Ventura boosts Italy's future by calling Napoli star

Matthew Klimberg
04 nov 2017

While his legacy as the Italian national team manager is far from secure, Gian Piero Ventura may have made his single most beneficial decision for the country’s soccer future on Saturday. In calling 27 players for their pair of World Cup playoff matches against Sweden, the tactician may have secured the services of an elite European midfielder.

As detailed here before, Napoli’s deep-lying playmaker Jorginho has been inexplicably ‘forgotten’ by the Italian national team. With 105.5, the Brazilian dual-national leads Serie A by an astonishing 20 passes per match this season.

With his preferred national team failing to call on him, it appeared Brazil was ready to swoop in and lock down the services of Jorginho. However, if Ventura can find a way to cap-tie him to the Azzurri in November, he may have made one of his most beneficial decisions as the manager.

Now, all he has to do, is secure passage to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, otherwise his fate will always be a regrettable one.