Jorginho and Donnarumma should be also mentioned to complete a top 5 list for Italy's players, this tournament. Bonucci did very well too but I thought Chiellini was even better; it's strange that Bonucci made the official UEFA Team of the Tournament but Chiellini didn't (all other 4 mentioned by you and me above made the team). I'd add Bonucci as our 6th best. Otherwise we had the next-man-up concept, with other players having ups and downs but being instrumental for certain victories, like Locatelli, Pessina, Barella, Insigne, Verratti...
An issue rarely mentioned is that we left behind Stefano Sensi and Lorenzo Pellegrini due to injury. They were supposed to make the 26-player roster but were dropped in early June due to injuries, replaced respectively by Pessina (who did have an impact) and Castrovilli (who didn't). Another interesting fact is that of the 26 players in our roster, 25 were called up at some point. The only player that did not see action was the 3rd goalkeeper, Alex Meret. This highlights the team concept, and the depth of our squad. We rotated a lot of people in this or that situation and ended up winning all 7 games either in regulation or penalty shootouts (with a sub scoring in the shootouts too - Bernardeschi
I actually don’t agree with everyone slamming Southgate for playing defensive. It was a smart move. If he doesn’t… the way we’re controlling the midfield 20 mins and later. We woulda banged in 2 or 3 more without them bunkering down.
I appreciate that. But you could be forgiven for thinking that Chiesa was an average player as I did before I watched his every game for Juve this past season. I though Chiesa was a relatively ordinary player in the times I saw him play for Fiorentina. It's not until we closely watched him every game for Juve that you could see he was special. Nothing against Berardi, but for me he is an ordinary player who plays for a provincial club. I couldn't fathom starting that guy over Chiesa who is arguably the best attacking talent we've had since the great crop of the late 90s and early 2000s.
BTW it works both ways. Many here have touted Bernardeschi. He certainly made made a contribution in the Euros and played relatively well when called upon-but you can't make me forget he did ********all at club level for the last three seasons, despite getting opportunity after opportunity. We can't let a great or poor tournament define who these players are. Would you want your club side passing on Mbappe because he had a shitty Euro?
No I think he shit the bed massively. Even if his goal was to play defensive, the formation he set out was excessive. Not trying to win, but not lose either in a final at home in Wembley. If you repeat it in your head it sounds insane. He should have just went with the same formation he lined up vs. Denmark. Not saying we don't beat them anyway, but he had a better chance and the game unfolds differently. Also, Rice and Phillips are good players, but I would play one and not both.
england got their formation painfully wrong in the final. Italy likely wins that match in 90 minutes if not playing a road match and conceding 2 minutes in the final.
Yes, I was about to say so. This England squad is just not as good as the Squadra Azzurra, and it is possible to defeat a better squad by scoring an early goal, parking the bus, and hoping for a penalty shootout, but it is usually not possible to defeat a better squad if you play fully open. Get England to move out the parked bus and this final would have ended 3-1 for Italy in regulation.
See, Chiellini didn't have a great Serie A season in 2020/2021 but he was a monster during the EURO 2020. Some of our players who did very well are from obscure/bottom feeders Serie A teams, and even teams that got relegated. It's not just club play. It's the chemistry of the Squadra Azzurra, the real team concept we saw, which elevated the play of certain players. Like I've been saying, this version of the Azzurri was bigger than the sum of its parts, and I credit Mancini for this. It's not for nothing that Mancini is enjoying a long stretch of invincibility. I agree that Chiesa is our best offensive weapon since our 2006 WC triumph. He is truly special: explosive, fast, dynamic, and he can suddenly score from outside the box or barely inside the box, making of him a nightmare for defenders to neutralize. I will say that we currently have the best midfielders in the world, and this is essential to success. See, the one game we didn't play well and were threatened with defeat, was the Spain game when they dominated the midfield by piling up more people there. Still, they couldn't beat us.
I don't think Bernardeschi did that well, when called upon. Yes, in a couple of games but overall he is mediocre. Well, I'm thankful that in both penalty shootouts, he scored. At least that, and I do value this skill and it was essential to the title victory. So, thank you, Bernardeschi, although I don't think you're that good. Very good example, Mbappe. A great player who had a disastrous EURO, which absolutely doesn't mean that he is not good. Less shiny, less evident, I'd say that Milan's Rebic is another player that I'm very happy to have in my club, but had a shitty Euro. First of all, Rebic was displaced into a center forward role most games while he is better as a left winger. He got no support from an anemic Croatia team that wouldn't serve him the ball. He looked to any external observer who doesn't know him from his Milan season (which had ups and downs but rather because of Covid and injury; when healthy he was great) as a very mediocre player, when he is anything but, and is one of my favorite Milan players together with Ibra and Kessie.
I think you missed it again, so let me ask again Which team, currently has more talent on the team, or left at home for various reasons be it injury or otherwise?
Definitely Italy. The injury situation probably was decisive in England being able to take the game to ET.
So what changes do you want to see? A healthy Spinazzola, Zaniolo, Sensi? Integrate a couple of the young CBs? Emergence of a real #9? All of the above?
With Southgate I think its simple and based on minute 25 to 120. If he plays with four defenders and attacks Italy all game, it would be over in regulation. Scoring first and going for a second for at least the next 20 showed that vulnerability.
I agree we should always be looking to get better. The standard around here (4 WC and 2 EC) is very high. That said, the only real big tweaks that have to be made are CF and RB. If Chiellini retires or is hurt, then you have to replace him as well. Obviously getting Zaniolo back is a game changer IF he is healthy. Imagine the panic in defenses with both Chiesa and Zaniolo taking turns running at them and then you have inserimenti from midfielders like Barella, Locatelli, Pessina, Pellegrini or Sensi. Then you will really see teams play scared and bunker.
Not reacting for the whole game? From 20 mins on Italy started to build the blanket of pressure. You must react to counter that.
I don't think Mancini & co are satisfied yet, you can tell there's still a chip on their shoulders. Anyone who doubts Italy from here on out is just a moron, the squad is only going to get better.
oh i agree he could have made some adjustments. but people are slamming him for not opening it up and going for it. I just don't think they could have gone toe to toe / run and gun with us. We would have broken them down sooner if they didnt park the bus.
Not sure that’s true, sadly. Chiellini and Bonucci, particularly together, will be nearly impossible to replace. Immobile was bad. Who knows if Spinazzola makes it back?
Spinazzola's injury is serious and may take 12 months to fully heal... but not 17 months, so chances are that he will be back for Qatar. Whether the injury will have some sort of permanent effect on his abilities is a concern and remains to be seen. Unfortunately Spinazzola is injury-prone and he has had other problems over the last three seasons, so, we'll see how healthy he will be. I think that Bonucci will play in Qatar. He will be, then, Chiellini's current age. It is more doubtful that Chiellini will. Acerbi is not an entirely bad replacement although he is no spring chicken either (will be 35 in Qatar). Also, like I said and others said as well, we have three talented midfielders who were either injured and left behind (Sensi and Pellegrini) or not 100% (Verratti). With them in full form, Mancini will have even more options for our already very strong midfield. We need to solve the RB and CF problems but there are solutions, suggested by others here. Yes, I believe that Italy will be better in Qatar than in the Euro 2020. But sure, the World Cup is also a more difficult tournament with Brazil and Argentina in the mix, and some tough and worthy African and (to a certain degree) Asian teams. So, I'm not saying we'll win it all. But what I'm saying is, we'll be title contenders in Qatar. It's really not far-fetched to suppose that we have decent chances to win it all. These competitions can be lost in a matter of one game out of unfortunate events (such as Spinazzola's and Chiesa's injuries almost dooming us) so it's never guaranteed that one of the favorites will actually do well, but we WILL be one of the top favorites; that's for sure.
The time for an athlete to go back to sports after an Achilles Tendon rupture is generally 4 to 12 months. I meant to mention the longest possible time (which shouldn't be the case for a world-class athlete like Spinazzola who will benefit from his club's rehabilitation resources) is still 5 months short of Qatar (which will happen in 17 months). What I meant is that Spina will likely (more on this below) be ready for Qatar if nothing else happens to him. But yes, he might recover as fast as in 4 months. To make it clearer I should have said "up to 12 months" but yes, it could be as little as 4 months. Now, this is the best case scenario. There is the possibility of complications so we can't be 100% certain that Spina will be fine. There is a chance that the Achilles tendon will not heal fully and further treatment such as additional surgery may be needed. Complications of surgery: these are usually minor complications such as a wound infection or reduced sensation near the operation site. About 4 in 100 people develop a wound infection following surgery to fix a ruptured Achilles tendon. The tendon may scar or may become shorter during the healing process. There is also a chance that the tendon could become torn again later (re-rupture). According to some research, the risk of a re-rupture is about 4 in 100 with surgical treatment. A clot can form in the blood vessels in the leg and this is more common after an Achilles tendon rupture. Another problem is that like we all saw, Spina's Achilles Tendon rupture was spontaneous. It didn't come as the result of trauma or a fall. He was running normally. So, it means that his tendon is prone to suffering under the regular stress of a football match workload. Like I said, Spina has been injury-prone in his career. He has had another tendon issue before. Who knows if he has some sort of constitutional weakness in his tendons, and will suffer a re-rupture, or will rupture the other one? So, I wouldn't 100% count on Spina for Qatar, but I certainly do hope that he recovers fully, nothing else happens and he can be in Qatar as well, that outstanding, attacking LB he's been for us in the Euro.