Juventus made short work out of Spal in Wednesday’s Coppa Italia encounter, as the Old Lady booked its place in the Semi finals of the the competition with a 4-0 demolition of their Serie B opponents.
The goals were scored by Alvaro Morata (from the spot), Gianluca Frabotta, Dejan Kulusevski and finally Federico Chiesa who come off the bench to put his mark on the match.
However, this meeting will be remembered mostly for the numerous young players who were given the opportunity to shine by Andrea Pirlo.
Radu Dragusin was given a rare nod at the back, while Marco Da Graca and Alessandro Di Pardo received minutes in the second half.
Nonetheless, the most notable inclusion in the starting lineup was Nicolò Fagioli, who controlled the middle of the pitch with confidence and ease alongside Adrien Rabiot.
So what do we need to know about this talented young midfielder?
According to Football Italia, the 19-year-old is considered one of the most talented products of Juve’s academy.
He joined the Old Lady from Cremonese in the summer of 2015, but Fagioli was born and raised in Piacenza, the hometown of Juventus director Fabio Paratici who scouted him when he was playing in the Youth Sector of the Biancorossi.
Fagioli has already joined the Juventus senior team several times during his career, but he had never managed to make his debut before this evening.
An attacking midfielder who can also play as a deep-lying playmaker, Fagioli scored 11 goals in 56 appearances with Juventus Primavera, two of them in the UEFA Youth League against Atletico Madrid and Lokomotiv Moscow last season.
When the Primavera season was suspended due to the pandemic, he was permanently promoted to the U-23 squad where he scored one goal in 24 appearances.
The young man had apparently been noticed by former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri who praised him during his time at the club.
“We have Nicolò Fagioli, a guy born in 2001 who knows football and its tempo very well, it’s a pleasure to see him playing,” the six-time Serie A champion said in September 2018.”
