Who are you talking about? I'm ignoring the person you're speaking with so I couldn't see the name of the player you're referencing.
I agree. The defense is much more solid when Chiellini is playing. And he is able to play 90 minutes, so I don't know why we've been utilizing him less often. In this regard he is more resilient than Ibrahimović who looks so more athletic, but seems more fragile regarding injuries (it is true that Ibra is 3 years older than Chiellini but he looks younger). Acerbi is not at all in the same category. Chiellini is indeed much better than Acerbi. Maybe Mancini knows that Chiellini is close to retirement, and doesn't utilize him as often, to see if a suitable replacement can be found. That replacement definitely is not Acerbi, who by the way is not young either (33, only 4 years younger than Chiellini).
We all know national team tournaments and games are played younger players with the exception of a few defenders and goalkeepers. What I want to know is, what’s the point of picking a 37-year-old if you won’t play him? It’s not like this was an important tournament and if he wants to think about the future, you don’t take Chiellini at all. You either play him or you don’t’ take him at all. Also, if you want to split hairs, Acerbi is good but nowhere near the defender Chiellini is.
Hopefully Romagnoli stays healthy and gets plenty of game time this season, he's actually very good, better than Bastoni that's for sure. Calabria has been great as well, i hope he stays healthy, glad to see Zaniolo getting some playing time as well but it looks like he's nowhere near as good as he was pre-injury, hopefully it's just bad form/recovery.
Not a suprise Zaniolo is far from the player he was when he missed virtually two whole seasons at such a crucial period of his development. Switzerland have just won 4-0 in Lithuania - who themselves beat Bulgaria 3-1 on Saturday - so whoever wins next month's game in Rome will go to Qatar, with the loser facing the playoffs. A draw would mean it will come down to the final night.
I really hope that the missed penalty by Jorginho against Switzerland will not be the moment that has doomed our qualification to Qatar, especially because I love Jorginho. Hopefully it won't come to that and we'll simply win in Rome. But here is what is the tiebreaker situation, if we draw: We are still two goals ahead of Switzerland. If we draw and we both win our last matches, we'd have to win ours by a goal difference not inferior by more than one goal, to Switzerland's difference. Say, we win 1-0 and Switzerland wins 2-0, we advance. Then the next tiebreaker is goals scored. In goals scored we have 2 goals ahead of them too, but if we need to go to this criterion, it would necessarily mean that we'd be even there, as well. Then next is away goals in matches between the two teams; when we played there, it was 0-0 so any draw with goals in Rome will get us behind. So we have to root for: 1. A win against Switzerland, obviously. We'd advance regardless of the last night results. 2. If a draw, a 0-0 one would be more favorable to other tie breakers but wouldn't see us through yet. 3. If a draw by 1-1 or more, we need to beat Northern Ireland, and if Switzerland beats Bulgaria too, we need to beat Northern Ireland by a difference that is not inferior by more than 1 goal to Switzerland's difference in their win against Bulgaria. 4. If a draw by 0-0 then we can afford a goal difference in the last journey, inferior to Switzerland's by up to 2 goals, to go to then next criterion. If it is 2, then it goes to the fair play criterion; which is about yellow and red cards; I have no idea if we're ahead or behind Switzerland in that regard. If it's 3 then Switzerland advances. 5. If we need to go to fair play and we are equal there, then it's drawing of lots. Of course if we both lose our last matches (unlikely) we'd again need to lose by a goal difference not bigger by more than 1, than Switzerland's loss. Of course in the last night if we win and they draw we advance, or if we draw and they lose. Here is how the fair play criterion is scored for each player incident: first yellow card: minus 1 point indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points direct red card: minus 4 points yellow card and then direct red card: minus 5 points ---------- Like you said, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, and Lithuania are now all three eliminated from Qatar. Neither one can place first or second in our group. ---------- In addition to Qatar (hosts) and Germany (who qualified yesterday), Denmark qualified today.
The playoffs consist of 3 groups of 4 teams; with a single-game semifinal and a single-game final; the three winners advance to Qatar. If the qualifiers ended today, here are the teams that would be headed to it: Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Scotland, Norway, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Austria (via Nations League) and Wales (via Nations League).
Just win in Milan. We are a better team than Switzerland and wasted too many efforts against them in the first game. This team isn't missing this WC. It will be all hands on deck in Milan.
Not qualifying in 2017 was brutal! I hope the national team doesn’t have to face another playoff round to make the World Cup. Italy as we a nation can not take another elimination….
I can't believe this is a discussion yet again. THANFULLY the game is not in Milan, nothing better than our "supporters" booing our NT and i hope a game is never played there again. With that said, Mancini needs to get these lineups correct, Chiellini is a must regardless if he plays in the WC or not, things are just too shaky at the back right now and his experience is needed. We'll see what happens.
Interestingly, the national team went through similar phase for years when Maradona’s Argentina eliminated Italy at the Italia 90 World Cup in Naples. From what I recall, the FIGC purposely didn’t schedule any games in Napoli for many years after that….
Looks like the worst case scenario did indeed happen . When we drew Spain in our qualifying group for the 2018 WC qualifiers , I predicted 2 years prior in 2015 we were going to place 2nd in the group behind Spain in group G. Either due to pts or should we be so lucky to tie them on pts , then they would certainly have the GD over us . They ended up passing us on both sadly . When the WC qualifying groups were drawn from the pots , we were orginally drawn into Group I ( Iceland took our spot after we were held back ) and the reason we were held in the drawing was because of media rights. We had to be in Groups A through G with 6 teams ( as opposed to 5 teams in groups H and I ) . Therefore we ended up with Spain , after being held back when placed initally into I , finally ending up in G with Spain on the next go around draw. At that moment I knew we were really really screwed. I knew we were screwed even before that after failing to be placed in Pot 1 with all the other top UEFA teams , because our ranking was crap when the groups were drawn in 2015 . We were in Pot 2 if you recall. When I mentioned we would have a hard time with Spain many were optimistic about our chances placing 1st. I had no such delusions as I knew the best we could do is tie them on pts as they would surely have the goal difference. As such many still weren't worried because if we placed 2nd they thought we had the caliber being a seeded team to out perform the majority of the unseeded teams . We placed 2nd and then we drew Sweden in a 2 legged Playoff. The rest is history. I have this bad feeling again in my stomach and this time we have no such fortune of a 2 legged Playoff against only a unseeded team . We play at best Macedonia home. If we don't screw that up , then either a crap situation in Istanbul , or a very crappy situation in Lisbon . Margins mean everything. Something Jorginho should be aware of twice by now . Something the team should already have been aware of prior to the draws against Bulgaria and N. Ireland. This frigging team. I swear.
Your analysis is correct, but "this frigging team" has just given us the immense pleasure of being European champions. We can't win all tournaments. This generation of players has already conquered a major trophy.
Can't win them all ....but we at least should qualify for them all. Or almost all. They have no such luxury this time to afford missing this WC after just winning the Euro but also missing the last WC before that. Sends wrong message. Terrible look just after winning the Euro. Greece was the last Euro champ to not qualify for the following WC. Thats not exactly good company as they were an anomaly champ in the purest sense , but not us. Yes indeed it would be a terrible look after not qualifying for the last WC but also being the Euro Champs simultaneously. Italy not qualifying for a WC should be a freak outcome happening only every 50 years or so . When 1st place today in a qualifying group gets right in and 2nd place goes to what used to be a 2 legged playoff , then there are no more excuses for a nation like Italy ( of 50 million plus ) after just winning the Euro for the second time . Euro winners 68 , 20 - runner up 2000 and 2012 - third 88 - 4th 80 / WC winners 34 , 38 , 82 , 06 - 2nd 70 , 94 - 3rd 90 - 4th 78 They simply CAN NOT fail to qualify for a second WC in a row just after winning the Euro. There are no excuses or leniency to their caliber. Even a mediocre Italy has no excuse. Italy may have a harder path given only 23 percent of UEFA teams qualify where it's highly competitive among many nations . It didnt help either with this new and totally arbitrary unbalanced one game KO playoff system . And yes they may have a harder path compared to Conmebol where 50 percent qualify , so Brazil or Argentina just have to place in the top 4 to 5 spots out of 10 ( huge disparity in pedigree between them and the other half that table of 10. The 4.5 spot still gets the opportunity to play a 2 legged playoff against usually a much weaker side ) . But at this point there is no excuse anymore to not be one of those 13 teams from UEFA . That freak anomaly happened in 2018 . Given that they shouldn't be due for another for another 50 years , but instead they are facing the prospect of it happening again and too soon . Too soon as in right after 2018. Hell yeah this frigging team ! ...They should stop making themselves and their people sweat all the time when much of it is unnecessary. I thought they would have learned that by now. As to stop messing around and get it done so it doesn't always come down to....slim margins . The Swiss never gave up while Italy shit the bed. Qualify . That's it. Whether in Portugal or Turkey , should they not screw the pooch against Macedonia . I hope they realize what is at stake , because many other Italians do.
I agree with all of that, although I would say that while the overall quality level has risen across UEFA over the last decade or so, the number of WC places has not, hence the competition to qualify becoming more intense. Remember, Switzerland eliminated France from the EC and nearly eliminated Spain too. Nevertheless, having reflected on the draw, I feel that Italy will qualify.
I guess you're right. But I think if we are not facing injury problems in March, we should beat Northern Macedonia easily at home, and we do have the quality to beat Portugal or Turkey on the road.
At this point in his career his minutes are being managed carefully. Remember last year he missed a lot of time due to injuries.