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Bulgaria Review

October 13th, 2008 | By: Julian | 34 Comments »

I dunno if I’d give us a thumbs up, but it could’ve been worse…right?

Not a vintage performance by any means. We looked pretty flat and devoid of ideas for most of the time (though Monto did provide a spark every once and a while). To me, this proves a couple of things. One, we still have no true replacement for Pirlo. Without him, we’re nowhere near as creative or dangerous offensively. Again, Monto is slowly showing that he could be a replacement one day, but not quite yet. And two, this just proves to me that Cassano really should’ve been called up. Yes he’s a nutter, but he’s one of the most creative nutters out there. We just looked flat and he would’ve been lethal even as a substitute.

But when all things are said and done, a draw away to what seems like the toughest team in the group isn’t a bad result by any means. They’re undoubtedly happier with the point than we are, though. We still aren’t playing convincingly, but this team is going to need time to gel. Lippi is bringing in younger guys, and they need to learn how to play and fit into his system. Monto is doing well, Rossi seems like a staple for years to come, and Pepe impressed me. Even the old guard seemed pretty well. GC-Canna proved a solid central defense, at the least, and DDR was his usual midfield god-like self. Offensively we’re still looking shaky, but that’s probably because we don’t really have a guy linking the midfield and the front guys. We couldn’t really get behind thier defense. Italy has revolved around trequartistas forever, going back to the days of Baggio and more recently, Totti. There are a few guys currently playing who fit the bill- that nutter I was talking about before, Rosina, maybe even Aquilani- but Lippi isn’t calling them up. So we have to find ways around that and be more potent especially in the final third. If we’re not going to be creating a hundred chances, we’ll have to be more clinical. Hopefully, with Toni suspended, whoever does play for us on Weds will bring thier finishing boots unlike the lanky ass Bayern striker.

But the real problem we need to address is our formation. I have no clue why we play with a 4-3-3 when we have enough issues linking the midfield and attack as it is with a 4-4-2. What we should be playing is a 4-3-1-2. Am I crazy in thinking that? Maybe, but hear me out. The back 4 basically choose themselves- Dossena, GC, Canna, Zambro. As for our midfield, it should look something like DDR-Pirlo-Monto. In front of them should be Cassano, serving as a link to our strikers. Finally, Gila and Rossi should complement each other up front. This could prove devastatingly effective. It’s got a ton of creativity- Pirlo, Monto, Cassano- but also balance. DDR would act as the anchor around which the rest of the midfield could operate. Finally, I think Gila and Rossi could play to each other’s strengths greatly. On his day, Gila is a great finisher (I have faith Prandelli can get him back to where he was), and Rossi can set up goals rather well. But hey, this is me. Unless Lippi calls up these guys (cough CASSANO), this will remain a pipe dream. (And yes, I know a lot of people are going to say that I’m an idiot for thinking Gila is a great striker. To them I say, shut up. He’s getting better and with more confidence he’s going to be great again.)

But overall, I’m satisfied. Not thrilled by any means, but I’ll take 7 points from 3 games. Again though, if we don’t start kicking it up a notch and actually scoring, we’re gonna be in trouble. For the time being, I’m confident things will click into place. We just need some time and less injuries.

Next up we face Montenegro. I’m pumped that Quags finally got called up, because if we field the Udinese frontline, I have little doubt that we’ll get goals. Pepe, Christmas, and Quags are all used to playing together and should feel right at home. The only problem there is that Rossi and Gila are begging to start, so I have no idea what strikers are going to play on Weds. I do know something equally important- which Montenegrian striker will play, and his name is Mirko Vucinic. He’s the #1 guy we have to watch out for. Just like we neutralized Berba, neutralizing him is priority uno for our defense.

And yes I hate the new numbering system too.

News Bits:

DDR is injured and probably out against Montenegro. Another Azzurri player is injured. Why can’t the crappy ones get injured? How come we never hear about Luca Toni getting thigh injuries?
Lippi’s liking the way the squad is and how Rossi in particular is playing. I agree that our midfield and defense are looking good. But our offense needs to step it up. Even England is knocking back 4 goals like it’s nothing nowadays. If they can do it to Croatia surely we can against Montenegro right?
The Azzurrini aren’t doing too well. They tied 0-0 with Israel at home and have a ton of players out for the next game, including Giovinco, Marchisio, and De Ceglie. They play the second leg Weds away and must win to go onto the Finals. If they don’t make it I wouldn’t expect to see Casiraghi stick around for much longer.

Tags: Azzurrini, Cannavaro, casiraghi, Chiellini, De Rossi, Group E, Italy, Lippi, Montolivo, Pirlo, Rossi, the 4-3-1-2 and Italy; a match made in heaven, trequartistas, World Cup 2010

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Comments

Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 34 comments.

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By Provenzano | October 13th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

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Posted from Spain

By Marco | October 13th, 2008 at 5:33 pm

Kj, I have no idea why Rosina isnt on this team. I believe it was against South Africa last year when he last played for the Azzurri. He looked tremendous! I haven’t seen a player come on like that, with such pace and skill on the national team. But it seems that following that match he was never looked at again! I am still of the frame of mind that this guy could be HUGE on the national team - he and Cassano should be called up immediatly! Miccoli, has been good so far this season, I wouldn’t mind him being called up, but I want to see the first two there long before anyone else gets a shot!

By Provenzano | October 13th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

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Posted from Spain

By Armando | October 13th, 2008 at 7:59 pm

We need Amauri. He was the main man at Palermo, and has done pretty well at Juventus so far, really shined in the first few games especially. I dont know if he’s made his decision yet between Brazil and Italy, but he’d be a great striker to have on the Azzurri.

Also, i dont understand why ADP wasnt called up. Yea he’s slowing down a bit but he’s still great and that experience helps alot. And i sure hope Camo, Pirlo, and Buffon get better soon.

And yes i’m a Juve fan in case you havent noticed.

By gio | October 13th, 2008 at 9:26 pm

i have said it before every game this year,

Toni and Gilardino will not score. unless you count the deflection off his neck a goal, neither has and i cannot see why they are still in the line-up. Miccoli would definitely be better than either of these guys right now.

James is right. neither should be played.

DiNatale is fantastic. he has pace, hustle, good shooting and passing into the box.

if Quagliarella is played we will see some fireworks the likes of which have not been seen in years.

Cassano would be great
Rossi is fantastic
Balotelli is unstoppable
Iaquinta is a powerhouse

these are the 6 guys we should have as strikers.

By gio | October 13th, 2008 at 9:31 pm

Del Piero would also be great on the bench, but forget Amauri …

he is very good, but he really should have made a decision about where he wants to play. since he has been sucking up to Dunga he doesn’t deserve a place with Italy

By Bobo | October 13th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

Don’t forget that Rossi is a fantasista as well. Frankly, there might be a long wait before Giovinco is integrated into the national team and in the meanwhile, I think Rossi can do a damn good impersonation of Totti…I would argue that it’s not Pirlo but Totti that we miss most on the national team. Long balls will only get you so far, but Totti was the literal link between midfield and attack.

And there IS an heir to Andrea Pirlo… his name is Luca Cigarini. He’s been doing superbly for Atalanta as of late. Aquilani and Montolivo are not terribly similar to Pirlo at all.

By alessio | October 13th, 2008 at 10:51 pm

Cause Rosina has yet to prove himself consistent, and he’s been hot-or-cold this season thus far.

Posted from United States

By Marco | October 13th, 2008 at 10:55 pm

This Amauri business has to come to an end. I am a Juventino and my take on Amauri is this:

First, he hasn’t been anything special for Juventus. IMO the standout at Juventus is Iaquinta! Also, he is Brazilian, he has said on more than one occasion that his heart is with Brazil. But you know what those couple of characteristics don’t matter. what matters is, is that we are Italy, the fabled Azzurri, there is absolutly no reason to start putting players on our team that have 0 Italian in them. We have MORE than enough players who are up to the challenge of playing for the Azzurri, give Italians a chance.

Furthermore, we aren’t French or British, cherry picking players from other countries. IMO there are only three real soccer nations in the world - Italy, Brazil and Argentina. Even the German’s have taken to some Cherry picking as well. We have more than enough talent in Italy, so let’s reserve spots for real Italians. and what’s more, is that Amauri has NOT been picked by Brazil. He isn’t good enough for Brazil, so why would he be good enough for us????

Onto the Totti remark by BoBo, I have long maintained the belief that Totti won us the world cup. He wasn’t in form, but because of his presence, Pirlo, and other players had much more room to manouver. Had Totti been in form for the world cup, heck it would have been a cake walk, especially the way he was playing that year. I still would love to see Totti return to this team - there could be a chance - hopefully we’ll see, never say never! But talk about personalities - Lippi had him on the team, theres no way with having an ego like Totti’s can you leave Cassano at home.

By Bobo | October 13th, 2008 at 11:50 pm

To be fair, Marco, Europe is changing beyond recognition and it has been doing so for the last 30 years. What you consider cherry-picking is for the most part picking the best youngsters born in one’s country… whether they be ethnic Germans or French or not. I too feel some sense of nostalgia for the old European teams of the 1970s… where all the players looked almost like brothers! Italian and Spanish teams still look like Italian and Spanish teams mainly because there have been few players of foreign descent that merited places on either of those squads. That paradigm has already been shifted by guys like Marcos Senna and, presumably Mario Barwuah Balotelli (did anyone else read that article about his birth parents? His crusade to prove how Italian he is seems a bit delusional to me… does he really think that he can change his blood?) if he survives the hype.

By Julian | October 14th, 2008 at 12:20 am

Totti shouldn’t return. And I say that as a Roma fan. He’s just injured way too often and its time to let younger guys in. We have younger #10s who can fill in, starting with Cassano and going to Giovinco.

Posted from United States

By Johonna | October 14th, 2008 at 2:16 am

It is so funny, everyone that has a problem with Amauri and Balotelli do not seam to have a problem with Camoranesi. Of course, Balotelli is in a different position as he was actually born and raised in Italy. Bobo, clearly you do not have any adopted members of your family. If you did, you would see that “blood” really doesn’t matter so much.

I dont like Amauri because I dont think is that good. I, too, prefer Iaquinta.

Posted from United States

By Johonna | October 14th, 2008 at 2:19 am

Cripes, see what happens when I get all agitated and junk. It is “does not seem to have a problem” and “I dont like Amauri because I dont think he is that good.”

Posted from United States

By KJ | October 14th, 2008 at 2:31 am

“Cause Rosina has yet to prove himself consistent, and he’s been hot-or-cold this season thus far.”

Put him on any team other than Torino and let’s see…

Posted from United States

By KJ | October 14th, 2008 at 2:32 am

Iaquinta over Amauri? This year? Either you have a serious bias towards Italians or you don’t watch football outside of your clubs.

Posted from United States

By Provenzano | October 14th, 2008 at 4:03 am

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Posted from Spain

By asem | October 14th, 2008 at 7:45 am

TOTTI’S BACK BABY!
hahah, sorry Julian, it was just to defy you.

Nah, but I think there would be no harm in putting Totti on the bench over Del Piero.

By John Silver | October 14th, 2008 at 8:01 am

I won’t hide the fact that I’m at sea when it comes to choosing the formation so early. There are just so many incognitos, and the formation Julian suggests, while tempting in many ways, already reveals a few of them - starting from the idea that we should rely on Cassano to fill in that crucial trequartista spot. I think Cassano is, technically speaking, the best resource we’ve got after Buffon, and I think he should be used. But made INDISPENSABLE? Building our entire team around him? That’s asking a little too much from such a proven nuthead. What happens if he gets injured before the World Cup, gets in a row with someone in the team or - very simply - gets there out of form? Our entire team gets fucked up, that’s what happens.

Equally troubling is the idea of a De Rossi - Pirlo - Montolivo midfield. With no wings bidding for passes, the last two cancel each other out. The third midfielder should then be someone who runs like a bitch and provides dynamism - the role that in 2006 was filled by Perrotta and/or Camoranesi, two players who are both likely to be too old/unreliable come 2010. There’s some candidates to fill those shoes (the aforementioned Rosina), but they’re far from ready and there’s no indication yet that Lippi is planning on grooming them.

The real puzzle with the current Italian formation, as I see it, is the midfield. We’ve got a pick of absolutely gorgeous central midfielders but no wings whatsoever to speak of. In theory this dictates that we should play with three central mids, but then that unbalances the attack and asks for a 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2 with very awkward offensive dispositions. Alessio suggested a 4-4-2 earlier, and I’d be inclined to agree because it would make the most of our gigantic resources in the field of prima and seconda punta while not wasting the talents of our central mids. It would also be an extremely adaptable team, not relying on any individual talent but capable of reaching full strength even with some key pieces missing. However, we’ve got such a drought of people playing on the sides that Alessio himself suggested putting Gattuso on the wing! What??

I actually wanted to ask Alessio (and anyone else who can bother to reply) how would you solve the wing problem. The solution is either to change to a formation which doesn’t require them, and that’s what Julian suggests with the 4-3-1-2, or to bastardise some of our players and adapt them to play on the wing (for instance, teach Rosina, Giovinco or even Balotelli to play over there and let’s see what happens). What do you guys think?

Posted from Germany

By Bobo | October 14th, 2008 at 8:22 am

Johonna, I’m not saying that Balotelli shouldn’t consider himself the son of his adoptive parents… just that I don’t think he really acknowledges or accepts his African heritage. It’s understandable, but also a little odd IMO. But as you’ve rightly guessed, I’ve had little contact with anyone who’s been adopted, especially children of a different race from their adoptive parents, so perhaps this is the modus operandi.

By Bashar | October 14th, 2008 at 9:29 am

I’m in full agreement about Miccoli.. He deserves to be called back.. But who would be the ideal partner for him? You would think a big target man, but both of them are terrible right now.. Amauri might be a good match, but I think Miccoli/Rossi and Cassano up front together might be nice to see. Plus he does all the hard work up front that Italy has been lacking.. Toni tracks back to pick up the ball sometimes but not as often as Miccoli and doesn’t have the same technical ability.

Rosina.. I don’t know.. I’ve been on the pro-Rosina bandwagon but he has done nothing of note (as far as I know) last season and very little this year. Maybe he’s just pouty and unhappy at Torino. But until he moves to another club where he will be happier (and probably play better), he won’t be called up. Giovinco definitely deserves a spot ahead of Rosina right now and that’s because he’s proved himself at Empoli, for the U-21s and now proving himself in the CL.

Posted from United States

By Bashar | October 14th, 2008 at 9:32 am

Balotelli should not be mentioned with the national team yet.. He’s too young, there are plenty of decent forwards, etc… Let him play for the U-21s for at least 1 tournament/qualifier/year and if he is ready move him up. But you can’t expect to drop him in with a bunch of players he never played with before.

At least Giovinco, Rossi, Montolivo, Chiellini, Aquilani and possibly De Rossi played together for the youth teams. I think Italy is stacked with full backs though.. I love the crop of fullbacks they are coming out with.. absolute quality. If one can be converted to a CB (a la Panucci)…

Posted from United States

By Johonna | October 14th, 2008 at 9:43 am

I agree with Bashar, actually, about Balotelli. Let him play a bit with the Azzurrini - he is still very young. He has a tendency to get a bit hot under the collar when games are not going well for him. He needs to mature a bit and get some experience.

Posted from United States

By alessio | October 14th, 2008 at 9:50 am

Put him on any team other than Torino and let’s see…

Then tell him to move, already. Toro Merda is a dead-end for any player right now.

I love Iaquinta, but Amauri is a billion times more talented. Better shot, better in the air, better dribbling……but still no to him on the Azzurri. Johonna, I was anti-Camoranesi for the Azzurri, but I guess no ones talking about it because it’s been 4-5 years now and it’s kind of a moot point.

Posted from United States

By Julian | October 14th, 2008 at 10:11 am

John Silver- we’ve done it before. The WC 06 team was largely built around Totti and he didn’t have the best temper either. That turned out ok no?

I’m not saying we necessarily have to build the whole team around him. But considering that we don’t have a C Ronaldo or a Figo that can play down the wing and get the ball to our guys, we need to focus more on channeling it down the center. And if you’re going to do that, you need someone talented enough to get past the midfield and confuse defenses. Cassano can do it and I’m convinced Giovinco will be able to in due time

Posted from United States

By Marco | October 14th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

Guys the difference between Amauri and everyone else is the following: HE HAS NO ITALIAN IN HIM! Camro, has Italian roots. Also Europe is always changing, but you have to keep in mind, the Dutch, French and even English don’t grab people born in their countries - they grab people born in their former colonies. Four people on the 2006 world cup French national team were actually french. That is completely unjust and brings me to call it Cherry picking. Balotelli is himself born in Italy and adopted by Italians - nothing wrong with that, to me he is Italian. But I do find something wrong with a person who is born in another country, says his heart belongs to that country, has not an inch of italian on him, isnt good enough to get selected for his native country so wants to play for Italy. IMO we don’t need him!

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