Re: Italian National Team Thread

[flameas]

Chiellini at LB would mean that we could switch to a three men defense during the game. With Florenzi at LWB.

[Tomwin Lannister]

Problem is, with Chiellini and Abate at full back our flanks offer precisely ZERO threat.

Neither can cross well enough, and Maggio at RB is plain and simply a weakness.

[flameas]

I rather have no attacking threat from my defenders than huge holes in defense. We all know that currently our only offensive strategy is : "get the ball to Balo and lets hope that he will do something"

Candreva and Giaccherini can only work hard, they cant turn games around. We need players like Totti, G.Rossi for that. In current squad, Balo is the only striker that would start also for Brazil, Spain, Germany, ARgentina - others we have wont event make it to the squad..

[Tomwin Lannister]

Rossi is a great player, Cassano would be excellent off of the bench too

I agree about Candreva but Giac has made a believer out of me for Italia.

Totti should be called up if he has a similar season to the last one again.

[flameas]

Giachherini works hard but I bealive that Florenzi will pass him this season and become a more complete player.

Didnt we play 4 at the back against Germany in EC 2012? Balza - Bonucci - Barzaghli- Chiellini

A weird formation that worked?

[Lupi]

Florenzi scored against Armania , he is a great player  Juve recent performances makes me to think twice about 3 men defense, Juventini might not agree but i think they are not as solid as before

[Forza]

Abate playing better for Italy than for Milan.

[Tomwin Lannister]

Great play from Balo, fantastic

Lays it off to Rossi, who takes his chance

Definitely should be the front 2 next year ffs

[Arquitecto]

Balotelli single-handedly creates a goal for Rossi who chips it over the Nigerian GK. Pepito cannot stop scoring. Best Italian player at the moment alongside Totti.

[Tomwin Lannister]

Italy 2-1 down


Some of Prandelli's choices make me sick

Montolivo is a scrub aswell tbh

[Great Leader Sprucenuce]

Shola with an assist an a goal against the 4 time world champions

[Tomwin Lannister]

Have you seen the line-up?

[Great Leader Sprucenuce]

Tom pls.

Your getting beasted by The Mackem Slayer ffs

[Tomwin Lannister]

I'd beast Ranocchia

[Arquitecto]

Prandelli shouldn't be condemned given its friendly measures.

Though with a back-line of Maggio at RB, Rannochia, Ogbonna and Pasquale, not surprised Nigerians cut through the defence so swiftly.

Montlolivo is simply out of form, product of Milan's subsequent form as I wouldn't count him out.

[Tomwin Lannister]

Problem is, he doesn't take friendlies seriously enough

He consistently tries new things that obviously won't work against half-decent opposition, let alone at the World Cup. The idea is you build your team up to get prepared for the World Cup, especially when it's so close.

It's quite frankly embarrasing how Italy are going into pretty much every single friendly and being out-played by almost anybody. Then the subsequent *Insert shit team* beat Italy hype afterwards is always fun

[Tomwin Lannister]

Reminds me of Juve a bit actually

We go into every pre-season game absolutely dreadful, and get outplayed by a bunch of plumbers and accountants. And everybody goes "Aah well, it's only a friendly." Meanwhile other top teams beast through the friendlies and carry that form over to the actual season.

We're left picking up the peices from a disasterous pre-season tour.

[Kaladin]

I still don't get it, Montolivo has been shite recently and that's an understatement, getting red carded in the last match before NT duty and he still gets called up?

And i cannot fathom why Cerci isn't being called up, he has been in scintillating form

[Tomwin Lannister]

Need to bring on De Rossi, Bonucci and Cerci IMO

Pirlo resting is fine, but DDR never even played last game, Cerci got Poverty minutes and Bonucci will be fine for half a game


What baffles me about Prandell is, at a glance it appears he's using these games to find potential 1st team players. But when you follow him for a while, you discover that no matter how good these less capped players are playing for their club I.E Cerci, he still benches him for this sort of select B team that always gets minutes despite proving time and time again that they are nothing more than useless.

He has a bunch of players that aren't good enough to break into the 1st team, but he uses them in friendlies anyway. Instead of other players who may break into the first team.

[Arquitecto]

Like Conte like Prandelli, pre-season was an effort mostly to throw all the pieces of the puzzle and see which ones fit. Comparing Juve's results to the pre-season champions, Juve seems to be coming out on top. Prandelli at the moment needs to sort all squads in order to calibrate which chemistries and squad members compliment each other the most. Worst managers such as Hodgson or Tabarez fail to do that, only staking their own reputation on the line, while failing miserably in larger competitions due to the lack of plan B.

Quite frankly I admire what Prandelli is doing, given his courage on display. As we have seen, he has been a resounding success in two official tournaments so far, serving testament and reminder to the work he has done for La Nazionale.

Montolivo is one of Prandelli's favourites, even being called up when Monty was at his worst during his final days in Fiorentina. He shows up during the finest games of Italia, as he did vs Germany, where Italia were also the superior team.

Cerci needs to prove form beyond the 1st half of the season, along with being able to integrate within a system that would not suit him.

Italia doesn't miss Pirlo, yet DDR who is by far our most important player as without him the midfield lacks balance. Marchisio deserves a shout while Bonnuci is best used within the 3 man.

Nothing can be judged out of these friendlies bar the incidentals.

[Tomwin Lannister]

Pirlo free kick

Prandelli wonder-sub Parolo misses from 6 yards in an open goal


WHY GIVE THESE PEOPLE MINUTES?

[Tomwin Lannister]

Parolo again screwing up from point blank range...


Please never call him up again

[Tomwin Lannister]

Cerci in masses of space on the right... Ignored again

[Tomwin Lannister]

Have to disagree slightly, Arq,

Prandelli deserves a good bit of credit indeed, but his shortcomings in friendlies have left Italy unseeded in the WC

So, Italy have shot themselves in the foot, and made winning the biggest tournament in football that much more difficult.

[flameas]

Italys backup defenders Ogbonna and Ranoccia looked awful. And why was Parolo played insted of Florenzi?

Also, this squad needs Insigne and Cassano. But im sure Prandelli calls Osvaldo and Gilardino isntead to the world cup..

[Forza]

Parolo is shiiieeeeeeeeeeet. Not even he thought he deserved to be there.

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