide defenders out in 1v1 situations and create chances.
Bastoni’s strengths have reduced that possibility too, making sure that everything is sturdy in and out of possession. While he doesn’t prefer rushing into tackles or pressurising the opposition quickly, he prefers staying back and intercepting after reading the danger around him.
The Italian is perhaps the perfect example of what a modern-day left sided centre-back offers. He’s adept at picking the right passing angles and his assist against Juventus is a fair reflection of his ability to pick the right long pass too, almost typifying his exceptional passing range too.
The Athletic did a brilliant article about the importance of left footed centre-backs a while back and it defines the very reason why Bastoni is a rare find for Italian football and for the game, in general. That, in itself, makes him one of the best players in his role in the game today, even though he’s still only 22.
Bastoni’s role for Italy at Euro 2020
Going by his performances for Inter, Bastoni would’ve been one of the first picks for Roberto Mancini’s side ahead of the upcoming Euro 2020. His versatility of being comfortable in a back four will come in very handy and even though Giorgio Chiellini and Francesco Acerbi have been selected too, Bastoni offers more on the ball than the aging duo. He offers a more reliable recovery pace and as a result, a higher assurance for Italy to stick to a higher backline in possession.
The Azzurri have Turkey, Switzerland and Wales in the group stages of the tournament and being a superior team than them on paper, the expectation would be for Mancini’s men to dominate the ball and dictate play. Games like that can be tailor-made for Bastoni’s skillset, as he can pick the right passing lanes quickly and get Italy’s elite midfield into play earlier than the opposition would expect.
Even if Mancini sticks to playing the more experienced left sided defenders though, Bastoni is certainly a rare find. With the World Cup approaching in 2022 and neither of Acerbi or Chiellini getting any younger, Bastoni will have a massive role to play in the Italian national team for the years to come.
The fact that he’s set to sign a new deal at Inter should also come as welcome news for new Nerazzurri boss Simone Inzaghi, who too prefers using a 3–5–2 (like Conte) and it was Acerbi himself who donned the left sided centre-back role under him at Lazio. It would be a smooth transition and it’ll only help Bastoni’s growth.
Bastoni is part of Five Yards’ Euro 2020 scouting game. I predict him to be an important player for Italy at the tournament.
