GdS: A ‘strange’ night amid declining minutes – how Camarda arrives at San Siro return

Francesco Camarda will experience a strange night tonight, as he returns ‘home’ with the hope of inflicting some damage on his parent and boyhood club.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, Camarda is about to return to San Siro and he is tipped to start in the Coppa Italia round of 32 game, the battle of a Milan team ‘where everything works’ and a Lecce side where ‘nothing goes as it should’.

Past, present and future

Camarda wants to score tonight, but he has come close to netting at La Scala del Calcio before. In the Champions League 11 months ago against Club Brugge he celebrated a goal, enjoyed the roar of the Curva Sud and then it was disallowed for offside.

This first month of the season has shown him that life in Serie A is difficult, tough. Lecce are obviously not Milan, and Camarda is struggling. In his last two games – against Atalanta and Cagliari – Francesco had only one interesting moment, a volley from the edge of the box against Atalanta.

Otherwise his life on the pitch has been about chasing lost causes, dueling with centre-backs twice his size, and at most receiving the odd ball with his back to goal to pass to Kaba, Tete Morente or whoever else. Key passes: very few. Real scoring opportunities: none.

His playing time is declining too: 83 minutes in the opening game of the season, then 45, 19 and 17. It is a slippery slope: game after game, fewer and fewer, while Lecce have fallen to the bottom of the table. Eusebio Di Francesco though offered some reassuring words recently.

Photos: GdS + Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images

However, apprenticeships in the top flight are tough, as some icons can attest. Francesco Totti scored four goals for Roma in the season after he turned 18, Antonio Cassano three for Bari. The journey is complex for everyone.

Francesco seems to be happy at Lecce though. He lives in the city, his parents are often with him and the battle with Stulic is not easy but not impossible to win either. The fans also support him: his No.22, clearly inspired by Brazilian influence (Kakà), was Lecce’s best-selling shirt this summer.

So, patience is needed. There will be tough moments, but there will be plenty of opportunities. San Siro, after that close call against Club Brugge, owes him a favour.