Federico Dimarco dribbled through all the buts…

For five and a half years, he toured a small piece of Italy, from Ascoli to Empoli, from Parma to Verona, and a corner of the world, Sion – Switzerland – running on the left wing chased by some applause and several buts… Always the same wherever he went, whatever shirt he wore. But… which marked a distance, which seemed impossible to fill, at least with the shirt that he would have liked to wear, wear up and down on the left wing, the one once with black and blue vertical stripes, now much more imaginative. He had grown up wearing those colors Frederick Dimarco.

At Inter he had arrived tiny, he had lengthened and enlarged – not even too much given his current dimensions: one hundred and seventy-five centimeters in height and seventy-five kilograms in weight – but, over time, that boy who more than anyone at the time of the youth team had predicted how the Nerazzurri’s future scamper on the left wing of the Meazza seemed destined to do so elsewhere. Anywhere but not there, not at the San Siro, or at least not wearing an Inter shirt.

In the end he had resistance, but….; he had a good left foot, but…; he had good offensive and defensive action reading skills, but…; he was fast, but…

There was always a but… to slow down the enthusiasm. His and that of the team that still owned the card. Also because when he returned to Inter in the summer of 2019, he didn’t make such a great impression. It lasted just over five months. Then, after four matches (three in the league), they sent him to Verona, still on loan and with a redemption right set at 6.5 million euros, not even that much, and no redemption rights: a sign that the player then much needed in future plans it was not.

A year and a half, fifty games and five goals after Verona he would have gladly spent that money, it was too little, an excellent deal. But he said thank you very much, but nothing is done about it, I don’t sign. He went back to Inter, willing to find that left wing that he had always wanted, always dreamed of. San Siro can be irresistible at times.

Can you imagine if this is the right time… he said to himself. Can you imagine…

No one imagined it. Marco’s? Bravo, but… there’s Ivan Perisic. And after Perisic in case Aleksandar Kolarov. And if Kolarov can’t make it across the wing as Simone Inzaghi asks, well… if he doesn’t, we’ll need to hire someone – Robin Gosens arrived in January – or adapt Alexis Sánchez, wasn’t he a winger at the beginning of his career?

There was plenty of reasoning like this in the stands, in bars, and on social media. So much so that one wondered if Simone Inzaghi hadn’t become an idiot for not understanding that a left winger was needed, that Dimarco wasn’t going well: good for heaven’s sake, but… Not understanding what many, many had understood very good.

And instead Simone Inzaghi he hadn’t become an idiot, and Dimarco in that place there, the one on the left wing of the Inter San Siro, was fine with it, much better than others who had preceded him over the years. Often owner, a great run, good feet, ability to defend and attack and for all (or almost) the ninety minutes. Last year 42 games, 2 goals and 5 assists (all competitions included, ed); in this, as of January 24, 25 games, 4 goals and 4 assists. And yet… and yet those buts… were always there. Because some mistakes after kilometers and kilometers of runs and chases, sprints and sprints happen to be done. Mistakes that are forgiven to many, but not to someone like him.

To tell the truth, the fans, those who watch football and judge it for what they have seen, had already removed several but…, they didn’t care about the prejudices, they appreciated and applauded the footballer and not the one who was or had not been . And as well Roberto Mancini had begun to overcome those buts…, he had begun to not care.

Because after all, on the left flanks of Italian stadiums, there are few better than that man who since he was a child wanted to be there and with that shirt on. And even outside of Italy it’s not that there are many, of course there are, but would they really be more effective? Because someone like Federico Dimarco doesn’t show up much, he doesn’t dazzle, yet when things go well he’s always among the most positive, and it’s easy, obvious, it will be said; but even when things go badly, such as against Empoli, he is always (or almost) among those who have brought the cart, who have worked hard to try, in some way, to change things, to reverse course. In the face of all but…

Olives is the address book of John Battistuzzi on the (not necessarily) protagonists of Serie A. In the first episode there was talk of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Naples), in the second of Emil Audero (Sampdoria), in the third of Boulaye Dia (Salernitana), in the fourth of Tommaso Baldanzi (Empoli) , in the fifth by Marko Arnautovic (Bologna), in the sixth Gabriele Spangaro entertained you with Beto (Udinese), in the seventh by Christian Gytkjær (Monza), in the eighth Armand Laurienté (Sassuolo), in the ninth Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio ), in the tenth Sandro Tonali (Milan), in the eleventh Cyriel Dessers (Cremonese), in the twelfth Tammy Abraham (Roma), in the thirteenth Stefano Sensi (Monza), in the fourteenth Federico Baschirotto (Lecce), in the fifteenth Moise Kean (Juventus) , in the seventeenth Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta); in the eighteenth M’Bala Nzola (Siena).