The next Italy manager has to be inventive but also has some tough decisions to make and unfortunately he has to break some hearts. We cannot continue in this 3-5-2 “U of death” anymore because of two players. We need to face the facts that both Dimarco and Bastoni, outside of Inter, are not the same level. If it’s Mancini and he wants to play a back 4, he has to have that conversation with Bastoni and tell him to stay home. And this shouldn’t be a scandal either. Idem Dimarco. I don’t care how many awards he wins. For Inter, he has the benefit of practicing drills 1000s of times and then in game Inter perform these schemes at memory. He hasn’t shown himself to be flexible or adaptable for Italy. It hasn’t translated and we need to think of something else because to persist in this direction is insanity.
I don't think Bastoni should be in the second pairing right now, he definitely needs to move teams and start over. He needs Pio's sports psychologist.
The fact that he's out of the first UNL match due to that Red means he likely won't even be called. If the CB in a 4 plays well these 2 or 3 matches it will go a long way in him being expendable for the Azzurri.
Its not the award, it's the 25 pts in Serie A and 5 in qualifying that he brings. The blame for not using him to his strengths lies in managers who put him in a back four when everyone else knows it doesn't work. Not one Italy manager used him in the same way that Inter does in an attack oriented 3-5-2. I remain bewildered at how so many of them could get it wrong. Bastoni works for Inter because of Acerbi's marshalling. If he's going to improve for Italy, Italy needs to find someone to reel him in when necessary.
I wrote earlier that I wonder if there is any coach brave enough to try him in that formation as a winger to take advantage of the one thing he excells at. Cagliari has done it with Palestra on occasion.
It's not really an indictment with Serie A remaining one of the harder leagues to score in still. 18 assists is something of a record. If true, then Italy may be in big trouble, because no one else had more assists than him in qualifying. Then there's the goal an assist he had in the 2-0 win over Dortmund in Europe. I think too many people expect him to be super man and do everything. He just needs to be used where he's useful and when someone better comes along on that left side, then advance them. He can easily be useful in the same lineup with a Bartrsaghi providing defensive duties and overlapping play. Italy just needs a manager that will try that. With all due respect these players, play in rain more often than not in the winter stage. It's not an excuse for the really poor touch, passing and receiving that was put on display by Koleosho and some of the others. At first I thought it was nerves but he was poor all game long as was Ndour. I think you're mainly taking about Dimarco on the national team and not Inter. Even still he put up a spectacular assist to Pio in that second Norway game breaking into the box while at it. It's two different roles he plays for club and country for the most part. I did notice that Bosnia regularly put two men on him when he went forward and there was no adjustment to that from Gattuso. I think everyone can agree that Gattuso was well out of his league. He should have started with Palestra in that game. He also never should have used Cristante, who was ball watching on that goal that happened a few minutes after he came on. I 100% agree with you that coaches can often stick with previously reliable players in crucial moments and don't want to risk the unknown. I'm afraid that Scaloni might fall into the same trap. I applaud your U21 for taking the opportunity to play a very young squad in these games. It's a good thing. Back to Bosnia, Italy went into a defensive posture after the red card and only really came out of it in the extra time when they were finally the more dangerous of the two. There were many coaching errors in that game, even if he couldn't predict the very bad judgement on Bastoni. Last point, just because Inter doesn't know how to use Frattesi and have him as vice -Barella when Barella is tired, doesn't mean that Gattuso needed to use him the same way. The only thing I could think of is that he wanted a bit more energy at that point and an unpredictable element going forward, Davide often being this element.
I see CBs get injured more than side backs, so I don't agree with that theory. Also if he goes to Madrid, it's to play as a LB. Like I said, the top coaches see him as a LB, that is where he should play imo. I don't care how well he did as a CB for a team that was not top tier, so many players play well over their standards for these types of teams. Would you like me to name the dozens of Italians players that played well for these teams and when they transfer to better teams, they don't meet those standards? You can play him as a CB, but that will neuter his attacking abilities. He is not going to be making those mauranding runs often, bc we will get carved up defensively.
Cambiaso to Barca, Doumbia to Sporting, Longoni to PSG, it sounds like this may be the summer where we see a lot of Italians move abroad.
Sorry Brazilians, he never was yours: 🎙️Samuele Inacio to @DiMarzio “I’m Italian. I was born in Italy, my mother is Italian, all my friends are Italian..I feel more Italian then Brazilian”“My dream is to bring Italy back to qualifying for the tournament & winning the World Cup”He’s been CLEAR all week💙🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/nSx9KWaxyo— AzzurriXtra🇮🇹 (@XtraAzzurri) June 4, 2026
Our U17s just beat favorites Spain to make the finals. I can't believe it! This Sunday, we have Antonelli going for 5 in a row, an Italian in the French Open Final, the Euro U17 Final vs Belgium, our game vs Greece, and Italy vs Brazil in volleyball. Oh boy, I'm definitely going to be away from the internet all day, not going to miss this! Big day!!!
Watched the game brilliant result. The italy keeper hasnt had a great tournament so far but was great today. We rode our look in the 90 minutes at times but we are in the final. Our penalties where all great. Thats how you take penalties. Now lets win it.
Varali from parma is a great player. Hes been the best player for italy so far in my view. Amazing stuff from him.
Would love to ********ing see these clubs figure it out and get their head out of their asses. If not, I guess players going abroad it will have to be, and that's likely best anyways. Especially for a talent like Inacio, these other teams have track records of cultivating youth. This is not a talent issue. It's year after year, age group after group, Italy is producing teams that make noise at the youth ranks. Something has to give here.
Its pathetic the talent has been there for years and years which is wby we do so well at youth level its the idiot owners who rather have a crap mediocare foreign player over a far better italian player. It makes me sick.
Him and the other 2 CBs (the other Parma boy who is injured) have all been elite, they are easily the strengths on this team. It's like having Nesta and Cannavaro back there!
Purtroppo non sono solo i dirigenti, ma anche gli ALLENATORI e i TIFOSI, basta vedere le critiche ridicole che hanno fatto dopo la partita contro il Lussemburgo per intenderci la Germania nello stesso stadio, qualficiazioni mondiali e non certo con degli Under c'ha vinto 2-0 e pois si dimenticano che il ciclo vincente di Mancini pre 2020 era inziata con una vittoria striminzita contro l'Arabia
Since Kayode led the Euro U19s championship in 2023 and Camarda led the U17s to champions the following year, we have been one of the best youth teams in the world. Today we beat a Spanish side littered with Real Madrid and Barca youth stars, today proved once again our youths are monsters and our clubs are the ones that have failed them.
it is notable that this generation of Italians from 16-24 are being scooped up by top clubs around Europe. As much as we need to critique the Serie A for not playing Italians over the last 10 years there was not the same kind of talent that there is now in this kind of abundance. Some of the reforms from the 2010s are finally starting to pay dividends but Italian football can't let this be the answer much more needs to be done. The fact that we have improved from when we were producing Sturaro types is not enough.
From what I’ve read recently Abodi said that changes need to happen immediately, hopefully it’s not just the typical words. “Ciò che conta è l’azione del nuovo governo calcistico.” “What matters is the action of the new football leadership.”
No Ragazzo mio.... non hai mai seguito quello che ho detto inel 2010 c'era QUEL CIALTRONE DI SACCHI che costringeva i vari CT delle nazionali GIOVANILI a applicare il suo CREDO CALCISTICO ovvero squadre piene di MEDIANACCI, ELIMINAZIONE DEI "10" e DOPPIO PALANCONE in ATTACCO rimetto una partita tipo che giocavano QUELLE NAZIONALI GIOVANILI TU paragona sto SCEMPIO con una delle nazionali giovanili attuali QUINDI NO PER COLPA DI SACCHI CHE SIAMO RIDOTTI COSI' e dal 2018 che c'è stato un cambio di rotta grazie a VISCIDI