I am actually watching the game. Did you see how we scored that last goal? Kick it past the midfield, let Pelle head it and Immobile chase it down. I hope this does not become our new system.
With all due respect, my understanding is that Verratti turned down Juventus. So a Serie A team thought he was worth signing. So bringing up his lack of Serie A experience seems a little misguided.
You do realize we were a man down in the 80+ minute? Pretty sure we want to play it as long as we can in that situation
Perhaps we should have played that way the entire match. It is not as if our midfield showed any ability to possess the ball today. Do you understand the problem with today's match?
We are lucky to have Verratti. He was a creative force, as he showed on the first goal. He is a safety outlet for the defenders, much like Pirlo was. Last, he works his ass off, getting stuck in where necessary. He was the MoM and the MF should be built around him. That said, Ventura worries me. This game should have been over when we went 2-0 up. We were playing way too open despite the scoreline. This, and Chiello's poor play gave Israel a way back into the match. This could have been averted by Ventura by taking a less aggressive approach when we were two goals up; and taking off Chiello. He was atrocious. Even though the Immobile sub paid off for him today, one has to question the logic of continuing to play with two strikers when we were a man down trying to protect a lead. It's games like this that have me wanting a more established manager in charge. Hopefully, we get more convincing displays from this point forward.
One positive that I would take from this game is that we didn't have as many agonizing misses from our attackers. Pelle and Immobile didn't do much besides score, but that's all they have to do.
Our problem today was the midfield. Not sure how the final stats worked out but at one point, Israel had more ball possession than we did. How the ******** does that happen? And no, not because we were a man short. The midfield was dysfunctional. Bonucci and Chiellini were playing with the ball more than necessary. Chiellini ********s up and boom, they score on the counter. That does not happen if our midfield is in control. They never were.
Yeah, Verratti, the guy who you have been saying isn't world class. But don't take my word for it. Read what Gazzetta dello Sport had to say about it. http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Nazio...za-pelle-immobile-israele-1601076433968.shtml
Verratti sucked. So too did his fellow central midfielders. Just a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off running like they play in the MLS. We played Israel and could not control possession. Inexcusable.
Yeah but you know it's because they're still playing to Conte's plan. I don't know what Ventura will do in future though.
The win was nice, the performance was mediocre but that is expected this early in the coach tenure. Luckily we played Israel and Israel are rubbish. Verratti was the best player I think. Good pefermance from him. The others need to step up. Immobile and Pelle also did well. Let's hope Chiellini has played his last jokers because that was atrocious. Luckily we have Buffon. Still do not like Eder. Get rid.
Hopefully he throws away Conte's Serie B tactics. That worked a little in a tournament but having a bunch of guys hustling is not going to win anything in the long run.
This is my problem with criticizing Italy right now. Ventura needs to drop 3 5 2, and rid this team of any Conte influence once and for all. I take Ventura on his word when he says that he didn't have enough time to implement his tactics. I'm happy we won, and the verdict on this team and coach is impossible to judge until we give them both more time. Today's game sufficed in getting us a result. How can anyone be whining right now? Its to early in a new tenure to be complaining about anything. I do hope that Eder never gets called up again though... Seriously. Its not like Verratti even played in the Euro Cup and was a Conte regular. He's stepping into a system he's less familiar with than BBC, Buffon, Pelle etc, with a new coach he's getting to know. That's the thing with people who have an ax to grind...logic is redundant. I can agree 100% with this comment, if not your many Verratti putdowns. Let's wipe the slate clean of Conte's tactics from this squad.
Inexcusably shoddy display by most of the team. Parolo: non existent; had to check the lineup to make sure he was in the game; for a moment thought it was a 10 on 11 game. Chiellini: WTH is wrong with him?; two absolutely subpar performances in a row. Love the guy, though he does tend to get brain farts at the worst possible time but these last 2 games are worrisome. Bonaventura: don't get the hype praised on him; another player with two useless games in a row. Stupid passes all over the pitch; only good thing is the foul that let to the team's penalty kick. At this point, I'd rather see the heart and hustle of Giaccherini. Pelle: regardless of the criticism he gets and the league he plays in, he has delivered for the NT; 9 goals in 19 appearances is a solid scoring rate. He's not the long term answer but he deserves to be in the team. Eder: shows flashes here and there but tends to be invisible for long stretches (or entire games); won't lose sleep if he's replaced in the starting lineup. Verratti: was inconsistent but I'll give him a pass because it could be due to the layoff from injury. However, he saved the asses of the defense on two separate instances; give me kudos for hustling when he wasn't, probably, 100% match fit. Marchisio: yes, I know he is not on the team. However, his absence is glaring. He’s been maligned but, in all honesty, I like the guy for his hustle and willingness to be a jack of all trades; whatever the team needs he does it. Hope he’s back soon.