Re: Italian National Team Thread

[Forza]

I want to see Nocerino brought on a bit earlier. Also, I think starting Abate in place of Giach on the left is asking for trouble. Abate has always played on the right. It's not ideal, but think it's best to stick with Giach.

[juventus101]

Against Croatia we shoild play like this:

--Buffon--
--De Rossi-- --Bonucci-- --Chiellini--
--Maggio-- --Motta-- --Pirlo-- --Marchisio-- --Giaccherini--
--Cassano-- --Di Natale--

And give Nocerino, Giovinco, and Balotelli all some tims as subs.

[II Capitano]

The Italians defended like Italians, until Torres came on. From the first minute, de Rossi showed why he is a remarkable player, he knows when to time his challenges (apart from one), and has the confidence to play "Hollywood" balls from the back with such ease. There were four outstanding passes to the wings; he was easily Italy's best player. Every player played their role well, but de Rossi was easily the stand-out player, for me. Even Balotelli was decent, and the referee awarded him a yellow card wrongfully. I hope people are not fooled by Di Natale, apart from the goal and the chance to win the game, he isn't suited to this system and should always be used as an impact substitute. With Balotelli, he offers you that extra bit of skill, hold-up play, and work ethic, I was overly impressed with him.

It is the best game of the tournament so far. So much quality on the field, so much energy, drive, and determination in every player. It's just a pit that people are going to remember Torres' open goals misses (the way some are putting it), instead of the intelligence of the movement.

[Forza]

people saying it was going to be a boring game

[Le Samourai]

Why no De Cegile?

[Forza]

Why no De Cegile?

not called up.

[M99]

Stick with the 3-5-2 Cesare. Di Natale to start, Balo supersub.

[II Capitano]

Like I said, Di Natale shouldn't start just because he scored. When Balotelli was taken off, Italy lost a target man, a player that did greatly well in holding up the ball, which Di Natale doesn't quite offer. Also, good decision to take off Cassano. He was really good, but obviously the next couple of games are more important. Cassano and Balotelli worked well, IMO.

[red&blacklegion]

Like I said, Di Natale shouldn't start just because he scored. When Balotelli was taken off, Italy lost a target man, a player that did greatly well in holding up the ball, which Di Natale doesn't quite offer. Also, good decision to take off Cassano. He was really good, but obviously the next couple of games are more important. Cassano and Balotelli worked well, IMO.

I totally agree with you. Ballo and Cassano combination was awesome today>Ballo is young ,we know he is very talented ,plus the ref was harsh on him too.

[II Capitano]

Exactly, Italy's attacking play was poor when, both, Cassano and Balotelli went off. Balotelli only lost the ball once, when he gifted the ball to Spain's attackers with a clumsy header, but overall he was decent and deserves to start in the next game. The referee was too quick in dishing out cards, and Balotelli never deserved to be booked, probably a personal agenda sort of booking lol. Cassano was great, looked the most likeliest to carve out a chance.

[dostoevsky]

I want to play Devil's Advocate in a post about De Rossi, however because I wish to do so, I need to preface my paragraph with a disclaimer that he did wonderfully well, adapted brilliantly and put in a performance he can be very proud of.

Spain's decision to field a false 9 was not necessarily a poor one in theory, however one let down by the absence of Pedro or a similar player in my eyes. The introduction of Torres provides an excellent contrast by which to judge De Rossi's suitability to certain environments between a team such as Spain and the likes of Croatia or Ireland.

Throughout the evening, De Rossi performed well especially given the volume and nature of the attacks he was subjected to and the quality of his opposition. A flawless performance it was not, given that I'd have highlighted about five occasions throughout the match in which I believe De Rossi made mistakes either positionally or in a decision to move up or challenge his man, however again I stress that I am not saying this to discredit his performance, merely to suggest that his nonetheless fine efforts shouldn't be considered the end of the argument concerning our backline. Mistakes were made both during the times with Torres and without such a reference point, however the introduction of a true 9 clearly caused greater trouble and it is such a situation in which we're going to find ourselves for the majority of the tournament.

Not simply against a skillful forward but against one with other qualities, such as aerial prowess or instinct, De Rossi's ability in an emergency situation is going to be put to the test.

The mistakes that I noticed in De Rossi's performance are nitpicking to a degree and he was still probably our best player. This still important performance, that we will enjoy greater possession in the next two matches, his ability to link our defence and midfield, the lack of a clear alternative as a sweeper given Barzagli's absence and the similarities between the remaining defenders all speak for his continued presence in the defence. However I wanted to bring out everyone's opinion about whether it's a sustainable experiment for the group stage and beyond. I have my doubts, particularly against the Irish, however I also like continuity in the line-up during an international tournament, a reason why I still believe Balotelli should be used in our starting eleven, I believe he'll have learnt a lot today and feel he has a lot to prove.

[nasir6371]

Like I said, Di Natale shouldn't start just because he scored. When Balotelli was taken off, Italy lost a target man, a player that did greatly well in holding up the ball, which Di Natale doesn't quite offer. Also, good decision to take off Cassano. He was really good, but obviously the next couple of games are more important. Cassano and Balotelli worked well, IMO.

I totally agree with you. Ballo and Cassano combination was awesome today>Ballo is young ,we know he is very talented ,plus the ref was harsh on him too.

Stupid Harsh... 1. Punch the ground 2. make soft soft tackle and get a yellow.

He got 2 chances with one of them not being a foul... Ref going off reputation

As most strikers could have finished the ball from Pirlo.

[leemhuis]

I think also that if was any other forward the tackle from behind in the area would have been called a penalty. he was tackled by the hands of the Spain player.

[II Capitano]

I want to play Devil's Advocate in a post about De Rossi, however because I wish to do so, I need to preface my paragraph with a disclaimer that he did wonderfully well, adapted brilliantly and put in a performance he can be very proud of.

Spain's decision to field a false 9 was not necessarily a poor one in theory, however one let down by the absence of Pedro or a similar player in my eyes. The introduction of Torres provides an excellent contrast by which to judge De Rossi's suitability to certain environments between a team such as Spain and the likes of Croatia or Ireland.

Throughout the evening, De Rossi performed well especially given the volume and nature of the attacks he was subjected to and the quality of his opposition. A flawless performance it was not, given that I'd have highlighted about five occasions throughout the match in which I believe De Rossi made mistakes either positionally or in a decision to move up or challenge his man, however again I stress that I am not saying this to discredit his performance, merely to suggest that his nonetheless fine efforts shouldn't be considered the end of the argument concerning our backline. Mistakes were made both during the times with Torres and without such a reference point, however the introduction of a true 9 clearly caused greater trouble and it is such a situation in which we're going to find ourselves for the majority of the tournament.

Not simply against a skillful forward but against one with other qualities, such as aerial prowess or instinct, De Rossi's ability in an emergency situation is going to be put to the test.

The mistakes that I noticed in De Rossi's performance are nitpicking to a degree and he was still probably our best player. This still important performance, that we will enjoy greater possession in the next two matches, his ability to link our defence and midfield, the lack of a clear alternative as a sweeper given Barzagli's absence and the similarities between the remaining defenders all speak for his continued presence in the defence. However I wanted to bring out everyone's opinion about whether it's a sustainable experiment for the group stage and beyond. I have my doubts, particularly against the Irish, however I also like continuity in the line-up during an international tournament, a reason why I still believe Balotelli should be used in our starting eleven, I believe he'll have learnt a lot today and feel he has a lot to prove.

One thing that definitely made our job easier was the exclusion of Torres. Had he been present from the start, we would have seen more chances created. Fabregas and Silva struggled to find a focal point, that target man, whilst Iniesta ran the show, but also struggled because of the poor movement that shouldn't have existed. When Torres came on, we struggled a lot. His intelligence and movement was primarily what created the two chances, which were far from clear-cut. But that's not the point, the point is how easily he bypassed our defence because of a defensive lapse of concentration. I hope, and don't expect, to see this in the next two games, though.

I didn't pay close attention to the little mistakes, I was mostly adoring how great de Rossi's challenges were timed, but yeah you're probably right. He hasn't been faced with an out-and-out striker, and when he did he struggled to keep it tight, so there could be a problem in the next two games. However, one might say that he won't face trouble because, with all due respect to Ireland and Croatia, their strikers don't move intelligently.

Personally, I would keep the same line-up. Everyone played well, even the controversial Balotelli, who was wrongfully booked and taken off, in my opinion. Once Balotelli was off the field of play, our players struggled to find a target man, plus, Di Natale doesn't offer the same hold-up play as Balotelli did. Yes, he squandered a perfectly good chance, but he's hopefully learned from that, and his performance was, overall, promising. Cassano should also continue alongside him, he looked dangerous on every occasion on the ball, often cutting in, troubling the Spanish defenders. I'm really optimistic that we can go far in this competition, hopefully semi-finals, but maybe that's me being too optimistic. The reason I think this is because none of the big teams have really impressed me. Germany lacked the flair, England were too defensive, France have talent in abundance but not ticking ideally, Holland are a team of individuals, and Portugal lack a deadly striker. It's the first game, but I'm pleased with how things have gone.

[dostoevsky]

Thanks for the reply, sorry that I've been slow in getting back.

Whilst I still have my reservations concerning the set-up and how De Rossi will fare in an individual battle and how well our offside trap will work, I prefer our current line-up to one in which Bonucci and Chiellini play together in four man backline. Had a player such as Bocchetti or Astori been included from the provisional squad I might have advocated a chance of tack, however until Barzagli is able to return we should likely persist with the De Rossi experiment. Hopefully Barzagli will return against Ireland, though I don't want to risk rushing him back too soon.

I'm also in favour of retaining Balotelli. It must be remembered that we were playing the best national team in the world and to judge his performance too harshly wouldn't be fair, particularly given its ability to motivate him against Croatia, though Di Natale is obviously a striker of fantastic merit and experience. Many of his best performances for the national team have been from the bench however, so I would continue using him from the bench for the moment at least. He may very well get his chance to start against Ireland if Balotelli picks up a yellow in any case.

[Milantildeath]

I think Barzagli will be back by the Ireland game, so I don't know if we risk him, but I'm really missing De Rossi in the Mid. I think we should try this. I'm tired of Maggio and can't stand seeing Balzaretti on the bench when he is 10000X better than Giaccherini in my opinion and LEFT FOOTED


-------------------------------Buffon
--------------Bonucci-------Barzagli--------Chiellini

Abate-------------Marchisio-Pirlo-De Rossi------------Balzaretti

------------------------Cassano----Balotelli

[Rossonero23]

One thing is for sure!

Giaccherini is useless.

[leemhuis]

I think Barzagli will be back by the Ireland game, so I don't know if we risk him, but I'm really missing De Rossi in the Mid. I think we should try this. I'm tired of Maggio and can't stand seeing Balzaretti on the bench when he is 10000X better than Giaccherini in my opinion and LEFT FOOTED


-------------------------------Buffon
--------------Bonucci-------Barzagli--------Chiellini

Abate-------------Marchisio-Pirlo-De Rossi------------Balzaretti

------------------------Cassano----Balotelli

I watch all Serie Games and Giacherini never impress me.

[Le Samourai]

Pirlo not starting

[Twoism]

My problem with Italy after two matches

- Poor fitness. The whole team looked out of gas in 2nd half in both games, especially the attacking players. Cassano played like world class in 1st half then somehow faded to nowhere after 15 minutes rest. Maggio was walking the whole 2nd half, didn't bother go in for tackle and let so many crosses in (one which lead to goal). Don't get me started with Motta, goddamn it if only he could play 90 minutes so we don't have to see that stupid face Montolivo. Which lead to

- Substitution inflexibility. Prandelli had to reserve three substitute spots for Cassano, Motta & Balo since two are normally out of breath at 60 minute max and Prandelli doesn't seem to trust Balo for the whole 90 minutes. So tactical & emergency substitutions are pretty much out of the question.

- Lack of penalty box presence, both Cassano & Balo played great but they love to drop deep or drift out the wing to build up and I think one is enough, need one stay near penalty box more. Most of Italy chance inside penalty box last game were from midfield, Marchisio & Motta.

- And last, MONTOLIVO. Only when this bambi came in we would saw how important Motta is. Not once this headless chicken helping out Maggio, defend what? no *bleep* that, I like to shoot and control tempo like true maestro, oh wait! that's Pirlo job you idiot. Nocerino should come in for Motta everytime not him.

Also the criticism on Chiellini & Gia are harsh, Chiellini did make a mistake but generally he was solid and kept Croatia forward quiet. And Gia, why the hate? he run the most in both games, kept an experienced Srna in his pocket ( if only Maggio could do the same against less impressive Strinic).

I hope Spain keep it fairplay and Prandelli fix this 2nd half syndrome.

[Cookie Monster]

^^^Why the hate against Giacherrini? Because he contributes nothing in attack, loses the ball far too often, and is a liability defensively. That's why.

AND Chiellini wtf man. He puts in a great performance all game and then commits a horrible mistake. There was ONE croatian in the box for their goal and that big nosed twat decided not to mark him.

[Twoism]

^^^Why the hate against Giacherrini? Because he contributes nothing in attack, loses the ball far too often, and is a liability defensively. That's why.

AND Chiellini wtf man. He puts in a great performance all game and then commits a horrible mistake. There was ONE croatian in the box for their goal and that big nosed twat decided not to mark him.

Maggio was much worse, don't see anyone ripping him. All Croatia 2nd half attack came from Maggio wing, Srna only got better of Gia once. He had solid game in my book.

[Milantildeath]

Both Maggio and Giaccherini need to ride the bench. Abate and Balzaretti would be better in my opinion.

[dostoevsky]

I personally thought that Giaccherini and Maggio put in roughly equal performances, however Giaccherini has his inexperience in a position he's never truly played before, let alone at such a high level, to blame, Maggio has no such excuses. Both allowed far too much space to their man, whilst also failing to fulfil their roles of support in our attack, it was a highly disappointing performance from both and it cost us our ability to slow down the game and control possession or at the very least present Croatia with a disciplined and aggressive defence. Maggio was punished more than Giaccherini due to the higher quality of delivery coming from his side, however neither impressed me. I really can't blame Giaccherini for being inadequate in a position he's clearly not suited for, he's playing his heart out, it's not really his fault that the coach brought an inadequate squad for his plans. Once the tournament is over I still believe he has a potential place in the squad, so hopefully this doesn't hurt his chances in the future.

When Barzagli returns, I must say that I'm fully in support of a four man backline consisting of Abate---Barzagli---Chiellini/Bonucci---Ogbonna/Chiellini.

The result was disappointing, however not so much as our lacklustre performance in the second half. I thought that Montolivo was fine, simply not what we particularly needed and our lack of diverse options in central midfield compared to our attack is becoming increasingly frustrating, particularly given that Diamanti and Borini are unlikely to ever see the pitch under Prandelli.

If we beat Ireland we should still progress, however certain members of our team must stand up and show that they deserve their places. Chiellini deserves his criticism, particularly also given that he could have given away a penalty, however hopefully the criticism will strengthen him and he'll respond with a performance more akin to the centre back he is.

[The Nature Boy]

Both Maggio and Giaccherini need to ride the bench. Abate and Balzaretti would be better in my opinion.

agreed. Giaccherini performed decent for Juve in spots over the season but he isnt good enough to be on a competitive national squad.

Abate has had experience playing in the CL and is balanced in defence and attack, and Balz definitly provides more solid D then Giacch.

[Luca]

For the Italy supporters

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