Ex-Cagliari Coach Walter Mazzari On Inter New Boy Raoul Bellanova: “Young But Ready, Can Play On The Left” | OneFootball

Former Cagliari, Inter, and Napoli head coach Walter Mazzari believes that wingback Raoul Bellanova will be a solid addition to the Nerazzurri this season.

Speaking to Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport in an interview published in today’s print edition, the coach gave his thoughts on the 22-year-old who he worked with extensively last season, stating that he’s ready for the top leave despite his age and versatile enough to fill in on the left.

Bellanova is Inter’s latest summer signing, with the young wingback having been identified for some time as the right target to bolster the wingback positions following the departure of Ivan Perisic to join Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer.

The 22-year-old plays on the right rather than on the left as Perisic had, but his signing is nevertheless meant to improve the wide areas as a whole, and Mazzari has confidence that he can do what he’s been signed to.

“Bellanova is a very good guy, he’s smart, sensitive on a personal level, hard-working, he always wants to improve himself, and he’s able to take on the advice he’s given,” the coach explained.

He went on that “He has a great change of pace and has also improved in the defensive phase. He’s now a complete player.”

“With the pace he has, he can score more goals than he’s done so far if he’s playing for a team that gives him more of a chance to attack the final third,” Mazzarri predicted.

“But he’s still young and has age on his side,” the coach noted, “he must not feel the pressure, and if so then he has what it takes to become a top player.”

“He must play with his mind free from pressure, he has incredible quality and can improve a lot too,” he continued. “He can improve in the final third where he has everything needed to score a lot of goals for a wingback.”

“And, if he is confident in himself, he can also play on the left where he would have the advantage of being able to cut in and shoot with his right foot,” Mazzarri also noted.