Italia: La Nazionale II

Tomwin Lannister wrote:What was the score, more importantly what was the line up

1-0

Sirigu; De Silvestri, Bonucci, Moretti; Cerci, Aquilani, Parolo, Bertolacci, Antonelli; Destro, Giovinco.

I know it was a charity match but ffs that's the ugliest Italian squad I've ever seen ahahaha

Respect and admiration for who had the courage to watch the derby (there were more italians or albanians at stadium? ) Italy-Albania.

I think Conte is already tired and regretful to have joined to    Nazionale.

I legitimately think there were more Albanians in the crowd than Italians.

Also dem friendly pitch invaders. It was more like a meet and greet than a football match in the second half.

Conte still used a 3-5-2. And it looked awful again. How is that Italys no 10 is a Juve bench player. Sad times for the Nazionale


I would love to see a 4-1-2-3 in the next match. Possbily with Rugani and ROmangioli

Perin
Darmian, Chiellini, Romagnioli, Rugani
De Rossi
Marchisio - Florenzi
Candreva - Immobile - Gabbiadini

So then, my thoughts from the Albania match.

Despite being announced as a 3-5-2, I was hopeful that we'd see a great more flexibility due to the nature of the selections. Antonelli, De Silvestri, Cerci and Bertolacci's inclusion gave the promise of a potentially fluid and adventurous side, however instead we were tactically rigid, technically deficient and physically poor. With De Silvestri clearly under instructions to remain disciplined and to withhold any forward movement and Giovinco remaining largely central, Antonelli and Cerci were tasked with providing width. Cerci did an admirable job of carrying the ball up, regularly using his acceleration and pace to carry him past his man on the inside or outside and Albania regularly had to commit two or three men to halt his progress. Whilst he was effective in evading tackles by and large, his use of the ball however was poor when he reached the byline, with his complete lack of a right foot rendering his final balls disastrous. When cutting in meanwhile he was often crowded out and was selfish in shooting under pressure rather than searching for Destro at the top of the formation or a late run from Bertolacci.

Antonelli on the other side was incapable of moving the ball forward as required, however few wing backs would be. Certainly of any Italians, the only players on the left we have who are comfortable enough on the ball to do such a job would be Criscito and Santon, the latter of whom has fallen off the map entirely at Newcastle and whose defensive ability and work ethic is questionable.

The tempo of our passing was decent however our midfielders were conservative and predictable. Their lack of confidence on the ball meant we were unable to pin Albania back in their half and became dependent upon either our wingbacks or on a direct ball to Destro or Giovinco. Giovinco's attempts to link midfield and attack were admirable, with several fouls against him unfortunately ignored, however he remains simply too small and was physically bullied by Cana and others leading to simple turnovers. The same issues that would at times plague Conte's Juve were evident, however here we lacked the quality in each position to simply enforce our will on Albania.

Destro showed a few excellent moments throughout the match, however he was largely isolated. He showed great strength to ride his marker and outmanoeuvre him to fire off one promising long shot, whilst he at times got into excellent positions at the top of the six yard box only to be ignored by Cerci, however one would expect greater involvement. He should have opened the scoring after a beautiful interchange with Cerci, created initially by a quickly released ball through the middle from Destro himself. It was one of the rare occasions where we were able to attack Albania with space in behind and it was our best move of the game, facilitated by Cerci moving inside and using his pace before laying off perfectly into space, only to see Mattia go too wide when trying to curl the ball into the corner. I'll excuse him given that he was essential in creating the move initially, however he has to take such chances if he wants to be continually called.

Giovinco can certainly not be accused of not trying. He was persistent and fought hard, with his quick feet on show on occasion, however his size is a continual barrier and we can not afford to lose the ball so easily up front against teams who will hurt us more on the counter-attack. It was a decent performance overall, but we need better.

Cerci has probably never worked harder and he did well to shake off an early knock to put in a great shift down the right, however his end product was disappointing and if he's to play wide then he needs to play a more selfless role. This being said, he was not given the benefit of an attacking fullback to support him due to the formation and was our most dependable avenue of advancing the ball, so he certainly did enough to deserve consideration in the future. He needs to play regularly at his club though, so I don't think he'll make the next Euros unless he leaves Atletico. At least it would appear Simeone's made him do a lot of running in training though.

Parolo was very disappointing, rarely imposing himself defensively despite his size, though he cut out a couple of balls. Too often passed off responsibility to Aquilani or Cerci however and needed to show more creatively. He doesn't deserve his place on his defensive merit alone and offensively he did little to warrant future inclusion. After his previous cameo against Nigeria showed such hustle and a great willingness to get forward this was a disappointing and subdued performance.

Aquilani played a few nice long balls however like Parolo, he simply didn't show enough. Sloppy at times in front of the back three and can't be trusted off the ball. Certainly not helped by the rigid manner in which Conte set up the attack however.

Bertolacci was decent when he got hold of the ball, firing off one excellent shot and involving himself in the build up of a couple of other chances, however he simply didn't make himself available for the ball enough. He clearly struggled when forced to play along the line and failed to support Antonelli's advances but decent when he found space further inside.

Antonelli as discussed before was indifferent in attack, however he's clearly a player who needs to complement someone rather than being given responsibility himself. Had limited time on the ball and limited opportunity to advance into space.

Moretti acquitted himself fairly well, a couple of concerning moments but did well to slow down one counter attack when outnumbered after Aquilani's ridiculous attempt at a tackle, but this wasn't a strong enough test of his international credentials.

Bonucci, who disconcertingly was probably our best passer on the pitch on paper, had a fairly strong game, but like our other defenders, suffered from a couple of lapses of concentration that could well have cost us. Helped carve out an excellent chance in the first half when advancing into midfield and had one header saved from a set piece from which he might have gotten a bit more power in the shot.

De Silvestri played a very conservative role as essentially a third central defender, though like Moretti he split out to the sideline to provide a wide option to Bonucci and Parolo, but never advanced beyond the ball or much past the half way line in support of Cerci. Gave the ball away very dangerously in a move that probably should have been punished however was excellent in the air, twice successfully spoiling much taller players at the back post when Bonucci went missing.

Sirigu, having been given the chance to shine after Buffon's terrible mistake against Croatia, decided that he wasn't to be outdone in giving Conte a heart attack. An absurd attempt to dribble and calmly pass the ball off instead led to him giving the ball away in the six yard box to be rescued by a sprawling, panicked Bonucci. Didn't have much else to do apart from watching the ball smack into the upright after a quick Albanian counter-attack.

Of our substitutes, Okaka obviously deserves the greatest praise as the match winner. Whilst it took a deflection, it was well deserved for the improvement he's shown this season. Used his body well when dropping deep in midfield and was sensible with the ball, combining fairly well with Matri. Gabbiadini did well when on the ball after replacing Cerci but rarely got a hold of it down the right. Went on one spectacular run however and he's a player I'd like to see a bit more of. Bonaventura was steady but unspectacular, though limited by his frankly odd role after a formation change in which we were unbalanced up top. Perin meanwhile almost one-upped both Buffon and Sirigu with a first touch that saw the ball somehow continue to move towards goal but thankfully avoided disaster.

By in large, a dull performance from a side lacking creativity and intensity. If we're going to play 3-5-2, something I'm not particularly fond of, especially if Juventus abandon the formation which will mean the majority of our players will no longer use it week in, week out, we need to send out a much better engine. We've still got plenty of depth in the centre, especially once Montolivo and Verratti return from injury, however we can't go in with so little technique again.

Finally, the Albanian fans deserve to be complimented. The majority were actually Italian residents and they were highly respectful but importantly did a fantastic job in filling the stadium and supporting their team. It's just a pity they didn't get to enjoy a better game.

for me Conte is already tired about NT and not glad about this experience ( my thought reinforced by his interviews ) because it is incompatible with him , and it was not a thing so difficult to suppose.
Coaching the NTs is something for retired coaches as Capello or for who gaves his best and  needs to reset for a job  less complex and more management. You never should go to NT when you are in your prime.
Conte needs to breathe grass daily , he is addicted to daily job ,  so he is currently incompatible with a typical NT job   ... I wouldn't be even surprised if he gets resigned as he did with Juve.
Basically Mancini was more adapted than him about this job , Mancio has matured experience in environments with pressure (Roma, Milano and Manchester, always with trophies) , used to manage a group of great players ( and this is fundamental in a NT, probably more than tactical aspect. This is another reason because Guidolin would have been an idiot choice , he managed always in "provincia" and at the maximum he managed Di Natale..) and  imho he is not in prime anymore and he is in that phase where " give me a NT, stop stress because of clubs " . I don't know if it is just my sensation but for example he didn't look like enthusiast even in last press conference , while he was offering himself to Portugal when they sacked Bento (and if you take away Ronaldo , Portugal is not so great. so it is not a matter of level ) , let alone Italy ...

Eder  , Vazquez , Valdifiori next new calls ...

MTD works at the FIGC?

I think he works just for Milan atm
Okay Valdifiori but I cannot imagine MTC calling " oriundi " (indeed South Americans I mean) players as Vazquez and Eder in place of some provinciale players

I guess so

But some of Conte's callups in the recent past were....dubious, to say the least (Giacc, Soriano, Moretti, Acerbi, Matri, etc)

tbh our football is so average that it 's normal to call average players
the only Italian top is Verratti ( non included the old players . It had to be also Balotelli , but he proved to be a fraud ) .

National team is shit atm, should just embrace being a mediocre team that's well drilled

Conte is an idiot, what did he expect.

Moans about our team and transfers, so he's in charge of basically Juve lite with no options to improve it, and he calls up scrubs to boot.

Worst Italy attack ever

Surprised there's no Candreva, heard he's been in good form lately.

Next international break: Paloschi, Cigarini, De Silvestri, Sansone, Raggi and Ceppitelli

Juve need to let Zaza and Berardi move to big clubs at the end of the season for the sake of the NT.

What has Cerci done to deserve the call up though ?

Matri deserved a call up ffs

Coulda swore Eder was Portuguese

Great to see Andrea Bertolacci get a call up. Been such a good performer for Genoa.

As for the rest of that squad, no surprises anywhere, but in attack....where or where will the goals come from with that group?

Why must we lie through our teeth about the category of midfielders? Seeing Antonelli and Cerci listed together is absurd.

Concerning the call-ups, Bertolacci's a deserved inclusion as McLewis stated but I'm disappointed not to see Rugani whilst I also would have included Okaka ahead of Pelle. It's a squad reflective in part of our injuries but also simply the lack of big names in the national team at the moment. Still, I'd rather have a team that plays a cohesive, effective style than a collection of stars who are incompatible. The team lacks quality depth but we should be able to craft a competitive starting eleven that is complemented by four or five versatile options off the bench.

RealGunner wrote:Coulda swore Eder was Portuguese

You're thinking of the Worlds worst donkey Eder, different lad.

Was hoping to see Quagliarella over Pelle or Eder...
I agree with the Vazquez call up but the call up for Eder is kind of shameful imo.
Surprised we don't see Santon or D'Ambrosio but we see Pasqual and Moretti...

That midfield.... some people above complaining about the attack but honestly Gabbiadini is god-sent...
A combination of Candreva, Immobile, Gabbiadini, Vazquez, Zaza, aint bad at all in my eyes.

e.g. Candreva Zaza Gabbiadini

But that midfield?
our 3 centers? .... Okay verratti and marchisio for sure, fantastic players, that's a given.... but the 3rd? bertolacci? ok not bad. Parolo, ok , mediocre, older now... and then for subs? lol. non-existent.

Ugly side. I mean the quality is bad to begin with :\ but I don't know, I've seen some ugly italian call ups these past few years but there's just something weird about this one :S the last one didn't seem this bad

It's all primed for that 3-5-2 line-up...

Darmian, Pasqual and Antonelli listed as midfielders

But in reality...

yes Santon deserved it, but if  he will continue to play so  he will be called

anyway why does Conte love so much Moretti ? 35 years and he is not surely Pietro Vierchowod lol

Eder ...... first good season  in Italy in 10 years. Called up because of his great grandfather

the NT are a joke.

Weak Milan & Inter = Weak Italy