Rino Speaks

That is the best picture in the history of photography. Ansel Adams, eat your heart out. Rino looks like he’s ready for the cover of a grocery store smut novel cover.

There are only a few people I’ll make a point to perk up and listen to when speaking. Lippi is one, of course. Another is the guy who nearly killed Marcello with a two-handed strangle in Germany, Ivan Gattuso. Not for the same reasons, but he always seems to be worth a listen. Well Ivan held court for the press today, and gave his thoughts on a range of issues.

On Captaincy.:

“I think at this moment Del Piero is captain because of appearances,” said former Rangers midfielder Gattuso.

“If he doesn’t play, the captain is Buffon. We know that for us Buffon is very important.”

Very diplomatic. Of course he’s right, it’ll be down to appearances, but I wonder if it’s a good idea to swap the captaincy during a tournament. In my book, if a guy’s the captain he’s a starter, full stop. 100%. Seems almost a prerequisite. Say ADP sits on the bench against the Netherlands and then works his way into the XI for Romania. Kind of odd to switch captain at that point. Especially under these circumstances, when the true captain is on the sideline. Buffon will be captain once Canna retires, and now seems like a good time to anoint him as the apprentice in Fabio’s absence. He’s a 100% starter, a world class player and a respected leader. Seems logical. (Though leadership is the least of my worries when it comes to ADP.)

On Tonigol.:

“Luca Toni is a special player. The way he controls impossible balls and turns them into good passes is incredible. He is also a great team player who will come back to help out the side. I think he could make the difference for us.

GG sounds like one of us, the fans. Luca Toni tends to have that type of effect on people.

On the Tridente.:

“When a team play with Toni, Mauro Camoranesi and Antonio Cassano up front, it’s fair to say we have an offensive approach. And we’re playing against sides with a similar mindset.”

Uh, did he just leak something here? Last I checked - along with everyone else - Antonio Di Natale looked fantastic against Belgium, and every indication points to his inclusion in the starting XI. But could it be Cassano? I doubt The Don has made a decision on the lineup for the orange ones yet, but perhaps these three have been spending a lot of time working together in training…

(Still think it’s Toto on Monday.)

On Mentality.:

“We certainly can’t afford to go into any match thinking we are world champions,” the 30-year-old cautioned. “We will have to go into every game with the knife between our teeth.”

Yup, that’s Rino. Swashbuckling lad.

On His Role.:

“I know I haven’t had the best season with Milan. It’s been tough for us but if I play I will give my best as always. This is the European Championship and wearing the Azzurri shirt is something special, though there’s a lot of competition for places. Along with Steven Gerrard, Daniele De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo are the best midfielders in the world.”

This for me was most surprising, mostly because Stevie G called him a kitty cap, but also because his greatest competition at the moment is Daniele De Rossi. Not that I’m disagreeing or surprised that he thinks this, just that he said it.

It’s one of the most contentious talking points right now: who goes on either side of Pirlo. Gattuso has the intangibles and experience, but lacked form this year. De Rossi has some experience, but not to the extent of Rino, is still not an “elder” and will not bring the same leadership, but is clearly one of the best centrocampisti on the planet right now. Form, experience….or both?

Of course, putting both in the middle of the lineup eliminates this guy:

On Aquilani.:

“I like Aquilani a lot. I like the way he behaves and how he is on the field.”

I’d love to see tapes of this training camp someday because multiple guys have been positively gushing about Aquilani. Gigi Buffon went as far as saying he could be the best midfielder in the world. The kid must be doing some special things. His greatest difficulties this year have been injuries and Spalletti’s inability to detach himself from David Pizarro’s nutsack, which is a common point of debate in the Roma world. But almost to a person it’s agreed that he’d be fantastic in a 4-3-3. Let’s hope.

* - Many people here probably know my Roman leanings, and that Daniele De Rossi is my favorite person walking this earth. Earlier in the week, it was impossible for me to see how De Rossi could be left on the bench. Watching him this year was something else. Then Canna went down: I’d start Gattuso.

On Hunger.:

“We don’t have our captain anymore, but our spirit and approach is the same. We’re full of desire,” Gattuso said, responding to critics suggesting Italy has become too complacent after its World Cup victory. “My stomach is starting to growl.”

There are very few others one would rather have leading the charge. We’ll see on Monday whether or not he gets the chance, but he is now the loudest heartbeat for this team. Form or not, he should play.