Yes thankfully he is still only 25 so he has plenty of time but he needs to be playing for a Juventus/Arsenal/Real Madrid type of team. For one he is forced to do all the dirty work for them because of Bruno G. which hurts his game but mainly he is just too good for them and the style they play.
DiMarco up to 12 assists ..playing out of his boots it is impossible not to start him in the playoffs ... whether you use him as a LM in a 442/4231 or a LWB in a 352 the attacks needs to be built around his ability to put it on a plate for his teammates. Now 4 away from the single season assist record. Can Calafiori play as the central centre back in a back 3 to allow Bastoni and DiMarco to attack? Palestra at RWB and DiMarco at LWB should be impossible to stop for the teams we will face if Retegui Kean Pio do the bare minimum but can a back 3 of Bastoni Calafiori Scalvini keep a clean sheet facing counterattacks?
----------------------Pio--------Retegui DiMarco-------Tonali-------Barella---------Palestra ---------------------------Locatelli(protect the backline) ---------------Bastoni----Calafiori-----Scalvini -------------------------------Gigio once we score bring on Kayode and close out the game ----------------------Retegui ----Di Marco-------Tonali--------Barella ----------------Verratti--Locatelli -----Calafiori----Bastoni----Scalvini--Kayode --------------------------Gigio
Qualify and the Italians finish top 8 at least. I'll own it if they don't. Hold me to this statement.
with the right manager and tactics I don't see how that team along with the bench isn't much better than Inter on paper. so yes they could in theory get to a final lets say.
If it fails because of Gattuso we see these scenes. Leon Draisaitl’s press conference last night: pic.twitter.com/UyeSIRf8AH— NHLMuse (@NHL_Muse) February 5, 2026
No goalie in the world was saving that majestic goal. Show me anyone saying it was his fault except for you, lol.
Nice game between Lazio and Juve. I feel like Sarri might have discovered Maldini’s best position. I’m not saying I think he deserves to be apart of the next round of callups but I do like him in the Mertens spot. He might do well as a CF. Same thing for Cancellieri. I really like this player. I think injuries did him in this year but I think had he stayed healthy he would have earned a spot on the senior team. Perfect counter attacking winger. As for Juve, I will continue to say this; whether or not Locatelli plays does not change the fortunes of Italy. We won’t be better, but we won’t be worse. He is simply ********ing average. I don’t care about this stats say. For every good performance he logs in, I can nominate ten others where he was terrible. I don’t know why there are sections of the Italian Juve fan base who are obsessed with pumping him into something he’s not. Cambiaso another shit game also.
I only watched the 2nd Half and thought Cambiaso was fine. He got the Assist on McKennie's goal and should have had another had McKennie not intercepted the pass to Bremer. FWIW 2 sites give Cambiaso the highest grade after Kalulu.
Daniel Maldini is already on his 6th club in as many years. Not sure but changing so many clubs was always a red flag when picking national team players. Sadly, he won't ever live down his family name.
Cambiaso just like Buongirono should not be called simply because they can ruin everything with a ridiculous error. I would bring Palestra and Kayode and thats it.
Locatelli got bossed around by Maldini today......... Maldini. Locatelli is, was and will always be average.
Cambiaso is just too error-prone. He did well to set up a goal, but was totally caught off guard on Lazio's second goal. His primary responsibility is as a defender and he simply can't be relied upon. I am wishing that Juve cashed in on him when they still had the opportunity. Locatelli's error led to Lazio's first goal which totally changed the game. It was all Juve before then. I also thought Di Gregorio could be blamed for Lazio's second goal. Simply not a good day for the Italians on Juve. On the other side, while I will admit to not seeing Maldini regularly, he always seem bang-average to me,
We should play a 3 man defense but who are our best options for CB? Mancini, Scalvini, and Gabbia are our RCBs. Buongiorno but he doesn't even start for Napoli anymore and when he does, he is mistake prone. Acerbi has been benched for Inter as well. My guess it'll be another Calafiori LCB and Bastoni out of position as the CB again, which is not what I want but you can't bench Dimarco the way he is playing now.
Di Marco will do this. He'll excite you with his dazzling crosses and finishes. But a good international team will attack his side with speed and we will be in no man's land unless someone like Calafiori is saving his ass every time. Remember, Serie A is slower tempo than the rest of Europe. Inter and DiMarco get away with a lot because of that. If we are playing with Di Marco at left wing, we better have 3 awesome defenders back there. Bastoni is error-prone. Scalvini is coming on but I worry about his athleticism. Calafiori is good but needs to stay damn healthy.
A problem certainly is that we are overloaded on the left side. I would try Calafiori in the centre of a back 3. I think he can do that job more than Bastoni. I would use him almost like a libero. Scalvini is the best option at RCB. DiMarco--Bastoni--Calafiori--Scalvini--Palestra Bartesaghi--Ahanor--Acerbi--Mancini--Kayode I don't want Mancini and Acerbi as back ups but at this moment we can't bring Comuzzo or Coppola. Gabbia Gatti can do a job in a pinch but they are not top of the list. After that it gets thin. You have Ghilardi Del Prato Cambiaso Belanova.
Inter and DiMarco have been very good in the Champions League against much stronger competition than what Wales N.Ireland and Bosnia have to offer. Physically DiMarco looks like a whole new player this season. DiMarco is putting in an MVP performance from LWB it's almost unheard of. But yes if you play a highline back 3 with DiMarco and Palestra bombing forward you are taking risks on the counter. Whoever is playing in front of the defence needs to be perfect.
When someone asks you why Italy hasn't been developing talent the way it did in the past, I think you can just point them to yesterday's Lecce Udinese game. It's hard to remember a game with more mediocre foreign players all assembled at once. Gandelman, Bayo, Atta, Ekkelenkamp, Zemura, Karlstrom, Miller, Ehizibue, Kristenson, Oboye, Cheddira, Ramadani, Thiago Gabriel, Gaspar, Veiga, Stulic, Seibert, N'Dri, Zarraga, Gueye, Buksa.....all in ONE GAME. You mean we don't have better players in Italy than this? Come on. I see players in Serie B that are better than this piss poor selection. The quality of calcio is terrible in these cheap mercenary fest games. When will this sh*t stop???