Yep. Seriously, he'd be the most deserving of the captain's armband going forward. Only DeRossi would be ahead of him if the older players move on. And I can't remember the exact incident but was it Cavani taking out his own club teammate? That's brutal. Probably changed the match more than the bite.
Moving forward, where do we go? And out of the Prospects List, who do we blend in to the national team? With qualifiers and friendlies coming up in September (still a ways away), I hope we start seeing a bold new direction. If I was Manager, I'd look to: -rebuild the roster with younger talent -Get rid of this passing, tiki-taka game that Prandelli installed and look to play tighter defensively, wider offensively and encourage pace and speed. -Restore the defense with a team approach - defenders AND midfielders -Restore team chemistry My 23 man roster would be: GK Buffon (captain), Sirigu, Scuffett DEF Donati, Darmian, Di Sciglio, Antonelli, Chiellini, Rugani, Roncaglia, Caldirola CM Verratti, De Rossi, Marchisio, Baselli, F. Rossi WINGERS Insigne, Saponara, Florenzi, Bonaventura ST Immobile, Berardi, G. Rossi 15 names from the Prospects List, which is excessive but needed to send a message: new style, faster pace, new Italia. Over time, names such as Candreva, Parolo, Cerci, Gabbaidini, etc. may find their way onto the squad, depending on form and other factors. The key is to play wide, uptempo offence with a strict adherence to team defense.
I think he can but I'm not sure we want to move him there since he's very alert and attentive defensively. That's just my opinion though.
Florenzi never should've been left off the squad to begin with. Considering how much we were going to need guys with pace and stamina, he would've actually been a LOGICAL choice.
I'd also like to see Cerci continue to get call ups as well. I personally think he should've been subbed on in the 2nd half ahead of either one of Cassano or Parolo.
I will say I'm really looking forward to the team that's going to play euro qualifiers. May not get great results early but will be more dynamic to watch.
Cerci, Candreva, and Gabbiadini would all make my team. I would also think about adding Poli as well if he gets the playing time he deserves. Maybe Criscito and Astori as stopgaps as well. Can't find much fault otherwise. I don't envy the future Italian manager when it comes to getting the right mix on defense.
I like the idea of a stronger defense and going back to our roots. Out of the prospects list, there are a couple central defenders that could be quite effective: Rugani and Caldirola to be exact. And I hate to say this, but without Pirlo, our defense from our midfield will be much better. No need to cover for Pirlo's defensive deficiencies.
This is true, but how will we replace the creativity and brilliant passing from him? Defense looks like the weakness going forward. The group of prospects in that area don't look as promising as the future wingers. Can Italy for once have a really fast team?
There's Verratti, Fausto Rossi, Baselli, Viviani and Cristante who all show great promise as creative midfielders. Verratti, in particular, is the rightful heir to Pirlo. I've been a fan of his game since his Pescara days where he was Pirlo 2.0, with better defense but very rough around the edges. His time at PSG has made him a more complete player.
Some ideas for a new Italia perhaps if Spalletti is brought over: http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/03/05/teams-of-the-decade-5-roma-2007/ Who would you like to see put into that formation with those tactics?
What is the fuss about Saponara??I don't see anything special about the kid.He's already 22 and not even a starter..
What fascinates me most about Berardi is that he can play as a central forward, right wing (his best spot), left wing, and support striker. He has pace, height, takes penalties, takes free kicks and has the ability to just take over games. He better be on the squad come September. Darmian Astori Chiellini De Sciglio De Rossi Verratti Marchisio Berardi Insigne Immobile Reserves: Rugani, Criscito, Donati, Bonaventura, Poli, Florenzi, Candreva, Cerci, Gabbaidini, Rossi. Starting lineup still lacks that link from mids to forwards, but none to be found….
We have a lot of potential right wingers in our system now: Candreva, Cerci, Gabbiadini (can play both striker and RW like Berardi), Schelloto, Bernadeschi, Berardi, R. Insigne, Saponara (can play LW too), Florenzi
Great list... but Roncaglia?? Are you talking of the same one that is in Florence? Let him stay Argentinian.... I say any new starting lineup has to start with a backbone. I agree we should restart with a 4-3-3 and DeRossi, Verratti are definately 2 of the 3... on a 4-3-3 we need a striker that can hold the ball to avoid easy transition, pass with precision and finish... so hopefully G.Rossi will stay healthy and needs to be a fixture of the new Nazionale. What we do not have is a single center defender on which to rebuild. I say let's take the brusings that will come with youth and go with two young ones.
How i think we should lineup vs Norway in September: assuming no Buffon. (this formation could easily change to 433, but I like the idea of Verratti playing more advanced in a 4231. I know theres a lot of heat on Balo, but lets be real here. Hes our most talented striker and by a large margin. You could put Rossi there, and I wouldn't have a problem with that, but he cant be relied on. Immoblie of course is an option, but Balotelli is the only striker we have capable of being world class. No question he needs to prove himself these next two years.
Its pointless to even talk about Balotelli if you've been reading all the reports these last two days. The rest of the team basically has turned their back on him for his antics at halftime. Forget about the fact that he's not even close to world class (don't believe the hype), but what about his total destruction of team harmony/unity. Balotelli has basically become "Cassano the Sequel" at this point. You won't see him play for the Azzurri for a very long time. He's effectively alienated the rest of the team. These guys won't forget so easily and fight for him anymore. He'll need 3-4 years of solid club football, and for all the animosity to die down slowly before he emerges from the wilderness. Lets also remember that his tweet eluded to Prandelli, De Rossi, and Buffon as being racists. Are you kidding me…as long as De Rossi is on the team he won't forgive (and you can expect our future captain to play in Euro 2016). Buffon may also be around at that point……we won't see him for at least 3 years if I were to predict. I don't know what happened at halftime, but it must of been pretty bad. Par the course if your a Milan fan.
I'm a little weary of the 'winger talk'. Question is, are they wing-strikers like say Robben, or are they wingers who get their hands dirty in midfield (e.g. Ribbery, Di Maria, Nedved, Camorenesi). If they are wing-strikers, you won't see more than 1 at a time in the team. I wouldn't mind sticking with the 3-5-2 system early on. It lets us develop 2 CB's along side a veteran, and play an offensive wingback. Something like - Immobile/Rossi - Berardi/Insigne Veratti Florenzi- Marchisio- DeRossi- Darmian Chiellini- ? - Rugani Buffon Or stick DDR at sweeper and give chances to another young CM to develop.
Half the time he's injured unfortunately, but Rossi can easily slide in Gabbiadini's spot in that lineup.