Scout Report: Luciano Vietto

Diego Simeone is in a fix. If reports are to be believed, his first-choice striker, Mario Mandzukic, is about to leave for Juventus and with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea knocking on the door for French forward Antoine Griezmann, the frontline of Atletico Madrid looks dangerously bare.

The only players left to fill in the role of the two strikers are Fernando Torres and Raul Jimenez, both of whom have been far from impressive and are, in any case, not sufficient for a team looking to compete on three fronts, including the Champions League.

The situation, though, is not new for Atleti. The Rojiblancos have frequently lost prolific forwards in recent years (Diego Costa, Radamel Falcao, Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan) only to bounce back with shrewd signings.

This transfer season, Simeone seeks a reunion with a compatriot he had set eyes on much before he came to the Spanish capital; a young forward dubbed the ‘next Sergio Aguero.’

The name is Vietto - Luciano Vietto.

Background

Luciano Vietto was born in the small town of Balnearia located in the province of Cordoba in central Argentina. In a country obsessed with football, his talent was spotted at a very young age and he joined his local team Independiente Balnearia at the age of seven, where he would play for the next eight years.

At the age of 15, Vietto joined Argentina Primera Division Estudiantes, but was released two years later. Just when the dream of playing professional football seemed to be slipping away, Vietto was signed by Racing Club and move to their youth academy in 2010.

It was here that Vietto first came in contact with then-Racing manager Diego Simeone. Simeone placed his trust in the youngster and gave him a first-team debut in October, 2011. Over the next three years, the Argentine striker put in impressive performances for Racing, eventually earning a 5-year contract with Spanish club Villareal CF.

His performances for the “Yellow Submarine” since have turned heads, most notably of former manager Simeone.

Strengths

Luciano Vietto is blessed with supreme powers of mobility- standing at 5’ 8” with a relatively low centre of gravity, he maximises the use of his high acceleration, agility and top speed to wriggle out of narrow spaces. As if this was not enough to wreak havoc among defenders, he has high levels of stamina and can go slaloming past opposition players as easily in the 90th minute as in the 1st.

His technical skills are no less- a fine first touch along with close ball control ensures he does not relinquish possession easily, he is comfortable with both feet and possesses a mean long-shot.

It is, however, his mental attributes which leave a lasting impression. For a 21-year old playing in his first year in arguably the best football league in Europe, Vietto is fast gaining a reputation for being a clinical finisher.

His maturity and intelligence belie his years and are there to be seen in various aspects of his game - his vision when passing out to the wings, his sense of positioning while receiving through balls, his ruthlessness in front of goal and his determination to find a winner in late stages of games.

Several of his goals were indicative of his abilities. If the chip against Sevilla was an example of his finishing prowess, the goal against Barcelona in the 2-3 loss was an instance of appearing in the right place at the right time. The turn, dribble and shoot to find an 84th minute winner against Atletico Madrid, beating Diego Godin no less, showcased his capability to decide a match.

But the best of the lot was against Celta Vigo - a run inside from the right wing to receive an aerial pass, controlling the ball while protecting it against an on-rushing defender and finishing the move by nutmegging the goalkeeper. All this, in 2 touches.

Weaknesses

At his height, aerial duels will always be a drawback in Vietto’s game, although it can be made less significant by gaining upper body strength.

There is also a question mark over his consistency. His history at Racing shows that after two fruitful seasons, he suffered an alarming dip in form and scored only 5 goals in 35 games, including a barren run in the first 10 games of the season.

Whether the young Argentine starlet can maintain his prolific start to life in La Liga, now remains to be seen.

Future Prospect

His compatriot Simeone said about him: "He's very smart tactically. He scores goals though he's not a natural-born scorer. I see him as very similar to David Villa at the beginning of his career, although without as much goal threat, but with the ability to work for the team, float between the lines and link up with the midfield and attack. We've got high hopes for him".

While the Atletico manager likens him to David Villa, the media has labelled him the “next Sergio Aguero” for his determined style of play upfront. With proper management and avoidance of injuries, Luciano Vietto has the potential to be one of the leading players for club and country in the years to come.

What’s more, he can be the symbol of Argentina’s “Gambetta” style - whereby a player dribbles with close control and simultaneously reads the opponent’s movement, thus defeating him in body as well as in mind. Maradona did it before, Messi is doing it now, Vietto may be doing it in the years to come.

So, the future is bright, the future is promising.

In other words, the future is Vietto.