Italian National Team Thread

tahaa89 wrote:I think the best formation for us in my openion is the 4-2-3-1 which would be something like this --
--------------------Buffon--------------------
Abate----Bonnuci------Chiellini---Balzeratti
-------------De Rossi---Pirlo-----------------
G.Rossi-----------Cassano----------Giovinco
--------------------Pazzini--------------------

The centre back position would go to the player more in-form between Bonnuci and Rannuchio, Chiellini would be my first choise. Although It won't be a bade idea if we move Chiellini to the left as Giovinco won't have to worry about tracking back anymore. If Balotelli can get some game time and mature then he would take Pazzo's place.

As much as I love this team, it has no midfield depth. Maybe if you changed it to :

--------------------Buffon--------------------
Abate----Bonnuci------Chiellini---Balzeratti
-------------De Rossi---Nocerino-----------------
-----------------Montolivo----------------------
G.Rossi-------------------------------------Giovinco
--------------------Pazzini--------------------

but even then....

Yeh, true, I guess against the likes of Spain and Germany that formation won't work. I guess 4-4-2 has allways been our most successfull formation. Rossi-Cassano must start in my openion, because when of them dosen't we lack creativity. This is why I hope Giovinco goes back to Juve or move to a bigger team. Another possibility is to play like this --

--------------------Buffon--------------------
Abate----Bonnuci------Chiellini---Balzeratti
-------------De Rossi---Marchisio------------
Montilivo-----------Pirlo-------------Cassano
--------------------G.Rossi--------------------

We would be keeping the same formation that we would use against lesser teams, but with different personal against Spain and Germany we could keep more position and have a stronger midfield.

ErPupone wrote:I would favor a 4-3-1-2 with Montolivo as a trequartista behind Rossi and Cassano. Since this team is having trouble playing out wide and putting in quality crosses, players like Gilardino or Pazzini are much less dangerous. We couldn't put in one decent cross against Ireland which was worrying, so for now I would go with Rossi and Cassano which would be a good duo going down the middle. In midfield, 3 out of Pirlo, De Rossi, Nocerino and Marchisio would get the other spots, maybe even Aquilani if he has a good season and stays away from injuries. Parolo could attempt to get in there as well if he has another good season. As for the defense, Chiellini is a certainty, while I'm not convinced by either Bonucci, Gamberini or Ranocchia.

Hmm I got to disagree. Although Montolivo was able to pop in two assists against Estonia, he failed completely against Ireland. I feel he's better off being a CAM because he's better at it. The problem with the treqaurtista's is the we lack. Giovinco is too small, Pirlo is getting old, Aquilani is not able, Montolivo is not a natural TQ, Cassano is out of shape, Balotelli is too lazy to track back. So the solution is reverti it, to 4-3-2-1. Instead of relying on a TQ, having Cassano and Rossi be your seconda punta's and support a prima punta like Matri or Pazzini. That would work, making everything balanced. And yet, we can use other players to play the roles and always expect the same outcome, like Giovinco or Balotelli.

Sorry Mike, I agree with the Midfield however your conclusion with the CB's seems a bit odd to be. I for one agree that Gamberini is not convincing to me and I never liked him. Me and MTD had a debate about it, and he was wrong this whole time. Not only was I right about Gamberini being poor, not deserving of a spot, and there to replace Astori who was suspended.. He even was at fault for the second goal against Ireland.

However, I don't see why your not convinced by Ranocchia and Bonucci. If you're not convinced by them, then who should we rely on? Ranocchia has been pretty decent up to this point. A monster in my opinion. Bonucci, aswell, has his ups and downs, however is still a great defender. Needless to say, we shouldn't forget that Rano and Bonucci has the best defensive record with Bari out of the whole league. So that should mean something and convince you some way.

Brigate Rossonere wrote:

tahaa89 wrote:I think the best formation for us in my openion is the 4-2-3-1 which would be something like this --
--------------------Buffon--------------------
Abate----Bonnuci------Chiellini---Balzeratti
-------------De Rossi---Pirlo-----------------
G.Rossi-----------Cassano----------Giovinco
--------------------Pazzini--------------------

The centre back position would go to the player more in-form between Bonnuci and Rannuchio, Chiellini would be my first choise. Although It won't be a bade idea if we move Chiellini to the left as Giovinco won't have to worry about tracking back anymore. If Balotelli can get some game time and mature then he would take Pazzo's place.

As much as I love this team, it has no midfield depth. Maybe if you changed it to :

--------------------Buffon--------------------
Abate----Bonnuci------Chiellini---Balzeratti
-------------De Rossi---Nocerino-----------------
-----------------Montolivo----------------------
G.Rossi-------------------------------------Giovinco
--------------------Pazzini--------------------

but even then....

I agree, it has no depth. However. Rossi can't play on the wing. He is a central player. He dosen't love playing on the wings.

Shift that to a 4-3-2-1.

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:I would favor a 4-3-1-2 with Montolivo as a trequartista behind Rossi and Cassano. Since this team is having trouble playing out wide and putting in quality crosses, players like Gilardino or Pazzini are much less dangerous. We couldn't put in one decent cross against Ireland which was worrying, so for now I would go with Rossi and Cassano which would be a good duo going down the middle. In midfield, 3 out of Pirlo, De Rossi, Nocerino and Marchisio would get the other spots, maybe even Aquilani if he has a good season and stays away from injuries. Parolo could attempt to get in there as well if he has another good season. As for the defense, Chiellini is a certainty, while I'm not convinced by either Bonucci, Gamberini or Ranocchia.

Hmm I got to disagree. Although Montolivo was able to pop in two assists against Estonia, he failed completely against Ireland. I feel he's better off being a CAM because he's better at it. The problem with the treqaurtista's is the we lack. Giovinco is too small, Pirlo is getting old, Aquilani is not able, Montolivo is not a natural TQ, Cassano is out of shape, Balotelli is too lazy to track back. So the solution is reverti it, to 4-3-2-1. Instead of relying on a TQ, having Cassano and Rossi be your seconda punta's and support a prima punta like Matri or Pazzini. That would work, making everything balanced. And yet, we can use other players to play the roles and always expect the same outcome, like Giovinco or Balotelli.

Sorry Mike, I agree with the Midfield however your conclusion with the CB's seems a bit odd to be. I for one agree that Gamberini is not convincing to me and I never liked him. Me and MTD had a debate about it, and he was wrong this whole time. Not only was I right about Gamberini being poor, not deserving of a spot, and there to replace Astori who was suspended.. He even was at fault for the second goal against Ireland.

However, I don't see why your not convinced by Ranocchia and Bonucci. If you're not convinced by them, then who should we rely on? Ranocchia has been pretty decent up to this point. A monster in my opinion. Bonucci, aswell, has his ups and downs, however is still a great defender. Needless to say, we shouldn't forget that Rano and Bonucci has the best defensive record with Bari out of the whole league. So that should mean something and convince you some way.

Well let's get one thing straight, the days of natural trequartistas are done. The last "real" trequartistas were Totti and Del Piero and they don't even play that position anymore. I chose Montolivo because I find him to be the best fit in that position despite the fact that it isn't his favoured role. He has the willingness to contribute on both ends of the pitch and has the ability to put in some good through balls to supply his strikers. I often have the "Defense-first" mentality and do not usually favour having 3 strikers such as Rossi, Cassano and Balotelli on the pitch at once when you don't have full confidence in your defense. Our defence in terms of quality is a little weak, despite the good stats we've had in our qualifications (of course it's hard to forget the days of the Cannavaro-Nesta partnership so everything compared to that is weak). Gamberini is definitely not good enough to be a starter. To be honest, I have trouble picking between Ranocchia and Bonucci, they both have their shortcomings. But there are no other options other than Astori and Barzagli, though those would be long-shots.

As for the difference between the 4-3-2-1 and 4-3-1-2, there isn't a big difference and no matter which one we use on paper, it's the players' natural instincts and ability that prevail. Whether it's:

Cassano Rossi
Pazzini

or

Cassano
Pazzini Rossi

There isn't a big difference since Cassano and Rossi are both mobile strikers who will roam from their positions to a certain point.

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:I would favor a 4-3-1-2 with Montolivo as a trequartista behind Rossi and Cassano. Since this team is having trouble playing out wide and putting in quality crosses, players like Gilardino or Pazzini are much less dangerous. We couldn't put in one decent cross against Ireland which was worrying, so for now I would go with Rossi and Cassano which would be a good duo going down the middle. In midfield, 3 out of Pirlo, De Rossi, Nocerino and Marchisio would get the other spots, maybe even Aquilani if he has a good season and stays away from injuries. Parolo could attempt to get in there as well if he has another good season. As for the defense, Chiellini is a certainty, while I'm not convinced by either Bonucci, Gamberini or Ranocchia.

Hmm I got to disagree. Although Montolivo was able to pop in two assists against Estonia, he failed completely against Ireland. I feel he's better off being a CAM because he's better at it. The problem with the treqaurtista's is the we lack. Giovinco is too small, Pirlo is getting old, Aquilani is not able, Montolivo is not a natural TQ, Cassano is out of shape, Balotelli is too lazy to track back. So the solution is reverti it, to 4-3-2-1. Instead of relying on a TQ, having Cassano and Rossi be your seconda punta's and support a prima punta like Matri or Pazzini. That would work, making everything balanced. And yet, we can use other players to play the roles and always expect the same outcome, like Giovinco or Balotelli.

Sorry Mike, I agree with the Midfield however your conclusion with the CB's seems a bit odd to be. I for one agree that Gamberini is not convincing to me and I never liked him. Me and MTD had a debate about it, and he was wrong this whole time. Not only was I right about Gamberini being poor, not deserving of a spot, and there to replace Astori who was suspended.. He even was at fault for the second goal against Ireland.

However, I don't see why your not convinced by Ranocchia and Bonucci. If you're not convinced by them, then who should we rely on? Ranocchia has been pretty decent up to this point. A monster in my opinion. Bonucci, aswell, has his ups and downs, however is still a great defender. Needless to say, we shouldn't forget that Rano and Bonucci has the best defensive record with Bari out of the whole league. So that should mean something and convince you some way.

Well let's get one thing straight, the days of natural trequartistas are done. The last "real" trequartistas were Totti and Del Piero and they don't even play that position anymore. I chose Montolivo because I find him to be the best fit in that position despite the fact that it isn't his favoured role. He has the willingness to contribute on both ends of the pitch and has the ability to put in some good through balls to supply his strikers. I often have the "Defense-first" mentality and do not usually favour having 3 strikers such as Rossi, Cassano and Balotelli on the pitch at once when you don't have full confidence in your defense. Our defence in terms of quality is a little weak, despite the good stats we've had in our qualifications (of course it's hard to forget the days of the Cannavaro-Nesta partnership so everything compared to that is weak). Gamberini is definitely not good enough to be a starter. To be honest, I have trouble picking between Ranocchia and Bonucci, they both have their shortcomings. But there are no other options other than Astori and Barzagli, though those would be long-shots.

As for the difference between the 4-3-2-1 and 4-3-1-2, there isn't a big difference and no matter which one we use on paper, it's the players' natural instincts and ability that prevail. Whether it's:

Cassano Rossi
Pazzini

or

Cassano
Pazzini Rossi

There isn't a big difference since Cassano and Rossi are both mobile strikers who will roam from their positions to a certain point.

Hmm, I wouldn't say our natural trequartista's are done. Well one can blame the type of football's that are made these days like the current World Cup Ball for the lack of play makers due to the fact how the ball swuers. But in any case, we have some trequartista's coming up. I don't know if you have been following the U21 lately, but there's someone by the name of Diego Fabbrini. He can play both as a traditional trequartista or on the wing, where he has been mainly placed. He’s great on the wing because he can cut onto his favored right foot. He also isn’t lazy and gets back and defends. Fabbrini has said his idol is Kaka, and he really plays like an Italian Kaka. He has great acceleration, but his best quality is his innate skill and sublime technique. He loves to take on players one on one, and most of the time he beats them with relative ease. He can either play as a Seconda Punta, Winger or a Trequartista. Other aswell like Poli can do the same if anything, so I wouldn't say they are completely gone.

There's no need to have trouble to choose over Rano or Bonnuci. My pick is easy, Ranocchia. He has been great up to this point, he is like a Monster, a Brick wall. I love how he was able to control Ozil against Germany for example. Or his goal saving slide against Bayern. His whole performance during that game was great, just goes to show if he can do it in the CL he can surely do it in the international level.

Bonucci has his ups and downs. He is a solid choice, that's all. He does play with Cheillini however, so their chemistry might be better then actually using Rano in stead.

Or else we can do like we did vs Germany, and have Bonucci and Rano in the Middle, while having Cheillini in LB. It all depends on the situations I guess.

Exactly. They are two mobile players, so in fact, it will sometimes look like a 4-3-3 seeing that they might even go on the wings. That's my whole point of making fluid and balanced. We can have a duo of seconda punta's, adding in one deadily prima punta, and there you have it. We don't even have to rely on our fullbacks to cross in the ball which piratically solves our solution if you ask me.

Italy’s friendly against Spain in August will take place at Bari’s Stadio San Nicola.

The two teams will play each other on August 10 in a tie which Azzurri boss Cesare Prandelli is looking forward to.

"I can’t wait to play the glamour friendlies,” the former Fiorentina tactician said before Tuesday’s 2-0 loss against the Republic of Ireland.

“They are the kind of tests that can allow us to take a leap in quality that I expect and give my side a true dimension.”

Italy have played Spain on 28 occasions, winning nine, drawing 11 and losing eight. They have scored 36 goals in those ties, conceding 28 in the process.

They last beat Spain at the 1994 World Cup, but have lost two of the next five games. Their last meeting was at Euro 2008 when the Azzurri lost on penalties.

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:I would favor a 4-3-1-2 with Montolivo as a trequartista behind Rossi and Cassano. Since this team is having trouble playing out wide and putting in quality crosses, players like Gilardino or Pazzini are much less dangerous. We couldn't put in one decent cross against Ireland which was worrying, so for now I would go with Rossi and Cassano which would be a good duo going down the middle. In midfield, 3 out of Pirlo, De Rossi, Nocerino and Marchisio would get the other spots, maybe even Aquilani if he has a good season and stays away from injuries. Parolo could attempt to get in there as well if he has another good season. As for the defense, Chiellini is a certainty, while I'm not convinced by either Bonucci, Gamberini or Ranocchia.

Hmm I got to disagree. Although Montolivo was able to pop in two assists against Estonia, he failed completely against Ireland. I feel he's better off being a CAM because he's better at it. The problem with the treqaurtista's is the we lack. Giovinco is too small, Pirlo is getting old, Aquilani is not able, Montolivo is not a natural TQ, Cassano is out of shape, Balotelli is too lazy to track back. So the solution is reverti it, to 4-3-2-1. Instead of relying on a TQ, having Cassano and Rossi be your seconda punta's and support a prima punta like Matri or Pazzini. That would work, making everything balanced. And yet, we can use other players to play the roles and always expect the same outcome, like Giovinco or Balotelli.

Sorry Mike, I agree with the Midfield however your conclusion with the CB's seems a bit odd to be. I for one agree that Gamberini is not convincing to me and I never liked him. Me and MTD had a debate about it, and he was wrong this whole time. Not only was I right about Gamberini being poor, not deserving of a spot, and there to replace Astori who was suspended.. He even was at fault for the second goal against Ireland.

However, I don't see why your not convinced by Ranocchia and Bonucci. If you're not convinced by them, then who should we rely on? Ranocchia has been pretty decent up to this point. A monster in my opinion. Bonucci, aswell, has his ups and downs, however is still a great defender. Needless to say, we shouldn't forget that Rano and Bonucci has the best defensive record with Bari out of the whole league. So that should mean something and convince you some way.

Well let's get one thing straight, the days of natural trequartistas are done. The last "real" trequartistas were Totti and Del Piero and they don't even play that position anymore. I chose Montolivo because I find him to be the best fit in that position despite the fact that it isn't his favoured role. He has the willingness to contribute on both ends of the pitch and has the ability to put in some good through balls to supply his strikers. I often have the "Defense-first" mentality and do not usually favour having 3 strikers such as Rossi, Cassano and Balotelli on the pitch at once when you don't have full confidence in your defense. Our defence in terms of quality is a little weak, despite the good stats we've had in our qualifications (of course it's hard to forget the days of the Cannavaro-Nesta partnership so everything compared to that is weak). Gamberini is definitely not good enough to be a starter. To be honest, I have trouble picking between Ranocchia and Bonucci, they both have their shortcomings. But there are no other options other than Astori and Barzagli, though those would be long-shots.

As for the difference between the 4-3-2-1 and 4-3-1-2, there isn't a big difference and no matter which one we use on paper, it's the players' natural instincts and ability that prevail. Whether it's:

Cassano Rossi
Pazzini

or

Cassano
Pazzini Rossi

There isn't a big difference since Cassano and Rossi are both mobile strikers who will roam from their positions to a certain point.

Hmm, I wouldn't say our natural trequartista's are done. Well one can blame the type of football's that are made these days like the current World Cup Ball for the lack of play makers due to the fact how the ball swuers. But in any case, we have some trequartista's coming up. I don't know if you have been following the U21 lately, but there's someone by the name of Diego Fabbrini. He can play both as a traditional trequartista or on the wing, where he has been mainly placed. He’s great on the wing because he can cut onto his favored right foot. He also isn’t lazy and gets back and defends. Fabbrini has said his idol is Kaka, and he really plays like an Italian Kaka. He has great acceleration, but his best quality is his innate skill and sublime technique. He loves to take on players one on one, and most of the time he beats them with relative ease. He can either play as a Seconda Punta, Winger or a Trequartista. Other aswell like Poli can do the same if anything, so I wouldn't say they are completely gone.

There's no need to have trouble to choose over Rano or Bonnuci. My pick is easy, Ranocchia. He has been great up to this point, he is like a Monster, a Brick wall. I love how he was able to control Ozil against Germany for example. Or his goal saving slide against Bayern. His whole performance during that game was great, just goes to show if he can do it in the CL he can surely do it in the international level.

Bonucci has his ups and downs. He is a solid choice, that's all. He does play with Cheillini however, so their chemistry might be better then actually using Rano in stead.

Or else we can do like we did vs Germany, and have Bonucci and Rano in the Middle, while having Cheillini in LB. It all depends on the situations I guess.

Exactly. They are two mobile players, so in fact, it will sometimes look like a 4-3-3 seeing that they might even go on the wings. That's my whole point of making fluid and balanced. We can have a duo of seconda punta's, adding in one deadily prima punta, and there you have it. We don't even have to rely on our fullbacks to cross in the ball which piratically solves our solution if you ask me.

Well I don't see Fabbrini as a traditional trequartista, but more like a seconda punta or a winger. I was watching the u-21's these last two weeks and there are some interesting players there. Against France, I think we should have won, especially after that great first half. Paloschi should have scored the equaliser right at the end but took too much time on the ball. D'Alessandro played well too.

Back to the topic though, Ranocchia had some good games this season, but also had a share of bad ones. He still has room for improvement and could then make a real case for being a fixed member of our starting 11. I would probably pick him over Bonucci too, but they're not miles apart by any stretch. Bonucci and Ranocchia in the middle? I rather not. I think we're in a lot of trouble if anything happens to Chiellini.

As for the attack, Pazzini would be far more dangerous if he had good service from our full backs. We need to fix that problem. If we want to utilize the wings more to make Pazzini more effective, an option would be to switch to a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, but we don't have the correct wingers to do it (we would only have the second puntas who could play out wide... or Pepe lol). Our midfield is a bit of a problem at the moment and we don't have many options, as someone else posted earlier.

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:I would favor a 4-3-1-2 with Montolivo as a trequartista behind Rossi and Cassano. Since this team is having trouble playing out wide and putting in quality crosses, players like Gilardino or Pazzini are much less dangerous. We couldn't put in one decent cross against Ireland which was worrying, so for now I would go with Rossi and Cassano which would be a good duo going down the middle. In midfield, 3 out of Pirlo, De Rossi, Nocerino and Marchisio would get the other spots, maybe even Aquilani if he has a good season and stays away from injuries. Parolo could attempt to get in there as well if he has another good season. As for the defense, Chiellini is a certainty, while I'm not convinced by either Bonucci, Gamberini or Ranocchia.

Hmm I got to disagree. Although Montolivo was able to pop in two assists against Estonia, he failed completely against Ireland. I feel he's better off being a CAM because he's better at it. The problem with the treqaurtista's is the we lack. Giovinco is too small, Pirlo is getting old, Aquilani is not able, Montolivo is not a natural TQ, Cassano is out of shape, Balotelli is too lazy to track back. So the solution is reverti it, to 4-3-2-1. Instead of relying on a TQ, having Cassano and Rossi be your seconda punta's and support a prima punta like Matri or Pazzini. That would work, making everything balanced. And yet, we can use other players to play the roles and always expect the same outcome, like Giovinco or Balotelli.

Sorry Mike, I agree with the Midfield however your conclusion with the CB's seems a bit odd to be. I for one agree that Gamberini is not convincing to me and I never liked him. Me and MTD had a debate about it, and he was wrong this whole time. Not only was I right about Gamberini being poor, not deserving of a spot, and there to replace Astori who was suspended.. He even was at fault for the second goal against Ireland.

However, I don't see why your not convinced by Ranocchia and Bonucci. If you're not convinced by them, then who should we rely on? Ranocchia has been pretty decent up to this point. A monster in my opinion. Bonucci, aswell, has his ups and downs, however is still a great defender. Needless to say, we shouldn't forget that Rano and Bonucci has the best defensive record with Bari out of the whole league. So that should mean something and convince you some way.

Well let's get one thing straight, the days of natural trequartistas are done. The last "real" trequartistas were Totti and Del Piero and they don't even play that position anymore. I chose Montolivo because I find him to be the best fit in that position despite the fact that it isn't his favoured role. He has the willingness to contribute on both ends of the pitch and has the ability to put in some good through balls to supply his strikers. I often have the "Defense-first" mentality and do not usually favour having 3 strikers such as Rossi, Cassano and Balotelli on the pitch at once when you don't have full confidence in your defense. Our defence in terms of quality is a little weak, despite the good stats we've had in our qualifications (of course it's hard to forget the days of the Cannavaro-Nesta partnership so everything compared to that is weak). Gamberini is definitely not good enough to be a starter. To be honest, I have trouble picking between Ranocchia and Bonucci, they both have their shortcomings. But there are no other options other than Astori and Barzagli, though those would be long-shots.

As for the difference between the 4-3-2-1 and 4-3-1-2, there isn't a big difference and no matter which one we use on paper, it's the players' natural instincts and ability that prevail. Whether it's:

Cassano Rossi
Pazzini

or

Cassano
Pazzini Rossi

There isn't a big difference since Cassano and Rossi are both mobile strikers who will roam from their positions to a certain point.

Hmm, I wouldn't say our natural trequartista's are done. Well one can blame the type of football's that are made these days like the current World Cup Ball for the lack of play makers due to the fact how the ball swuers. But in any case, we have some trequartista's coming up. I don't know if you have been following the U21 lately, but there's someone by the name of Diego Fabbrini. He can play both as a traditional trequartista or on the wing, where he has been mainly placed. He’s great on the wing because he can cut onto his favored right foot. He also isn’t lazy and gets back and defends. Fabbrini has said his idol is Kaka, and he really plays like an Italian Kaka. He has great acceleration, but his best quality is his innate skill and sublime technique. He loves to take on players one on one, and most of the time he beats them with relative ease. He can either play as a Seconda Punta, Winger or a Trequartista. Other aswell like Poli can do the same if anything, so I wouldn't say they are completely gone.

There's no need to have trouble to choose over Rano or Bonnuci. My pick is easy, Ranocchia. He has been great up to this point, he is like a Monster, a Brick wall. I love how he was able to control Ozil against Germany for example. Or his goal saving slide against Bayern. His whole performance during that game was great, just goes to show if he can do it in the CL he can surely do it in the international level.

Bonucci has his ups and downs. He is a solid choice, that's all. He does play with Cheillini however, so their chemistry might be better then actually using Rano in stead.

Or else we can do like we did vs Germany, and have Bonucci and Rano in the Middle, while having Cheillini in LB. It all depends on the situations I guess.

Exactly. They are two mobile players, so in fact, it will sometimes look like a 4-3-3 seeing that they might even go on the wings. That's my whole point of making fluid and balanced. We can have a duo of seconda punta's, adding in one deadily prima punta, and there you have it. We don't even have to rely on our fullbacks to cross in the ball which piratically solves our solution if you ask me.

Well I don't see Fabbrini as a traditional trequartista, but more like a seconda punta or a winger. I was watching the u-21's these last two weeks and there are some interesting players there. Against France, I think we should have won, especially after that great first half. Paloschi should have scored the equaliser right at the end but took too much time on the ball. D'Alessandro played well too.

Back to the topic though, Ranocchia had some good games this season, but also had a share of bad ones. He still has room for improvement and could then make a real case for being a fixed member of our starting 11. I would probably pick him over Bonucci too, but they're not miles apart by any stretch. Bonucci and Ranocchia in the middle? I rather not. I think we're in a lot of trouble if anything happens to Chiellini.

As for the attack, Pazzini would be far more dangerous if he had good service from our full backs. We need to fix that problem. If we want to utilize the wings more to make Pazzini more effective, an option would be to switch to a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, but we don't have the correct wingers to do it (we would only have the second puntas who could play out wide... or Pepe lol). Our midfield is a bit of a problem at the moment and we don't have many options, as someone else posted earlier.

Well, I've been watching Fabbrini very closely with Empoli, and let me tell you he has been on fire. He is showing a lot of potential and his vision for the game, is out standing for his age. He's number 10 of the U21 for a season haha. He is co-owned by Udinese, so he will be playing with them next season, if they don't loan him out again, hopefully we see him gain more experience. Mark my words, this kid has a great future ahead of him.

Well why wouldn't you put them in the middle. Against Germany they were pretty solid and promising in my views. The stats don't like, their partnership and chemistry is great. They understand each other, know how to play together and have great communication. Now ofcourse I won't go to the extent and say we exclude Cheillini, because that is complete none sense. However, Rano is in better form and he should start with Cheillini.

I wouldn't say our midfield is a problem, yes I agree we don't have quality wingers. But as I said, we do have quality CM's and SS's... That's why 4-3-2-1 fits perfectly. You saw how Rossi made Pazzini score against Estonia, that's exactly what im talking about.

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:I would favor a 4-3-1-2 with Montolivo as a trequartista behind Rossi and Cassano. Since this team is having trouble playing out wide and putting in quality crosses, players like Gilardino or Pazzini are much less dangerous. We couldn't put in one decent cross against Ireland which was worrying, so for now I would go with Rossi and Cassano which would be a good duo going down the middle. In midfield, 3 out of Pirlo, De Rossi, Nocerino and Marchisio would get the other spots, maybe even Aquilani if he has a good season and stays away from injuries. Parolo could attempt to get in there as well if he has another good season. As for the defense, Chiellini is a certainty, while I'm not convinced by either Bonucci, Gamberini or Ranocchia.

Hmm I got to disagree. Although Montolivo was able to pop in two assists against Estonia, he failed completely against Ireland. I feel he's better off being a CAM because he's better at it. The problem with the treqaurtista's is the we lack. Giovinco is too small, Pirlo is getting old, Aquilani is not able, Montolivo is not a natural TQ, Cassano is out of shape, Balotelli is too lazy to track back. So the solution is reverti it, to 4-3-2-1. Instead of relying on a TQ, having Cassano and Rossi be your seconda punta's and support a prima punta like Matri or Pazzini. That would work, making everything balanced. And yet, we can use other players to play the roles and always expect the same outcome, like Giovinco or Balotelli.

Sorry Mike, I agree with the Midfield however your conclusion with the CB's seems a bit odd to be. I for one agree that Gamberini is not convincing to me and I never liked him. Me and MTD had a debate about it, and he was wrong this whole time. Not only was I right about Gamberini being poor, not deserving of a spot, and there to replace Astori who was suspended.. He even was at fault for the second goal against Ireland.

However, I don't see why your not convinced by Ranocchia and Bonucci. If you're not convinced by them, then who should we rely on? Ranocchia has been pretty decent up to this point. A monster in my opinion. Bonucci, aswell, has his ups and downs, however is still a great defender. Needless to say, we shouldn't forget that Rano and Bonucci has the best defensive record with Bari out of the whole league. So that should mean something and convince you some way.

Well let's get one thing straight, the days of natural trequartistas are done. The last "real" trequartistas were Totti and Del Piero and they don't even play that position anymore. I chose Montolivo because I find him to be the best fit in that position despite the fact that it isn't his favoured role. He has the willingness to contribute on both ends of the pitch and has the ability to put in some good through balls to supply his strikers. I often have the "Defense-first" mentality and do not usually favour having 3 strikers such as Rossi, Cassano and Balotelli on the pitch at once when you don't have full confidence in your defense. Our defence in terms of quality is a little weak, despite the good stats we've had in our qualifications (of course it's hard to forget the days of the Cannavaro-Nesta partnership so everything compared to that is weak). Gamberini is definitely not good enough to be a starter. To be honest, I have trouble picking between Ranocchia and Bonucci, they both have their shortcomings. But there are no other options other than Astori and Barzagli, though those would be long-shots.

As for the difference between the 4-3-2-1 and 4-3-1-2, there isn't a big difference and no matter which one we use on paper, it's the players' natural instincts and ability that prevail. Whether it's:

Cassano Rossi
Pazzini

or

Cassano
Pazzini Rossi

There isn't a big difference since Cassano and Rossi are both mobile strikers who will roam from their positions to a certain point.

Hmm, I wouldn't say our natural trequartista's are done. Well one can blame the type of football's that are made these days like the current World Cup Ball for the lack of play makers due to the fact how the ball swuers. But in any case, we have some trequartista's coming up. I don't know if you have been following the U21 lately, but there's someone by the name of Diego Fabbrini. He can play both as a traditional trequartista or on the wing, where he has been mainly placed. He’s great on the wing because he can cut onto his favored right foot. He also isn’t lazy and gets back and defends. Fabbrini has said his idol is Kaka, and he really plays like an Italian Kaka. He has great acceleration, but his best quality is his innate skill and sublime technique. He loves to take on players one on one, and most of the time he beats them with relative ease. He can either play as a Seconda Punta, Winger or a Trequartista. Other aswell like Poli can do the same if anything, so I wouldn't say they are completely gone.

There's no need to have trouble to choose over Rano or Bonnuci. My pick is easy, Ranocchia. He has been great up to this point, he is like a Monster, a Brick wall. I love how he was able to control Ozil against Germany for example. Or his goal saving slide against Bayern. His whole performance during that game was great, just goes to show if he can do it in the CL he can surely do it in the international level.

Bonucci has his ups and downs. He is a solid choice, that's all. He does play with Cheillini however, so their chemistry might be better then actually using Rano in stead.

Or else we can do like we did vs Germany, and have Bonucci and Rano in the Middle, while having Cheillini in LB. It all depends on the situations I guess.

Exactly. They are two mobile players, so in fact, it will sometimes look like a 4-3-3 seeing that they might even go on the wings. That's my whole point of making fluid and balanced. We can have a duo of seconda punta's, adding in one deadily prima punta, and there you have it. We don't even have to rely on our fullbacks to cross in the ball which piratically solves our solution if you ask me.

Well I don't see Fabbrini as a traditional trequartista, but more like a seconda punta or a winger. I was watching the u-21's these last two weeks and there are some interesting players there. Against France, I think we should have won, especially after that great first half. Paloschi should have scored the equaliser right at the end but took too much time on the ball. D'Alessandro played well too.

Back to the topic though, Ranocchia had some good games this season, but also had a share of bad ones. He still has room for improvement and could then make a real case for being a fixed member of our starting 11. I would probably pick him over Bonucci too, but they're not miles apart by any stretch. Bonucci and Ranocchia in the middle? I rather not. I think we're in a lot of trouble if anything happens to Chiellini.

As for the attack, Pazzini would be far more dangerous if he had good service from our full backs. We need to fix that problem. If we want to utilize the wings more to make Pazzini more effective, an option would be to switch to a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, but we don't have the correct wingers to do it (we would only have the second puntas who could play out wide... or Pepe lol). Our midfield is a bit of a problem at the moment and we don't have many options, as someone else posted earlier.

Well, I've been watching Fabbrini very closely with Empoli, and let me tell you he has been on fire. He is showing a lot of potential and his vision for the game, is out standing for his age. He's number 10 of the U21 for a season haha. He is co-owned by Udinese, so he will be playing with them next season, if they don't loan him out again, hopefully we see him gain more experience. Mark my words, this kid has a great future ahead of him.

Well why wouldn't you put them in the middle. Against Germany they were pretty solid and promising in my views. The stats don't like, their partnership and chemistry is great. They understand each other, know how to play together and have great communication. Now ofcourse I won't go to the extent and say we exclude Cheillini, because that is complete none sense. However, Rano is in better form and he should start with Cheillini.

I wouldn't say our midfield is a problem, yes I agree we don't have quality wingers. But as I said, we do have quality CM's and SS's... That's why 4-3-2-1 fits perfectly. You saw how Rossi made Pazzini score against Estonia, that's exactly what im talking about.

Yes, it worked against Estonia, but it won't be as easy when we come up against a team that has an actual defense. I agree that at this moment, the 4-3-2-1 and 4-3-1-2 is the best formation to use for the players we have. But there are going to be times when we need to really exploit the wings and put in quality crosses and I don't see Maggio/Cassani and Criscito/Balzaretti as being enough to do so. For the Euro, we need to be prepared to adapt to any situation and we need at least one quality winger capable of provinding good crosses for the likes of Pazzini, Gilardino, Matri and so on. The moment we have to change our approach, I think we're going to be entering a world of trouble. For example, take the match against Ireland (it was just a friendly, but nonetheless). Pirlo was shut down and the ball just wasn't entering their box. Our creativity was limited through the middle and we needed to rely on crosses from our full backs. Our full backs had trouble pushing up and when they did, their crossing was poor. We need to prepare for such situations again. From the top of my head, this would be a possible solution:


I put in Maggio because he's the best winger we have at our disposal. As for the left, Giovinco is the only name I can think of at the moment and he isn't a natural winger. Also, there are going to be times when we need to start with a more defensive line-up. Take the 2006 World Cup for example. We went in with a 4-3-1-2 but eventually had to switch to a 4-4-1-1 because of suspensions and we needed to take a more balanced approach. In such a case, I would go with this:


I put in Nocerino because he seems to be the midfielder most capable of playing in that position, compared to Marchisio, Pirlo, De Rossi and Montolivo, in a more "box-to-box" role. We would need a real box-to-box midfielder capable of playing out wide as well; Ezequiel Schelotto comes to mind, maybe Marco Parolo... though they're not ready for the national team just yet.

Maggio is not a quality winger... if you ask me...
Giovinco highly doubt he would be used there.
Nocerino is a CM not a winger.
Parolo is not Italy Material.
Schelotto has potential, but not deserving of a spot.

As much as I hate to say it, we can't rely on wingers.

Hmm, why wouldn't those formations work? It worked on Germany. As long as your midfield is strong enough, there's nothing to worry about.

With our current tactics, these formations won't work.

And plus with all the options we have in the bench, we have to atleast use 3 of them.

The first 5 lines of your post is exactly what I'm trying to show. Nocerino and Giovinco are not used to playing on the wing, while Maggio is good but not a top class winger. The moment we move out of our comfortable 4312 is the moment we'll be in trouble. Why do we need to change formation? In games like the one this week. Trappatoni outsmarted us mainly by shutting down Pirlo and outnumbering us through the middle. In cases like that, you need to change approach, something this team I fear is incapable of because we have yet to be tested. This was always going to be a problem after the Prandelli overhaul.

ErPupone wrote:The first 5 lines of your post is exactly what I'm trying to show. Nocerino and Giovinco are not used to playing on the wing, while Maggio is good but not a top class winger. The moment we move out of our comfortable 4312 is the moment we'll be in trouble. Why do we need to change formation? In games like the one this week. Trappatoni outsmarted us mainly by shutting down Pirlo and outnumbering us through the middle. In cases like that, you need to change approach, something this team I fear is incapable of because we have yet to be tested. This was always going to be a problem after the Prandelli overhaul.

And that's why he needs a back up. But why rely on Pirlo? If anything, we can play with a more defensive Midfield.

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:The first 5 lines of your post is exactly what I'm trying to show. Nocerino and Giovinco are not used to playing on the wing, while Maggio is good but not a top class winger. The moment we move out of our comfortable 4312 is the moment we'll be in trouble. Why do we need to change formation? In games like the one this week. Trappatoni outsmarted us mainly by shutting down Pirlo and outnumbering us through the middle. In cases like that, you need to change approach, something this team I fear is incapable of because we have yet to be tested. This was always going to be a problem after the Prandelli overhaul.

And that's why he needs a back up. But why rely on Pirlo? If anything, we can play with a more defensive Midfield.

That's what I've been saying, we lack a real back up plan which is probably going to be the reason we falter if we do. It's not really Prandelli's fault, but some areas of the team lack depth while real wingers are nonexistent. As for Pirlo, there's no one else with his creativity and vision. He needs to play imo, but he needs help in defending. He's not the problem in a 4312, but might have trouble in a 442.

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:The first 5 lines of your post is exactly what I'm trying to show. Nocerino and Giovinco are not used to playing on the wing, while Maggio is good but not a top class winger. The moment we move out of our comfortable 4312 is the moment we'll be in trouble. Why do we need to change formation? In games like the one this week. Trappatoni outsmarted us mainly by shutting down Pirlo and outnumbering us through the middle. In cases like that, you need to change approach, something this team I fear is incapable of because we have yet to be tested. This was always going to be a problem after the Prandelli overhaul.

And that's why he needs a back up. But why rely on Pirlo? If anything, we can play with a more defensive Midfield.

That's what I've been saying, we lack a real back up plan which is probably going to be the reason we falter if we do. It's not really Prandelli's fault, but some areas of the team lack depth while real wingers are nonexistent. As for Pirlo, there's no one else with his creativity and vision. He needs to play imo, but he needs help in defending. He's not the problem in a 4312, but might have trouble in a 442.

I blame Prandelli for changing our style. I don't like this. It's pretty obvious he's copying Spain and he wants to follow in their footsteps. This is Italy, we are not meant to play this way. We are mean't to play the way we always have. And that is based with defensive tactics and depend on the counter.

Agreed about Pirlo.

Thats why... Forget Montolivo and do...

De Rossi/Marchisio - Pirlo - Motta

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:The first 5 lines of your post is exactly what I'm trying to show. Nocerino and Giovinco are not used to playing on the wing, while Maggio is good but not a top class winger. The moment we move out of our comfortable 4312 is the moment we'll be in trouble. Why do we need to change formation? In games like the one this week. Trappatoni outsmarted us mainly by shutting down Pirlo and outnumbering us through the middle. In cases like that, you need to change approach, something this team I fear is incapable of because we have yet to be tested. This was always going to be a problem after the Prandelli overhaul.

And that's why he needs a back up. But why rely on Pirlo? If anything, we can play with a more defensive Midfield.

That's what I've been saying, we lack a real back up plan which is probably going to be the reason we falter if we do. It's not really Prandelli's fault, but some areas of the team lack depth while real wingers are nonexistent. As for Pirlo, there's no one else with his creativity and vision. He needs to play imo, but he needs help in defending. He's not the problem in a 4312, but might have trouble in a 442.

I blame Prandelli for changing our style. I don't like this. It's pretty obvious he's copying Spain and he wants to follow in their footsteps. This is Italy, we are not meant to play this way. We are mean't to play the way we always have. And that is based with defensive tactics and depend on the counter.

Agreed about Pirlo.

Thats why... Forget Montolivo and do...

De Rossi/Marchisio - Pirlo - Motta

The problem I pointed out isn't Pradelli's fault, we don't have the right players to do it. Prandelli has done well so far, but you can't blame him for the fact that we don't have the right players to play out wide. We used to have Camoranesi on that right wing and Perrotta, a box to box midfielder capable of playing on the left wing. Now it seems that our midfielders have trouble adapting to different positions which is a bit of a problem.

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:The first 5 lines of your post is exactly what I'm trying to show. Nocerino and Giovinco are not used to playing on the wing, while Maggio is good but not a top class winger. The moment we move out of our comfortable 4312 is the moment we'll be in trouble. Why do we need to change formation? In games like the one this week. Trappatoni outsmarted us mainly by shutting down Pirlo and outnumbering us through the middle. In cases like that, you need to change approach, something this team I fear is incapable of because we have yet to be tested. This was always going to be a problem after the Prandelli overhaul.

And that's why he needs a back up. But why rely on Pirlo? If anything, we can play with a more defensive Midfield.

That's what I've been saying, we lack a real back up plan which is probably going to be the reason we falter if we do. It's not really Prandelli's fault, but some areas of the team lack depth while real wingers are nonexistent. As for Pirlo, there's no one else with his creativity and vision. He needs to play imo, but he needs help in defending. He's not the problem in a 4312, but might have trouble in a 442.

I blame Prandelli for changing our style. I don't like this. It's pretty obvious he's copying Spain and he wants to follow in their footsteps. This is Italy, we are not meant to play this way. We are mean't to play the way we always have. And that is based with defensive tactics and depend on the counter.

Agreed about Pirlo.

Thats why... Forget Montolivo and do...

De Rossi/Marchisio - Pirlo - Motta

The problem I pointed out isn't Pradelli's fault, we don't have the right players to do it. Prandelli has done well so far, but you can't blame him for the fact that we don't have the right players to play out wide. We used to have Camoranesi on that right wing and Perrotta, a box to box midfielder capable of playing on the left wing. Now it seems that our midfielders have trouble adapting to different positions which is a bit of a problem.

Ah yes, I completely agree. I'm just stating that I'm not liking Prandelli's new system and I'm not putting any faults. As you said we don't have the right players to do so. Not even for the wing, but for the passing and possession style he has. Sure it gave us results, but to low class national team. Who was our biggest competition? Germany? And that was a friendly, and they way we played was by defending mostly, not having possession. Having Motta and De Rossi in Mid, just simply tells you that off the bat. My whole point is, this ball possession none sense, has to end. Let's stick without methods for old time sakes. This is not Spain, we don't compare to them, we don't have much stardom as they do. Although our players are underrated, but still don't compare.

Now as I said, seeing that we lack wingers, it's best the we don't rely on any of them for now. Just stick with a 3 man midfield, and play out either a 4-3-1-2, or a 4-3-2-1. Now ofcourse a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 will work, but up to now those formations failed us. We lost to Ivory Coast in a 4-2-3-1 and and we barely made out against Estonia and Northern Ireland with a 4-3-3. Just goes to show, even our strikers aren't meant to play on the wings. Well Giovinco wasn't there, nor was Balotelli, but I doubt it would make a difference. Cassano on the wing, would suit him, however I still see him more as a central player like Rossi. And that's why I'm crying for a 4-3-2-1 and it will also look like a 4-3-3,

Something like this.

1.Buffon
RB:Maggio
LB:Balzaretti
CB:Chiellini
CB:Rannochia
LCM:Marchisio
CM:Prilo
RCM:Montolivo
RFW:Rossi
LFW:Cassano
ST:Pazzini/Matri

juvefanmkd wrote:1.Buffon
RB:Maggio
LB:Balzaretti
CB:Chiellini
CB:Rannochia
LCM:Marchisio
CM:Prilo
RCM:Montolivo
RFW:Rossi
LFW:Cassano
ST:Pazzini/Matri

What formation?

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:The first 5 lines of your post is exactly what I'm trying to show. Nocerino and Giovinco are not used to playing on the wing, while Maggio is good but not a top class winger. The moment we move out of our comfortable 4312 is the moment we'll be in trouble. Why do we need to change formation? In games like the one this week. Trappatoni outsmarted us mainly by shutting down Pirlo and outnumbering us through the middle. In cases like that, you need to change approach, something this team I fear is incapable of because we have yet to be tested. This was always going to be a problem after the Prandelli overhaul.

And that's why he needs a back up. But why rely on Pirlo? If anything, we can play with a more defensive Midfield.

That's what I've been saying, we lack a real back up plan which is probably going to be the reason we falter if we do. It's not really Prandelli's fault, but some areas of the team lack depth while real wingers are nonexistent. As for Pirlo, there's no one else with his creativity and vision. He needs to play imo, but he needs help in defending. He's not the problem in a 4312, but might have trouble in a 442.

I blame Prandelli for changing our style. I don't like this. It's pretty obvious he's copying Spain and he wants to follow in their footsteps. This is Italy, we are not meant to play this way. We are mean't to play the way we always have. And that is based with defensive tactics and depend on the counter.

Agreed about Pirlo.

Thats why... Forget Montolivo and do...

De Rossi/Marchisio - Pirlo - Motta

The problem I pointed out isn't Pradelli's fault, we don't have the right players to do it. Prandelli has done well so far, but you can't blame him for the fact that we don't have the right players to play out wide. We used to have Camoranesi on that right wing and Perrotta, a box to box midfielder capable of playing on the left wing. Now it seems that our midfielders have trouble adapting to different positions which is a bit of a problem.

Ah yes, I completely agree. I'm just stating that I'm not liking Prandelli's new system and I'm not putting any faults. As you said we don't have the right players to do so. Not even for the wing, but for the passing and possession style he has. Sure it gave us results, but to low class national team. Who was our biggest competition? Germany? And that was a friendly, and they way we played was by defending mostly, not having possession. Having Motta and De Rossi in Mid, just simply tells you that off the bat. My whole point is, this ball possession none sense, has to end. Let's stick without methods for old time sakes. This is not Spain, we don't compare to them, we don't have much stardom as they do. Although our players are underrated, but still don't compare.

Now as I said, seeing that we lack wingers, it's best the we don't rely on any of them for now. Just stick with a 3 man midfield, and play out either a 4-3-1-2, or a 4-3-2-1. Now ofcourse a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 will work, but up to now those formations failed us. We lost to Ivory Coast in a 4-2-3-1 and and we barely made out against Estonia and Northern Ireland with a 4-3-3. Just goes to show, even our strikers aren't meant to play on the wings. Well Giovinco wasn't there, nor was Balotelli, but I doubt it would make a difference. Cassano on the wing, would suit him, however I still see him more as a central player like Rossi. And that's why I'm crying for a 4-3-2-1 and it will also look like a 4-3-3,

Something like this.

It seems good, but I just have one issue. If you want to rely on solid defensive play and not play a possession game, you're asking quite a bit of Rossi and Cassano. They'll have to track far back, similarly to how Eto'o played under Mourinho. I don't know if Cassano and Rossi are willing to do that, if they're even capable of it. Prandelli would really need to get the whole team on the same page fast if he wants to play with a more defensive mentality, which I don't think he's planning to do, at least not with a 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-2-1. The 4-4-1-1 I proposed is likely to be more effective if we want to defend and play on the counter.

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:

sciacca wrote:

ErPupone wrote:The first 5 lines of your post is exactly what I'm trying to show. Nocerino and Giovinco are not used to playing on the wing, while Maggio is good but not a top class winger. The moment we move out of our comfortable 4312 is the moment we'll be in trouble. Why do we need to change formation? In games like the one this week. Trappatoni outsmarted us mainly by shutting down Pirlo and outnumbering us through the middle. In cases like that, you need to change approach, something this team I fear is incapable of because we have yet to be tested. This was always going to be a problem after the Prandelli overhaul.

And that's why he needs a back up. But why rely on Pirlo? If anything, we can play with a more defensive Midfield.

That's what I've been saying, we lack a real back up plan which is probably going to be the reason we falter if we do. It's not really Prandelli's fault, but some areas of the team lack depth while real wingers are nonexistent. As for Pirlo, there's no one else with his creativity and vision. He needs to play imo, but he needs help in defending. He's not the problem in a 4312, but might have trouble in a 442.

I blame Prandelli for changing our style. I don't like this. It's pretty obvious he's copying Spain and he wants to follow in their footsteps. This is Italy, we are not meant to play this way. We are mean't to play the way we always have. And that is based with defensive tactics and depend on the counter.

Agreed about Pirlo.

Thats why... Forget Montolivo and do...

De Rossi/Marchisio - Pirlo - Motta

The problem I pointed out isn't Pradelli's fault, we don't have the right players to do it. Prandelli has done well so far, but you can't blame him for the fact that we don't have the right players to play out wide. We used to have Camoranesi on that right wing and Perrotta, a box to box midfielder capable of playing on the left wing. Now it seems that our midfielders have trouble adapting to different positions which is a bit of a problem.

Ah yes, I completely agree. I'm just stating that I'm not liking Prandelli's new system and I'm not putting any faults. As you said we don't have the right players to do so. Not even for the wing, but for the passing and possession style he has. Sure it gave us results, but to low class national team. Who was our biggest competition? Germany? And that was a friendly, and they way we played was by defending mostly, not having possession. Having Motta and De Rossi in Mid, just simply tells you that off the bat. My whole point is, this ball possession none sense, has to end. Let's stick without methods for old time sakes. This is not Spain, we don't compare to them, we don't have much stardom as they do. Although our players are underrated, but still don't compare.

Now as I said, seeing that we lack wingers, it's best the we don't rely on any of them for now. Just stick with a 3 man midfield, and play out either a 4-3-1-2, or a 4-3-2-1. Now ofcourse a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 will work, but up to now those formations failed us. We lost to Ivory Coast in a 4-2-3-1 and and we barely made out against Estonia and Northern Ireland with a 4-3-3. Just goes to show, even our strikers aren't meant to play on the wings. Well Giovinco wasn't there, nor was Balotelli, but I doubt it would make a difference. Cassano on the wing, would suit him, however I still see him more as a central player like Rossi. And that's why I'm crying for a 4-3-2-1 and it will also look like a 4-3-3,

Something like this.

Now ofcourse, we can put anyone on the wing over Balo. I just put him there an example.

It seems good, but I just have one issue. If you want to rely on solid defensive play and not play a possession game, you're asking quite a bit of Rossi and Cassano. They'll have to track far back, similarly to how Eto'o played under Mourinho. I don't know if Cassano and Rossi are willing to do that, if they're even capable of it. Prandelli would really need to get the whole team on the same page fast if he wants to play with a more defensive mentality, which I don't think he's planning to do, at least not with a 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-2-1. The 4-4-1-1 I proposed is likely to be more effective if we want to defend and play on the counter.

Well no, I don't approve of this really, but I meant this should be a good back up plan for Prandelli if were not able to score. Cassano forget it, not only is he lazy, he is not fit to track back. Rossi isn't that lazy, and is capable of doing it. If he's asked to do it, then I don't see why he would not. However, Cassano's work rate for the national team has been impressive, so who knows. Why not then a 4-5-1?

As for the Balotelli position. I just put him there. Cassano can play there aswell as he can be very dangerous on the wings. Problem is I don't know if Rossi is able to play on the wings. Marchisio placed in LW to give more of a defensive approach, if you want attacking you can always add Giovinco.

We should play a 4231 like this:

----------------------Buffon
Maggio----Chiellini----Bonucci----Criscito
------------Marchisio----De Rossi
--Cassano----Quagliarella----Rossi
-----------------------Matri

This is assuming that quags continues his preinjury form, and also that marchisio and melo continue to be juves starters in centralmidfield. If marchisio and pirlo start for juve and form a successful partnership, then I would start pirlo instead of de rossi. Also, if cassano doesnt start for milan, then I would give his starting spot to di natale for sure. Di natale would already give him a fightfor that starting spot, and it could really go either way. On the bench, I would have: Storari, Cassani, Ranocchia, P. Cannavaro, Balzaretti, Pirlo, Palombo, T. Motta, Aquilani, Di Natale, Giovinco, Pazzini. De Ceglie I believe couldget a spot on the bench or even a starting spot ifhe continues to develop so fast as a leftback, though he would need to avoid injuries. Del Piero, Totti, Nesta, and Miccoli are also all gonna fight for spots but due to their age I dont know if theyll make it. Itll be close.

juventus101 wrote:We should play a 4231 like this:

----------------------Buffon
Maggio----Chiellini----Bonucci----Criscito
------------Marchisio----De Rossi
--Cassano----Quagliarella----Rossi
-----------------------Matri

This is assuming that quags continues his preinjury form, and also that marchisio and melo continue to be juves starters in centralmidfield. If marchisio and pirlo start for juve and form a successful partnership, then I would start pirlo instead of de rossi. Also, if cassano doesnt start for milan, then I would give his starting spot to di natale for sure. Di natale would already give him a fightfor that starting spot, and it could really go either way. On the bench, I would have: Storari, Cassani, Ranocchia, P. Cannavaro, Balzaretti, Pirlo, Palombo, T. Motta, Aquilani, Di Natale, Giovinco, Pazzini. De Ceglie I believe couldget a spot on the bench or even a starting spot ifhe continues to develop so fast as a leftback, though he would need to avoid injuries. Del Piero, Totti, Nesta, and Miccoli are also all gonna fight for spots but due to their age I dont know if theyll make it. Itll be close.

I disagree. For one that formation didn't work out for us. Second, Quag is not a trequartista. Cassano, Giovinco, Rossi are all better options. Third that mid is to thin.

juventus101 wrote:We should play a 4231 like this:

----------------------Buffon
Maggio----Chiellini----Bonucci----Criscito
------------Marchisio----De Rossi
--Cassano----Quagliarella----Rossi
-----------------------Matri

This is assuming that quags continues his preinjury form, and also that marchisio and melo continue to be juves starters in centralmidfield. If marchisio and pirlo start for juve and form a successful partnership, then I would start pirlo instead of de rossi. Also, if cassano doesnt start for milan, then I would give his starting spot to di natale for sure. Di natale would already give him a fightfor that starting spot, and it could really go either way. On the bench, I would have: Storari, Cassani, Ranocchia, P. Cannavaro, Balzaretti, Pirlo, Palombo, T. Motta, Aquilani, Di Natale, Giovinco, Pazzini. De Ceglie I believe couldget a spot on the bench or even a starting spot ifhe continues to develop so fast as a leftback, though he would need to avoid injuries. Del Piero, Totti, Nesta, and Miccoli are also all gonna fight for spots but due to their age I dont know if theyll make it. Itll be close.

Deadly going forward, but it's a suicide mission. We would leak in many more goals than we score. The 4-2-3-1 is a formation that requires the perfect players in each position with really high work rates. Now it's a formation that seems to be thrown around everywhere but it's actually extremely detailed and needs a lot of planning and practice (and it's too late to go to that formation now nor do we have the players for it, in my opinion). Plus, when you use three attacking midfielders like Quagliarella, Cassano and Rossi at once, who are actually all strikers, you're asking way to much of De Rossi and Marchisio defensively. Having just them two help out with the back four will not work, they'll crack under the pressure of the opposing counter-attacks.

As for Di Natale being on the national team... no, never again if it were up to me. Doesn't have anything new to offer. If we're going to take a step back and bring back a more experienced player, it's either Totti, Del Piero or Nesta, maybe Miccoli.

I think Quagliarella should have his spot back but we'll see what happens.


I put Quagliarella so naturally if he wasn't available it would be Pazzini with Matri in support.

Giovinco first off the bench for Cassano.

Balotelli, Pazzini, Matri > Quag

De Rossi > Marchisio

It should be: Rossi and Cassano have proved to be a very good partnership, and the mid would be very hard to break down. We would get our depth from the full backs, and Nocerino can be more of the Gattuso, breaking up plays. Balzaretti is the best Italian Left back right now, he is a lot stronger than Criscito. As for pirlo, he would be a deeper Trequartista, but still the TQ all the same, the more he is on the ball the better, and he can link up with Cassano. IF we need a goal, you can simply sub off Nocerino, and then bring on Giovinco, or another attacker, either way it's flexible.

---------------------------------Rossi---Cassano

---------------------------------------Pirlo
-----------------------Montolivo----------------De Rossi
-------------------------------------Nocerino

----Balzaretti--------------Bonucci---------Chiellini-----------------Abate
----------------------------------------Buffon