CLUB SNAPSHOT: At a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Club | Venezia FC |
| League | Serie A |
| Manager | Giovanni Stroppa (until November), Davide Nicola |
| Stadium | Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo |
| Nickname | Arancioneroverdi |
| Founded | 1907 |
| First Choice | Filip Stanković |
| Deputy | Lorenzo Montipò |
| Third Choice | Alessio Pozzi |
| Current League Position | 19th (6 points from 11 matches) |
The Defining Moment
Venezia’s goalkeeping department entered 2026/27 with a clarity that the rest of the squad could only envy. Filip Stanković, the Serbian goalkeeper who had been the protagonist of the club’s promotion to Serie A, was the undisputed number one. The club’s intention was explicit: Stanković was “not to be touched,” and the summer’s task was to find a deputy capable of supporting him, not replacing him.
The defining moment of the summer came in late July, when Venezia moved to secure that deputy. Simone Scuffet, the experienced Italian goalkeeper, was identified as the primary target, with a loan deal from Pisa described as “imminent.” The alternative, Lorenzo Montipò, was a name that circulated but never materialised into a concrete negotiation. By the time the season began, the hierarchy was set: Stanković as the starter, Montipò as the deputy, and Alessio Pozzi — signed from Vis Pesaro — as the third choice.
The wisdom of that hierarchy has been tested by the season’s brutal reality. Venezia sit 19th in Serie A with six points from eleven matches, having conceded 21 goals. The defensive structure that Stanković was meant to anchor has crumbled repeatedly, and the goalkeeper who was once the symbol of promotion has become the last line of a team in freefall.
This is the story of Venezia’s 2026/27 goalkeepers: a Serbian talent whose promise has been buried by a failing team, a veteran deputy waiting for an opportunity that may never come, and a supporting cast of stopgaps and prospects navigating a season that is slipping away.
Tactical Context
Giovanni Stroppa’s Venezia was built on the momentum of promotion, but the step up to Serie A exposed the squad’s limitations with brutal clarity. The coach who had guided the club back to the top flight lasted only a few months before being replaced by Davide Nicola in November. The goalkeeping department, like every other area of the squad, has been caught in the turbulence of that transition.
The numbers tell a story of systemic failure rather than individual inadequacy. Twenty-one goals conceded in eleven matches — a rate of 1.91 per game — is among the worst defensive records in the division. Stanković has faced a volume of shots that no goalkeeper in a mid-table side should expect, and the quality of chances conceded has been relentlessly high. The defensive structure in front of him has offered neither protection nor consistency.
The tactical demands on Venezia’s goalkeeper are those of a team fighting for survival. Stroppa’s initial system required a goalkeeper comfortable with the ball at his feet, capable of initiating build-up against pressing forwards. Stanković is competent in this regard, though not exceptional. His distribution is functional rather than progressive. Under Nicola, the emphasis has shifted toward defensive solidity, a pragmatic response to a season that is already threatening to become a relegation battle.
The deeper issue is squad construction. With Stanković as the only proven Serie A option, Venezia entered the season with a goalkeeper department that was thin on experience at the highest level. Montipò, the deputy, had been a starter at Verona in the previous campaign, but the move never materialised as a permanent arrangement. Pozzi, the third choice, was signed from Vis Pesaro as a development project rather than an immediate alternative. The fragility was structural, and the season’s early results have exposed it.
The Goalkeepers
Filip Stanković
Stanković is the undisputed number one and the player upon whom Venezia’s defensive structure depends. The Serbian goalkeeper, who arrived from Inter’s academy system, was the protagonist of the club’s promotion campaign and retained the trust of the hierarchy despite interest from major clubs, including Lazio. His profile is that of the modern, athletic goalkeeper: quick off his line, capable of making spectacular saves, but still developing the positional discipline that top-level Serie A demands.
His numbers from 2026/27 reflect the impossible circumstances in which he has operated. The 21 goals conceded in eleven matches are not solely his responsibility; they are the product of a defence that has been repeatedly overrun and a team that has struggled to compete physically and tactically at the highest level. Stanković has made saves he should not have been asked to make, and he has conceded goals that no goalkeeper could have prevented.
The concern is confidence. A goalkeeper in a losing team, behind a porous defence, faces a psychological challenge that can erode even the most resilient character. Stanković’s body language in recent matches has suggested a player carrying the weight of collective failure. At 24, he is still young enough to develop, but the environment around him is not conducive to growth.
Lorenzo Montipò
Montipò is the experienced deputy, a 30-year-old who arrived on a modest deal from Verona. His profile is that of the reliable backup: a goalkeeper with Serie A experience, capable of stepping in when required without significant drop-off. The fact that he was a starter at Verona in the previous season made his arrival something of a coup for a newly promoted club.
His role, however, has been limited. Stanković’s status as the undisputed number one has meant that Montipò has been a spectator for much of the season. The question is whether Nicola, as the new coach, will consider a change. A goalkeeper rotation is often the first lever a new manager pulls when a team is conceding goals, and Montipò’s experience may offer a different presence behind a defence that has lost confidence.
At 30, Montipò is in his prime. If he is given an opportunity, he has the quality to take it. Whether that opportunity arrives depends on Nicola’s assessment of a department that has functioned poorly as a collective, rather than as individuals.
Alessio Pozzi
Pozzi is the third choice, a young goalkeeper signed from Vis Pesaro to complete the squad. His role is developmental rather than competitive; he is not expected to challenge for the starting position this season. His presence reflects Venezia’s need for depth in a department that lacks it, rather than a statement of readiness for Serie A football.
Matteo Grandi and Filippo Neri
Grandi, a veteran Italian goalkeeper, and Neri, a 22-year-old who has spent time on loan at Triestina, complete the goalkeeping corps. Neither is expected to feature for the first team. Their presence is a reflection of squad regulations and the need for emergency cover, rather than a genuine competition for places.
The Numbers Game
Table A: Venezia Goalkeeper Serie A Statistics (2026/27)
| Player | Apps (Starts) | Minutes | Goals Against | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filip Stanković | 11 (11) | 990 | 21 | First choice; ever-present |
| Lorenzo Montipò | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | Deputy; awaiting opportunity |
| Alessio Pozzi | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | Third choice |
Table B: Venezia Goalkeeper Unit – Key Metrics (2026/27)
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Team Goals Against per Game | 1.91 | 21 conceded in 11 matches |
| Stanković Goals Against per 90 | 1.91 | Behind a porous defence |
| Clean Sheets | 0 | In Serie A |
| Record | 2W-0D-9L | 19th in Serie A |
| Points | 6 | From 11 matches |
Table C: Goalkeeper Career Context & Pedigree
| Player | Nationality | Previous Clubs | Style Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filip Stanković | Serbia | Inter Academy | Athletic, shot-stopper, developing positional discipline |
| Lorenzo Montipò | Italy | Verona | Experienced deputy, reliable, Serie A know-how |
| Alessio Pozzi | Italy | Vis Pesaro | Young prospect, development option |
Tactical Identity & Squad Balance
Venezia’s goalkeeping unit is a study in inadequacy at the collective level. The department was constructed for a season of consolidation, with Stanković as the starter and Montipò as the deputy. The reality of a relegation battle has exposed the limitations of that construction: no clean sheets in eleven matches, a goals-against rate approaching two per game, and a goalkeeper whose confidence is being eroded by the failures around him.
The numbers are not merely bad; they are historically bad for a team with Venezia’s ambitions. Twenty-one goals conceded in eleven matches is a record that belongs to a side destined for relegation, not one that entered the season with hopes of establishing itself in Serie A. The defensive structure has been the primary culprit, but the goalkeeping department has not provided the kind of match-winning interventions that a struggling team requires.
The supporting cast offers little reassurance. Montipò is a capable deputy, but he has not played a competitive minute. Pozzi is a prospect. The alternatives are untested, and the starter is suffering behind a defence that offers neither protection nor consistency. If Nicola decides to make a change, it will be an act of desperation rather than a calculated rotation.
The January window is unlikely to see goalkeeping reinforcements. Venezia’s resources are limited, and the priority, if any, would be defenders and forwards capable of addressing the systemic failures that have defined the season. The goalkeeping department, for all its limitations, is not the primary problem. The team in front of it is.
The Verdict from the Camp
TMW, on Stanković’s status (July 2026):
“On Stanković, it is almost superfluous to say it, Venezia are betting strongly on him. In the past, big clubs — above all Lazio in January of last season — knocked on the door, but he remained and achieved promotion to the top flight as a protagonist.”
Venezia FC, on the squad for the opening matchday:
“Goalkeepers: Matteo Grandi, Lorenzo Montipò, Alessio Pozzi, Filip Stanković.”
Goal.com, on Venezia’s league position:
“19 | Venezia | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 21 | -13 | 6.”
Where Next?
Venezia’s goalkeeping priority is clear: they need Stanković to rediscover his confidence, or they need Montipò to provide a fresh presence. The Serbian has been a victim of circumstance rather than a cause of the crisis, but goalkeeping is a position where perception matters as much as performance. A change may be necessary simply to signal that the new coach is prepared to make difficult decisions.
The development of Pozzi is the secondary subplot, though it is difficult to focus on long-term planning when the present is so precarious. At 20, he has time to develop, but he will not be the solution to Venezia’s immediate problems.
The January window is unlikely to bring changes to the goalkeeping department. The club’s resources are better directed toward the defensive and attacking positions that have produced a team with the worst goal difference in the division. The priority is survival, and survival will depend on the collective improving, not on a change of goalkeeper.
For now, Venezia’s goalkeepers are a unit defined by exposure. Stanković faces shots he should not face, Montipò waits for an opportunity that may not come, and the supporting cast provides depth without drama. The question is whether the goalkeeper can be the foundation of a revival or merely the last witness to a relegation. The early-season evidence suggests the latter — unless something changes, and quickly.
