italy got lucky with only 1-0 my god what a shit performance....i know its the B team and all but come on...they could hardly get the ball...attacks were rushed, defense was average. and prandelli i just dont get sometimes...did osvaldo need to be there for 70 min?? when its a friendly and u have endless subs?? then montolivo just garbage in midfield....cerci was the only one doing something....why not bring in insigne and veratti?? is he not investing in the future...i mean these are good players who get benched for average players with very little experience. i just dont get it. prandelli hasnt learned to play 3-5-2 against spain?? its so evident...they are a midfield team! its almost like formation of 0-10-0 for spain or 0-9-1 LOL....GET IT RIGHT PRANDELLI.....you gotta pack the midfield against Spain to have any chance....having 4 mids out there with one of them being stupid montolivo isnt gonna cut it.
WHOA WHOA WHOA. Careful. LToni might get upset! I actually thought Montolivo was better than Motta and played just as badly as Marchisio.
Cerci was Italy's best player along with Paletta. Don't let a groupie for a faded giraffe who has the pace of my 84 year old grandmother get you down Davide. Things I took away from this game…sayonara Veratti and Insigne…neither of you are making the team. Paletta made a strong bid to be included. I say cut your hair and hope for an injury (if you represent Italy you need to look fashionable and not homeless). Motta is and will always be a poor man's Daniele De Rossi. Pirlo comes in and immediately lets everyone know his quality. Osvaldo stinks, but who didn't know that already. Marchisio and Montolivo both played bad. Is there any doubt that Pirlo and De Rossi are Italy's best and most important field players.
LOL! Nice to see that with me gone the posters on here troll each other instead. It is also vindicating that many people that told me I was stupid for wanting Prandelli fired after the Euros are finally seeing the light even if it might be too late. What can I say that has not already been said...? Spain's coach won the Champion's League, the Euros and the World Cup. Italy's coach got Parma to the top six in Serie A and the difference in class is evident for all to see. Prandelli's tenure as coach has been the lowest point in Italian national history since I have been alive and instead of doing whatever he can to change that, he plays favorites and excludes some of our best young players. Any enthusiasm I had about the World Cup being in Brasil and our chances to tie them in trophies on their home turf has evaporated thanks to Prandelli's hypocrisy. Sad, sad day.. Hopefully whoever follows Prandelli does a better job or Italy might begin a decline into the pages of Gothic Soccer along with Austria and Hungary.
@Nek Sanalet Thanks Fratello. Yeah Verratti and Insigne are gone but we kind of already knew that. Paletta may just have stolen Astori's spot. Motta, Marchisio and Montolivo very disappointing. Can't really judge Candreva because he was played entirely out of position plus he didn't look fit. Pirlo looked good. He is all class but his pace is worrisome. Now Osvaldo was bad yes. But the question is how much of it was his fault? We established that Candreva, Montolivo, Marchisio and Motta didn't play well. So how is a striker supposed to score if he gets no service? Oh yeah and De Sciglio played way better than Criscito. Abate played slightly better than Maggio. I think those two established themselves at RB and LB. How do you reckon Italy would do in Seedorf's 4-2-3-1 formation? Buffon Abate Barzagli Chiellini De Sciglio Pirlo De Rossi Cerci G.Rossi Diamanti Balotelli After todays showing I dont wanna see Montolivo, Motta, Marchisio anywhere near the first XI.
The lowest point of Italian football is making it to the European Championship Final? LOL. Look, I'm not much of a Prandelli supporter either. But don't jump off the ledge and overexaggerate reality. The reality is this was a stupid, meaningless friendly with a B team vs the worlds best at the moment. I don't think there ever was anything good that was going to come from it. If we had won then all of you would be saying how great we are, how great we are going to do in Brazil etc. If we lost, which obviously we did on a lucky deflection, then we suck, its the end of the world. There is no middle ground with some people. Take a step back and think to yourself- would this game have gone the same had we fielded our A team? I don't think so. Balotelli, Rossi, Chiellini, De Rossi- that's the heart of the italian team next to Pirlo. So relax! Its just a friendly.
I don't know about throwing Marchisio on the scrap heap. Playing alongside Pirlo and De Rossi makes a difference with him. I would still pencil him into the starting lineup. Montolivo simply is erratic…whether it be internationally or club football. I think relegating him to the bench is not a bad idea. De Sciglio > Criscito goes without saying. Abate > Maggio is also obvious to anyone not afflicted with blindness.
Yeah I think Marchisio deserves another shot too. Well said. I thought Abate struggled a bit with David Silva.
I would liked to have seen Santon and Di Silvestri get a shot but wasted potential at this point I guess
Yeah.. I'd say that for a country that prides itself on defense, setting a record for the most goals allowed ever in a tournament final is the low point. Never seen Italy demolished like that in my entire life. NEVER! Prandelli's whole tenure has been nothing but a meaningless friendlies.
Has a team ever went down to 10 men through injury in a final? That result was a very harsh scoreline and they scored two late goals when the players were exhausted. You are jumping to conclusions on that opinion, it only goes to show your one sided agenda overall
1. Youre completely overlooking the fact that we made it to the FINAL. No credit for that whatsoever? It had been a long time since we have been seen as a attacking/pretty football to watch type of team. That tournament we were just that. That win over Germany was Epic. Yeah, it was a terrible loss in the Final, but what did you expect down to 10/9 men? A series of unfortunate events led to that abomination of a game. The last 5 games vs Spain are something like 1-1, 2-1, 1-0, 0-0, 4-0.... its the exception. Not the rule.
I know it's a friendly, but I'm disappointed in the effort. That's still the world champ out there you are playing. Gotta be more up for that game. Starting Osvaldo was a joke. Playing him 70 min was an admission that you didn't care about this game. That's too bad. Beating Spain would have been a confidence builder. I believe that. Immobile has been miles better than Osvaldo this year and he deserved the start. I think Candreva and Cerci are quality players and they will be useful in Brazil. They just didn't have the tempo needed tonight to deal with Spain's intensity. Not playing Verratti was criminal. What does the kid have to do? We would rather play a scrub from Sunderland than the regista for PSG?? WTF. I've tried to give Prandelli the benefit of the doubt in the past because of his openness to find young players, but this is ridiculous. We have time to come together. I think the brightest spot was Paletta. Been a long time since I've seen an Azzurri defender play with such grit. He reminded me of Pietro Vierchowod. Love it! I felt out D had been getting shaky the last 12 months, and he is a nice addition.
The only charitable interpretation (and I say this as a Giacc fan) is that it was throwing a last chance to show that he could still bring it for NT despite being shelved at club level. He didn't demonstrate that, and now I think even Prandelli will be pragmatic enough not to take him to Brazil.
Add Marchisio to that list,though I'd keep Osvaldo. He gets a lot of flack but he is a good player (when motivated). Strictly speaking Azzurri, what the hell has Marchisio done to continue to get playing time??? He disappears nearly EVERY match, and plays in almost all of them. Edit: Giaccherrini, Montolivo, Maggio, Candreva...just frustrating. Half of the squad at this point :/
Nope not overlooking anything. The fact that it was the final does not mean that this does not represent the lowest point in the national team since I have been alive. Not the lowest point ever, but since I have been alive? Absolutely. And where is this attacking/pretty football you speak of? The 0-0 against England? The 1-1 against Croatia? The 2-0 against Ireland (Spain scored 4 on them and Croatia scored 3)? The never ending series of crappy friendly performances? And yesterday we played defensive as all hell! Yeah... I have heard all about Prandelli's new attacking style in the media and heard it repeated a million times over by parrots, but have yet to see it myself. Italy started the final with only 10 men?! That's not fair!!! No wait.. It was Prandelli's terrible decision making that handicapped Italy that game. DOH! The last five games huh? It was just a one off, huh? Well, when it is our turn to smash Spain, 4-0? Call me when that happens. This myth that Prandelli has given Italy was created by the media to serve the politics of a corrupt federation and if you think that is what best serves the national team, I have to disagree.