Rebuilding The Azzurri for Euro 2024 and beyond

I hate diving as much as the next man but cmon guys. You guys invented this. Italy has always been the masters of the dark arts.
We have to start cheating more to try and win something! It’s been so long, most of the players in the 66 side have passed away

 

Only Alex Delpiero when he was young, kept falling down then he stopped after he was getting yellow carded too many times.

 

Harry Kane is the worst. The English like to pretend they're hard men , holier than thou, invented the game lol, criticize other nations, when they are the worst divers around these days. Don't act tough when you are on the ground every 10 minutes. Kane gets a free pass for the most part but not from me.

 

What's with the MLS obsession? Every time there is in international break and games, somehow the conversation always degenerates to a discussion about MLS. Isn't there an MLS thread to talk MLS in? What's the relevance in here?

As far as Bernardeschi is concerned, the league he plays in wouldn't matter when you have 5-6 options that are superior to him. The fact that he's playing in a poor quality league means he's not facing the best opposition he can on a weekly basis and is another reason to move on from him. Both of those are reasons.

His time is over. Get over it.

 

Oh fck off already. Beating Italy is your Euro trophy this session. You know it. Lap it up while you can because you are not winning the Euro. Just remember that.

 

Mostly because I’m an MLS fan and the Serie A.

Why are you or anyone else for that matter, trying to downplay the league?

I’m betting no one on this board who is criticizing him has even watched one game he has played in so how would or could you know how or what his form is?

No one knew Rategui last week and he isn’t even born in Italy so I think Berna deserves a look!

Also Politano just said Mateo isn’t good enough compared to others and at least Berna is an Italian born player!

I also don’t believe he all of a sudden became worse or all this level of the league BS because if it were true, they wouldn’t consider Serie B players.

That’s just ignorance from people or posters who haven’t seen him play in the last six months!

If they are picking the bottom tiers already I say at least give him a shot.

Non abbiamo nessun giocatore in Serie A oppure in Italia che è capace di segnare un gol e si vede dai i risultati.

 

Emerson starting -- Why?

 

Argentina has been a dissaray (not that it wasn't before), for about 10 years now. However it still make a lot of talent, mostly because of football culture I was talking earlier. Also unlike the Italian Federation, AFA doesn't screw up it's youth system (there's a few exceptions). Clubs still maintain academies and schooling to develolpe talent all over Argentina. The prority is then to move them into the men's first team.

This is why my last message was more concerned about football culture. African countrires don't have the stability of most leagues around the world,but they have football culture at least. Yes, poverty also is one of the reasons, but that's it's not the most relevant reason.

 

When I lived in Florence in the early 2000’s, Argentina was going through a financial collapse and crisis.

At that time, almost every worthwhile player lined up to get their Spanish, German or Italian passport.

That’s when you had the Veron scandal on how he couldn’t prove his ancestry.

Anyway, I still believe if they are looking everyone else in world for Italian players, there should be no reason on why Bernardeschi can’t be given at least a look.

This level of league (LOL) form is just an ignorant narrative that has no proven truth it.

Italy hasn’t made 2 consecutive World Cup tournaments, have no attacking mids or forwards.

I believe if you are good enough, you should be able to play for the national team and all of these theories have no basis.

 

We look like trash in the 1st half again.

 

We finally have a striker. Sit your ass down Scammaca, Kean

 

Gnoto with Spina was synergy. Gnoto with Emerson = Gnoto stranded alone on an island. Even against Malta Emerson was timid

 

The only goals for the teams I watch come from crosses and set pieces.

 

That should have been a penalty

 

Your perspective is so upside down I can't even believe I'm going to say what I'm going to say here.

Read, again,

This is an Italian NT thread, yet every time I come in here to discuss or read about the Italian NT, you somehow and probably better you're completely unconscious about it, try to pump up MLS.

I reminded you that there is an MLS thread better suited for you to drool in. Why not go to the source of your obsession and leave everyone else who don't care out of it? Are you that obsessed over this league that you have to drool about it everywhere?

Get a grip.

This is where you belong. Go

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forums/major-league-soccer.958/

Are you really this obtuse?

He was shit when he was in Serie A.
There are 5-6 players better than him.
Now he's in a garbage league playing against garbage opposition and you want to pretend his form in a garbage league makes him eligible.

He's done.

Both of you need to stick to MLS.

I didn't think you could make a dumber argument than the last one, but you've really impressed me with this one.

I'll try to explain even though I know you won't understand.

Retegui has the characteristics that our team needs. He's in form. He's been scouted by professionals. In other words not you. They deemed him worthy of a look and obviously Bernardeschi wasn't even discussed.

He scored on his one and Italy's one and only shot on net in his first game with limited touches.

Now for the wing. We have better options. We know this is true.

Why the fck would you look at someone who isn't even third or forth tier?

Go to the MLS forums. You're better at talking low level football than upper tier. I'm comfortable saying that you're well out of your league here, like Bernardeschi.

 

Retegui gets another goal and someone is taking about why donkey Bernardeschi isn't getting a call up as some sort of comparison.

 

You see, there's little rocket science going on here.

When you score routine goals when you get routine chances, then you stay.

It's really not that complicated.

 

This Ref is blind, should be 2 penalties now

 

Emerson is terrible. I don't know why this guy gets called up. Dimarco get better soon please

 

I was a little worried early on but then I remembered Pellegrini didn't start.

 

Could have tried Udogie in this game too if he called him.

 

A few random thoughts.

Mancini played England perfectly in the Nation's League, both times, then goes stupid in this very last game. He's stuck between two worlds and needs a vacation to sort himself out. It's the perfect time to swap in a good coach. When you fix a problem, only to revert back to the problem your judgement is lost.

This game vs Malta is a time to play around with your favorite 4-3-3 but in the English game you go with what works.

The issue with winning this way today is that it gives him belief in trying to improve his favorite formation. In a game, in which in the first half alone you should be up by at least 4 or 5 isn't convincing. These are the games to sharpen the 4-3-3 but now that you have another alternate formation that is proven, you should not abandon it in crucial qualifiers.

Politano is the third tier winger on the right for Italy, when everyone is healthy probably the 4th. His opinion somehow matters when he made claim that there are several Retegui quality strikers in Serie A. He's not wrong about that. He remains a third or forth tier option on the right, well above a relegated Bernardeschi.

In this very moment Retegui has done what no other striker has been able to do for years and score in back to back games.

This is not rocket science, he get's to continue there.

 

2-0, but a couple loose moments from Romagnoli/Scalvini in the back. Good thing Donnarumma is a wall.

I like Grifo, man. He strikes shots cleanly. If the ball falls to him, he's going to take an earnest rip. Sad to see Gnonto hobble off, even though he wasn't too sharp before the injury.

I'm failing to recall how Mancini wants his CF to play. It doesn't appear that Retegui is threatening runs in behind the CBs, but he's not necessarily providing a hold-up/outlet option. Whatever the strategy, I'd like for him to get some regular touches. I don't think it's a good strategy to expect a guy to finish every rare ball that comes his way--or that he'd feel pressured to take a shot, given th lack of touches. Just a random thought. He certainly buried that header after slyly creating space while the ball was in the air.

 

Italy's defense has improved in one game, but that midfield needs so much work.

 

Ma mi faccia il piacere!

You and no one on this board knows anything about Rategui and didn't even know he existed until last week.

Just because he scored a goal means nothing and you still have no idea how he will play.

As far as posting, I will post as I please and anything I want.

If you don't like my posts, I strongly suggest you either ignore it, take it off the board or report it!