Building an Azzurri squad for 2022

Italy's 37-game unbeaten run is now the longest streak in men's international football.

 

pretty impressive considering immediately before this streak was our darkest period in our history.

 

The problem with the 2018 World Cup qualification was not only because Ventura didn't know what he was doing but he also had a select group of players that were too old to compete.

Its one thing to have Bonicci and Chiellini on defense but they are only two defenders.

By November 2017, DeRossi, Candreva, Parolo, Buffon, Darmian and Barzagli were all spent and had no business being on the national team.

The younger 2021 class that Mancini had also weren't quite ready in 2017 as they were too young.

 

Correction.

It’s not that Matteo Darmian was too old in 2017, he just wasn’t that good for the national team. It’s no wonder that he hasn’t been picked since then.

Also, both Bellotti and Immobile (back then) could not score for a hill of beans.

 

I generally agree with you guys on Berardi. I do think he is a very good player. He is not quite world class but he is still really good and a player that can be very dangerous.

It reminds me back when Chile was really strong, Vargas was a huge key player for them. I've never heard anything spectacular about Vargas at all at club level but he was dangerous when he played for his national team. There are so many players that are very dangerous and well known in national football but are often nowhere to be seen or at least not players that clubs go after in club football.

Here are some huge examples: Vargas, Isla, Lavezzi, Srna, Corluka, Valbuena, Witsel, Danny Welback, G. Sigurdsson, Perisic, Huntelaar, Janmaat, Giacherinni, Podolski, James Rodriguez, Finnbogason, Javier Hernandez, and many more that are just not at the top of my head. I feel that all those players were not very recognizable at club level (Perisic and James maybe for 1-2 seasons but only for a short time), but they performed exceptional for their national teams and were pretty dangerous players in major tournaments.

 

Berardi is a good club player but just not a national team player. In the olden days of all of Italy's great forwards, Vieri, Inzaghi Toni , Delpiero and Totti, there would be no way he would make the team.

That was when you could only bring 4-5 forwards to a tournament though. Now with a 26-man expanded roster and five substitutions per match, I can see how it’s easier to bring Domenico along.

 

Let’s face it though, we did have a real golden generations of attacking players in the time of: Totti, Toni, Del Piero, Inzaghi, Gilardino, Vieri, and Iaquinta. Even Baguio was still not completely past it at the beginning of many of those players’ prime careers.

It’s very rare for a team to have that kind of talent consistently. It comes in generations but it doesn’t happen all the time when he have talent like that. Remember back when Spain had the golden generation of midfielders: Xavi, Alonso, Iniesta, Busquets, Fabregas, Gabi, Koke, Isco, Thiago Alcantara, and Mario Suarez? That was similar but Spain doesn’t have that kind of depth in midfield as they used to. It all comes in generations.

 

Not to mention I forgot about Javi Martinez as well for Spain’s golden midfield generation.

 

They were all great but Baggio was the best attacking playmaker I've ever seen for Italy.

 

Lorenzo Pellegrini has started the season in spectacular form for Roma. Another young Italian midfielder staking a claim. Italy have an embarrassment of riches in the middle.....

 

He was supposed to be at Euro 2021 but got injured!

 

deep and all under 30.

Midfield (age)

Jorginho (29)
Verratti (28)
Barella (24)
Zaniolo (22)
Locatelli (23)
Pellegrini (25)
Sensi (26)
Pessina (24)
Castrovilli (24)
Cristante (26)

Then we got our U21 mid who are all looking to be studs too:
Tonali (21)
Rovella (19)
Ricci (20)
+ Fagioli (20)

 

I hope Zaniolo doesn't get injured again.

If healthy, he would be a good addition to Italy's midfield

 

Yes, our midfield is ridiculously good. Has anyone seen how good Tonali is this year? I don't even recognize him from last year. He's easily been the best midfielder in Serie A so far this season.

I'm not sure if he was hampered by injury last year or what, but he's way more aggressive, winning balls, taking people on the dribble, and he looks stronger and faster. Kudos to him for putting in the work.

 

Getting better and more experienced; he's very young. Yes, doing great.

 

Yes Italy have an abundances of riches in the midfield, But our forwards after Immobile and Belotti is a bit of a joke.

Raspadori, Scamarca, Esposito, Pinamonti...all hyped up but i doubt will ever amount to anything serious, might end up like Curtrone.

I'd put my money on Kean and the 20 year old playing on Crotone, Samuele Mulattieri who is ripping it up in Serie B. If a nation like Norway can produce a player like Haaland, Italy must do better.

 

Lorenzo Colombo also has had a good start in Serie B this year (Milan owned, SPAL loan, 19 yrs old).

I like Kean and would definitely give him a shot. i disagree on Raspadori and Scamacca. I think they got it. I too have some PTSD from attackers being overhyped lately..but these two are something special. Pinamonti i would agree is slipping into that Cutrone category (will perhaps be a decent striker for a provincial team sort of career).

 

I think Esposito has the most talent...he' still only 19 as well. i think he has the best combo of size, athleticism and tools. He takes awesome free kicks as well. Rasp definitely has potential He's short but has a good base. I think he can become a DiNatale type. Is he a world class forward? Probably not, but definitely NT material for today's Italian national team. Scamacca just seems like a waste of talent to me. The guy has seemingly every tool but I don't see the drive or want to. And he's been on a different team every year so surely that says something. Kean's not an out and out striker, i think he prefers the wing and that's where Manicini has played him as well. I like what i have seen with this Mullateri kid...he scored a lot in the weaker Dutch league but seems to be replicating it in Serie B. Let's see if he can keep it up. He was recently called up to the Under 21's based on his form

 

Tonali has started the season pretty well, but it will take a lot for him to break into the squad at this point for the WC. You have to figure if injury free....Barella, Locatelli, Jorginho, Verratti, Pellegrini, and Pessina are all locks for the squad. If national teams go back to 23 players on a roster, Tonali will probably have almost no chance of getting in regardless of form. If 26 players are kept, then he will fight Sensi, Cristante, and Castro for that last spot (and Mancini seems to really love Cristante).

I also find it interesting that everyone keeps bringing up Kean as a possible CF option when he basically never plays there anymore. He's a winger. He's battling the likes of Zaniolo and Berna for that fourth winger spot....though I guess it's possible Zaniolo makes the squad over Raspadori as a false nine option if 26 players stays.

 

Tonali had another good game today. He is already very rapidly evolving into a major player, despite being so young. But yes, he faces competition with some really really world class midfielders, the sector of the game where we're so rich. So, it doesn't look good for him in terms of this coming World Cup, but he has a bright future ahead of him.

 

Another Maldini in azzurro?

Per wiki....

 

I would definitely put Tonali over Sensi and Castro but yes Manicini loves him some Cristante. Probably because he offers more of a defensive presence closing out games.

Sensi's been a huge disappointment as he just cannot stay healthy...guy's made of glass

 

I know it's early, but Mattia Destro anyone??

 

Destro will be 31 at the next World Cup. He seems to be playing well this year but I seriously lost track of him when he left Roma. He hasn’t played for Italy since 2014 but if he keeps scoring , why not pick him? Italy can always use a goal scorer!

 

Yeah you have to wonder how his career went off the rails. He started out on fire at Roma and was a well thought of prospect, then seemed to bounce around. Hopefully he can keep up this form