Cassano has been a world class talent for the past 10 years, more or less ever since he was Balotelli's age when he was first acquired by Roma. He was just a victim of his own poor attitude, which we should all be hoping doesn't end up hurting Balo as well down the road. If anything, we shouldn't be getting carried away with BALOTELLI just yet. At least not after one good season with Inter that is. The real test will be whether or not he can put up the big results in EPL, where most Italians have struggled over the last few years. If he can maintain that same great form, then we can truly say in all honesty that he's the real deal.
If balotelli keeps his head straight then theres no stopping him...IMO he is a great talent,he could thrive in the EPL as Zola did before him,maybe Balotelli needed a change to move to England...
I agree that he most certainly COULD be. The talent is definitely there, without question. Has he accomplished enough to already be labelled as "world class" though? Hardly. Of course, he is still just a kid and has plenty of time to get to that level.
The only guys who have featured regularly of late for the NT that clearly don't mimic their good club form are Montolivo, Palombo, and De Rossi. Perhaps your yellow and red goggles prevent you from seeing that in De Rossi's case? Otherwise, there isn't much fluctuation in our other players' form, respectively, when they play for the Azzurri. As far as the poor results, what it suggests to me is what I and many others here have said all along, i.e., the overall quality isn't what it used to be. Serie A in 2010 isn't what it was in 1990 or even 2000.
Yeah, that's why he was a complete flop at Real, which was really his chance to prove that he can play well at the highest level. Cassano is a good player for Sampdoria and has performed well of late for the NT; but to call him a world class player for the last decade is a fallacy.
Show me where I stated that De Rossi was an exception to my opinion? I'm calling him out the same way I called out Totti during his NT run. Unlike many Juventini, I have absolutely no problem in calling a spade a spade, even if it means calling out my club's players as well.
Wow, your ability to read only what you WANT to read truly is overwhelming at times. Didn't I say quite clearly that he has always been a world class TALENT, but his attitude is what held him back? It wasn't Cassano's potential that hurt his career at Real, but rather his immature, self-centered attitude. Had he actually been focused (as he SHOULD have been), then he likely could've excelled. This was the point I was trying to make for Balotelli as well. He's an awesome player with world class TALENT and potential, but has not accomplished anything to have gotten to that level yet as far as being recognized as a world class player is concerned. If he lets the hype inflate his ego the same way it did Cassano, then he likely will end up hitting the same brick walls as well.
Yeah, you're right, us Juve supporters lack objectivity unlike the Roma fans and supporters of other teams.
I don't accept that explanation. How many players have we seen throughout history that were able to excel at major clubs despite shit attitudes and poor professionalism? For example Maradona, Zidane, Drogba, Ibrahimovic, Eto'o....it goes on and on. Cassano is no longer a spring chicken and we should not be looking at him in the context of "potential." At this point, he is in his prime. To truly establish himself as a world class talent he must continue to excel at Sampdoria or perhaps with a big club in the near future AND perform consistently well for the NT (and not just against the Estonias and Faroe Islands of this world). I agree that Balotelli is in a similar predicament. However, there hasn't been any dip in Balotelli's form to date. He performed consistenly well for Inter and scored on his City debut before injury. We'll see what happens from this point forward but Balotelli has as much ability as anyone else in the world at his position for his age.
Cassano's reign of terror continues. 65 minutes into today's match against Juve he already has an assist (a beauty of one too!) and a goal. This is even without Pazzini in the starting 11! I really get a feeling he's on track to having a career year. He's playing with a determination in him that I haven't seen since his early years with Roma.
I agree,i haven't seen him play like that since the the years with Roma as forzaabruzzo stated...keep it up your the man for Nazioale
I would love to see Emanuele Giaccherini on the national team. After his great display of skill and talent, I think he would be a great addition, enjoyed watching him play and could be a dynamic catalyst for our national team - the game flow between Milan and Cesena was absolutely fantastic for cesena - a pure delight of a game.
After putting up a lovely brace against Juve, I wouldn't at all be surprised if Pozzi has caught the eye of Prandelli now as well.
He had a good game but I don't think Pozzi is very good. On another note, Matri got 2 and Acquafresca got a goal this weekend. They're both promising players. However, Cossu was amazing supposedly.
Well, he's got 3 goals in his first 2 appearances. Also, any young striker that can manage 4 goals in one match, like Pozzi did against Cagliari as a 21 year old, must have at least SOME noteworthy talent. Unfortunately a bad injury while he was with Empoli kind of hampered his development a bit though. If he can keep up this form, then don't be surprised if he gets at least a friendly call up before the end of the year. I don't know too much about Matri, but I can tell you that I've always been a fan of Acquafresca. He was unfortunately a victim of circumstance last year with Genoa, but I'm hoping he can rediscover his form with Cagliari, where he happened to score and impressive 24 goals in just 66 appearances.
If this is true, we should definitely cap him. Waste no time. For a coach to have to choose among Criscito, Contento and Santon for the LB position is a good problem to have.
Matri is a pretty good player and he is similar to Acquafresca in terms of build and style of play. I do believe that Matri is better with the ball at his feet than Acqua though. He isn't a seconda punta but he can do a bit more in open play than Acqua. Pozzi is second to Pazzo, so that counts against him and Marilungo. If Pozzi can make the most of limited chances, then maybe Prandelli will give him a go. Cossu is an excellent player. He should have went to the World Cup instead of Camo. He could have been used as a right-winger or attacking midfielder and should have played in the playmaker role before Pirlo was available.
What is Prandelli's relationship like with Osvaldo? He seems to be doing fairly well so far in Spain.
Cesare Prandelli: Fiorentina Are Struggling Due To Their Physical Condition http://foreign.peacefmonline.com/sports/201009/83676.php Azzurri News for the Day: September 20th http://italy.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2010/azzurri-news-for-the-day-september-20th.html
Can't ever see that. Osvaldo (rightfully, imho) had a lot to say about Prandelli when he was shipped off to Bologna.
Italy Coach Cesare Prandelli Impressed With Cesena Attacker Emanuele Giaccherini Giaccherini has caught the eye of Prandelli. http://www.goal.com/en/news/10/ital...sare-prandelli-impressed-with-cesena-attacker
Cassano losing his cool again? http://www.football-italia.net/sep22m.html Lets just hope it's merely more media rubbish.