Nicolò Rovella is a deep-lying playmaker who has been regularly involved for Genoa’s U19’s across the 2019/20 season. The midfielder has almost exclusively played for the Rossoblù at Primavera level this season but he has made two first-team appearances as he came off the bench in a Serie A match against Inter and also featured in a Coppa Italia clash with Ascoli.
Playing his football under the guidance of Luca Chiappino, Rovella has featured in over 86 per cent of games when available, adding three assists in his 15 appearances. He has represented the Italian national team at U17, U18, and U19 levels, travelling with the Azzurri to the UEFA U19 Championship in Northern Ireland in 2020.
The 18-year-old is still on a youth contract with Genoa who are scrambling to try and sign him to his first professional contract in a bid to deter the interest from clubs such as Inter who are keen to add the Milanese midfielder to their talent pool.
In this scout report, we explore the important role which Nicolò Rovella plays for Genoa U19s, examining the Italian’s contributions across the defensive, middle and attacking thirds of the pitch through a tactical analysis.
Style of play
This season Genoa U19s have generally favoured a 4-3-1-2 tactics formation under Luca Chiappino, the shape being utilised in 76% of matches in the Campionato Primavera, in which Rovella lined up as defensive midfielder, operating in the role of the deep-lying playmaker.
Rovella’s role in this system is to contribute towards Genoa’s attacking plays, often acting as the focal point of the team when in possession, using his passing ability to progress the ball into advanced positions through longer and more complex passes. Nicolò can often be found looking for diagonal balls, through balls, or passes over the top to team-mates who are either between the opposing line or making runs off the shoulder of defenders into the space behind the high defensive block.
The desire to influence the game can clearly be seen when carrying out an analysis of the Italian’s heat map, the midfielder has a significant presence across the whole of the oppositions half, particularly in the middle three vertical channels. It is from this area of the pitch that Petrelli can look to utilise strength and ability on the ball to either relieve pressure from the Juventus defence by adopting the role of a target-man or win offensive duels to get himself goal-side of defenders.
