Donadel's experience an asset for Montreal
The Montreal Impact recently announced the signing of Italian midfielder Marco Donadel for the 2015 season. The 31-year-old defensive midfielder will arrive to North America with a wealth of experience, and off the top this will be the biggest asset he’ll bring into his new MLS club.
A former Napoli and Hellas Verona player, Donadel spent the majority of his career at Fiorentina, collecting 184 Serie A games for La Viola between 2005 and 2011 where he also experienced playing time in the UEFA Champions League. The type of experience he’ll bring to Montreal will be invaluable, in fact, this footballer has played at every level within Italian Serie A, as he also has been part of teams such as Lecce, Parma and Sampdoria.
What kind of player is Donadel and what can Impact fans expect from him? His scouting report describes him as a hard worker midfielder, defensively strong and tactically smart enough to fill every position as a central midfielder and he’s likely expected to plug the defensive gap in Frank Klopas’ formation.
That could be enough for Klopas as the Impact manager stressed the need for help at the defensive midfield. Donadel is not a scoring threat, as he recorded just one goal in 23 games for Verona in 2013-14 -- but he surely can produce the occasionally brilliant shot from distance.
As well, he’s not going to be Montreal’s marquee playmaker, but remains decent at distributing the ball. Above all, as the same Impact head coach and director of player personnel stated, Donadel would bring on that kind of mentality and character that often lacked this past season.
He’s not a player suited to run the show and did not develop into the player he was expected to become when he was a regarded prospect sorting out from the Inter Milan Youth Academy, but deserves credit for his hard-working mentality and his ability to make an immediate impact in the middle of the pitch.
With the above in mind, it should be noted Donadel was the captain of the Italian squad that won the 2004 European under-21 championships and a member of Azzurri’s team that earned a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Some questions remain about how well will adjust to MLS since it is a very athletic league, especially compared to Serie A, a more tactical tournament that requires strategic intelligence more than physical attributes.
A notable downside to Donadel’s acquisition is the fact he is prone to injuries. Last season he made just 19 appearances at Verona.
So the biggest question regarding his impact is Will Donadel be able to stay healthy? This is most critical because aside from this, he has all the attributes suited to provide the help the Impact need.
Montreal was not able to fill the void left since the departures of the Argentinian Hernan Bernardello and Collen Warner. In Donadel, Klopas has brought in an efficient defensive midfielder, one that could compliment Patrice Bernier, forming a balanced duo of a defensive holder and a more offensive threat.
In the end, should he stay fit throughout the season, Impact fans can expect to see good things from Donadel.
Michele Tossani is a football tactician with a Ph.D. in History. Michele resides in Florence, Italy and is a tactical analyst for Futbol-Tactico.com
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