Review: Germany 1 v 1 Italy – A return to form.

February 11th, 2011 | by: Marco |

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Introduction.

Concern has begun to lift for the first time from the Azzurri camp in recent memory. Wednesday night @ Dortmund could be considered a return to form for our fabled Azzurri; not only did we achieve a positive Germany 1-1 Italy result, but we did it in spectacular fashion amidst a humungous German audience of which only the likes of Dortmund can offer. Even though this match was slated as a friendly on paper; it was quite apparent that the ambiance offered in Dortmund was far more reminiscent of a World Cup match – similar to that found in Paris when Italy fell to the French national team months after our WORLD CUP Final triumph in 2006. This was after all the first time the Germans faced the Azzurri since the 2006 WORLD CUP Semifinal. With tension at a fever pitch, both teams came out of the gate with something to prove. The Germans were there to put to rest the notion that they couldn’t beat the Italians, and the Italians came to prove that through our rebuilding we were now capable of playing footy with a team as highly rated as the Germans.

The Match.

The match began with action on both ends of the pitch. The German’s were renowned for their speedy counter attack style of football. During the 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP Germany exploited teams like England and Argentina with their technical ability to move the ball from one side of the pitch to the next. However, against Italy in this match, it was apparent that they would not be able to move through our back line with as much ease as they were accustomed to against other opponents.

New combinations were tried and tested by Prandelli, with Ranocchia and Bonucci partnering up at the centre back position, this was a partnership that in front of an away audience of 80,000 proved to be a vital component to the makeup of Prandelli’s team. Chiellini was situated at the left back position and was positioned opposite to the highly rated Philipp Lahm who had difficulty getting passed the Juventus CB turned LB for this affair. With the play moving back and forth from the onset of the match, German attack followed by a fluid and speedy Italian counter attack, it was up to a neat back heel from Mesut Ozil to Thomas Mueller who then sent a cheeky little pass to Miroslav Klose. The German ace would make no mistake thumping a shot passed Buffon and into the Azzurri net. Although initially I thought this was a knock to Buffon who has been showing signs of rust from his half year layoff due to injury, replays have shown that it was indeed a brilliant display from the Germans that put the ball past Buffon to claim the lead at Dortmund in the 16th minute.

Our midfield for the most part was composed. Although we were playing against a solid team with incredible technical ability, we held up nicely. The partnership of DeRossi – Montolivo – Motta ended up being our weakest part on the pitch. However, considering the circumstances I thought they each did an admirable job. It was only until Aquilani took over from Motta in the second half that the Azzurri had a little more rhythm. There were portions of the first half where we simply couldn’t achieve possession. The second half started in the same trend, however, once the substitution for Aquilani was made, we were instantly transformed and looked to be the most threatening team on the pitch.

In attack the first half was characterized by two figures lurking in the final third of the pitch. Mauri’s pace and hustle was a significant improvement over what we have become used to from the Lazio starlet. On occasion you’d see him making some big strides to achieve or retain possession for the Azzurri. If there was a ‘most improved player’ award, he’d have likely earned the right to hoist it. On the other side, Antonio Cassano was by far and away our most potent and significant offensive threat. One would be compelled to believe that had Prandelli continued with the Milan forward into the second half the Azzurri would have scored at least another goal. Throughout the first half, Cassano was involved in a number of incidents that ’should have’ been deemed penalties against the Germans. His vision and attention to players making significant runs was second to none. It has become apparent, that although he hasn’t been awful at Milan thus far, Antonio hasn’t been great, but, it seems to me that when Cassano dawns the blue, he becomes that much better. For the national team, he seems to discover another gear to his transmission, looks that much more confident and determined to score. At Milan he seems to disappear for long stretches, where as with the Azzurri, he make runs and looks to be giving 120% towards the cause. Although I amy sound like a broken record at this point, had Lippi selected the Bari native, he would have made all the difference. With that being said, ‘Donut boy’ could stand to lose a couple of pounds.

In the second half, Rossi and Borriello were brought on for Pazzini and Cassano. Although the two didn’t have quite the chemistry and presence on the pitch that Cassano and Pazzini exhibited, they were solid enough to make the difference for the Italians. Rossi scoring must have been a huge relief for the self proclaimed “most in form Italian striker.” He is gifted, he is talented, but for me, he isn’t a direct replacement for Cassano on the pitch – the two are completely different players, and provide completely different aspects to our game. A suitable substitute to Cassano did make his long awaited debut for the Azzurri (at a senior level) Sebastien Giovinco! The fan favourite showed moments of brilliance, but in the end wasn’t as effectual as we had hoped. Regardless, he was only on for about 20 minutes and if he’s given time to settle into the team he will become a true threat for the Azzurri going forward.

The end result is positive and should only be taken as such. Italy tied Germany in front of a huge crowd in a stadium that Germany has only ever once lost – ironically to us in the 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP Semifinal. Let us also not forget that often times Germany is a team that is mentioned in the same breath as WORLD CUP Champions Spain. They are considered a young team, full of flair and full of ability. Yet, in every sense of the word, we held our own against them yesterday and in my humble opinion we looked much better than they did for stretches of the match. With that being said there is still a long road ahead, but we have time, Euro 2012 is still 1.5 years down the road.

Player Ratings.

Buffon 8.0: The Captain has finally made his appearance. Although he looked soft early in the match Gigi found his footing and looked every bit like the 2006 WORLD CUP Champion. This was a tremendous return to form for Buffon and I look forward to him leading us to Euro 2012.

Cassani 7.5: Although it seemed defensively he wasn’t as stable as usual, going forward he opened up a lot of the play. It was because of him and his counterpart Chiellini that we actually created more width than the Germans did.

Ranocchia 7.5: Great debut for Inter’s latest signing. He looked tight at the back and started off a little nervous, but again, as the game progressed he came into his own and looked stronger than bonucci by the end of the match.

Bonucci 7.5: Started the game like a monster, was settled from the start and completely focused. I’d give him marginal blame for the Klose goal.

Chiellini 8.5: The problem with this is now where the heck do we play this guy now. He was an absolute beast going forward. If we had four Chiellini’s I’m sure you know how our back line would look.

Motta 6.0: A useless yellow card, mixed with a disappearing act during portions of the game. It’s was partly his responsibility to try and break up stretches of German possession during the first half. The fact that the game came towards us when he left the pitch is a sign that not everything was going his way.

DeRossi 7.0: Much better performance from the Roma mid. He came forward a couple of times, took some chances and looked to get in the game. This match comes on the heels of some really poor showings by him with the Azzurri in 2010 – he’s rediscovering his form.

Montolivo 6.5: Looked poor in the start but the game came back to him, when Aquilani was out there the two partnered up quite nicely. He needs to get back into form, but I do like him on the Azzurri.

Mauri 6.5: Much better performance then the previous outings. However, with the talent we were boasting on the bench, I don’t think we should be starting him.

Cassano 8.5: The only thing missing from his play was speed. He’s out of shape, but was the best offensive player on the pitch – yes better than Ozil.

Pazzini 6.0: Disappeared too often in the first half and didn’t look anything like he was carrying his Inter form to the national team.

Criscito 5.5: No Chiellini, not my most favoured player and didn’t given anything to the Azzurri to earn a higher rating.

Maggio 6.5: Came on a looked impressive, pushed forward and looked threatening.

Giovinco 6.0: Some great passes and crosses; but didn’t have enough time to really settle down and make his mark.

Aquilani 7.0: Completely transformed the midfield with his possession and vision. He is more of a Pirlo replacement than Montolivo who in my opinion isn’t even the same type of player as Pirlo.

Borriello 7.0: Carried his Roma form onto the pitch. Looked like a better option for Prima Punta than Pazzini did.

Rossi 8.0: Scored the lone Azzurri goal, handled the ball well and injected pace into the attack. Prandelli needs to stop considering Rossi as a replacement for Cassano and play them both at the same time!

Prandelli 8.5: Good tactics and formations. I thought he could have kept Cassano on longer, but he did give many players opportunities, but should have used Matri as well!

Where do we go from here.

From this point I think it’s becoming more and more apparent of who is here to stay and who should start leaving. The lack of Gilardino and Pepe was a positive sign. Their absence was well appreciated by me, and the fact that they weren’t on the pitch bettered out chances against the Germans. Balotelli will also likely return in time for our next match. At the same time, I’d like to see further experimentations with Giovinco, Matri, Aquilani, Nocerino and yes T. Motta.

That being said the call-ups are closer than ever to being perfect. The questions now begin to filter through with regards to formations and who should play where. The jury is still out when it comes to moving Chiellini to LB from CB and entrusting two relatively new guys to the ever important CB role. Balzaretti could likely return although a replacement for him will be needed in a couple of years. Santon is definitely an option and his speed is something that could have caused trouble for the Germans had he been included.

In midfield, I am still not convinced, the trouble may lie with DeRossi, but having Marchisio come back will help us attain some balance. D’Agostino is another name that I wouldn’t mind testing out as well. At the front, aside from bringing Balotelli I am pretty happy with what I see. If we had a midfield able to hold onto possession I think the success we’d see up front would increase. So, what’s the ideal combination of players.

In my opinion I’d like to see a variation of the following three formations (depending on the competition of course).

The 4-2-3-1

Buffon

Cassani – Ranocchia – Chiellini – Balzaretti

Montolivo – Marchisio

Rossi – Aquilani – Cassano

Balotelli

The 4-4-2 Diamond*

Buffon

Cassani – Ranocchia – Chiellini – Santon

DeRossi/Motta

Montolivo - Aquilani

Cassano

Balotelli – Rossi

The Christmas Tree

Buffon

Cassani – Ranocchia – Chiellini – Balzaretti

Montolivo – Aquilani – Marchisio

Balotelli – Cassano

Pazzini

As always, we’d like to know what you felt about wednesdays game. Was it as positive for you as it was for me? After seeing a variety of players hit the pitch wearing the Azzurro, who would you like to see on the pitch for our next match.

Here’s a video recap of Germany 1 – 1 Italy @ Dortmund