Giuseppe Rossi with 2 goals for Villarreal today as well. (yes, I know he's not on the squad yet, but I think he's worth tracking for next year)
I can't see how Donadoni can't go begging to bring back Totti into the national team. He is such a great talent that needs to be in there.
He's leaving the door open to return. What more can he do? It's pretty much up to Totti whethere he plays or not.
Well Sacchi went to Baresi's house to ask and/or beg him to come back and he talked his wife into talking Franco into coming back which he did. He played in the 94 WC finals and was injured inthe 2nd match but played in the final and played the best match I've ever seen a sweeper play in. Too bad he missed the pk otherwise he would have got a #10 rating for his performance. If Donadoni were smart he would do the same for Totti.
Mark my words, if Totti does come back, it won't be until next summer just before the start of Euro! Totti's pretty much set his full focus on two things this season: 1) Leading Roma to a scudetto and going as far as possible in Champions League. 2) Trying to regain full fitness in his ankle, which would've been had he been committed to both Roma AND the Azzurri this year. Once the Serie A season is done with then I can possibly see Totti accepting a roster spot on the Euro squad if one is offered to him. Right now I can see this "retirement" as being a temporary solution in order to focus 100% of his attention on Roma this season, and to get the media off of his case in the time being. But just because he is considered to be retired that doesn't mean that the opportunity isn't there for him to make a comeback in the future. Guys like Zidane, Nedved, and Figo are perfect examples of this with their respective NT's.
Well, that would give him more experience on an international level by being involved in Champions League. Di Natale could become a big time player if he moves to one of the big clubs, that's for sure. Iaquinta is benefiting from his move to Juve, perhaps the same will be said for Di Natale too.
It's always a concern when late bloomers such as Di Natale look to make jumps to big squads. Di Natale has proven his class thus far, but at this point he doesn't have the status to guarantee himself regular starting minutes in the event that he were to make the jump. At 30 years old he also doesn't have the time to waste by being relegated to a substitute role, which is always a concern when making the move to a bigger club. I don't doubt that Udine will jump at the opportunity to sell him if the price is right though. Hopefully wherever he goes he actually makes a smart choice and picks a club where he will almost be guaranteed regular playing time.
I like Donadoni & certainly hope he's successful with the national team but I really don't think it's his business to be quoted saying stuff like this. He should just shut his mouth & let players play wherever w/o interference or the implied threat of losing a spot in the team unless you move to a "big club." Udinese with Di Natale & Quagliarella have a great chance at putting together an excellent season & I'm sure they don't appreciate Donadoni's attempts (whether intentional or not) at destabilizing their club by trying to mess with the head of their best player. Serie A is a better & more interesting league when there are more teams capable of competing for the Scudetto or at least pushing the top teams harder. I don't want to see the top three or four teams hogging all the best players & I hope Donadoni will just shut up about this.
I'm with you there, even though I am a Roma fan and a Totti fan, I don't think we're in dire straits without him. Instead, I think that our problems are rooted in motivation, or a lack thereof. An Azzurri squad playing to *not lose* and an Azzurri squad with a will to win and a fire lit underneath its arse are two totally different animals. And for pete's sake, let's see some more Quagliarella!
Exactly, and regretfully under Donadoni in most cases it has looked more like an Azzurri squad playing "not to lose" than one that has the will to win. I think that contrary to what some people have mentioned on this thread, Donadoni going to Totti's home and "beggining" him to come out of retirement and return to the Azzurri would be quite foolish. It would kinda of be like admitting to the fans of Italy, the Azzurri, and the rest of the football world that the NT doesn't have the quality or the depth to win big without Totti there. We didn't win the World Cup by being a one-man show, and we definitely didn't win it by putting all our dependence on Totti in particular! Italy has one of the deepest talent pools in the world, and although it won't be easy, I know damn well that Totti's shoes can be filled by someone else. At this point it's just a matter of figuring out who would be best for the job...
Donadoni is following Rosina and Nocerino attentively and hints at the South Africa friendly as an experimental friendly. http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/index.php?action=read&id=76053
Well, it would be pretty foolish on his part if he weren't to give some attention to these two young talents who are playing some great football right now for their respective clubs. He should also be giving some very serious consideration to Miccoli, who has been in stellar form this season for Palermo and managed to score the winning goal in an upset over Milan today! Lastly, as much as I hate to admit it, but it seems as though Giuseppe Rossi should be considered a strong potential candidate as well. FOr the past few months I've been consistently playing down the hype surrounding this kid, and pretty much writing off any thought of him having a chance to crack the senior squad any time soon because of his age. But after seeing how incredibly well he's been playing in Spain with Villareal, I honestly can't help but be at least A BIT optimistic towards his chances of getting a call up from Donadoni within the next year if he keeps up his stellar form.
regarding Miccoli, I watched the game today and he wasn't impressive at all. He kept messing up, but that free kick at the end was a real bullet.
Rossi got another goal today with Villarreal. He's doing better than Forlan and Simao, older proven players. Couldn't find a clip yet.
No not good. It was a bad challenge on him. First news out of Barca said 3 to 4 games. I'm sure it'll be revised.
This sucks because Zambrotta has been one of our best performers. Also, Grosso has not been doing too well at Lyon from what I understand. But I guess we could try out Max Tonetto.
There are a few guys who are in form and could be pulled, but my only worry is how long it will take them to *click* and get that sense of team that we had last summer. If it's a revolving door, it'll never happen.
Word from Barca medical team is that Zambrotta is out for a month. Torn muscle in his right leg. That means he'll be back for the Scotland match, but how fit depends on his recovery. He's a key player for Barca so I'd imagine they'll start him as soon as he's able.