Now I must say I am posting repeating myself which could be bad, but an isolated piece to me of things that Italia cannot afford to do in the modern eras ahead is practically ignore Italians that produce in the top leagues of the world year over year. So again I say it's over for Grifo we cannot go to him now, and it is a shame. But we have to integrate producing players in the future hand in hand with playing and integrating youth players. In a perfect world, that concept is one in the same.
Ancelotti: “Either we (Italy) recover our defenders, or rather the defensive mentality that has guaranteed us victories at both club and national team level, or we will continue to suffer. Because football is indeed about scoring one more goal than the opponent, but also about conceding one less.”
We lost against 65th ranked Bosnia in the most important match in almost two years and you really think we'd perform well in the WC? ....We lost against........... Bosnia. C'mon man.
I think we are at a crossroads where the people who take on the new italy project will either try and steer us back to our roots or those that will try and take us into expansive football. There is a fair argument for both as we would never be in this position if we did not concede 3 goals to Norway on a blitz. I am of two minds. I think in part we already tried to adapt to a modern style in the 2010s but our youth development did not pivot until very recently where now we are finally seeing technical players again. At the same time there was a huge gap defensively in the generation between Chiellini and this one. The Romagnoli Rugani Caldara generation flopped hard and now this current one is young and don't compliment each other. My ideal is regaining defensive solidity which does not mean play a 352 I would still try and train our defenders in a back 4 while at the same time we need those magic players to unlock team on a counter or out of nowhere. If we can play a solid compact 4231 with an Inacio or Della Rovere as a 10 if they develop then we could regain what we were in 2006. I think with Calafiori Baretsaghi Kayode Ahanor Leoni Scalvini Palestra and others we have a solid group of athletic and tactical young defenders. You just can't use DiMarco Politano DiLorenzo etc. At the same time if another Acerbi/Barzagli like late blooming defender emerges you can run with them but we have to remember that even going back to the BBC the rules and sport have changed enough to where you can't get by with FURBO anymore. If you are slow like a Romagnoli it does not matter how well you read the game.
Ancelotti “As for Italian football: either we recover our defenders, or rather the defensive mentality that has guaranteed us victories at both club and national team level, or we will continue to suffer. Because football is indeed about scoring one more goal than the opponent, but also about conceding one less. That’s not just a cliché." “Too many goals also mean too many mistakes—by goalkeepers, by defenders. The so-called high press, man-to-man marking, involves constant risks, and so the result can change from one moment to the next. Even the build-up from the back must be perfect; otherwise, you pay the price immediately for even the slightest lapse in concentration.” “The fundamental difference lies in the rhythm, not just the physical pace of the game, but the mental one, the continuous engagement, the intensity that isn’t an empty word and can’t be used only in certain phases of the match. Italian football has lost precisely that.” “It has lost its defensive solidity; we already lack talent in other areas of the field, but excessive focus on the tactical aspect has distorted our characteristics—the very ones on which we have built our history, since the beginning.” “But getting back to defensive fragility, Atalanta knows how to play aggressive, one-on-one football, and that's why they take colossal risks, just look at the match against Bayern.”
Milan haven't had a great central defender since Thiago silva. Unheard of after nesta, Maldini, Billy, kaladze etc Ancelotti correct
Yes exactly people hum and haw about why the big 3 in italy can't return to glory and they spend on this or that attacker but the foundation is the problem. Juventus were good in the 2010s because the BBC Inter had success because Acerbi and now that he is washed they are leaking goals. Juve literally go up and down based on whether Bremer is playing or injured. Yes Milan has not had a top CB since they sold Thiago Silva in 2012 and had that miracle run with Pioli and now have to play like they are Parma to get good defensive results. There is no easy fix but for whatever reason the defensive pipeline in Italy completely collapsed in the mid 2000s. This is not a new phenomenon we were just lucky to be able to ride Chiellini until he was 37 and he obviously was carrying Bonnucci who had similar issues of concentration that Bastoni has until his late 20s. While Barzagli was not great until he was 30 plus. Thats one top italian defender produced in 26 years. How?
I'd put chiellini on thr 3rd tier of Italian soccer defenders. Was he world class? He got worked in those champions league finals. Slow hips
I agree. Certainly we can't say Barzagli Bonnucci were world class or the BBC was an all time unit if they were ripped apart in CL finals. They were very very good not great. Chiellini for me goes up a notch because of Euro 2020 where Italy conceded very few chances though the lapse on Spain's goal was a defensive mistake. Also Euro 2016 he was fantastic. I consider world class that you are in the best two 11s in world football meaning top two in your position. I would have Ramos Pepe Thiago Silva Van Djk Pique ahead of Chiellini for most of the 2010s but I think at times he was there as the 4th best CB in the world. So maybe he was world class for a season or two.
Capello Serie A: referees who “blow the whistle too often,” affecting the flow of games, and a “lack of talent.” “We need to go back to prioritizing technique over tactics, possibly increasing the tempo, because others play at twice the speed and move the ball twice as fast,” he added. “Once, when Italian teams suffered a quality gap compared to others, they made up for it with the art of defending,” Capello said. “We were the masters in Europe and in the World. Today, we focus on building up from the back with our centre-backs, but we mostly end up hurting ourselves. We no longer produce real defenders. Just go back and look at the goals Bologna conceded last night in Birmingham.”
Yes it was a draw. we beat N.Ireland and drew with Bosnia after a red card. This was harder than facing Canada and Qatar. We also have very few losses over the last 2 years picking up wins and draws against France Belgium Germany Croatia. Meanwhile Brazil had 4 losses in qualifying.
CONMEBOL is much more difficult than UEFA with regards to qualifying spots. We beat all of those teams but yet they qualify and we stay home, why? Because we suck and can't show up when it matters most. Why are we reverting back to this unrealistic optimism? You can spin stats and games any way you want but results and actions don't lie.
Inacio being a true wonderkid and playing senior Nazionale football during that explosion would be a game changer too. Which I guess would apparently also mean now fighting off Ancelotti.
the good news is that Euro 2028 is 2 years away so the group of interesting players we have from ages 16-22 will all be 18-24 in two years time. Inacio Della Rovere Liberali Cisse Camarda Pio and all the defenders have time to cook there is no pressure on them really. But I would hope that the 26/27 season we see a few of them breakout at the top level.
If you are Grosso and Sassuolo has nothing to play for why start 37 year old Matic ahead of Lipani? Why not build on a player for next season?
I totally agree. Of course we have to qualify to the Euros. Is it again only the winner of the qualifying group that qualifies?