Andrea Natali is an Italian defender born on 28/01/2008 (18) in Milano. He is 187cm tall and weighs 76kg. The defender grew up playing for Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen’s youth teams and is currently playing for AZ Alkmaar. Andrea Natali plays as a center-back in both a 4- and 3-man defense. 

Andrea Natali is an ecto-mesomorph, notably tall with a high center of gravity. He is a lanky athlete with good agility, balance, and coordination, though he needs to build more muscle mass. Despite his height, he demonstrates excellent body control. The player isn’t very fast but demonstrates great ball progression and very good speed, especially on long runs. 

Andrea Natali is a center back with solid basic technique; his preferred foot is his right. The player shows great game vision, especially in both short and long-range passes. He demonstrates elite tactical intelligence. The Italian player has very good basic technique and ball control, which allows him to dribble past defenders and maintain possession. Andrea Natali also has accurate, precise heading ability, combined with shooting ability and timing, making him very effective in aerial duels, both defensively and offensively.  

During the possession phase, Andrea Natali is a modern defender who can easily play as a defensive playmaker. He relies on both short and long-range passes, serving teammates with through balls and one-two passes. The Italian defender also loves to make progressive carries into the midfield third, creating numerical advantage thanks to his ball control and vision.

During the non-possession phase, Andrea Natali is already a complete defender. He is an aggressive defender in 1v1 duels and knows when to try to anticipate his opponent. He is comfortable playing in a high defensive block. Moreover, his defensive prowess and great positional sense also allow him to intercept many passes and shots and anticipate opponents. He often regains possession and uses both standing and sliding tackles. He has perfect timing and coordination; the center back shows great technical cleanliness: his challenges are always composed and elegant. The player excels in aerial duels.

From a mental perspective, Andrea Natali shows calm and authority: he directs the defense in various game situations, reminds his teammates, and suggests passes. Moreover, he always shows mental resilience and focus during the game. He is very confident in his technical and physical abilities; he is not afraid to make risky plays but sometimes demonstrates overconfidence (tries high-risk vertical passes). Additionally, he possesses a great understanding of the game and tactical intelligence (excellently reads defensive phases).

As for the player's overall rating, Andrea Natali proved to be an excellent prospect with room for improvement: He excels in defensive skills, technical ability, and personality, but has to work on his build and his speed during the first steps. He has the potential to become an excellent, modern defender. A player with a similar profile in today's game could be Stones.