Liberato Cacace (Wrexham | Wales)

AucklandPhoenix

Possibly they are well advanced and have a club lined up?

Doesn’t however explain why he played in the Oceania tournament 

FIFA window I thought someone said? 
But maybe foolish on his part to try and get released for two tournaments during pre-season. 

OFC cup while it may seem like a small show is still as far as fifa is concerned a 'continental' tournament no different to copa america so yes clubs don't really get much say in the matter. 

Not involved in Empoli's first friendly, a 0-0 draw vs FC Inglostad, a 3rd division German club. Apparently Libby ans another player are the only two who are still away after NT duty.
Interesting fact, their opposition today was coached by Sabrina Wittman, a 32 year old woman who is the first female head coach in any of the top 3 divisions in Germany

Comes on for the last 30 in Empoli's second to last outing before the start of the summer in a 2-0 win over Spezia.
Next week they are hosting Sampdoria.
The transfer market is very much active so anything can happen still but it's good to see he got some minutes 

Comes on at 74min (1-0) in a 2-0 loss to Sampdoria in a pre-season friendly.

Coppa Italia. Empoli host Catanzaro from Serie B

Official shirt numbers are out. Libby keeps his lucky 13.
There is still time for a transfer, but I reckon he will stay with Empoli and either try and win a new deal, or see if he can get a new contract at elsewhere at the end of the season when he's a free agent

Not sure on the formation, but it looks like both he AND Pezella played the game v US Catanzaro. He’s also credited with an assist for the first goal. 

And that guy Henderson is back. From?

They are playing 3-4 and then either 1-2 or 2-1 so looks like he's being deployed further up the pitch which will play to his strengths. 
Full game and one assist (almost 2, but his team mate hit the post) in a 4-1 win over Catanzaro. Empoli qualify for the next stage of the Coppa Italia

Highlights here.
Looks like two assists to me. And a lovely run to boot. Empoli won't have many easy games this season (you never do in Serie A), but if he can show his worth on the offensive, Libby won't have a shortage of suitors if Empoli let him go at season's end.

Interesting he played LCB. Temporary thing you'd hope

Liberato Cacace with an Assist Of The Season contender a mere seven minutes into Empoli's new campaign 🎯 #FlyingKiwis pic.twitter.com/37O1OXmqkx

— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) August 10, 2024

This was in a 4-1 Coppa Italia win vs Catanzaro

Cacace as played as the LCB in a back three (and was excellent), while Giuseppe Pezzella played LWB

LC's attacking end product is probs the main reason he's not starting wing-back so ironic that he'd set one up from even deeper

— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) August 10, 2024

How about another angle? pic.twitter.com/rO03wrR6Xr

— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) August 11, 2024

He needs to do that for Ben or Chris next time the AWs play.

It’s odd because he was exciting going forward in my opinion last season, but through a combination of factors didn’t get so many assists and had 3 or 4 goals chalked off. 

He definitely pushed the team forward imo. Need some KP type stats, but I thought he was good. 

It’s positive to see the coach is looking at him in different positions, because hopefully that means he rates him and just wants to break the hoodoo and turn that Cacace bombast into assists, goals and points on the table. 

I assumed when I saw Pezella and him playing that he was in a kind of winger role! LCB in a 3…hmm. 

Seems like he didn’t get an assist because the defender got a touch or something? But it seems that the new manager has studied his game, got in some new players and found ways they can combine, which is good news for Libby. 

newzealandpower

Highlights here.
Looks like two assists to me. And a lovely run to boot. Empoli won't have many easy games this season (you never do in Serie A), but if he can show his worth on the offensive, Libby won't have a shortage of suitors if Empoli let him go at season's end.

Yes definitely 2 assists. Handy debut in that LCB role, if yes just against a Serie B side.

Pinpoint pass from Libby to assist the opening goal for @EmpoliFC in their Coppa Italia victory 🔥🎯 https://t.co/I9z2j68uTc

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) August 12, 2024

From Niche Cache. Libby as a LCB may end up a thing in Serie A.

Empoli sold Sebastiano Luperto, their best CB, to Cagliari during the offseason so they are looking for solutions at the back... it’ll be curious to find out of the Cacace LCB idea was a one-off or a legitimate plan moving into Serie A next week. And if it’s a genuine plan then surely there’s a contract extension on the way? Nor can we discount the possibility of a transfer happening before the window closes at the end of the month – there’s little doubt that Empoli would accept an offer as long as the fee is decent.

Serie A kicks off. Empoli host Monza

Libby gets 3 minutes in stoppage time in a 0-0 draw vs Monza.
Half decent game which I was able to watch with my new beIN subscription (yayaya!).
The Empoli pitch looked like a potato field, not sure how it's possible when Italy hasn't had any rain for 3 months.
And both coaches were serving touchline bans but clearly were on the phone to their assistants throughout the game. Makes a mockery of the ban IMHO.
Good point for the Tuscan side

coochiee

newzealandpower

Highlights here.
Looks like two assists to me. And a lovely run to boot. Empoli won't have many easy games this season (you never do in Serie A), but if he can show his worth on the offensive, Libby won't have a shortage of suitors if Empoli let him go at season's end.

Yes definitely 2 assists. Handy debut in that LCB role, if yes just against a Serie B side.

Pinpoint pass from Libby to assist the opening goal for @EmpoliFC in their Coppa Italia victory 🔥🎯 https://t.co/I9z2j68uTc

— New Zealand Football 🇳🇿 (@NZ_Football) August 12, 2024

I know I'm late on this, but it definitely took a touch off the defender as it bobbles up at the end there. Hence no official assist. But he can have the moral one at least. 😅

Anyway, disappointing he's back to a bench role for the start of the season. Looks like it could well be a struggle for goals again this season for Empoli. Tough run of fixtures coming up to begin the season as well.

Seems bizarre for him to have such a dominant game and then not be risked in the next one for any significant time.

Empoli visit the Eternal City to play NZP's boys

Empoli with the big upset 2-1 win
Libby on at 63 mins (2-0) at LB

Matt Ryan on the bench for the Romans

Big big win for Empoli. Last season they had a really awful start

📹⚽ Loreeee 💪💙 pic.twitter.com/na21bWgwIk

— Empoli Football Club Official (@EmpoliFC) August 25, 2024

#RomaEmpoli 1-2

La prima volta non si scorda mai 😍 pic.twitter.com/i66in9jna0

— Empoli Football Club Official (@EmpoliFC) August 25, 2024

This was Empoli's first EVER win away at Roma.
I watched the game and I think they deserved it overall. Roma hit the post 3 times (Empoli once), but we didn't create enough and they were very good on the counter.
Libby had a good 30 minutes off the bench.
Sadly, he was at fault for our goal. He found himself alone with the ball just inside his half. To be fair, there was no team mate nearby, but he just held onto the ball and was dispossessed too easily, and it ended with the ball inside the net.
But he also had a decent chance to score, got some nice crosses in and put in two or three decisive blocks.
He had to mark both Soulè and Baldanzi, arguably two of the best young creative players in the league, and he acquitted himself well.
Good start for Empoli (4 points after two games), not so much from my team (a single point) and great to see Libby being given more opportunities.

Niche Cache.

Cacace also picked up a yellow card for chopping down Baldanzi. A tactical foul... from which a teammate was additionally booked for kicking the ball away. Libby also made a couple of crucial interventions in his defensive area. It was an eventful cameo in an important result that means Empoli have taken four points from their opening two matches. Last season they lost five games in a row to start the season and didn’t even score a goal until game six. It also appears that the transfer yarns have eased off for Cacace, though nothing’s sorted until the window closes on Saturday morning NZT.

newzealandpower

This was Empoli's first EVER win away at Roma.
I watched the game and I think they deserved it overall. Roma hit the post 3 times (Empoli once), but we didn't create enough and they were very good on the counter.
Libby had a good 30 minutes off the bench.
Sadly, he was at fault for our goal. He found himself alone with the ball just inside his half. To be fair, there was no team mate nearby, but he just held onto the ball and was dispossessed too easily, and it ended with the ball inside the net.
But he also had a decent chance to score, got some nice crosses in and put in two or three decisive blocks.
He had to mark both Soulè and Baldanzi, arguably two of the best young creative players in the league, and he acquitted himself well.
Good start for Empoli (4 points after two games), not so much from my team (a single point) and great to see Libby being given more opportunities.

He’s been dispossessed leading up to a goal a couple of times now. Tch 

Not great...I can see what he was trying to do. Just hold the ball and run up the pitch, maybe beat a player and wait to be tackled into a throw in deep inside Roma's half. His teammates have a lot to answer for too. No one within 30m of Libby and when he lost the ball they couldn't shut down the cross or stop the header. But I supposed he has responsibility for losing the ball..I feel he needs a couple of assists or goals to balance out some of these mistakes. But I still think, barring some crazy last minute transfer news, he's going to be give a chance to prove himself this season.
Empoli looked very good, hopefully they continue to play well and he gets a chance to show what he's got...

Empoli travel to Bologna who earlier were rumoured to be looking at Libby

Transfer market officially closed in Italy...Libby to stay with Empoli for the season (at least!). Hope he has a great season

Comes off the bench and gets almost half an hour (inc injury time) in a valuable 1-1 draw at Bologna who this year are in the Champions League.
Bologna went on top after 2 minutes but Empoli scored from the restart! It was a good game all in all.
Empoli unbeaten in 3 this season (polar opposites to last year where I don't think they got any points for 5-6 games).

Libby had a good game, defended well and I think Empoli were hard done by when his cross found Pellegri in the box whose legs I thought were tripped by a Bologna defender...but no penalty or VAR..

Empoli host the Old Lady.
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/09/14/italy/serie-a/empoli-fc/juventus-fc/4396794/

Stays on the bench as Empoli hold Juve to a 0-0 draw.
Great start to Empoli's campaign - they are still unbeaten

Empoli (8th) travel to Cagliari (19th)
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2024/09/20/italy/serie-a/cagliari-calcio/empoli-fc/4396802/

Comes on at 73min (2-0) in a 2-0 win away at Cagliari of former manager Davide Nicola and club captain Sebastiano Luperto.
What a start for Empoli, 9 points in 5 games and they are currently 3rd on the ladder (with a game in hand on everyone).
I was skeptical of new coach D'Aversa, but it looks like I'll be eating some humble pie

From Niche Cache. Came on to play as a winger. He's having no luck at all break his scoring duck.

Funky thing here is that he (Libby) came on in place of a midfielder, not in place of left-back Pezzella. We saw Cacace deployed as part of a centre-back trio in the cup game at the start of the season and he was excellent but that wasn’t what happened here either. Nope, D’Aversa threw him on as a good old fashioned left winger.

Up there in forward line looking to add a third goal... and tell ya what he almost did. His first act was to get to the byline and chip a tasty deep cross over to nobody in particular. His second act was to hunt down a rebound from a teammate’s saved shot, which he headed over the line except there had been a rather obvious offside earlier in the move so it wasn’t to count.

Cacace still hasn’t scored a club goal since leaving the Wellington Phoenix but this was the third time he’s had one disallowed...

I was saying this in the AW thread! We should be using his strength and dribbling further forward and encourage him to power into the box and shoot. A friend long ago compared him to Bale and it’s about time we tested that theory!

I think we have a lot of interesting left back options behind him too.

I think it would make us a much more dangerous team. We wouldn’t have to do it every time, but what a weapon to hold in reserve! 

Full game for Libby in a 2-1 Coppa Italia win vs high flying Torino (1st in Serie A after 5 matches).
Solid performance, both defensively and in an attacking sense.
He could have done more to prevent Torino's goal but to be fair the defender in front of him should really have cleared the ball first.
The late Empoli winner came from a Libby corner kick - with a slight touch from a teammate and then the goal...it should almost be counted as an assist.
Empoli through to the Round of 16 now.

Yep- some of the best, but also a bit of weakness. 

A couple of times could have done better on defense. As NZP says he was marking Adams when the ball was flicked to him. Also a point when he was released wide with 3-4 targets in the box and over hit the delivery.

The good points- one brilliant inswinging corner dropped on the Empoli attacker’s head at the back stick. Reminded me of Wood’s career goals video! 

And in the last 5 minutes when they needed a goal 85+ they passed to Cacace who found 3 excellent and dangerous incisive passes to feet through the centre and also had one box-to-box run for another counter chance. 

And it was his corner that the winner came from.

Empoli (5th) host Fiorentina (11th)

Unused sub in a 0-0 draw. 
Empoli stay unbeaten (2W & 4D) so a complete contrast to their horror start last year.

Empoli (6th) travel to Lazio (7th). Can Empoli keep the dream unbeaten run going