I would drop Motta and Ranocchia. I've never been a huge fan with Motta in the Azzurri. Diamanti provides some versatility. He can play centrally or wide. This is a weak generation of Italian players but the 2010 team was the worst. These players need experience and I believe that they will be better come Brazil 2014.
Ranocchia and Destro have been dropped: http://www.football-italia.net/19333/italy-axe-ranocchia-and-destro I'm surprised that Giaccherini has made it through to the final 23. He isn't a bad player and he is versatile but he isn't a regular starter for Juve. Prandelli would have been better off keeping Schelotto instead or calling up Pepe.
Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Napoli), Sirigu (Paris St. Germain); Defenders: Abate (Milan), Balzaretti (Palermo), Barzagli(Juventus), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), Maggio(Napoli), Ogbonna (Torino); Midfielders: De Rossi (Roma), Diamanti (Bologna), Giaccherini(Juventus), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Fiorentina), ThiagoMotta (Paris St. Germain), Nocerino (Milan), Pirlo (Juventus); Forwards: Balotelli (Manchester City), Borini (Roma), Cassano(Milan), Di Natale (Udinese), Giovinco (Parma).
How can Ogbonnga be in the squad when he has not played a single minute of top-flight football? It's hard to believe that he's been selected over Ranocchia, while P. Cannavaro, Maurizio Domizzi, and even Bonera were not considered for the team.
how the hell is montolivo in there on merit? he's not even 100% fit and he has a weaker character than di natale, prandelli needs to stick to his rules, giaccherini too, pepe's sub at juve, not to mention astori who has been pretty solid for a few years, however we should use this tooney to build for the 2014 wc
Diamanti is the only wide player we have that is dynamic. He was amazing for Bologna down the stretch and I would bet Prandelli saw his form in camp. He's the type of player we have been sorely lacking. Pepe sucks with the ball at his feet and Giaccherini is OK but not explosive on the wing. I love the addition of Diamanti to the team. It was sad for me to see Ranocchia go since he has all the talent in the world, but had a horrible year. Destro is a tough one for me too. He was the best prima punta in Italy this spring and it was tough to see him go, but I can understand why Prandelli picked Borini. Fabio is a hustler and he has a great knack for staying calm and executing under pressure. He could be very valuable when we are down a goal.
I think Prandelli has done a good job of selecting the Euro 2012 team. There won't be much width from these players--really only Maggio and Giaccherini try to get past full-backs--but in general the focus is on younger and more technical players , in contrast to the second Lippi era. And with Criscito out, left-back is a serious problem (Ogbonna? Chiellini?). But neither of those problems were within Prandelli's control. I expect Italy's midfield to impress at this tournament. Pirlo, De Rossi, and Montolivo are very good passers, and for those who dislike Thiago Motta, you may want to check out this feature from WhoScored.com: http://www.whoscored.com/Blog/bqvozpdxoeuqlxw6dlaxsg/Show/Player-Focus-Impact-on-Team-With-Without For too many tournaments, Italy fans complained that the geniuses were left at home in favor of the hard-working donkeys. Well, Prandelli is taking all the geniuses this tournaments. If Pirlo, Montolivo, Marchisio, Balotelli, Cassano and Giovinco are all in the field at the same time vs. Spain, it may be the most attacking line-up Italy we've ever seen at a major tournament.
as a juve fan, i dont count much on giacherinni, he can be surprising and be found in the right places...but he's not fast at all, nor can he really take on players. Pepe would've been a much better choice, not only he's ahead of giach in juve but he also has EXPERIENCE and is more explosive i do like the diamanti addition...always thought he was a good player, he certainly plays with heart and can score some amazing goals
I don't want to bust Prandelli's chops because he's hardly put a foot wrong, but Giac instead of Pepe is a howler... I'm a confessed Pepe fan, but even objectively I cannot think of any aspect of the game in which Giac is superior to him...
So.. Bonucci, who is involved in the betting scandal and Ogbonna who plays in Serie B are both on the team while Paolo Cannavaro sits at home? What a crock of sh!t! All Prandelli's talk of meritocracy was just a steaming pile of elephant dung and all he will be remembered for is imposing affirmative action of the Italian National Team. I think I'm going to vomit!
at least wait until you see them play before you make comments like this. the best team on paper is not always the team that will win it all. Germany is always the favorite to win it all when you look at the names on their team. but when was the last time Germany won the euro cup or the world cup ? how can you judge a team that hasn't played one game together. chemistry goes a long way! if italy made it to the final you would be the first running around acting like you never said What a crock of sh!t! All Prandelli's talk of meritocracy was just a steaming pile of elephant dung and all he will be remembered for is imposing affirmative action of the Italian National Team. I think I'm going to vomit!
Agreed....we see what is on the pitch but we don't see what happens in the locker room. This is why Miccoli never got a chance on the National Team. He is a dick !!!
If Miccoli is a dick, then what is Balotelli? This has nothing to do with personalities. I think Prandelli picked the players with the most talent. This wasn't about politics this time. The question is..will this team gel? A lot of that will depend on Balotelli. If he acts like a cancerous locker room diva, then we have no chance. If he plays hard and earns everyone's respect, we can actually win the tournament. Prandelli took a big gamble bringing Mario, but in my opinion, it is a gamble worth making. We should go into every tournament trying to win it, and without his firepower, we really don't stand a chance. Our goal scoring really has dried up over the last year, and we need all the scoring we can get.
Balotelli says he will literally walk off the field if he is racially abused. I may get some heat for this, but I think that's ridiculous. You are going to walk off the pitch and potentially compromise your nation's chances at such a prestigious tournament because a few idiots in the stands do not know how to act? Fans will always do things to get under players' skins. Just when you hope this guy will come through, he reminds you how immature he is. Million dollar talent; two cent brain.
I honestly don't get all the Pepe talk. He's solid and he is fast, but his garbage touches have cost the Azzurri many times in the past. Giaccherini has better feet..even though he isn't as blazing fast on the wing. If you want to talk about missing players, I would argue Cerci would have been great. Too bad Rossi didn't use him well down the stretch. He's a great player and adds width and scoring touch.
My concern is that players on opposing teams will clearly try to get under Mario's skin. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried subtle racist jokes to set him off. Mario was quoted in a France Football interview of saying that he would beat to death anyone that threw a banana at him. He was quite descriptive about how he would kill them. That comes across as psychotic..which we know he is. If only he could get on the right medication... That said, if he can hold it together for 6 games we have a chance.
Im glad to see Giaccherini in there, it's good to have somebody different in there to shake things up a bit, Pepe is good but Giaccherini has a different dynamic
Balotelli has never had problems with other players off the pitch. He doesn't stir up trouble in the locker room and doesn't confront his coaches with playing issues like Miccoli has in the past.
What the Frack are you talking about?!? Balotelli has had so many fights with his own teammates and coaches everywhere he has gone! Miccoli only has had problems with bitter Juve fans that are still pissed about Calciopoli. In fact, Balotelli just released a statement that said he would kill anyone that threw a banana at him! WTF? If I said that I wanted to kill all the blacks that had racially abused me since I arrived as a non-whit immigrant to the USA not only would I be a figure a hate, I might also be indicted for inciting hateful speech that led to violence!! However b/c he is black people will rally behind this scumbag! Frack that! If he costs us the Euro I will kill him!
FYP Anyways, you are comparing two different type of players. A Miccoli, Giovinco or Cassano comparison would be more apt. Although, their is not much competition between them. Giovinco has gotten better since Juve discarded him like garbage, but is still not in Miccoli's class. However, even though he is obviously not as good, he will be brought along to get experience in the hopes that he gets better by 2014. Cassanao on the other hand is also not as talented, almost got into a fist fight with the president of Sampdoria , fell out of Favor with Capello at Real Madrid and did something so despicable that Totti said he would never play on the national team if Cassano was picked... That, and he was only a bench player at Milan and not going a patch of particularly stunning form, but he just had a heart attack and is well rested..?