Why Martin Baturina is the next superstar to come out of Como | OneFootball

Serie A side Como have shown quite a bit of ambition in the last few months. Nico Paz has emerged as a leading light, alongside Jacopo Ramon and even Assane Diao. As Cesc Fabregas’ side continue to rise in reputation, Martin Baturina is quickly establishing himself as a new hero.

Interestingly, the Croatian made a slow start to life at the club after his much-talked-about move from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer. There was hype around the switch but Fabregas has been quite cautious about the winger. He has taken his time, allowing Baturina to settle into life in Italy before unleashing him.

With Diao unfortunately injured right before AFCON, The 22-year-old’s usage in the Como first-team shot up.

Baturina has now started each of Como’s last three Serie A games. He has contributed to five goals in those, also coming off the bench to score against Bologna before that. Earlier in the campaign, he had impressed and scored in a win over Torino.

Slowly, those numbers are going up and Baturina has established himself as a regular. The Croatia international has a delightful connection with the ball. Even if he isn’t the quickest, his close control and 1v1 ability sets him apart from many players on the pitch. As a result, he is very reliable in the final third and is barely fussed under pressure.

Fabregas’ system, which relies heavily on constant positional interchange to place players in their best areas, does help Baturina massively. He constantly finds himself around the half-spaces, as he can then attack them using his ability on the ball. A lot of times, he is given the space to roam in central areas and this allows him to link-up with someone like Nico Paz quite well. This came through quite well in Como’s 3-0 win over Lazio two weeks ago.

This is probably just the beginning of Baturina’s rise. He should play at the World Cup later this year and it is shaping up to be quite a special year for the attacker. It can only get better.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN