In Retegui and Kean, Italy are finally spoilt again for in-form strikers | Nicky Bandini Mateo Retegui and Moise Kean are firing Atalanta and Fiorentina up the table and themselves into Spalletti’s plans.
Three were scored with a first touch, Retegui twice forcing home rebounds and another time finishing nonchalantly across goal from Marten de Roon’s cross.
Kean had almost broken the deadlock twice before the interval, the first time with a close-range header of his own, aimed too close to the keeper, and the second time by releasing Dodô for a one-on-one that the Brazilian fired wide.
The Italy manager offered a thoughtful analysis of both players’ development in an interview with Gazzetta over the weekend, observing that they remained very different models of centre-forward – the first a penalty-box striker, then second more free roaming, but that each had made clear progress in rounding out their games.
Neither player was a hot pick to become capocannoniere before this season began, not even after Retegui secured a late August move to Atalanta – signed as emergency cover for the injured Scamacca.
