Lega Pro, Serie D, and other league loanee reports

Lega Pro

Alessandro Bacci (Siena): The 20 year old goalkeeper is stuck on the bench. He got some time earlier in the season, which will be invaluable for his development, but he doesn't have much going on now.

Lorenzo Bardini (Prato): The 20 year old goalkeeper (whose birthday was last week) is also stuck on the bench after a brief run a couple of months ago. Barring injury, that's where he'll remain.

Marco Berardi (Pordenone): The 20 year old midfielder hasn't gotten into a match for the Ramarri in over a month. He's been a useful squad player all season, logging minutes here and there, but hasn't managed to lock down a significant role.

Axel Gulin (Catania): The 20 year old winger remains a fixture on the bench, but still hasn't gotten into a match, even with the Elefanti only managing 9 points in their last 10 games. As his club slumps into the relegation zone, new manager Franceso Moriero may turn to his lesser-used players out of desperation, which is pretty much Gulin's only chance to get a run out.

Saverio Madrigali (Arezzo): The 21 year old centerback started and finished Saturday's 0-3 defeat against Pistoiese, and had a bit of a clunker; he was partially at fault for the second goal and was rather absent on the third. The Amaranti have now lost 3 straight, but he's still probably their best defender and should continue to be one of the first names on the team sheet despite this hiccup.

Diego Peralta (Pisa): The 19 year old Argentinean winger got just his 4th league start in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Pontedera, and he played all 90 minutes. Last week, he got his 5th assist of the season with a nice free kick (0:39 in the first video) in a fiery derby against Lucchese Libertas.

He also scored a peach two weeks ago against SPAL, leading his agent to rhapsodize about the youngster's development. It's easy to see why; after starting the season as an impact sub, he's forced his way into manager Gennaro Gatusso's setup and looks like he could be a future star.

Jacopo Petriccione (Pistoiese): The 21 year old defensive midfielder played the full 90 in the win over Arezzo. After a rocky start, he's really settled in, finding a groove as a deep-lying passer. He's still probably a season or two away from being ready to star for Fiorentina, but he's definitely beginning to fulfill some of the promise he showed as a U19 international.

Serie D

Daniele Ansini (Viterbese Castrense): The 20 year old midfielder played the first half in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Olbia 1905, coming off at halftime to get some routine rest. He's really come on strong of late; this match ended a streak of 3 straight matches with a goal, including the second in last week's 2-0 win over Muravera. After an uninspiring start to the season, he's cemented himself as one of the stalwarts for the Leoni, starting the past 6 matches. He's definitely starting to shape up as one to watch a little bit, especially if he can continue this form next season at a higher level club.

Jacopo Pagnini (Poggibonsi): The 19 year old keeper was in goal for Sunday's 1-1 draw at Foligno. It was the first goal he'd conceded since January, which, um, is pretty good. As the leader of the stingiest defense in the league, it's always hard to tell how much of it is the keeper and how much is the outfield players, but he's certainly looked sharp, especially for a teenager.

Other leagues

Marko Bakić (Belenenses--Portugal): The 21 year old Montenegrin midfielder got the day off for Sunday's 1-1 draw against Coimbra. He should be back for this week's tilt against Boavista, considering that he's been named the best winter signing in Portugal. It's really nice to see him finally tapping into all that potential he showed as a teenager.

Steve Leo Beleck (CFR Cluj--Romania): The 23 year old Cameroonian forward continues on the fringes for the Feroviarri, not even making the matchday squad this week. The club's ticking along decently now, so he's unlikely to get back into manager Toni Conceição's good graces again any time soon. It sure looks like time's running out for the peripatetic striker.

Mario Gómez (Beşiktaş--Turkey): The 30 year old German striker notched a typically smart goal and an assist in Saturday's 1-2 win at Sivasspor.

Last week, he netted a brace against Bursaspor with a cool finish after being put through on the keeper(0:38) and by following up on his own saved penalty (4:57). While his future's still uncertain, it seems Marione has taken to life in Turkey, and that's pretty swell, honestly.

Ianis Hagi (Viitorul Constanta--Romania): The 17 year old Romanian attacker played the first 62 minutes of Monday's 0-2 loss to Pandurii Târgu Jiu. He continues to start and get valuable minutes to develop, but he's been noticeably absent from the scoresheet since August, which is a meager return for someone who's supposed to be involved in the goals. Of course, he's only 17, so he's probably going to develop a lot in the next couple of years, during which he'll probably stay in Romania.

Giuseppe Rossi (Levante): The 29 year old striker played 73 minutes and scored with an absolutely brilliant free kick (1:37 in the video) in Friday's 2-1 win over Espanyol.

He's probably still irritated about manager Rubi's unwillingness to let him play the full match, but he seems a bit more philosophical about it now, at least. He also mushed the rumors that he was unhappy in Florence, stating that he only left to get regular starter's minutes so he could regain full fitness. He's certainly done that, racking up 5 goals and 2 assists in his 13 appearances. While he may never be quite the same as he was, he looks hungry and ready to contribute again in a purple shirt.

Rafał Wolski (Wisła Kraków--Poland): The 23 year old Polish midfielder got an assist in Wednesday's 0-3 win over Górnik Łęczna. He also won a penalty and played a brilliant pass that directly led to Wisła getting another penalty.

He scored a rather scrappy go-ahead goal in Sunday's 3-1 win over Górnik Zabrze (0:28 in the first video), and also did some very bad things to the opposing defense (second video).

He may not be the best player in the Ekstraklasa right now, but I certainly can't think of anyone who's better. Honestly, it's just super exciting to see him playing with confidence again.