Building an Azzurri squad for 2022

if Florenzi plays at CB .. we’ll lose by 5 goals a game

 

GK: Donnarumma
LB: Pellegrini
CB: Chiellini
CB: Bonucci
RB: Di Lorenzo
CM: Verratti
CM: Jorginho
CM: Barella
LW: Insigne
CF: Belotti or Immobile
RW: Orsolini

tough to predict a year out. But I think if Pellegrini keeps progressing and gets lots of playing time next year I’d take him at LB. And Orsolini had a strong end to last (or I guess this current year)... dark horse to start at RW over Berna and Chiesa

 

Chiellini i think will still be there. He will be 36 next year, not 38. Depends on how his form is... but you never know with him.. he might pick up an injury like he always does LOL.

 

Yes my bad. For some reason I misread and thought euro 2021

for Qatar I’d def lean towards Chiellini not starting / on the team. I’d say by then Romagnoli or a Bastoni will get that LCB spot

I also think by 2022 Tonali and Zaniolo will be starters too

 

this seems likely , this team could see going to round of 16 or quarter finals.

I believe World Cup 2022 final will be portugal against an African side , with Portugal winning.

Italy will be a Contender for 2026.

 

I think it’s time for th your to develop as a team in 2022. My dream Azzurri team is as follows

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma;
LB: Luca Pellegrini
CB: Alessio Romagnoli
CB: Mattia Caldara
RB: Andrea Conti
CM: Stefan Sensi
CM: Sandro Tonali
LM: Nicolo Barella
LW:Lorenzo Insigne
CF: Moise Kean
RW: Federico Chiesa

Bench:
GK: Meret, Plizzari
D: Palmieri, Mancini, Bastoni
M: Zaniolo, Bernardeschi, Jorginho, Pellegrini
F: Scamacca, Orsolini, Immobile

 

I see our strength lying in the midfield moving forward which makes this a whole new Azzurri era. With the likes o Zaniolo, Tonali, Sensi, Pellegrini, Barella, Gaaglirdini, Locatelli. We have never seen so many talents young midfielders.

 

Italy is a legitimate dark horse at EURO 2020 (2021). I have 30 players listed below, which is probably the pool Mancini is choosing from. Anyway, my Italy would look something like this:

GK

(1) Donnarumma
(2) Sirigu
(3) Gollini

DEF

(4) Chiellini
(5) Bonucci
(6) Romagnoli
(7) Mancini/Izzo
(8) Palmieri
(9) Di Lorenzo
(10) D'Ambrosio/Spinazzola/Faraoni/Florenzi

MID

(11) Verratti
(12) Jorginho
(13) Barella
(14) Sensi
(15) Tonali
(16) Pellegrini
(17) Zaniolo
(18) Castrovilli

FOR

(19) Immobile
(20) Belotti
(21) Insigne
(22) Chiesa
(23) Orsolini/Bernardeschi/Kean/El Shaarawy

Starting 11 w/ a 4-3-3:

------------------------------ Donnarumma ------------------------------

------ Di Lorenzo ----- Bonucci ----- Chiellini ----- Palmieri ------

----------------- Verratti ----- Jorginho ----- Barella ------------------

------- Chiesa --------------- Immobile --------------- Insigne -------

Subs:

(1) Sensi --> Barella
(2) Belotti --> Immobile
(3) Orsolini/Bernardeschi/Kean/El Shaarawy --> Insigne

Starting 11 w/ a 3-4-2-1:

------------------------------ Donnarumma -----------------------------

------------- Mancini/Izzo ----- Bonucci ----- Chiellini -------------

--- Di Lorenzo ----- Verratti ----- Barella/Sensi ----- Palmieri --

----------------------- Zaniolo ------- Pellegrini -----------------------

----------------------------------- Belotti ----------------------------------

Subs:

(1) Immobile --> Belotti
(2) Tonali --> Barella/Sensi
(3) Castrovilli --> Pellegrini

Thoughts?

 

True ... I'd still take him, even for the bench. Other than his lashing of former teammates during this covid thing, he has been an absolute professional and leader for a long time. Romagnoli is not a bad option in that LCB position. Tough defender with good feet. It's his time.

 

Acerbi will be in the mix too if he has a season like this past one

 

Italy to face Northern Ireland in the World Cup qualifiers

Group C: Italy, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Lithuania

 

Italy's fixtures are:

Thu 25 Mar 2045 (Ita time), v. Northern Ireland (home)
Sun 28 Mar 2045, v. Bulgaria (away)
Wed 31 Mar 2045, v. Lithuania (away)
Thu 2 Sep 2045, v. Bulgaria (home)
Sun 5 Sep 2045, v. Switzerland (away)
Wed 8 Sep 2045, v. Lithuania (home)
Fri 12 Nov 2045, v. Switzerland (home)
Mon 15 Nov 2045, v. Northern Ireland (away)

Note: no games in June because of euro2020 and no games in October because of the UNL finals in Italy; the semi-final against Spain is at San Siro on Wed 6 Oct at 2045. The UNL final and third place games are on Sun 10 Oct.

One thing that stands out to me is that we play the Swiss three times in 5 months, once in the group stage at euro2020 and twice here.

 

Martinelli - who looks to be a fine young player at Arsenal and is eligible to play for Brazil and Italy - seems to be inclined to choose Brazil. A pity, given Italy's perennial problem finding strikers of int'l class.