Sassuolo head coach Alessio Dionisi has named the sought-after forward Giacomo Raspadori as the Neroverdi ‘leader’ following a 2-2 draw at Spezia. The 21-year-old came off the bench to turn his side’s 2-0 half-time deficit into parity at the Stadio Alberto Picco virtually single-handedly.
After coming from behind to beat Milan 3-1 last weekend, Sassuolo moved on to nullify Napoli’s 2-0 second-half lead at home to draw 2-2 in midweek. So Dionisi’s side headed to Liguria in high spirits, looking to build on their momentum against relegation-threatened Spezia. However, they had to grind out a positive result once again.
Despite dominating possession and hitting the woodwork three times, Sassuolo found themselves two goals down after just 48 minutes of play. Rey Manaj broke the deadlock in the 35th minute to hand Spezia a slender half-time lead. Only three minutes into the second half, Emmanuel Giasi doubled the home side’s advantage, giving Sassuolo a mountain to climb in the remainder of the game.
Dionisi’s men needed a hero, and Raspadori stepped up to the plate, saving the day for the visitors. The Italian youngster joined the fray in the second half and went on to score a brace, including a neatly-done equalizer in the 79th minute.
Raspadori broke a frustrating 14-game scoring duck in Serie A, last finding the back of the net in Sassuolo’s 3-2 win at Hellas Verona on the opening matchday. Though he’s struggled in front of goal of late, the prodigious forward has been a significant cog in Dionisi’s set-up, as recognized by the man himself.
“We have to improve the way we read the game when the opposition doesn’t leave you space to play in and you have to go find that space. We move the ball too slowly and want it straight at us, but we need to spread the opposition with quicker passing,” Dionisi said in the post-match interview, as relayed by TUTTOmercatoWEB.
“I left out Raspadori initially, but I knew he could give us a hand in such a difficult game. Giacomo is a striker who knows how to play for the team and, despite his tender age, he is already a leader for Sassuolo.“
Raspadori has established himself as one of the best up-and-coming youngsters in Serie A over the past couple of seasons. Inter and Milan have both set their sights on the Sassuolo prized asset, with the former even making several attempts to take him to the Giuseppe Meazza in the summer.