Article by Elliott Martin
Serie A is undergoing a revolution. An increasing influx of talented youngsters has seen many clubs in the division benefit and Patrik Schick is just one example; the 21-year-old is Sampdoria’s revelation. Scouted and signed from the Czech first division Schick has, since the beginning of his career, only looked for advancement. From a loan spell at a midtable team in his home country to the blue and white side of Genoa, Schick has never let an environment or situation change his game.
Sampdoria fans had to wait until October to see his name on the scoreboard but his consolation at the Juventus stadium was not out of the ordinary. Schick had been given limited opportunities and had just proven his worth to the thousands of fans in attendance. His self confidence was boosted and his output saw an upturn towards the turn of the year; goals against Torino, Lazio and away at Chievo came in a row whilst the new year saw him score against Roma, Pescara, Bologna and assist against Napoli.
Remarkably Patrik Schick has only completed 90 minutes in Serie A on three occasions with all of his goal contributions, nine goals and two assists, coming as a substitute. This begs the question why he is not trusted to start more games but perhaps Marco Giampaolo is protecting the future of the club. He did make a rare start against Cagliari in the Coppa Italia, tucking away two goals and displaying both his collectedness and collectiveness. The Czech international possesses composure beyond his years, his instinctive movement and controlled finishing a recipe for goals.
His startling mixture of height, Schick stands at 6’2”, and technique exuberates a rare type of elegance. The position as second striker is perfect for Schick who is able to effortlessly float between the lines of defence and midfield whilst often drifting to the wide right so he can cut back on to his accomplished left foot. This creates space for himself although its not needed, his first touch is always progressive and his dribbling almost unrivalled in Serie A. Schick’s complete confidence in his ability means he is never in a rush but his pace is deceptive. His link up play is intelligent and he adds a certain tenacity and bite to what is already a special talent.
Patrik Schick’s eagerness to get into dangerous positions and help Sampdoria shows in the statistics. On loan at FC Bohemians Prag 1905 last season he managed seven goals and one assist in 2015 minutes, this season he has more goals and more assists in less than half the game time. Right from the start Schick has sought to improve and right now seems to be in the best place to do so but his next step may be just around the corner.
