As one Italy international has discovered, versatility can be a blessing and a curse in sports.A pitcher in baseball who can be effective as either a starter or reliever is often bounced between both roles, to the point where their growth can be stunted and they never truly realize their potential. In basketball, a player who can play multiple roles on the floor was, until recently, vastly undervalued because coaches wouldn't know what to do with them.Footballers fall victim to their own versatility as well. A case in point: AS Roma's Alessandro Florenzi.The 25-year-old can do absolutely everythingand it nearly ruined him. Now, however, Florenzi has begun to settle into a regular role under Luciano Spallettiand he's beginning to realize his potential.With a good performance at the UEFA European Championships next month, Florenzi could soon be regarded as one of the top players in the Italian pool.Florenzi has been affiliated with professional teams since he was four years old. He grew up in the youth programs of Atletico Acilia and Lodigiani, and he moved to Roma's youth sector in 2002. He rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a leading force on the team's primavera team, and he captained the squad to the Campeonato Primavera championship in 2010-11.When he made his debut in the first team on May 22, 2011, late in a 3-1 win over Sampdoria. The fact that he replaced Francesco Totti was apropos.Florenzi is the next in a long line of Roman boys to have played for the Giallorossi. Totti was the first in 1992, and he was followed in 2001 by Daniele De Rossi. A year later Alberto Aquilani made his debut with the team.Aquilani eventually moved to Liverpool in 2009, but Totti and De Rossi have become fixtures of the team. When Florenzi made his debut, he joined that illustrious line. After a year on loan at Crotonein which he scored 11 times in 35 gameshe came back to Roma for good. He quickly scored his first Serie A goal and started becoming a fixture in the team.By the time the year was out, Florenzi had started 25 times, most as a central midfielder with a sprinkling of appearances as an attacking mid.But then the shuffling began.He entered the 2013-14 season full of promise, but there was a problemthere was a huge logjam in Roma's midfield. New manager Rudi Garcia ran a 4-3-3, and Florenzi would have to compete with the likes of De Rossi, Kevin Strootman, Michael Bradley and Miralem Pjanic for playing time there. The arrival or Radja Nainggolan only added to the names on the depth chart.But Florenzi was too good to keep on the bench. Garcia shifted him into attack. He played all but one game in Serie A that year. The majority of those appearances came as an attackerparticularly on the right wing, opposite Gervinho on the left.Florenzi scored four goals by the first week of October. By the end of the year, he scored six times and notched seven assists. It looked as though his future was secure, but the next year Garcia moved him again. The arrival of Juan Manuel Iturbe created another logjam, this time up front, and Florenzi was shifted to the right flank.The change in role, as well as the general disruption of the shift, saw a drop in form. He only managed four assists and five goals. According toWhoScored.com, his pass-completion rate dropped from 81.6 percent to 79.8, and he racked up nine yellow cards.This year he finally got to stay put. Starting the season as the primary right-back, Florenzi was able to settle and get into form. According toSquawka, he created 40 total chances in the 2015-16 season, which was a career high and good for third on the team. His seven goals was good for fifth and was also a career high.He started to settle in as a defender as well. After averaging, according to WhoScored, 1.1 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in 2014-15, Florenzi averaged 1.5 tackles and 2 interceptions this past season. His play in the UEFA Champions League was even better: his averages came to 2.1 tackles and 3.3 interceptions.But, of course, what got the world's attention this year was That Goal.You know the one in the video on the right. The one that he took from 50 yards out in the group-stage opener against Barcelona, tying the game and making every highlight show in the world.Florenzi had done pretty much everything since breaking into the first team. The constant motion has seen his career take some ups and downs, but he's proved that he can do everything well when he has time to adjust.For Italy and national team coach Antonio Conte, a player as versatile as Florenzi hasn't come a moment too soon.Conte has a major injury problem on his hands. Marco Verratti and Claudio Marchisio are going to miss the tournament with a sports hernia and a torn ACL, respectively, while Riccardo Montolivo arrived at training with a calf injury.He didn't play in the Azzurri's friendly against Scotland as a precaution, but according to a report by Sky Sport Italia (h/tFootball Italia) he participated in cool-down drills after the game and strained another muscle, this time in his thigh.With three midfielders down, Florenzi may play a huge role in filling those holes.His ability to play in midfield would help Conte cover that huge hole. Without Montolivo, the only person who's a lock to start in midfield is Thiago Mottaand even he has had injury problems coming into training, per Football Italia.The other options are underwhelming at best. Emanuele Giaccherini is a favorite of Conte and always seems to show up in important moments, but he's a limited player. Antonio Candreva could move back into midfield from the forward line, but given Italy's weakness in front of goal he is more needed there.Other potential options on the 30-man preliminary roster include the decidedly average Marco Parolo and the inexperienced group of Giacomo Bonaventura, Marco Benassi, Stefano Sturaro and Jorginho.The midfield is a huge hole for a team that was already coming into the Euros with a suspect front line. If Florenzi slots into midfield, a player with more talent and experience on the international stage can take one of those crucial spots.It would also allow Matteo Darmian to move from the left side back to his natural place on the right, which could bring a better performance from him than the one he turned in on the left against Scotland.Moving around too much can be detrimental, but remember that midfield is Florenzi's natural position, which will ease his transition. He was deployed in the center against Scotland and played well. WhoScored clocked his pass completion at 85.3 percent. He didn't find the target with any of his three shots, but he did come a whisper from finding the frame with one of his trademark long shots in the 38th minute.Florenzi's versatility almost harmed his career, but he's found a solid place at club level and has established himself as one of Italy's best players. That flexibility can have real advantages for both team and player at international level. He can be a quality solution to Conte's biggest problem, and give Italy a much better chance at advancing deep into the tournament.
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