The Official Azzurri thread 2

[Bagg10]

[RomaShield27]

Serie A. Da Rossi a Immobile, da Destro a Cerci, italiani alla riscossa
/ lunedì 23 dicembre 2013 14:04

C’e’ chi ride e chi piange in serie A allo stop di fine d’anno, ma Babbo Natale fa felice soprattutto Cesare Prandelli che sotto l’albero si ritrova un gruppo che sta crescendo e, soprattutto nei ruoli d’attacco, offre una rosa in grande spolvero. In generale e’ il made in Italy che emerge dagli ultimi turni e apre prospettive interessanti in vista dei mondiali in Brasile, a prescindere dal rendimento altalenante dei club nelle coppe.

Nell’ultimo turno ricco di gol (29 ad una media di quasi tre a gara) 11 sono stati segnati dagli italiani e non e’ poco considerando che la corsa allo straniero (ampiamente superata la soglia della meta’ delle rose) e’ concentrata nei ruoli d’attacco e dunque c’e’ poco spazio per i prodotti dei vivai. Il principe dei marcatori e’ Giuseppe Rossi, risorto dopo il doppio doloroso infortunio. Guida la classifica con 14 reti in 17 partite: non e’ la media di Ronaldo o Suarez, ma e’ comunque ragguardevole. Sara’ lui l’alfiere azzurro in Brasile e i tifosi contano sull’assonanza tra Pepito e l’illustre ‘antenato’ Pablito. Ieri hanno lasciato il segno altri quattro possibili protagonisti del mondiali: Diamanti e Cerci hanno il posto sicuro, Destro e Immobile cercano di conquistarlo. I due funamboli sono creatori e (soprattutto Cerci) finalizzatori del gioco d’attacco.

Destro e’ al terzo gol in tre gare dopo il lungo infortunio e ha confidato nei giorni scorsi che aspira ad essere con Rossi e Balotelli (genio ribelle e altalenante, ma comunque perno della nazionale) il terzo riferimento offensivo in Brasile. Ma a premere a suon di prodezze e gol e’ ora anche Ciro Immobile, otto reti e prestazioni scintillanti nel Toro di Cerci, che vuole far venire dubbi a Prandelli che si tiene comunque stretto nella rosa l”usato sicuro’ Gilardino, a segno sette volte in una squadra modesta come il Genoa. All’orizzonte restano poi super veterani come Luca Toni, ieri autore di una doppietta con sette sigilli totali mentre e’ appena tornato dopo due mesi Francesco Totti, e la sua presenza ha coinciso col ritorno della Roma ad una manovra piu’ scoppiettante e tante occasioni da gol. C’e’ poi Toto’ Di Natale, in fase di stanca dopo tante stagioni da protagonista, ma che cerchera’ di tornare in auge nel girone di ritorno. Sulla sfondo sfoglia la margherita Cassano a sei gol, indeciso se lasciare Parma e tornare alla Samp di Mihajlovic a far coppia col promettente Gabbiadini, uno dei giovani emergenti come i due attaccanti del Sassuolo Zaza e Berardi.

Insomma, un panorama offensivo di tutto rispetto, che conta all’estero esponenti da non dimenticare come Osvaldo, al primo anno di Premier in chiaroscuro, e Pelle’ che continua a spopolare in Olanda. Giuseppe Rossi sembra avviato alla vittoria tra i marcatori dopo due anni di prevalenza straniera (Ibra e Cavani). Dagli anni 2000 la prevalenza italiana e’ di misura (Vieri, Lucarelli, Toni, Totti, The Waterboy e due volte Di Natale gli ultimi vincitori). Visto che nel 1982 e nel 2006 a imporsi furono Roberto Pruzzo e Luca Toni, Prandelli tifa Giuseppe Rossi anche per scaramanzia.

(ANSA - di Giorgio Svalduz)

[Bagg10]

http://www.footyheadlines.com/2013/09/i ... e-kit.html

[Bagg10]

I'm not a fan of how the numbers are displayed. I prefer them centered, especially on a home jersey. Other than that, they're nice.

[p_maldini_3]

agreed about the numbers.

[RomaShield27]

http://www.bsports.com/statsinsights/fo ... ng-options?

[RomaShield27]

The scrutiny AC Milan and Italy striker Mario Balotelli lives under is intense

By James Horncastle, World Cup Nation, Italy / 4:00PM GMT 27 Feb 2014
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... razil.html

Last week, France Football published an all-time Top 50. It wasn't a list of the best players to grace the game. It instead compiled the crazies, the madmen and the bad boys. Mario Balotelli was 10th. He placed ahead of the likes of Joey Barton, Diego Maradona, Paolo Di Canio, Tino Asprilla, Luis Suarez and even Eric Cantona.

Only too aware that articles like the one in France Football do little to help Balotelli, his coach at Milan, Clarence Seedorf, was unimpressed with the publication.

"I'm sorry that a paper as important as France Football carries on in this way," he lamented. "For me, Balotelli is a sweet and nice guy. He has made mistakes like many other young players, but since I've been here I've only noted his positive attitude."

In their defence, France Football could claim that they were only following a line given by Balotelli himself. Featured on the cover of this month's FourFourTwo magazine, a pull-quote printed underneath an image of the player adopting a boxer's pose reads: "Bad? I wish I was badder".
One imagines he was being cheeky and playful when he said that and that it shouldn't be taken at face value. Still, by doing so he only makes it harder for himself, and the people around him, to claim that he isn't the person portrayed in the latest issue of France Football when he gives the impression that he is to FourFourTwo. Neither does it bring the wish he expressed before Christmas "to live like a normal person" any closer. It does nothing to calm the media frenzy around him, which often in itself provokes incident.

On Saturday night, a report hit the newswires in Italy claiming that Balotelli, currently out injured, had clashed with a photographer outside a nightspot in Santa Margherita Ligure where he'd been watching his brother Enock play. A denial swiftly followed. His friends, his entourage had been involved, not him. Balotelli was apparently nowhere near it.

Many people's response to this and to other similar occurrences has been: Don't put yourself in these situations, Mario. But why shouldn't he be allowed to go out and see his brother? And why are the paparazzi permitted to intrude on private moments like this even if they are in a public environment? Wouldn't you get frustrated if they followed your every move?

Another reaction is that he should stay in more, be more professional, more responsible. All of that's true to an extent. But he shouldn't be forced into hiding or into becoming a recluse either. You feel a certain sympathy for him. Just because he has a job many people would love to have and earns a lot of money shouldn't stop you feeling that.

The scrutiny Balotelli lives under is intense. He has been made a symbol of many things, often not of his choosing: a symbol of his club and country, a symbol of Italy's burgeoning multiculturalism, a symbol of the fight against racism and even a symbol of the fight against organised crime.

That's a lot for a 23 year-old to bear on his shoulders and Balotelli has had to deal with it since he was a teenager. Unless you've walked in his shoes, you don't know what that's like. This month has been another turbulent one for him, characterised by highs and lows. It began with a paternity test revealing Balotelli to be the father of a child from a previous relationship. He vowed to step up and meet his responsibilities to his daughter. Days later, playing in Naples, the city where she lives with her mother, Balotelli broke down in tears on the bench following his substitution 73 minutes into a 3-1 defeat.

While Twitter reported rumour, conjecture and invention as fact with a number of accounts erroneously claiming, without any foundation whatsoever, that he was crying because he had been racially abused, the accepted truth was that he had wanted to score a goal and dedicate it to her. Not being able to do so upset him, particularly after finding the net in each of his previous four games.

A week later, he reminded everyone why he should be considered a football phenomenon first and a media phenomenon second. With Milan struggling at home to relegation threatened Bologna, he won the game four minutes from time with a 40-yard screamer which was clocked at 92km per hour as it soared into the top corner.

Reminiscent of the thunderous strikes he scored for Italy against Germany at Euro 2012 and Brazil in a friendly, it was one of the goals of the season so far and his 26th in 40 appearances for Milan since joining from Manchester City just over 12 months ago. Top scorer in Serie A over the calendar year of 2013, his record in the league alone stands at an impressive 22 in 31 games. Imagine what Balotelli could do with greater stability in his life and no distractions. His career remains a question of: if only?

"He has the potential to be one of the greats," Italy coach Cesare Prandelli told Fifa.com last week. "However, he needs to find a seriousness and a balance so that he can realise his potential. In recent years he has wasted a lot of energy on trivial things. The great champions don't do that. For them the only thing that matters is winning."

Seedorf concurs, saying Balotelli "isn't a champion yet" but believes "sooner or later" he will become one. It's only a matter of time.
With the World Cup only four months away, the sooner the better. Balotelli has already shot the Azzurri to one major tournament final. With a sharper focus, and greater application, maybe he can do the same again in Brazil this summer.

[Bagg10]

Sunday March 2 2014
New Italy faces for Spain friendly
By Football Italia staff

Ciro Immobile, Gabriel Paletta and Mattia Perin get debut senior Italy calls, but Daniele De Rossi is excluded for the friendly with Spain.

The two nations who clashed in the Finals of both Euro 2012 and the 2013 European Under-21 Championships go head-to-head at Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderon stadium on Wednesday.

The warm-up for the 2014 World Cup kicks off at 21.00 GMT.

Immobile earned his first senior call after scoring 12 Serie A goals for Torino this season, having previously been an Under-21 mainstay.

Parma defender Paletta has dropped many hints in recent months that, although born and raised in Argentina, he wished to represent the land of his forefathers.

It’s a surprise call for Genoa goalkeeper Perin, who can’t get playing time at Under-21 level because Livorno’s Francesco Bardi is preferred.

Roma forward Mattia Destro is given a recall in place of Mario Balotelli, who is suffering from a shoulder injury, having found his scoring touch after eight months out with a left knee injury.

De Rossi is dropped for breaking the code of ethics, as he is due to receive a lengthy ban using video evidence after he was caught on camera punching Mauro Icardi during last night’s 0-0 draw with Inter.

The Italy squad will meet up in Milan on Monday afternoon and immediately fly out to Madrid.

The game is on Wednesday night and the team flies back out from Madrid to Rome that same night.

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), Perin (Genoa), Sirigu (Paris Saint Germain);
Defenders: Abate (Milan), Astori (Cagliari), Barzagli (Juventus), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), Criscito (Zenit San Pietroburgo), De Sciglio (Milan), Maggio (Napoli), Paletta (Parma);
Midfielders: Candreva (Lazio), Giaccherini (Sunderland), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Milan), Thiago Motta (Paris Saint Germain), Parolo (Parma), Pirlo (Juventus), Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);
Forwards: Cerci (Torino), Destro (Roma), Gilardino (Genoa), Immobile (Torino), Insigne (Napoli), Osvaldo (Juventus)

http://www.football-italia.net/45915/ne ... n-friendly

[DCGweez]

Paletta was excellent today.

With the exception of Cerci our wide players were horrific.

[maro]

Prandelli's an hypocritical twat so I didn't watch.

[RomaShield27]

El Shaarawy included by Azzurri
By Football Italia staff / Friday April 11 2014 / http://www.football-italia.net/47725/el ... ed-azzurri

Italy Coach Cesare Prandelli has included Milan’s Stephan El Shaarawy in his 42-man squad to undergo physical performance tests early next week. The decision comes in spite of the 21-year-old having not played any competitive football this calendar year and beyond due to a foot injury. Other notable players included for the tests in Coverciano are Giuseppe Rossi, Antonio Cassano, Simone Scuffet and Crotone player Federico Bernardeschi.

The likes of Francesco Totti and Luca Toni however are left out, a move which suggests they do not feature in Prandelli's plans for this summer's World Cup. The players who have been called up have been split into two groups depending on availability.

The first and larger group will take the tests on Monday, while the second is composed solely of Milan, Juventus and Udinese players and will complete the exercises on Tuesday. Italian players plying their trade abroad meanwhile will be unable to take part, due to the fact that the tests will take place outside FIFA allotted international release dates.

Italy’s 42-man squad for physical testing:

Group One: Bardi (Livorno), Mirante (Parma), Perin (Genoa), Astori (Cagliari), Darmian (Torino), De Silvestri (Sampdoria), Paletta (Parma), Pasqual (Fiorentina), Ranocchia (Inter), Aquilani (Fiorentina), Baselli (Atalanta), Bernardeschi (Crotone), Bertolacci (Genoa), Bonaventura (Atalanta), Candreva (Lazio), De Rossi (Roma), Florenzi (Roma), Parolo (Parma), Romulo (Verona), Berardi (Sassuolo), Cassano (Parma), Cerci (Torino), Gabbiadini (Sampdoria), Gilardino (Genoa), Immobile (Torino), Insigne (Napoli), Rossi (Fiorentina), Zaza (Sassuolo).

Group Two: Buffon (Juventus), Scuffet (Udinese), Abate (Milan), Barzagli (Juventus), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), De Sciglio (Milan), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Milan), Pirlo (Juventus), Poli (Milan), Balotelli (Milan), El Shaarawy (Milan), Osvaldo (Juventus).

[Bagg10]

L’elenco dei pre-convocati per la Coppa del Mondo FIFA

Portieri: Buffon (Juventus), Perin (Genoa), Sirigu (Paris Saint Germain), *Mirante (Parma);
Difensori: Abate (Milan), Barzagli (Juventus), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), Darmian (Torino), De Sciglio (Milan), Maggio (Napoli), Paletta (Parma), Pasqual (Fiorentina), Ranocchia (Inter);
Centrocampisti: Aquilani (Fiorentina), Candreva (Lazio), De Rossi (Roma), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Milan), Motta (Paris Saint Germain), Parolo (Parma), Pirlo (Juventus), Romulo (Verona), Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);
Attaccanti: Balotelli (Milan), Cassano (Parma), Cerci (Torino), Destro (Roma), Immobile (Torino), Insigne (Napoli), Rossi (Fiorentina);
*non inserito nell’elenco dei 30 pre-convocati per il Mondiale, ma convocato a scopo precauzionale per il raduno di Coverciano

http://www.figc.it/it/204/2524143/2014/05/News.shtml

[Bagg10]

Pretty bummed Diamanti didn't make it... Also no Giaccherini or Criscito

[RomaShield27]

No Florenzi, no party. Very surprised there's no Florenzi... Or maybe that should be Im not surprised at all, knowing Prandelli. Maybe we should just be grateful De Rossi made it at all.



Ok, so everyone cut 7 to make your final 23...

[juventino_italiano]

It's tough to cut anyone in Attack, but if i had to pick it would be Destro (Immobile is top goal scorer, immobile and Cerci play so well together, and most importantly Insigne is one hell of a player!)

In mid: Romulo, Parolo and possibly Candreva either that or Aquilani....although i dont like Motta

In defence: How far has italy dropped from the Maldini, Cannavaro, Nesta days....so sad. I'd want one of Abate or Maggio gone, one of Rannochia or Darmian

[DCGweez]

Motta has been exceptional this year, particularly the latter part of it.

I tend to agree on Destro although when healthy he was one of the top Goals/minutes played in all of Europe and far better than anyone in Italy.

[Italiamia]

Why not give Luca a shot. He's had one hell of a season.

[DCGweez]

LUCA ANTONINI ‏@OfficialAnto_77
Tu non hai i requisiti x questa nazionale:troppo eticamente corretto,troppe presenze,troppi gol,troppo forte!Mi spiace amico @GilaGilardino

[p_maldini_3]

there needs to be more movers in the midfield, florenzi would've provided that.

[RomaShield27]

Florenzi could fill in for various roles. I would have brought him ahead of Insigne for sure. Insigne is far from the finish product and I'm not sure what he could offer coming off the bench late in the game. Its become a speciality for Florenzi who's sheer energy and buzz when he comes on can get a team going and create chances. I would have also included him ahead of the likes of Aquiliani, Candreva and Romulo.

Luca Toni is too old and too slow, Italiamia. Yes, he had an exceptional season, but at Verona he sat up top and the team was built around him with pacy skillful wingers. It'd be a different scenario with Italia and a completely different tempo at international level.

To try pick 7 to drop from that list:

Ranocchia / Darmian / Maggio / Romulo / Aquilani / Parolo / Insigne