We could if Prandelli does not screw it up like he did in the EC final. If we meet Argentina in the semi, it is guaranteed.
That was a good match, if nothing else from the point of view of entertainment. Positives: Sirigu was solid. Good to know we have him if Buffon for any reason can't play next summer. Rossi and Balotelli worked well, too, upfront. On a better day Balotelli would have had three goals, he got into good scoring positions. He's just a little cursed at the moment. I think this game also showed that Italy's "B" midfield has promise. Candreva, Giaccherini, Cerci, Diamanti all have a useful role to play. Maybe Poli too. Negatives: we're hurting for defensive depth, and Prandelli has been focusing too little on the defensive organization of the team. Sometimes we don't even foul -- it's reckless. I don't think any of Ranocchia, Ogbonna, Maggio, or Pasqual can be relied on defensively, or certainly not without the likes of Chiellini, Barzagli, De Rossi, Criscito around them to cover. This has to be addressed in 2014. One last thing: the athletic condition of the Azzurri today was quite incredible -- we actually played at a higher tempo than Nigeria and seemed the much fitter team. That was a surprise. Not everyone agrees with me, but this really is a different Azzurri from in years past ...
Falc and I go a long way back, but I think he's too hard on Cesare. I've had my criticisms of Prandelli in the past. But, he mostly gets it. He understands the modern game has to be about possession. I, too, wish our defense could get sorted in 5 months...but we don't have Nesta, Cannavaro, and Zambrotta on this team. He just doesn't have the defensive talent we had years ago. He has got to find a way to compensate for that because we can't have this leaky D in Brazil. Maggio and Pasqual suck....but we can't keep making excuses. We leaked too many goals at the Confed Cup and we've leaked a lot the last few games. He's got to find a way to protect the D more because they don't have elite talent back there. By the way, if Prandelli can fix this D, we can go really far. Balotelli and Rossi are as close to a perfect striking pair as you can get. They both compliment each other perfectly. They constantly are on the move leaving very little point of reference for the defense and they constantly threaten to get behind the last line with their speed and quickness. This team could put up a lot of goals in Brazil. FORZA AZZURRI
His problem defensively is at midfield. Too much space is given in the middle of the pitch. Playing stiffs like Maggio & Montolivo does not help matters. Candreva & Giaccherini are not defensive. The defenders did well today.
And speaking of modern game, I'm watching the replay as I write. What possession game did we play today? We played run & gun.
Prandelli's refusal to drop Montolivo sums up his legacy. If he grows the balls to do it, Italy has a chance, because it means Prandelli can in fact see reality. If he keeps pretending, Italy is doomed.
No, I didn't. If I had been, my laptop would've been thrown out the window. But I refused to watch after I saw Ogbonna in the starting 11. Just serves to reinforce how much I despise Prandelli.
Parolo "I saw a figure looming behind me and thought I was anticipating a Nigerian defender, but afterwards I turned round and realized it was Mario!"
We will be OK for next summer. We didn't have our complete A team on defence and midfield. We got a result from a high flying in form Nigerian team. We haven't played a meaningful game in quite some time as this qualifying group barely gave us any scare. I still think Prandelli is playing possum and is not exposing our full squad.
Not to burst your bubble, but Nigeria played a continental qualifier 2 days prior to this game in Nigeria (so not only did they have just one day rest, they also had a 6-7 hour flight back to England). Mikel and Onazi, the midfield engine pairing, were evidently bushed. Commenting on fitness given the circumstances is sort of a moot point (however Italy did look very energetic). Overall however agree with your assessment.
Sorry for my ignorance, but is Angelo Ogbonna's brother? I don't recall anynome named Ogbonna ever playing for Nigeria.
The big problem is still in the fullback. 4 played in 2 games and none of them is at an adequate level for being a starter in a world cup. Pasqual and Maggio defending yesterday was a shame. We had 2 (or 3) regular starters in the team, the other (including those who entered during the match) showed they are just sub (Ranocchia, Ogbonna, Sirigu) or "situation" players (Motta, Poli, Giaccherini, Cerci, Diamanti). This friendly, in the end, proved to be useless, but for the testing of the Balotelli-Rossi couple.
We had 58% possession with a generally "B" midfield. That is not bad as far as possession games go. But I'm guessing facts are useless for you -- you hate Prandelli and refuse to give him any credit.
Did you watch the game or read about it? Tell us how Nigeria's second goal was scored. How many minutes did that 58% represent? We ran well. We were also exposed very well. As easily we could have won this match by 3 goals, the exact opposite is true as well.
its because they are deemed good players thats why they cry "boo hoo they should be playing for ghana wah wah", if they were shit they would not cry about it simple as that RACIST! word!
I agree with you on Maggio but I think Montolivo still brings something to the table. Im my opinion, he's Pirlos best replacement right now if (god forbid) he gets injured during the tournament. Monto isnt the best, but he's far from the worst, his long range passing is pretty good, he's decent with the ball at his feet and he's got lungs of steel, all over the pitch. He's definitely soft on defense but I still think he has a role in this team. Considering Pirlos defense is pretty much non-existent, we can't expect Monto to be an excellent defender. Leave that up to Marchisio and Derossi.... Also,just wanted to say I'm glad Prandelli finally got the hint with Aquilani..........
If Pirlo was replaced by Montolivo, we might as well just save our time and don't watch the WC because we know what's going to happen anyway.