The Azzurrini Cometh

Today kicks off the European Under-21 Championships for the little Azzurri. They head to the Netherlands considered one of the heavy favorites to add to the growing number of world and European trophies currently residing in Italia. It would be an ominous warning to the rest of Europe should the Azzurrini succeed and take home the trophy; to add the combined talent of the Campioni Del Mondo with the youngsters would certainly make Italia a dominant force for years to come (Faroe Islands notwithstanding).

They begin the tournament against Serbia today. The Serbs didn’t exactly take a Sunday stroll on their way to the Netherlands, having been beaten soundly at the hands of Sweden 3-0 in the first leg of the playoffs. However, in what can only be a tribute to their character and resolve, they came back and absolutely demolished Sweden 5-0 to make their way onwards to the finals. The Azzurrini road wasn’t too much of a cakewalk either, as they went up against one of the most talented young teams in the world, Spain. A 2-1 victory sent them ahead on a similar aggregate score. The rest of the group is comprised of England and the Czech Republic.

The Roster

Netminders:
1 Gianluca Curci (AS Roma) – The undisputed No. 1 who has been likened to that Buffon character and will spend time wrestling with Marco Amelia as to who is truly Gigi’s heir.
12 Emiliano Viviano (Brescia) – Nearly 6′5, the likely No. 2 is a very good backup to Curci.
22 Andrea Consigli (Atalanta) – Little chance he will see any time, he’s still young and is a favorite to mind the nets in 2009.

Defenders:
2 Marco Andreolli (Inter) - One of the stars to come through the Inter ranks recently, he will find himself starting directly in front of Curci. It won’t be long before he finds himself starting at the San Siro either. Same for the Azzurri.
3 Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) C* – The leftback was recently named captain after an injury to Alessandro Potenza ruled him out of the competition. The starting leftback has been heavily favored to be a future star for the Bianconeri and Azzurri for many years.
5 Andrea Mantovani (Chievo) – It’s between he and Criscito in the central defense. Mantovani likely has a head up.
13 Andrea Coda (Udinese) – There won’t be a shortage of quality central defender callups for the Azzurri for many years. Big and tall, he’ll spend significant time with the senior club eventually.
14 Domenico Criscito (Juventus) – The heir to Fabio Cannavaro at Juventus and likely the Azzurri, he is a similar player to Canna, making up for lack of size with a phenomenal mental game. Has struggled as of late and his playing time is a guess at the moment.
15 Michele Canini (Cagliari) – How many central defenders does this team need? Yet another, will likely see mostly bench time.
17 Andrea Raggi (Empoli) – A RB, could start but Motta is likely the better choice.
6 Marco Motta (Udinese) – Should be the starting RB during the finals, coveted by much of Serie A.

Midfield:
4 Antonio Nocerino (Piacenza) - Donadoni has already made it clear, he is the heir to Gattuso’s throne.
7 Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina) – The phenom. Europe beware.
8 Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma) - Highly skilled central midfield starter who has already spent time with the senior squad. A future star for club and country.
10 Alessandro Rosina (Torino) – It’s becoming an embarrassment of riches in the Azzurrini midfield. If you’re reading this you probably know who he is. If you don’t, you will.
16 Daniele Dessena (Parma) – Future icon.
18 Simone Padoin (Vicenza) – An elder statesman who will provide cover for the midfield and back line.
21 Andrea Lazzari (Atalanta) – Skillful, but not enough to break his way into the starting XI.
23 Luca Cigarini (Parma) – Andrea Pirlo v 2.0. Might see a little bit of time.

Forwards:
9 Giampaolo Pazzini (Fiorentina) – The kid who took the new Wembley by storm with a treble in its christening. He will start. He will score goals. Period.
11 Giuseppe Rossi (Manchester United) – The American-born phenom was one of the main reasons for Parma’s safety last season. He and Pazzini will partner up to form a lethal duo, now and likely for the senior squad.
19 Graziano Pelle (Lecce) – Think a younger Luca Toni. The striker options are nothing short of awesome.
20 Raffaele Palladino (Juventus) – Not exactly the most naturally gifted but he scores goals. And that’s all that matters, right?

Coach Pierluigi Casiraghi prefers a 4-1-4-1 formation with somebody playing a Gattuso-like cleanup role in front of the back line. Guess who that will be? Nocerino. There is no way he can sit Rosina, Montolivo or Aquilani and will likely play Rossi behind Pazzini, or vice versa. The back four remains a question. With the injury to Potenza, Motta will start at RB and will be matched across the way by the captain, Chiellini. The central pair isn’t assured, Andreolli will almost definitely start but the other spot could go to Criscito or Mantovani.

Probable Lineup: Curci; Chiellini, Andreolli, Mantovani, Motta; Nocerino; Rosina, Aquilani, Rossi, Montolivo; Pazzini.

The Schedule:
Group B
June 11 Czech Rep – England (Arnhem)
June 11 Serbia – Italy (Nijmegen)
June 14 Czech Rep – Serbia (Arnhem)
June 14 England – Italy (Nijmegen)
June 17 Czech Rep – Italy (Arnhem)
June 17 England – Serbia (Nijmegen)

Forza Italia

Update:

Casiraghi has gone with Palladino instead of Rossi and Motta makes way for Raggi. He really couldn’t go wrong with anybody up top. Lineup:

Curci; Chiellini, Mantovani, Andreolli, Raggi; Nocerino; Palladino, Aquilani, Montolovi, Rosina; Pazzini.