the thing to remember with a lot of these defenders is that it took years for Acerbi Barzagli Bonnucci to become great even Chiellini was heavily critiqued when he was young. I think we have a fairly strong group of defenders to choose from the issue is that the generation between Bonnucci Chiellini and this crop failed so there is no one to hold things together as they learn at the top level. It was meant to be Romagnoli Caldara and Rugani filling that gap but it didnt work out. Its very obvious we need a tactical leader back there calling the shots. Only time will produce that as Acerbi is now too old and there is no one else available.
No because we still have a Bastoni problem and we still have a lack of quality in players that are right footed at both CB and RB. Calafiori at LB is great but then you need a good marker next to him. We all saw Bastoni yesterday. Too often out of position because he’s not used to playing that deep. At Inter he has Acerbi that gives him cover. I know that Gattuso has his ideas, but there is no time to experiment. We need to use a system that the players can easily adapt to.
Just rewatched a highlight package of that madness yesterday. I am still a bit in shock just how well Kean-Retegui played off each other in these two matches. Not top competition by any means, but the hold up and runs made off each other was absolutely fantastic. We have absolutely found lightning in a bottle up top with those two. I am excited to see what they can look like with even more time to gel and play together. Retegui heading to Saudi is even more upsetting after seeing some of those flashes from him over this break. His emergence has been something else. I found him a bit timid early on with the Azzurri, ultimately to his rise with Gasp and Atalanta, and then now where it's all coming together. That said, I am so happy for Kean. The tools were always there in the toolbox and everything is working in harmony now. He's so strong, athletic, and his game has matured so much over the last few seasons. The only knock has been consistent finishing -- but he has been all over it in the right spots and games like yesterday with two world class goals say a lot. It's hard to believe he is still only 25 being around the scene for so many years. We really have something cooking up top between Kean, Retegui and of course Jack off the bench who has been money in the bank. I still think there's even more potential there if Rino (formation dependent) can figure out the right combo on the wings to support these guys up top. Silver linings and all that.
I have wrapped my head around Gigio's performance vs Israel. He made some good saves, in fact some match winning saves to be honest, especially the mad scramble where he anticipated and improvised to save with his inside right leg at the top of the box. That's some old school Italian anticipatory goalkeeping, I loved that. That's not luck, that's good goalkeeping and desire. The punch backwards and then Di Marco heading into the goal was embarrassing. Also, in my opinion, the Israel player reached his arm out first to box out Gigio, so the foul is absolutely the correct call. The player-initiated contact with the GK and make it clear he was impeding. But I must separate the two. the foul was spot on to be called, regardless of what happened after. The punch backwards was embarrassing. I can't tie Gigio to any of the own goals. As much as I want goalkeepers to be ready for that, even when the own goals are as slow and dumb as the ones we conceded yesterday, they are just so hard to save. It's so unexpected even when it is happening in slow motion. In my organized amateur playing experience, it got the best of me too. It's frustrating. You hate yourself and your entire team for being so stupid. The second Israel goal would be a world class save...I want Gigio to make that save, but in the end I can't task him with making it. The header goal though that tied 4-4, that one bothers me. Gigio seemed lost and dejected, and I thought there was ample time for Gigio to move his feet to make an effort on the header across or dive and spread on the subsequent header into the goal. Gigio just pivoted in place (a no-no with goalkeeping) rather than move his feet to try to deal with the danger. This is the one that I think Gigio handled poorly, and I think he let the events of the game prior impede his ability to respond to that situation. Gigio scored a 6.5 and honestly to me, that is fair. He handled some saves really well. two negatives are the punch backwards despite contact being initiated, and poor effort on goal 4.
There goes that. Norway leading 1-0. 6th Minute. It really is going to have to be Israel to steal a Point off them next month. ********. Now 2-0.
I think no matter what we do, the playoffs await us. Norway are much better situated than we are and if they keep the 4-0 (or more), the game in Milan is a moot. Norway is proving to me time and time again they aren't taking their eye off the ball. Good for them. I think Norway won the battle and we will have to focus on the broad war.
5-0 at half time, lol. That is why I've always been saying we will prolly never catch up to Norway's GD, they are a goal scoring machine. We need to get 2nd place to make the playoffs, that will be our route to the World Cup like usual.
We just need to focus on winning the rest of our matches and hope for a Norway draw/loss with one of the other teams.
Israel isn’t going to do shit and if we go up against Norway the way we have been playing we are going to get embarrassed.
Really all there is to it. Catching the GD was always a pipe dream anyways, so we have to hope they can slip up at some point and capitalize. Not likely, but it is what it is. Regardless, take care of our own business and see where the chips fall. A playoff likely looms.
For me, hoping for the slip is a nice "oh ok, cool. We have a lifeline". But I'd like that and the GD to just go down the toilet. I hope we focus on calling the right players, playing the right formations, and improving our disastrous defense. All of that will prepare us for the inevitable playoffs.
Norway barely beat Estonia anything can happen still. Either way it’s not like beating Norway in the final game is easier than winning the playoff. Even if we beat them in the first game that last game would have been an eliminator. They may feel confident but having to beat Estonia and Israel is not easy for them. Lucky for them Spalletti made a mess of it. If we got a draw they would likely had to beat Estonia beat Israel and then beat us in Italy. Psychologically those would have been three difficult games for them. We also have to remember that our defence was bad in part because we were chasing the GD which was always a gamble against Israel who have some speed. Spaletti ball led to 2-0 against a very poor Moldova side. Gatusso was dealt a tough hand. No reason why we cant finish stringer than them even if it ends up being not enough. Will they be brave against Israel?
Okay, so now going forward the goal differential talk is officially dead. Norway killed that today, but it's fine. We still can get first IF Israel somehow doesn't lose to Norway. Very, very unlikely especially being played in Norway. Anyway, our goal should be to win all our games going into the Norway game, and that game where everyone thought would really matter won't mean squat bc if we beat Israel and they lose to Norway, that game will be inconsequential bc we would be 2nd place no matter what.
Norway are a serious team that are serious about qualifying for the World Cup. We’re not going to qualify via the front door. We need to use these games to build our squad and take our chances in the playoffs
that's insane we really do have terrible luck in world cup qualifiers .. Norway have had a talented squad for a few years and never showed this kind of form. they failed to qualify in 2024 and now they are terminators. Theo Aasgaard a 23 year old who has played 3 games for Norway and never scored before scored 5 goals today. Tell me we aren't cursed lol. He is a midfielder for Rangers who made 1 appearance this year so far last year he played for Luton Town LOL that's not even possible. Cristano Ronaldo in all his stat padding in qualifiers never scored 5 and this random guy goes off. The soccer gods just want us to face our playoff demons there is nothing to even discuss it's just our fate. All they can do is tactically prepare. The blessing is if we kept chasing the goal difference we probably would have found a way to lose to Israel and finish 3rd in the next game. Sometimes you're just cursed. it happens.
theres a chance Moldova makes the playoffs due to nations league group winner LOL. what are we even doing here. a team that gets pumped 11-1 and has 0 points after 5 games and a -22 is maybe getting a playoff spot if Sweden moves ahead of Kosovo.
"Thelo Aasgaard (Norwegian international born in Liverpool) is the THIRD player to score a POKER as a SUBSTITUTE in the ENTIRE history of World Cup Qualifiers, after Nuno Gomes (with Portugal in 2001) and Seule Soromon (with Vanuatu in 2007). Norway's 11-1 victory over Moldova is the FIRST match in the ENTIRE history of European World Cup qualifiers to feature a DOUBLE POKER (5 goals from Haaland and 4 from Aasgaard). Nowhere else in the world has anything like this happened since August 29, 2007, in a Vanuatu 15-0 American Samoa match (4 goals by Etienne Mermer and 4 by Seule Soromon). Hans Krankl 1977 vs Malta was the last time before today that a player scored 5 goals in a UEFA WC Qualification game. Norway's 11 goals scored are the 2nd most in a game in this competition tied with Hungary 11 - 1 Greece 1938, Liechtenstein 1 - 11 Macedonia 1996 and behind Germany 12 - 0 Cyprus 1969."
the big positive is our last few playoff exits (Sweden and Macedonia) were due to not being able to score. Seems like we've fixed the offence. The team is playing for Gattuso and didn't fold when Israel either went ahead or equalized. This has me a little more calm going into a potential playoff this time around. Would be great to get drawn with Macedonia at some point in these 2 legs. Slay the dragon and fully exercise those playoff demons!
Yeah I think it's just what we have to go through to get there. Im not worried about who we face so much. It's just obvious there is a chance that we could go out in a game with bad luck but there is no reason that we can't just win the playoff lesser teams do it. The teams we will be facing won't have some magical advantage. And yes if we were scoring like this under Mancini we would not have been caught by a lucky late goal. Even against Sweden they scored a weird deflection of a free kick and then parked the bus for 140 minutes while we couldn't find even a sniff at goal. I don't see those scenarios repeating the team we play will have to beat us.
Absolutely, it's ridiculous. I almost made the comment yesterday that the nations league has really ruined world cup and euro qualifying, both from a scheduling format and qualification logic. it's just made up rules and seedings as you go, with weird loopholes about qualifying that impact you two years after the fact. But I want to be clear my comment doesn't excuse Italia. if we don't we qualify it's because we didn't earn it. But macro level, the UEFA Nations league is a piece of s***. it makes no sense and it's impacting all teams.
The Nations League should BE the Euro qualifying. Everyone in league A gets automatic entry. The remaining spots should be between between the winners and losers of B and C