yes he's been impressive since January when he first moved to Monza so it's not just a few games this season. along with DeKetalare and Kalulu he is another fumble this AC Milan management team has made in the post Maldini era.
I heard Paolo talk once saying Daniel never asked for his dad's help in terms of advice or playing. I’m sure being Paolo Maldini’s son, Daniel has an easier go of it, but he also must produce because sooner or later, if you aren’t good enough, you won’t play. Francesco Totti’s son Cristian has been ridiculed in Serie D so being a son of a top player doesn’t always mean much.
yes and these days the sons of former players and in general athletes from the upper class are very common so it's not that unusual. even something like the Esposito brothers. we are no longer in a time where talents just emerge from the slums playing on the street. in sport and in entertainment talents that have access to top facilities and training at a young age and more than this the time afforded to them to practice their craft are the ones emerging and life becomes more and more expensive. basketball and football are the last truly universal sports because of their simplicity when it comes to field of play and equipment but football has moved closer to something like tennis than it has ever been. so really it's not unusual for Maldini to be a pro level player. can he rise above other Italians in Serie A? well that is the challenge and he is certainly in the mix but there are plenty of players younger than him already breathing down his neck for a spot on the nazionale going forward in his role.
I follow Italian media and fan podcasts a lot and I’m not seeing that. If it was felt that Maldini was getting selected just because of nepotism, trust me you would hear a lot more of it. Italian fans can be absolutely brutal. For myself, I always thought he had a good characteristics. This year he was Monza’s best player almost every game. He has shown to have a really high work rate. Here is a vid of Cassano (who is usually very critical) praising him https://youtube.com/shorts/xb-iySiu3DI?si=FiXGcqjqvKbHYchy
There were tons of posts in Italian on Facebook. Same thing out of Italy on many channels from what my relatives were saying. Many said the same thing. I'm betting now that Maldini Jr has a cap under his belt and did well, he will silence many of the critics though.
One thing I noticed, Spal sometimes looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. But in these 4 nations league games he has looked and acted more encouraging and positive. I think he knows mistakes he made for the EUROs when he was trying to squeeze success in a short turnaround. I think in some of his press conferences after the EUROs he was trying to explain where he knew he went wrong.
Good news! With today’s Nations League games, we are guaranteed a first seed spot for World Cup qualification!
Pot 1 it is then. This site is all over my timeline. I still want to top this Group. If Italy does advance in the UNL, I guess it means their Qualifiers will commence in June, not March. Open to correction. Although this tweet is contradictory. Supposedly "locked down" but Scotland, Poland, Hungary, Serbia could knock a team down. Which is it? 1845942372405834088 is not a valid tweet id
No way anymore we are out of Pot 1. This is a certainty. As for Nations League, the 3rd team of the group plays against an opponent to stay in Category A. In case of defeat, this team is relegated to Category B. This is what I think.
Yes, 3rd in the Group goes to a 'Relegation Playoff". Will likely be Belgium. I don’t like this expanded UNL. 8 matches should be more than enough. No need to increase it by 2 for the teams that go the distance. I could also do without the top 2 per group in League A advancing to the Final 8. Should have kept it at a 4 team Final Stage as has been from 2019.
Just read we are playing against France in Milano. I really hope this time the crowd doesn’t jeer Donnarumma every time he touches the ball. This is insane. When national team plays we support everyone wearing our shirt. Period.
On that note, the team may be winning back some supporters. Could have something to do with not having league matches this weekend or nothing better to do on a Monday night, but I read that the TV audience was almost 8M. I believe when the next Rankings come out, Italy will climb 1 spot to 9th.
For me the biggest question in the November window is what to do with Barella. He is Italy's best player but how can you justify removing Frattesi? 6 goals scored this past window and granted he only scored 1 but he remains the leading scorer under Spalletti. Also, before the talk of pushing him further up commences again, he admitted in his interview this week that playing as a SS as he did at times at the EC didn't not suit him. Of course, Chiesa. He really should be brought in for Pellegrini. With Chiesa and Retegui up top you are gonna have some next level work rate.
Frattesi is probably going to go to the bench and inserted as a sub. Barella-Tonali-Ricci is hands down the best midfield we can offer.
A comment on Maldini being accused of nepotism. I was one of them. At the time it was sus because he was one of the few Italian's at Milan and who his grandfather was and father is.
Something I came across just now. I only use X to lurk, can't be bothered to post messages. 1846598005354283314 is not a valid tweet id But these were Davide Frattesi's comments just a few days ago about the very subject of playing in the hole behind the CF: "Asked if he could be the man to step into the ‘second striker’ role in a 3-5-1-1 system, Frattesi said: “Honestly I don’t think so. I tried it when we played that way in the EUROs, but I don’t think it gets the best out of my strengths."
Chiesa needs minutes. He's played 78 total minutes this season, plus he's working back from a injury. I'd be surprised to see him on the squad next month, just because there are options who've been playing regularly and in good form. Sure, Lucca isn't Chiesa, but what version of Chiesa is this, right now?
Luciano Spalletti: "There are several Under 21 boys from the national team. Baldanzi is definitely the most ready, Gnonto has already been there, and Casadei has got into the swing of things." He was at the big Italy Ireland game which saw the U21 advance to the Euros next summer. My hope is that he integrates Baldanzi and/or Gnonto into our squad in the future, they both would look good in the SS role, I personally like Gnonto as he has a lot of Chiesa in him where he takes players on and he seems to always makes the right pass. Casadei is a giant in the air and such a clutch player. Getting these young phenoms into the squad is such a positive move from our coach!
Here are some options: *Bench Frattesi our top goal scorer. Chiesa or Jack behind Retegui. *Frattesi as a False 10 *Barella as a 10 (he played there at times vs the Swiss) *Bench Ricci and play a 3-4-2-1 *Bench Ricci, move Tonali to CMF, move Barella to the left side *Bench Tonali and move Barella over to left side Tonali and Ricci should not be benched. Barella must start. If it was a friendly, I would love to try Frattesi playing a false 10 role to see how it plays out. For these next games tho, Frattesi might have to come off the bench as an impact sub, which honestly sucks as he is our most clutch goal scorer. After these Nations League games, do we go straight into playoffs and/or World Cup quals, or will there ever be any friendlies?