Lucca: The Old School striker fighting for Italy spot

The pass itself was as majestic. It was as accurate as a swipe from a cavalryman’s sabre, and the final thrust was as deadly as it seemed simple. We rarely see a striker in the modern game who is so able and committed to direct headers with such precision. The game has few ‘bombers’ left, but Lorenzo Lucca is a throwback with a modern twist.

When Kingsley Ehizibue released his precision cross in a Serie A game against Cagliari, he did so knowing there was an assassin at the end waiting to reward his artistry.

Udinese would win 2-0 against the Sardinians that day. They continued their impressive campaign start and could thank Lucca for a good part of this with him finding scoring as easy as free bets at the minute.

Lorenzo Lucca is not the modern ideal of what we expect from today’s game. He hasn’t ‘burst onto the scene’. He is a product of hard work and arduous apprenticeships and can be thankful for good schooling on his travels. His ability has seen him come to the attention and appreciation of the Azzurri, and now he can start to argue that he is a credible alternative to the prestigious talent that is Mateo Retegui.

Lucca, still only 24 years old, comes from Moncalieri near Turin. He is 6″ 7inches, and often, this leads teams to predict that he will be ungainly, awkward and a Serie C target man at best. This is where you would be wrong, as Lucca is much more than that. After starting his youth career at Atletico Torino, he did have a spell with Venezia, but it was a loan at Palermo that saw him begin to establish himself when he scored 14 goals in 27 games in the 2020-21 season.

Admittedly, this was in Serie D, yet his ability saw Pisa come looking for him. In 2021, he signed a five-year deal that saw him play in Serie B, and it started well. He scored six goals in his first seven games, and it looked like his career was taking on a new lease of life. But then, he stopped scoring, not finding the net again, completing 34 games in total.

This is where mistakes can be made when looking at Lucca. His game is much more than just goals. He needs to be more prolific – four goals in 10 appearances this term – but he is getting there and being noticed. His talent was noticed by Ajax, who loaned him with an option to buy, but in the end, after a reasonable season, he returned to Pisa.

Udinese snapped him up on loan, and after the 2023-24 season, they purchased him outright. This season, he is replaying them; he has six goals in 11 appearances in all competitions so far.

Udinese have seen exactly where he can fit into the system, and in turn, so have the Azzurri. At his height, it is no surprise that he is being used as a target man, as he was for Pisa, but this is where he differs. He drops into much deeper positions; here, he can allow his teammates to run wide of him, and he has the ability to ‘set up and turn’, often being in the box in time for the ball coming in.

The fact that he is very good with the ball at his feet often deceives the opposition, who may expect more of a tussle and grab the game from him instead of the more eloquent control they see. Even so, he does win most of the aerial duels he goes in for and, therefore, provides an option that isn’t normal in today’s game but has been something Italians have been used to for many decades before.

Lorenzo perhaps should be making even more of his ability in the air and scoring more goals and headers; however, his ability to cushion the ball is useful, and he likes to volley rather than head, of which he is very capable. The quality in the build-up play and his desire to include others in the goals mean that he is a superb target man who allows other team members to become unpredictable while he is the focus that absorbs the pressure.

This season, Udinese have started well, and Lucca has continued on his trajectory, which, in the last campaign, saw him take on more of the role of a poacher. His confidence seems to be increasing, and his teammates seem to understand the qualities he has. He has a very fluid running style with the ball and a deft touch, but this is not needed as much as he has started to make sure he is the main point of reference, and he is being more selfish.

When Italy called him up in October to replace Moise Kean, he described it as “the dream” of his life. He went on to say that he needs to stay consistent and that he can offer something different to the national team. He appreciates that his teammates recognise this, and he has listened to Luciano Spalletti, understanding that he needs to be more aggressive when attacking the box.

He is also conscious that he started from the bottom and is grateful and appreciative of his rise. He isn’t going to let it go. He may not be ‘Lorenzo the Magnificent,’ but he is undoubtedly on his way to being that.