The Azzurri At The U21 Championship Thread

let's top this mother ********en group boysssss

 

It's going to be tough even getting out of the group with this new format. Only the 1st place teams from each of the 3 groups + the best 2nd place team advance to the next round. And that is the Semi-finals.

The best 2nd is determined in this order:
1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) disciplinary points; 5) coefficient

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_UEFA_European_Under-21_Championship

I remember I was so mad 2 years ago when Di Biagio partnered Bianchetti with Rugani instead of Romagnoli in the first game against Sweden. We played so arrogantly and Sturaro got sent off. We played well in the next two games but then we got served a Biscotti in the final minutes of the Sweden - Portugal game.

I do feel confident that Di Biagio and the surviving players from the last tournament will give us a good showing.

 

our team is stacked. if they don't make it out of the group's regardless of format then it will be a waste

 

I don't know much about them. Maybe a German poster can fill us in. Leroy Sane & Timo Werner weren't call up.

Mahmoud Dahoud looked very promising in the CL. Serge Gnabry is a very fast winger and a good goal scorer from what I've seen. Davie Selke is tipped to be among the top goalscorers in the tournament. Germany scored the most goals in the Qualifiers.

I've seen Spain, Germany & Portugal getting better odds from the bookies to win the tournament than us -- for what it's worth.

 

Ya but Italy never had good odds. even with our stacked team in world cup 2002 I think the odds still didn't look good

 

It's interesting to see which formation Italy will line up with now that Di Biagio has a full strength squad at his disposal. I wonder if he follows Ventura's lead and goes 4 2 4. I would think not, but any Italian lineup would be stellar other than at CF.

These would make sense in a 4 2 4....

CF: Petagna
SS: Bernardeschi
W: Chiesa Berardi
M: Pellegrini Gagliardini
D: Barreca Caldara Rugani Conti
G: Donnarumma

 

Final team w/ #'s. Bernadeschi gets the #10

Goalkeepers: 17 Alessio Cragno (Benevento), 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), 19 Simone Scuffet (Udinese)

Defenders: 3 Antonio Barreca (Torino), 14 Davide Biraschi (Genoa), 2 Davide Calabria (Milan), 13 Mattia Caldara (Atalanta), 12 Andrea Conti (Atalanta), 22 Alex Ferrari (Verona), 23 Giuseppe Pezzella (Palermo), 4 Daniele Rugani (Juventus)

Midfielders: 15 Marco Benassi (Torino), 5 Danilo Cataldi (Genoa), 18 Roberto Gagliardini (Inter), 8 Alberto Grassi (Atalanta), 21 Manuel Locatelli (Milan), 6 Lorenzo Pellegrini (Sassuolo)

Forwards: 7 Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), 10 Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), 9 Alberto Cerri (Pescara), 20 Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), 16 Luca Garritano (Cesena), 11 Andrea Petagna (Atalanta)

 

The odds makers have Germany and Spain as favorites over us. I have to say I'm dumbfounded by that. I look at those teams and they are good, but this Italy team is loaded everywhere. I mean stacked. The only area of weakness at all in my opinion is center forward. Petagna is a solid player but he won't blow you away. Otherwise, this team is ridiculous. We are going to be having very good Serie A starters probably sitting on the bench because of the depth of talent.

The only way they fck this up is if they come out complacent and lazy because of the press they've gotten (which is always possible given that we are Italians).

 

I wouldn't bother starting Petagna he should only be a sub. Bernedeschi needs to play forward and Berardi on the right wing. If Belotti was only 1 month younger he would be on the team as well.

I wouldn't say this team is stacked Spain's midfield is the best. I'd say Italy is the most balanced team in the tournament,

 

I rate Benassi, Gagliardini, and Pellegrini just as highly if not more than the Spanish midfield. Toss in Berardi and Bernardeschi (even Chiesa who can play wing) and to me that is stacked.

 

imagine if Romagnoli was fit too. our defence would be stacked as well. but I have no problems with Rugani and Caldara partnership. that's going to be key in shutting other teams out

 

I mentioned a possible 4 2 4 lineup above based on what the senior team has recently fielded, but for me, 4 3 3 with those exact three players in midfield is what I want to see above all else. A nice mixture of creativity and grit.

Yeah, if Romagnoli made it and Belotti was just a few months younger, this team could probably challenge the senior squad.

 

Petagna and Cerri are the weak links up top for sure, but I would not play Bernardeschi as a lone forward. He's better served as a secondary striker or on the left wing IMO.

 

I actually don't mind Petagna that much. He holds up play well. Olivier Giroud lite?

 

Petagna does hold up the ball well. Sort of like a poor man's Bernardo Corradi...remember him? Problem is he doesn't score. He's a full time starter on an Atalanta team that finished 4th and he only had 5 goals. Great team player though.

 

But with our wingers, it might actually be beneficial to have a striker like that. Imagine him laying the ball off to Bernardeschi, Berardi, and Chiesa

 

Italy is gonna have to win the group to qualify for the semi finals. That second place team is coming from Group B because Macedonia absolutely stinks so that 2nd place team will have the superior goal difference. They were ranked 40th before qualification. Amazing they edged out France.

 

Donnarumma; Conti, Rugani, Caldara, Barreca; Benassi, Gagliardini, Pellegrini; Berardi, Petagna, Bernardeschi

Team for game against Denmark. Di Biagio went with the right line up for tonight.

 

playing a bit within ourselves. Denmark bit more physical

 

any streams?

 

its on Watch ESPN

 

http://goalkick.eu/s/rai1.html

 

The Dollaruma sign was hysterical. Throwing paper money at him was even better. Berardi looks lost. Petegna should just quite soccer