We've seen enough - it's time for Giada Greggi to start for Italy at WEURO 2025
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - As Cristiana Girelli picked up a pass from Giada Greggi out left with 70 minutes on the clock in Italy’s second UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 fixture against Portugal, many in the Stade de Geneve had a - hopeful, admittedly - feeling about what was coming.
And Girelli delivered. Lisa Boattin's overlapping run created space for her Juventus teammate to cut inside and, from there, the Italy captain whipped an inch-perfect strike into the far-top corner of the Portugal goal, sparking delirium for the Azzurre and putting them on the verge of the quarter-finals. The goal had felt in a way as though it was coming, but there was also an increasing feeling that Italy just weren’t going to be able to find a way through. Ball circulation was a little slow in the midfield, Girelli herself had looked leggy and a long way from her best for most of the game, and Portugal seemed relatively comfortable with most of Italy's ventures forward.
But things changed when Giada Greggi came on, and not for the first time. Replacing AS Roma teammate Manuela Giugliano after a complicated night, Greggi injected both energy and a sense of serenity into an Azzurre midfield that had been lacking a little. Giugliano wasn’t at her usual level, Arianna Caruso had been growing increasingly frustrated, and Emma Severini wasn’t able to have the same in-possession impact as she’d had in recent Italy outings.
Greggi one of Italy’s best at WEURO 2025
Having missed the back-end of the 2024/25 Serie A Women season with a shoulder injury, Greggi was a doubt ahead of the tournament. Once Andrea Soncin named her in his final 23-player squad, there was intrigue to see how - and if - she would get much game time, and how rusty she might look if she were to get onto the pitch.
Those doubts were quickly discarded after she came off the bench against Belgium on Matchday 1. A largely uninspired Italy performance had Greggi’s 35-minute appearance as one of the real positives, coming on as though she hadn’t spent months working towards fitness and, if anything, looking as though a spell on the sidelines had served as rest and done her the world of good.
Despite only coming off the bench in both games - each time as Italy’s first change and before the hour mark - Giada Greggi’s impact on both games has been as palpable as it has been instant.
Within seconds of her introduction in Geneva she was breaking up a tackle in front of the dugouts, then what seemed like seances later she was cutting out a Portugal attack in the far corner of the pitch. Undeniably a boundless bundle of energy, but it’s her ball use that makes her so important to this Italy team. Against Belgium she picked out a pass that most wouldn’t have even spotted, only for poor control from the recipient to rob her of a potential assist. She could have had another for a late Barbara Bonansea goal against Portugal had the Juventus winger been able to make the most of the kind of chance that we’ve seen her score so many times before. It was no real surprise that it was Greggi who played the final pass before Girelli’s gorgeous opening goal against Portugal, and although it looked a relatively simple ball to play it was the type of situation that her teammates had taken too long to make a decision in previously. The No.20 was quick, decisive, effective, and it led to a goal.
Off the ball and out of sight, her impact was just as important. Positional awareness saw her identify a huge threat of a Portugal counterattack late on, with all of Italy’s backline seemingly neglecting their defensive responsibilities and pushing forward with two opposition players lurking around the halfway line. Greggi spotted the danger just in time, dropped into a good position and cut out a pass that would have more than likely led to Portugal taking the lead and points.
It’s Greggi’s time to start
The hour or so she’s had across Italy's two games in Switzerland so far are enough to show why Giada Greggi should be starting for the Azzurre, against Spain and in any games that may follow in the quarter-finals and beyond.
Manuela Giugliano hasn’t had her best tournament, Arianna Caruso hasn’t controlled games to the level that she can, while Greggi has had a huge impact on both games once introduced.
There’s a case to be made ahead of the Spain game that Greggi joins Giugliano, Caruso and Severini in an attempt to pack out the midfield and seek to suffocate the world champions.
But even beyond Spain, and beyond WEURO 2025, it’s time for Giada Greggi to be one of the very first names on any of Andrea Soncin's Italy team sheet.