Nicolo Rovella: The Regista Turned Destroyer
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The importance placed on the defensive midfield position has arguably never been higher. The role’s most outstanding player, Rodri, won this year’s Ballon D’Or whilst the likes of João Neves, Amadou Onana, João Palhinha and Manuel Ugarte transferred for fees of €50 million or more in the summer window. Fortunately for Lazio, their own defensive midfield option Nicolò Rovella has been a revelation this season and is threatening become the kind of player so coveted by the top teams in Europe.
Breakthrough at Genoa
Rovella emerged at Genoa as a deep lying playmaker in the midst of a chaotic era at the club. Read this breakdown of his time there for a full picture of his early career. After a big money move to Juventus, he was then seemingly cast aside by the Turin club. Not considered good enough to break into their first team a loan to Monza followed by a two-year loan to Lazio with a obligation to buy under certain circumstances.
Now entering his second year at Lazio, Rovella looks like a player transformed from the graceful but at times lightweight playmaker he was at Genoa.
Defensive Excellence and Athleticism
Upon breaking through, Rovella was considered initially by some to be a regista-style deep lying playmaker, embodied by the great Andrea Pirlo. However, he has become a different kind of player.
The most striking thing about Rovella’s statistical profile is actually his defensive output. The Italian ranks in the top 2% of midfielders in Europe for tackles+interceptions per 90 minutes played. He is in the top percentile for tackles in the midfield third, and his stats are more reminiscent of Gennaro Gattuso than Pirlo.
Clearly, he is very proactive on the defensive side of the ball. What is striking when watching Rovella is his athleticism. He is fast across the ground and alert in the defensive phase, quickly filling any spaces vacated by teammates moving forward. This pace allows him to cover the spaces behind Lazio’s fullbacks when they advance forward or even when they are beaten by a winger. He has a good sense of when to cover or double up in these areas, making effective use of his speed.
He has grown into his 5-foot 10 frame and uses his long limbs to good effect, frequently deflecting or intercepting passes that seem initially seem out of reach. Often with a well-timed sliding intervention. Similarly, he uses this long reach to good effect in the tackle, pinching shielded balls from unexpected angles. This is particularly useful when pressing opposition playmakers or tackling counterattacking players breaking from midfield.
Rovella steals a ball from Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu
One area where he could perhaps improve is the frequency with which he picks up yellow cards. Rovella has collected 5 yellows in 12 Serie A appearances already this season, causing him to miss the victory over Napoli through suspension.
However, this isn’t an uncommon issue for a defensive midfielder tasked with breaking up attacks and it is worth the occasional booking for the impact Rovella’s range of tackling can have in midfield. Midfielders like Sergio Busquets and Fernandinho became masters of skirting disciplinary lines later in their careers. It’s a balance between being impactful in duels and avoiding obvious bookings that he should find with experience.
Passing Ability
An area of Rovella’s game that stood out early on in his career was his passing range. As a young player at Genoa he would frequently find long passes and line breaking balls in the style of a traditional regista. His trademark raking cross field passes were a frequent feature in any game he was involved in. Rovella was the most progressive passer in Serie A during parts of the 21/22 season.
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At Genoa he attempted the most long passes of any midfielder in Europe, playing nearly 14 long passes per 90 minutes played. Despite taking more touches at Lazio he now attempts 8.5 per 90. As you would expect his pass completion rate at Lazio is far higher, amongst the best in Serie A, however this leads to less progressive passes completed and less expected assists goals created for his teammates.
This more conservative pass selection is reflective of Rovella’s transition into a defensive midfielder role. He is tasked with picking the ball up from Lazio’s defence and circulating possession until there is space to move forward. He is used as the default option to recycle possession whenever an attacking avenue is closed off.
To do this Rovella needs to be adept at finding space to receive the ball and technically sound enough to keep it in the face of opposition pressure. His strong frame and mobility are again assets here, allowing him to escape from opposition pressing traps. He is also intelligent with the positions he takes up, finding pockets of space at will to give him as much time on the ball as possible.
In the rare event he does get into trouble on the ball his pace, physicality and ball control often allow him to turn and drive into space left by opposition pressing. His pass selection is good with simple balls played at the right time allowing his team mates to shine. In particular, he frequently releases midfield partner Mattéo Guendouzi into space in midfield.
He also is very clever when creating space for others further forward, disguising his passes with his body shape to move defenders out of position. This was a key part of Sergio Busquets’ ability to progress the ball at Barcelona, with the Catalan’s subtle misdirection freeing up extra space for Barca’s attackers to receive the ball and turn.
It’s possible that in a more dominant team than Lazio, Rovella could add some of the regista level passing skills he showed precociously at Genoa to the conservative metronome-like style he has developed at Lazio. This is something only a few of the very best playmakers have been capable of achieving (Toni Kroos, Rodri) and it makes Rovella’s ceiling as a passer incredibly high.
Suitability in a double pivot
Whilst Rovella has shown he is an adept defensive midfielder he currently plays as part of a classic double pivot with Mattéo Guendouzi.
The two have complementary skillsets with Guendouzi handling a lot of the ball carrying and passing in more advanced areas. This provides a nice balance to Lazio’s midfield but does leave some question marks around Rovella’s ability to potentially act as a single pivot on a top team.
If you compare the two to Rodrigo you can see that the Ballon d’Or winner is able to combine their strengths into one complete midfield profile (the stats are not possession adjusted making Rodri’s defensive output look lower than his actual impact).
Combining the Two Sides of His Game
It seems unfair to compare Rovella to the reigning best player in the world, but this is the level he should be aspiring to. If he can add the passing and creativity he demonstrated at Genoa whilst maintaining his defensive output and safety in possession, then he would be fit to anchor any top side’s midfield.
The upside is that the tools are all there, bringing them together will bring the next leap for this exceptionally talented player. If he can achieve this and avoid injury then he is set to be a fixture of elite level teams, many of whom are desperate for exactly this sort of player.
By: Luke Petty / @petty_luke
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Mondadori Portoflio