Palombo is not a destroyer at all. And Antonelli is a (rubbish) left back. If we need a pure DM, let's call up Ambrosini. Agree on Maggio, he's better than Pepe on the right wing. Guberti, Marchionni, Sculli too.
Falc as soon Pepe went they scored,its a sign Pepe has no business being a starter...or yet being on the team
Certainly because Pepe was the one who made us non-functional on corner kicks. Bonucci cleared the space on the first goal and he put away the second goal. I guess he should be thankful for the Pepe substitution. Meanwhile, with Pepe off the field, we still did not score in open play and we were vulnerable to counter attacks. Explain that one.
I think we can safely disregard your opinions on Samp players, considering who you support. And because they are ludicrous in their own right.
i missed the game today, i was unhappy to see results and see estonia scored a goal, and not only that the first goal, so italy had to come back AGAIN can u guys tell me who started and who were subbed?? Thanks in advance
[LINEUP-4-3-3]Cassano, Pazzini, Pepe, De Rossi, Pirlo, Montolivo, Molinaro, Chiellini, Bonucci, Cassani, Sirigu[/LINEUP-4-3-3] After the subs it was more like: [LINEUP-4-4-2]Pazzini, Quagliarella, Antonelli, De Rossi, Pirlo, Palombo, Molinaro, Chiellini, Bonucci, Cassani, Sirigu[/LINEUP-4-4-2]
thank u still goals on set pieces but im so glad to see cassano back btw, why was palombo on the right? or thats just how it is in the formation pic?
It was an odd look, half 4-4-2, half 4-5-1/4-3-3...Palombo was definitely tucked inside, but when Quagliarella moved up front more, he was covering that flank.
It's amazing how, after we've talked so much about the need for world-class talent, one of our current glaring problems is actually lack of a true mediano. We really do miss Gattuso. You have to look back at the days he was in his prime to see the incredible work he did for Milan and the Azzurri. Palombo is not the answer unfortunately. If we don't have a great DM, Prandelli at least should drop the idea of using wingers and play a 4-5-1 (or some variation) with a bunch of good passers in the middle of the park. Spain used this at the WC, but even they had Busquets to win the ball back and give it to Xavi. Tell you what, with Prandelli's style and our lack of solidity, these games will at least not lack for excitement.
Thank god they won. I did a fist pump when I saw they made it 2-1... wins like this can be slump busters. Let's hope the tide begins to turn!
If only your hero was coaching, he would of left the useless Cassano at home and we would've lost to Estonia.
Anyone know why players like Cigarini and Rossi weren't on the bench today? I'm guessing Prandelli was opting for more defensive subs, just to hold a lead when we got it... hopefully we see those two feature vs the Faroe Islands though.
For Ciga I imagine it's because he was a late addition to the squad, maybe, with the injury to Marchisio.
its been a long time since I have seen Italy play football, short passes and creativity, instead of the usual cross in the box.
Falc with Molinaro he did hes job well...to say that hes not international material not right,he was the best defender on the field IMO
Anyone would've picked the same team as Lippi, there just aren't any other options in Italy....blah blah blah
Not really. It was a similar story in 2006, we lost our opening friendly to Iceland, and then struggled to beat Norway and Moldova. It takes time to build a team.
Cazzo vuoi?? I gave no 'opinion', I just stated the obvious. Palombo is most definitely not a 'destroyer' kind of midfielder. No wonder Di Carlo has been benching Poli in favor of Dessena, even before the youngster got injured. And Antonelli, who last I checked is not a Sampdoria player, is a left back who until a week ago was Castellini's (I repeat, Castellini's) reserve.
Palombo isn't a destroyer in the Gattuso mould and he isn't a playmaker in the Pirlo mould. He has a bit of both players but not as good. He did score more goals when Novellino was coachin Sampdoria though. Ambrosini's time with Italy is gone. I don't know about Nocerino's form but I'd rather give him a chance than see Ambro back in the Italy fold. I agree on Pepe. Once he was taken off, the goals came. He can run but his lack of technique makes it clear that he is out of his depth for Italy.
I agree it takes time to gel however the quality clearly isn't was what it was even in 2006. Guys like Bonucci, Molinaro, Montolivo, Pepe and even Pazzini would have no chance to start back then; now, for the most part these guys are our first choice. It's not even debatable.
What is silly about the whole Pepe bashing is that the logic is come va Pepe, va la nazionale. Some of you are like a pack of hyenas that pick a prey and go after it, ignoring everything else. He is just a role player and as Gumba has pointed out, we have too many roles players right now. We lack fuoriclasse. Pepe was not the problem. He was not impressive but he was not the reason we looked ordinary. This argument that the game changed once he was substituted is absurd. We scored on the corner kick at the substitution. He was on the pitch when that corner was earned and it was on his side. Can't recall how it came about. We then scored 3 minutes later on another corner kick. But it was not as if there was an improvement in our play afterwards despite the fact that with a lead, things should have opened up for us. This is not about crucifying or defending Pepe. The real issue is that we have players who should be picking up the load but are not getting the job done. Did anyone read Prandelli's comment that the team went into the locker room without any confidence? Instead of focusing on a bit player like Pepe, we should be asking ourselves why Montolivo and De Rossi are not inserting themselves into the match. Even Cassano. Pirlo was the only player who wanted the ball. Yes, that is his role but we have too many players that only seem to get involved if the ball comes in their direction. Between Pirlo, Cassano, De Rossi and Montolivo, we should have seen a lot of possession and movement. It was not there. And these are the guys who had to carry the team yesterday, not Pepe. So until our "star" players become protagonists for our team, our roles players are going to look even less ordinary than what they already are.
I do not think Montolivo was used properly in yesterdays game. Playing on the right in a 4-3-3 next to Pirlo certainly raised several eyebrows before the game even started. I agree that De Rossi tends to fade in and out of games for Italy, but he has put in world class performances against top level teams in Italy and abroad in Europe so that can change. The Pepe hate is justified and rational in my opinion, he runs and works hard but cannot cross, pass or finish. That guy is nothing more than filler until a true winger comes through and replaces him. I appreciate his work ethic and attitude but he is really not that good. I would like to see more of D'Agostino in the future, his numbers are more impressive than Montolivo's.