A 3421 led by Scamacca, with Chiesa on the left and Orsolini on the right could be interesting. The way Scamacca has been able to suck in defenders and open up space for his teammates could be productive when paired with guys that have goals in them like Chiesa and Orsolini. Retegui has proven to be reliable in front of goal when given a chance, but he doesn't make others around him better the way Scamacca has been doing this season. Retegui more of an old school one dimensional 9 that just wants to score (which is cool to see as this type of player is a bit of an endangered species but unfortunately is a bit limiting and the game now demands more from every role and less specialists)
For me, Scalvini’s best position is as a stopper. He is a bit slow and can get caught out when playing as a braccio in the LCB or RCB position. Due to his lack of pace, he relies heavily on reading the game and anticipating the opponent’s decision before it happens. For that reason, by playing in a central position slightly in front of the backline he can act as a shield without having to worry about a misread from time to time. His passing ability is also very good, so in that central, more advanced position he can start attacks with passes through the lines alla Bonucci (again, from a slightly more advanced role). With him, Calafiori, and Bastoni’s passing ability out of the back, we will be in a better position than we have been for the last 10-12 years with just Bonucci. As for Darmian, he is as dependable as they come. You can plug him in a lot of spots and he will do a solid job. I just don’t see what the aversion is on this forum to using him in a position he is familiar with alongside players he has spent 2-3 seasons with.
I'm not Sicilian so no skin off my back but ********ing Palermo. Gonna need Cremonese or Catanzaro to get it done.
Di Gregorio named as Serie A GK of the Season. Yet not good enough to be #3 on the Azzurri. Carnesecchi is rated higher by Spalletti given he was in the March callups. In the late 2010's, felt there was a dropoff in GK'ing. Either that or just didn't bother looking as Buffon had the mantle for so long. But currently, top 5 or 6 GK's could easily be #1.
I know. Was referring to Meret. IMO, he is behind Carnesecchi at #5 at best. Perhaps even #6. 1: Gigio. 2. "Venom" (Vicario). 3. Di Gregorio. 4. Provedel. 4 Carnesecchi. 5. Falcone. 6. Meret.
Not too confident in progressing from the Group Stage. It's a difficult group where the potential is that Points will be dropped (or shared, depending on how you look at it). As such, one of the best 3rd teams may not emerge from this group. Albania: A fair amount of Albanian immigrants in Italy. Obviously like any immigrant group the match will mean a lot to Albanians in Italy. If Italy brush them aside like the match a couple of years ago in Tirana (Grifo brace), then it's the perfect start. Anything less than 3 Points and it's panic time. Spain: As I wrote the day of the Draw, a matchup between nations of the two most pleasant sounding languages. Only proper Italian trumps Spanish, in my humble estimation. As for the football, stylalisticly a nightmare, for probably both teams. I'm already falling asleep, bored to tears, at their useless 1M sideways passes. Looks great in the postmatch statistics at their 575 Passes but only about half of them will be useful. As boring as they are, they can still embarass teams. If I was offered 1 Point right now, I would take it. Croatia: Seems to be a theme out there that they are an old team. They aren't, they made replacements with many young talents. Man City and Leverkusen players among them. Modric is their "filter" so there should be no surprises for how Spalletti needs to set up Defensively. Ivan Perisic, when it looked like it was over, he rehabbed his ACL tear and will play. Like with Fagioli for Italy, could have some issues. Italy need to have 4 Points going into the 3rd match against Croatia as historically Croatia has been Italy's bogey team. 6 Points will be enough for advancement. 5 Points should be as well. 4 Points and it will come down to Tie Breakers. This is a very young Italy team, average age only driven up by Acerbi and maybe Jorginho. Many players with under 10 Caps. Written that, wouldn't change it at all. Need the younger players to start cutting their teeth. Could be beneficial as they may be ignorant enough to not let the occasion get to them. Hypothetically we can have a match where Flororunsho replaces Pellegrini, Bellanova for Darmian, Cambiaso for Dimarco, Calafiori starts. That's what? 4 Caps between all 4 players? Again, this needs to happen to continue the project but it's not ideal. Lesson's are going to be learned that International football is different. Will be happy with winning 1 Knockout Match (Top 8). Just have a feeling gonna finish 3rd in the Group. Hope I'm wrong. With this tournament under their belts, it's all out for 2026 Qualifiers.
Croatia is our “bestia nera”. We have never beat them in a competitive match. Would love to break that taboo
I know he's 34 YO and played bad in the March Friendly but 8 goals for Jack this season should not be overlooked. Starting to think that he should have been taken instead of Flororunsho. Only criticism is that most of these 8 goals were early in the season.
Cup Final FA Cup: What a howler by Josko Gvardiol. Here's hoping for something similar against Italy. Coupe de France: wishing Gigio a great performance and another trophy as PSG vs Lyon later today.
Scalvini 💪@Atalanta_BC || #UELfinal pic.twitter.com/nR0w8v9eBK— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 25, 2024
Don't need 11 Defenders. Hope Acerbi is cut. Fagioli in the Starting 11 for Juve. Kudos for Paolo Montero for recognizing he needs the Minutes.
Alright. Starting to warm up to Fagioli's inclusion. Nice ball over the top to Ciccio Chiesa. Pity that Sorrentino saved it.
Now a neat Pirlo-eque slip pass to Alex Sandro. Not sure how what's going on here but I am pleasantly surprised.
A shame Fagioli didn't go the entire 90 Minutes. Sideline Reporter on DAZN Italy said that minutes before he was subbed off, Fagioli was asked how he was feeling and Fagioli said he was just fine and didn't want to come off. He was removed anyways. 437 Minutes logged for the season Sky graded a few players a 7 on their pagelle, Fagioli one of them.
looks like it will be Cremonese v Venezia. 3-0 at half time for Cremonese. You can already hear the celebrations in Cosenza…
If stubborn Allergi actually played a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3, Juve wouldve done much better this season with Chiesa and Yildiz on the wings. Love see Montero playing Chiesa on the right, getting him ready for the Euros!
2games without Max, 2 goals for Chiesa. Not a coincidence at all!. Max wouldn't even start him most games...and if he did he was subbed off within 60 / 70 minutes. Chiesa is ready to breakout and perfect timing to go into the Euros with good form and hes completely recovered from the ACL. You also have to be impressed with Fagioli He jumped right in and was an impact player. Its clearly obvious that his struggles late last season and earlier this year were due to the gambling addiction and all of the pressure. Now that it is relieved he might be a staple in the Juve and Itialian midfield. Juve might have a distinct Italian look next season with Locatelli, Chiesa, Fagioli, Gatti, Di Gregorio and Calafiori all playing major roles.
Add Cambiaso. I want to see what Motta has got planned for Miretti. Still only 20 YO but I'd like to see maybe 250 more Minutes next season. 0 goals for the 2 American's however. With Locatelli at a measily 1 and McKennie at 0, gonna need an improvement next season. If Motta can't squeeze goals out of them, then they'll look towards Koopmeiners and Ederson. RE: Fagioli I'm really interested in seeing what Lucio has up his sleeve. Ricci has to be 1 of the cuts. Likely Provedel for 2. One Defender but I can't figure out who. IMO, only thing that saves Acerbi is his familiarity with the Shinter core. I think it could still be Fagioli as the 4th cut. But he could very well be the vice-Pellegrini. Any shortage there can be made up with Jack Jr being able to play as a 2nd Striker. Flororunsho likely vice-Cristante or vice-Pellegrini. If it's not a 4-3-3, then one of El Sha or Mattia Zaccagni become surplus goods and the 4th cut is one of them. A Rome Derby, if you will.