Nations League: Italy vs Poland (& Ukraine Friendly)

Discussion in 'Italy: National Teams' started by Mean Machine, Oct 5, 2018.

  1. krado33

    krado33 Member+

    May 23, 2014
    Club:
    AS Roma
    Far too wasteful in front of goal. Mancini has to get them used to scoring 2-3 per game because they don't have the quality to consistently keep clean sheets.
    Shitty weather and pitch didn't help at all
    And do we have a no9 over 6'2? I don't think this plan of crossing to Immobile all day is gonna work too well.
    Donnaruma still looking shaky
    Midfield was quality on the ball
    All in all good signs going for the future but have to find a better solution up front
     
  2. 'Uaglio

    'Uaglio Member+

    Jun 8, 2004
    NYC
    I'd like to see either Verratti or Jorginho pulled for Poland and Pellegrini in their place. Pellegrini is much more direct and we need that. Verratti had too many 5 foot passes for my liking in the second half. They slowed the tempo down and let UKR organize itself. Dumb.

    Immobile wastes too many chances but right now what is the point of having midget Insigne up top? He doesn't threaten defenses in any way.

    I view this game as progress, but still work to do to get to the next level. Good news is that guys like Chiesa, Barella, and Bernardeschi showed up and that is very good for our future.
     
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  3. TorontoCalabria

    Fiorentina
    Italy
    Sep 12, 2018
    Insigne can play SS but he needs a 9 to play off, he can’t be the 9 himself.
     
  4. UdineseFan98

    UdineseFan98 Member

    Mar 12, 2017
    St. Catherines, ON
    Club:
    Udinese Calcio
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    FOR F U C K SAKE CAN WE GET A F U C K I N G RESULT. THIS SHIT IS PISSING ME OFF
     
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  5. 'Uaglio

    'Uaglio Member+

    Jun 8, 2004
    NYC
    Mancini just doesn't quite get it. This game he was better. But, Verratti and Jorginho are too similar in their tempo. That hurts the team. Insigne as the number 9 is dumb as I said above. Having Bernardeschi and Chiesa so far wide wastes their finishing for the most part.

    Immobile really has bad feet at times but that is nothing new.

    I thought the second half marking was poor. You can't leave such huge gaps in the box with players uncontested.

    Donnarumma is an enigma. He makes some great saves but then does weird stuff like failing to catch a floater or spiking the ball back towards the middle of the field.
     
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  6. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    I think Mancini learned that Immobile should not have come on. Better to bring in Cutrone next game.
     
  7. calabrese8

    calabrese8 Member+

    Feb 9, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    either that or let him wear his lazio jersey underneath his azzurri jersey and tell him we're playing benevento
     
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  8. TorontoCalabria

    Fiorentina
    Italy
    Sep 12, 2018
    Immobile is a problem by default. It’s like only having Gilardinho at yiur desposal in 2006. Not a useless player but not the man to hang your hat on. The curious case of Mario Balotelli has really hurt us this decade.

    Unfortunately that is the position that we struggle with. Be it Giuseppe Rossi Belotti take your pick no one can stay healthy and inform at the number 9 since Luca Toni.
     
  9. UdineseFan98

    UdineseFan98 Member

    Mar 12, 2017
    St. Catherines, ON
    Club:
    Udinese Calcio
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Once again Cutrone has pulled out.
     
  10. Nek Sanalet

    Nek Sanalet Member+

    AC Milan
    Italy
    Dec 30, 2013
    NYC
    Club:
    AC Milan
    The overwhelming evidence is that Immobile simply cannot replicate his Lazio form for the national team under any circumstance. Mancini even alluded to that by saying once he made substitutions, Italy stopped playing well....and the first sub he made was Immobile. I think this game was important because we finally saw a nucleus of players that can do well and control the midfield/threaten in the forward positions. Unfortunately, as someone else mentioned, we don't really have 23 of them at the moment (and none at CF). Maybe the false 9 is where Italy's future lies until a Cutrone steps up, or Belotti magically finds his form again...
     
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  11. Mean Machine

    Mean Machine Member+

    May 23, 2018
    How come though? I don't understand why immobile cannot perform his Lazio form with the NT?
     
  12. tripwire

    tripwire Member+

    Sep 23, 2012
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Insigne alone in the middle? Mancini is lost.
     
  13. falvo

    falvo Member+

    Mar 27, 2005
    San Jose & Florence
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Saw Mancini on TG1. Seemed like he was almost brought to tears seeing the collpasing of the Morandi Bridge. He said he lived there for 15 years and must have gone across that bridge every day....
     
  14. calabrese8

    calabrese8 Member+

    Feb 9, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    kind of reminds me of the Italy vs Uruguay game at the 2014 world cup when we had Cassano as the lone striker at the end of the game down a goal needing a goal to stay alive
     
  15. johnny6

    johnny6 Member+

    AC Milan
    Italy
    Jun 29, 2011
    Club:
    AC Milan
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Didn't you notice that Cassano was a lone striker his whole career?? (sarcasm)

    That was a dumb decision, we saw in Euro 2012 what Cassano and Balotelli did together, it was never one or the other. Prandelli was a decent coach, he just couldn't stick to a formation, always changing things up like Mancini. Hopefully Mancini is truly just experimenting with these friendlies and we won't be in this identity crisis a year from now.
     
  16. 'Uaglio

    'Uaglio Member+

    Jun 8, 2004
    NYC
    Ukraine was well organized at the back. They packed the middle. Insigne is never going to do much when he is in the middle of a forest of defenders...especially at his size. Mancini's false 9 formation might have worked against a more aggressive team who left space at the back. It wasn't going to work well against Ukraine.

    In Poland, if we think the Poles are going to come out aggressively, the false 9 might work as any of the trident is capable of hitting them hard on the counter. The problem is if we get down a goal, the Poles may be hard to break down when we have no prima punta.

    I'm hard on Immobile. I think he's a pretty decent striker and a good guy to bring off the bench. But, he's not going to carry the Azzurri. He simply doesn't have enough skill. In tight international games with aggressive marking, you can't afford to have poor touches (which he does all the time) and get away with it. Against Frosinone, you can have the ball clang off your shin or foot and still recover. Internationally, not so much. And, that is the difference.
     
  17. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    If Insigne finished, he was in position to bury two goals that a finisher should bag. Still not impressed. Carlo has work to do. Finishing again the problem. Cutrone has to stay healthy enough to have a few games. Hope by November that's the case.
     
  18. TorontoCalabria

    Fiorentina
    Italy
    Sep 12, 2018
    We could do with a Giroud type striker to hold the ball and distribute. France play well with this system and without a lethal #9. Perhaps Balotelli could play with his back to goal if he was interested in working hard.
    We have some talent to build around a strong body at the #9 we don’t need a world beater.
     
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  19. calabrese8

    calabrese8 Member+

    Feb 9, 2008
    Vancouver
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    working hard and Balotelli should never be used in the same sentence. I think this is more of a Belotti sort of hope than Balotelli for someone who can run hard and hold up play.

    soon enough we will have Scamacca (hoping he pans out) to be a lethal striker. He's 19, 6 foot 4 and lethal with his head
     
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  20. TorontoCalabria

    Fiorentina
    Italy
    Sep 12, 2018
    Yeah Mario won’t do the job unfortunately, if he’s fit he is a better target than Immobile as we does draw fouls and hold up the ball/distribut pretty well but no he won’t run hard.
     
  21. krado33

    krado33 Member+

    May 23, 2014
    Club:
    AS Roma
    Sounded like Mancio was hoping for Chiesa to play more as a no9. Now it's a tough decision for the must win game. The front 3 created well in the first half and should've taken their chances. I think he'll try the same lineup, because i don't know what exactly Immobile offers anyway.
     
  22. TorontoCalabria

    Fiorentina
    Italy
    Sep 12, 2018
    Graziano Pelle did better for Italy than Immobile ... Ciro should play though we don’t have another option
     
  23. Nek Sanalet

    Nek Sanalet Member+

    AC Milan
    Italy
    Dec 30, 2013
    NYC
    Club:
    AC Milan
    I don't think Mancini was experimenting with the false 9 against Ukraine. I think it's dawned on him that Italy only have three good offensive players (Berna, Chiesa, and Insigne), everybody else either sucks, is injured, or out of form. I guess Berardi would be the fourth as he's had a decent start to the season...but that's about it. You don't put those three players out there, Italy can't even threaten on goal. One could argue that Insigne's height, makes him the least likely of those three to thrive in the false 9...and I would probably agree (though Chiesa for all his attributes is not a prolific goal scorer). Against Poland, I would start Berna in the middle flanked by Chiesa and Insigne. We have no other choice at the moment. Immobile is probably most effective against tired legs in the 75th minute or something. I would also bring on Giovinco for Insigne around the 60th-70th minute and see what he can do. Battle of the midgets...
     
  24. TorontoCalabria

    Fiorentina
    Italy
    Sep 12, 2018
    If that’s the case it’ll be interesting to see if we can score goals. It works for Napoli but we don’t have a Mertens
     
  25. totti fan

    totti fan Red Card

    Jun 24, 2010
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Because his strength is counter-attacking into space (with speed and power) not attacking when his team is pressing an opponent (requires good touch and strong technique) and there is less room.
     
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