The Official Azzurri thread 2

[Messinterista]

Rossi! This boy needs to come home.

[Bagg10]

Is it just me who thinks Montolivo is too soft?

[RomaShield27]

Good second-half from Italia, and great result from them. Rossi and Borriello made the difference upfront, and even Aquilani did quite well when he came on, the knut. Giovinco also didn't look out of place.

[Bagg10]

Thursday 10 February, 2011
Blog: A place for Pirlo?
The performance against Germany provided plenty of positives and, as Rob Paton suggests, possibly the beginning of the end for one Azzurri hero




When Cesare Prandelli announced his starting XI in the days before facing Germany, a simple analysis of Daniele De Rossi, Thiago Motta and Riccardo Montolivo in midfield was that they were too industrious to break down the Germans. However, the trio’s role proved vital to neutralising Joachim Low’s team, with industry key to the heart of the performance as well as ensuring Andrea Pirlo was not missed.

It is not a case of suggesting Motta’s performance should see him elevated to the first XI in place of the injured Milan playmaker, but Pirlo’s position in the side is at threat, and that is down to what Motta’s deployment in front of the Azzurri back-line allowed for.

Germany’s success at the World Cup was achieved off the back of a 4-2-3-1 system heavily reliant on Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski to provide the pace, passing and forward support to lone striker Miroslav Klose.

Prandelli’s selection of three players more apt at pressing and running over the traditionally creative elements Pirlo or Alberto Aquilani from the bench can offer, perfectly matched Germany’s attacking midfield trio. Motta’s presence in front of the centre-backs cut off many of Ozil’s traditional routes to Klose, whilst Montolivo and De Rossi provided adequate cover for the Azzurri full-backs in nullifying Muller and Podolski out wide.

In turn, the balance and defensive strength this set-up guaranteed – one that with Pirlo in it does not – released the full-backs Giorgio Chiellini and Mattia Cassani to provide wide support going forward. This stretched Germany’s back-line and saw the energetic performances put in by Antonio Cassano and Giuseppe Rossi have more of an impact as space opened up in the central areas their game looks to exploit.

The substitutions also showed the significance the trequartista has in Prandelli’s system as more of a fourth midfielder than a third attacker. Stefano Mauri’s withdrawal for Sebastian Giovinco immediately seeing Germany gain more of the ball and start to outnumber Italy’s deeper midfield trio in the wake of the Atomic Ant’s lack of defensive pressing.

Andrea Ranocchia’s performance was also key to the team going forward, on more than one occasion providing long, raking Pirlo-esque passes to the front-line and the likes of his attacking full-back teammates.

With Italy boasting a list of options for attacking full-backs – Domenico Criscito, Federico Balzaretti, Mattia Cassani and Christian Maggio – that in some cases are better described as wingers, there is a potential to use them to better effect.

At the same time as protecting the back-line through the centre, it does suggest focus may be shifting in the side from one dependant on Pirlo to keep the game ticking, to one just as reliant on the midfield, but this time to provide a defensive element the country’s other attacking talent can play around.

There are other factors to take into consideration, such as Mario Balotelli’s role in the team and that Germany were poor for an hour of the match, retreating into a 4-5-1 without a plan B in attack. Next month’s trip to Ljubljana to face Slovenia will provide a better indication of where Prandelli is taking Italy in 2011, but with his club future coming into doubt this same week, Pirlo’s international career looks set to meet a crossroads too.

http://www.football-italia.net/blogs/rp57.html

[Messinterista]

Rossi in no hurry to return to Italy

Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi insists he is in no hurry to return to Italy, although he admits that it would be nice to play in Serie A again in the future.

The 24-year-old scored Italy's only goal in Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Germany in Dortmund.

Interviewed in La Repubblica, he said: “Italy is my second home and I would like to go back there. But it's not so important for me.

“Spain, England and Italy are all on the same level. The important thing is the project. What I want to do is play and win.

“I feel Italian even if my first language is American. I have matured a lot in the last year. I have learned to take responsibility off the pitch.”

Source: http://football-italia.net/feb11o.html

[Italiamia]

Cesare Prandelli and Demetrio Albertini have spoken of their plans to register an Italy Under-21 side in Serie B to give youth a chance on the peninsula. After last year's exit from the World Cup at the group stages, there has been a concern that not enough talent is coming through the ranks in Italy. The FIGC appointed Arrigo Sacchi and Roberto Baggio to oversee an improvement at academy level, and both are said to be backing Albertini's plans.

Prandelli, for one, has called it a “wonderful idea.” “Now we'll take the project to the relevant bodies, for instance the federal council,” Albertini told ANSA. As of yet, details of how the plan would work are unclear.

Sky Italia claims the project would also see the lowering of the age of youngsters playing in the Primavera championship.

[juventino_italiano]

anything to help youth
i like this idea...

Would the Italy U-21 side then technically be able to win the scudetto and play in the champions league???

[Bagg10]

I don't think they'll be eligible for promotion.

[p_maldini_3]

who will own the contracts of the players?

just the headline seems pretty silly because of all the logistics involved, but i'm sure if they present the "what's & how's" to everybody it will become much clearer.

[Bagg10]

I'm sure the player's contracts will be owned by clubs which will loan the players out to this u21 squad.

[Messinterista]

[p_maldini_3]

The Italy Under-21s in Serie B

By Tom Brooks
Friday 18 March 2011

On Wednesday, plans to register an Italy Under-21 side in Serie B were revealed by Demetrio Albertini. The aim is to increase the playing time given to youngsters and avoid any danger of them simply being left to stagnate on the bench at their clubs. While the specifics of how the plan would be put into practise remain vague, the idea has already gained some powerful support. Both Roberto Baggio and Arrigo Sacchi are believed to be in full support of the idea, while Azzurri Coach Cesare Prandelli reportedly described it as: “a wonderful idea.”

A major question that must be raised sooner rather than later is how players would be acquired to play an entire season for such an outfit. A possible solution would be for the side to only ever sign players on loan from their parent clubs. While this may seem farfetched, half of the Azzurrini squad that faced England last month are currently out on loan, mostly to clubs in Serie B. The only difference would be that players such as Roberto Soriano, on loan from Sampdoria at Empoli, and Marco D’Alessandro, playing at Livorno on loan from Roma, would be playing together every week under the guidance of Ciro Ferrara and his coaching staff.

Such continuity would allow for the building of greater understanding between future internationals and, whilst not all Under-21 players graduate to earn full international honours, the majority of current internationals were capped at youth level. Of the most recent Italy squad, only five players did not represent Italy at youth level at some point. The benefit of players forming an understanding on the pitch by playing together regularly has been demonstrated time and again, most recently for the Azzurri by the strong performances of Juventus colleagues Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. The central defensive pair has formed a good understanding in their time together at Juventus and Cesare Prandelli is reaping the rewards with the Nazionale.

However, one should not discount the important experience that current Under-21 players such as Soriano will gain from going on loan at Serie B clubs. Rather than playing with other players of the same age and experience, they get the opportunity to learn from seasoned professionals who have been around the game for years. Soriano, for example, will doubtless learn a great deal from playing alongside the likes of Davide Moro in the Empoli midfield and this experience could prove vital.

There will naturally be opposition to the plan. Clubs in Serie B often rely on loan signings to strengthen their squads without overstretching their budgets and they would almost certainly find it hard to compete with an Italy Under-21 side to sign talented youngsters.

Of course, there are a great many questions that remain to be answered before any progress can be made. Albertini must now take his idea and refine it in an attempt to iron out as many possible bumps in the road as he can. Only when this process is complete can any real judgement be cast on what is, for now, an nice idea but nothing more.

[RomaShield27]

– Sunday 20 March, 2011

Cesare Prandelli has frozen out Daniele De Rossi and Mario Balotelli, but called Marco Parolo for the games against Slovenia and Ukraine.
Italy face two matches, as they travel to Ljubljana for the Euro 2012 qualifier on Friday March 25 and then to Kiev for the friendly against Ukraine on Tuesday March 29.

As expected, Roma midfielder De Rossi and Manchester City striker Balotelli have been frozen out for breaking the ‘code of ethics.’ Both were penalised recently for violent conduct during the Champions League and Europa League respectively.

Andrea Pirlo and Marco Cassetti are all suffering from injuries, so also miss out. Cesena midfielder Parolo receives his first senior Italy call-up, though the 26-year-old had already featured for the Universiadi youth games of 2005 and 2007.

Alberto Gilardino, Claudio Marchisio and another Cesena player, Davide Santon, return from injury. Parma’s Sebastian Giovinco and Alessandro Matri of Juventus are confirmed along with Inter ‘Oriundo’ Thiago Motta, but there is no room for Cristian Ledesma.

This could be because Ledesma was sent off for dissent during the Rome derby. The squad gets together at the Coverciano training ground on Monday morning.

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), Sirigu (Palermo), Viviano (Bologna)

Defenders: Astori (Cagliari), Balzaretti (Palermo), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), Criscito (Genoa), Gastaldello (Sampdoria)

Midfielders: Maggio (Napoli), Ranocchia (Inter), Santon (Cesena), Aquilani (Juventus), Marchisio (Juventus), Mauri (Lazio), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Inter), Nocerino (Palermo), Parolo (Cesena)

Forwards: Cassano (Milan), Gilardino (Fiorentina), Giovinco (Parma), Matri (Juventus), Pazzini (Inter), Rossi (Villarreal)

[Bagg10]

Cassetti? Maybe they meant Cassani?

http://www.figc.it/Assets/contentresour ... wnload.pdf

[RomaShield27]

Oh yeh they must have. FI is getting sloppy. I would of called up Abate anyway, i think he is playing well at the moment.

[RomaShield27]

– Last updated: 21st March 2011

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli says Mario Balotelli and Daniele De Rossi could feature in next week's international friendly against Ukraine.

City striker Balotelli and Roma midfielder De Rossi were both left out of the squad for Friday's Euro 2012 qualifier in Slovenia for breaching the Azzurri's code of conduct after their recent behaviour for their clubs.

But Prandelli says they could return to the set-up in time for the friendly in Kiev next Tuesday.

"Their omission is for one game," he said. "We will see for the game against Ukraine in Kiev."

Balotelli was sent off for a high tackle in last week's Europa League clash against Dynamo Kiev, while De Rossi was hit with a three-match ban by Uefa for elbowing an opponent in his side's UEFA Champions League defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk.

"One must win trying to be loyal and being a sportsman," added Prandelli. "Our ethical code goes on at all costs, otherwise we would not be credible. "It is understood by everyone and no-one has ever objected to it."

Prandelli revealed he has been in touch with Balotelli.

"Balotelli? What happened, happened," he added. "He is the first one to be disappointed. I spoke to him and, in a way, he asked me for help.

"He asked me how to avoid not always messing things up. I have not spoken to De Rossi but I read his latest comments and I was pleased."

Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon is worried the absence of De Rossi could weaken the Azzurri midfield against Slovenia.

He said: "I was not here when the national team's code of ethics was discussed.

"I am saddened that we will be without two important players like Daniele and Mario, especially Daniele, who has a lot of experience in international games.

"I don't know if I would have forgiven them but certain things are best left for the coach to decide."

[Messinterista]

De Rossi: 'I accept Italy exclusion'

Daniele De Rossi concedes “Cesare Prandelli does not owe me an explanation. I accept my exclusion from the Italy squad” on disciplinary reasons.
The Roma midfielder has been dropped for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Slovenia and friendly with Ukraine.

He, and Mario Balotelli, broke the ‘code of ethics’ by receiving bans for violent conduct during their club outings in Europe.

“I accept my exclusion from the Italy squad, because I know there is a code of ethics and the rules are there to be respected,” said De Rossi.

“I hope this will only be for these two games and I can return to the Azzurri soon. Prandelli does not owe me an explanation. There are rules, I broke them and it’s right I am left at home.

“I said it was a blessing, as I could rest during the break, but that was just a joke to take some of the pressure off. It’s true my tendon hurts and I picked up a knock, but I don’t think it’s anything serious.”

Source: http://football-italia.net/mar20s.html

[p_maldini_3]

http://www.goal.com/en/news/468/interna ... h-ease-and

thats some crazy ass trash-talk.

[RomaShield27]

lol, he's obviously enjoying his retirement as a degenerate junky. "Your club sides are almost all foreign players" – eh, with the obvious exception of Inter this is untrue, particularly in comparison to other big leagues. "Once there were the likes of Paolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio. Now you are impressed by Andrea Ranocchia. He wouldn’t play in Slovenia. He’s just too slow – whats his beef with Ranocchia? He is a very good young defender, and the comparison doesn't hold up.

[Messinterista]

Clearly afraid of him. Ranocchia is a beast of a defender!