A close look at Marco Palestra | Italy’s next star right-back | OneFootball

Over the last few months, there has been quite a bit of buzz around Italian talent Marco Palestra, who joined Cagliari on loan from Atalanta in the summer.

While the move came after Juventus and Roma tried to sign the right-back, the defender has emerged as arguably one of the best young right-backs in Europe in the ongoing stint in Sardinia. 

It has been widely reported that Atalanta have major plans for Palestra, we take a closer look at the 20-year-old.

Palestra’s unique playing style

Palestra is a full-back who loves to zip forward whenever he gets the chance to do so. That is usually his first instinct when he first gets the ball and this was quite evident in Cagliari’s recent 1-0 win over Roma. 

As per FBRef, the Italian ranks 96 percentile for progressive carries. More than that, he ranks 99 percentile for take-ons, having attempted 4.31 take-ons per 90 minutes this season. That is very impressive for a right-back.

Most of his carries also end up in the final third, with Palestra ranking 83 percentile for that metric. He boasts a lot of pace on the break but importantly enough, he has another tool up his armory.

While a right-footer, Palestra is very useful with his left-foot and he often uses this to get out of tight situations. This also allows him a lot of variety when it comes to operating around the final third, as it confuses defenders whenever he is around the penalty area. When they expect him to dribble down the touchline, he can cut inside.

This makes him more efficient in the final third and makes his final ball a bit more reliable than someone like Raoul Bellanova, who is infamous for being wasteful with his deliveries.

Where could Palestra’s future lie?

There have been suggestions about interest from Liverpool and Premier League clubs in the last few days. Juventus and Roma are still said to be interested, as they too look to bolster their right-back areas.

But because of the youngster’s unique profile, he could well suit Atalanta’s identity. Granted, Raffaele Palladino has a slightly different vision of the game as compared to Gian Piero Gasperini. But the foundation of his ideas are similar and there is a level of pro-activeness about it. 

This brings most out of unique talents that deserve special care and profiling and Palestra is someone who can benefit from that. 

At 20, a talent like him should be protected and coached well. After all, he could also have a future as a winger because of his skillset and Italy can’t afford to lose these riches to injuries or to misprofiling.