Written by Umberto Pelà (19.02.2023)
Empoli: House of Talents
I think it is safe to say that the ‘Underrated’ Series has looked at players who are Underrated, but from teams which are quite well known. Today, for the first time, we take a look at a player from one of Serie A’s smallest clubs: Empoli.
The player in question is 20-year-old left-back Fabiano Parisi.
“Who?”, I hear you ask.
To be completely honest, I don’t blame you. That’s exactly what I asked when I saw Fabiano Parisi stride up and down San Siro’s field in the very recent Inter – Empoli. The more I watched, the more I was surprised: “why haven’t I heard about this kid?”, I thought to myself.
That game saw Parisi sensationally overshadow Netherlands international and Inter player Denzel Dumfries on the right flank as the Tuscan club claimed an unexpected 1-0 win. As a result, I felt the need to look into his story, especially as I had just finished writing Di Lorenzo’s underrated episode.
Here’s what I learnt with a quick, twenty-second recap: born on the 9th of November 2000 in Solofra, Campania, Parisi goes through the ranks of Benevento, U.S. Avellino, and eventually joins Empoli in 2020. In his first season, he played 20 games and a crucial role as Empoli – like they’ve often done in recent years – earned promotion back to Serie A. After dipping his toes in Serie A with a year of “establishment”, Parisi is now finally blossoming into a mature, key player in Empoli’s side as they sit in 12th position (at the time of writing).
Having said all of this, up until now, you’d have to take my word on how good Parisi is. Let’s take a look at the numbers that make him special.
At the young age of 22, Parisi has appeared in 85% of Empoli’s minutes this season: 2435 minutes. Starting in 91% of the games, his 20 appearances make him one of the younger players in Serie A to be consistently sent out on the field by manager Paolo Zanetti. Extremely ductile, Parisi can also operate as an ‘8’, or ‘mezzala’, on the left side of midfield – where we’ve seen him play at times throughout the season.
What makes the left-back standout in comparison to positional peers in the big 5 leagues and European competitions (UCL and UEL) is his defensive prowess. Parisi appears in the top 3% of fullbacks for blocks, and in the top 15% of fullbacks for interceptions and clearances. In specific, Parisi produces 1.77 blocks per 90 – more than Reece James (1.36 per 90) and beyond double compared to Kieran Trippier (0.80 per 90) and Kyle Walker (0.88). Furthermore, his interceptions surpass Reece James’ and Kyle Walker’s – by over 1 full interception per game – and so do his clearances per 90.
Whilst there is some contextual work to be done (especially to avoid cherry-picking data), the numbers are important to consider for the sheer amount of defensive volume Parisi produces. Teams that are lacking that in the left-back position – such as S.S. Lazio – would benefit immensely from a player like him. Sarri has long whined about having to play a natural right-back (Hysaj) in the left back position, and his low defensive volume (0.92 interceptions, 1.14 blocks, 2.11 clearances, all per 90) could be an incentive for president Claudio Lotito to invest in the young Empoli fullback.
On top of his rigorous defensive efforts, Parisi also enjoys getting forward with the ball – and he does so in remarkable fashion. Already netting 2 goals in the first half of the season (personal record in one season), Parisi is in the top 15% of fullbacks worldwide for goals scored. Furthermore, he is excellent at carrying the ball and taking on opposition defenders. His 1.55 successful take-ons per 90 and his 2.81 progressive carries per 90 put him in the top 6% and top 20% of fullbacks respectively. This specific ability perhaps makes him even more of a smart pickup for such a possession, ball-heavy team like Maurizo Sarri’s Lazio.
A coach such as Sarriwould make Parisi flourish as he develops his tactical IQ – a category that the left-back especially lacks in. His progressive passes and pass completion see him in the lower 40% of full-backs worldwide as he tends to attempt few passes going forward and they commonly are misplaced (his pass completion sits quite low at 74.7%).
Luckily for him, Parisi has time.
Time to develop into a well-rounded fullback which will hopefully emerge on the bigger scene – perhaps a top Italian club like Inter Milan or Lazio, to which he has been linked to recently – and make a name for himself. Valued at €8 000 000, I see Parisi getting easily snatched from the Tuscan club this summer as he makes that jump. Finally, it will also be curious to see if he’ll be able to rise through the national team’s ranks – a side that has long lacked a quality left-back over the years – and enter Roberto Mancini’s rotation of players for the upcoming European Championship.
References
https://fbref.com/en/players/2f3452eb/Elseid-Hysaj
https://www.transfermarkt.it/fabiano-parisi/profil/spieler/547985
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabiano_Parisi
https://fbref.com/en/players/0967845b/scout/365_m1/Fabiano-Parisi-Scouting-Report