what i meant to suggest about Pirlo and DeRossi was not that they shouldn’t be fielded together; they are excellent choices, rather they need to be played in different positions. de Rossi is not good on the flank and Pirlo needs to be be given better protection from the rear and the offense needs to work harder to draw out the opponent’s mid-field in order to create more space around Pirlo for him to work his magic. this did not happen and Pirlo was lost.

if there is any proof that i am right about this it was the way that the Azzurri played against Cyprus.

Camoranesi just ran around like a chicken without a head and gave the ball away far too often. the passing that is so integral to maintaining space around Pirlo was sloppy and no one held possession. there was little connectivity between the back-field, the mid-field and the front line because the infrastructure for supporting our passing game was undermined by the key players not being in the proper positions. it was just like throwing a lot of talented players on the field that could not work because they could not make connections.

i respectfully disagree about Aquilani. I have seen evry Roma game but one since the second half of last year and many from the first half, as well as all the Azzurri games played since Aquilani has been fielded in blue.

please tell me one game where he worked well on the side and i will list 5 where he did not and another 10 where he was brilliant in the centre (when i say centre i am talking paired in the middle with de Rossi just in front of the back line in a 4-2-3-1).

the formation i indicated was not an overall ideal formation, rather an ideal formation if de Rossi and Aquilani were to be fielded

…and i do believe that that formation would have been far more effective than the one Lippi selected

i am not saying this is the ideal formation

This should have been resolved before the transfer date ended.
If Juve don’t want to give him €1m a year, because they have no faith in him……then sell they should sell him……

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=853838

And Julian, I think you need to change the subject to “Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like a Casualty Ward.” I know it doesnt have the same witty musical tie-in but it is a bit more apt. Any bets on who the next one to go down will be?
So far the list is:
Amelia
Grosso
Gattuso
Gamberini

YIKES!

He was immediately taken for scans and he was diagnosed to have suffered multiple fractures and surgery was needed.”
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11854_4114399,00.html

I don’t like the craze that seems to be going around for the 4-2-3-1. I certainly don’t like the idea of putting Pirlo in the position of trequartista; with such a formation, that role requires a beast of a runner, which Pirlo never was and is becoming less and less with age. More importantly, I doubt that such a formation would work well with the Azzurri squad – we have players whose characteristics are simply too different than the Romans (no Totti, for instance, who is the fulcrum of the 4-2-3-1).

I’m not sure I can call an ideal formation at such early stages. Certainly the most difficult question is how to best exploit the midfield – fielding Pirlo, De Rossi and Aquilani at the same time would be gorgeous if they could all work together, but their roles are so similar that such a combination would risk crippling the rest of the team, or forcing other great players (say, Cassano) into atypical and ineffective positions.

We’ll see what happens against Georgia.

Cassetti is a great defender for raiding up the wings but he only works well with someone like De Rossi just in front of him to cover when the other team counters. Cyprus was heavy on the counter and he should never have been used. Cyprus was also very physical and, while i do not always think Gattuso should be on the field, he was the right choice for this game and probably should have started.

we maintained little possession and this was because of lack of cohesion.

where was Pirlo played? in the midfield or the front-line or as some sort of 3/4ista? he was lost.

Pirlo needs to be in the middle centre and as such he needs to have a flanking midfield that can create space around him so that he can operate as the incredible play-maker he is. he did not have this.

in addition, there was no connctivity between the midfield and the front line – passing was horrendous on the Italia side. this should be our strong suit – being able to move the ball around and exploit temporal holes in the opposition’s squad.

this was how both goals were scored (though the first was largely the result of a defensive error).

Aquilani along side DeRossi would improve this (centred in the back just in front of the rear gaurd – neither play well out on the flank). Put Pirlo in front of them and in the centre in a position where he can shift forward as a 3/4ist or back into mid-centre field. the two wingers would then play slightly up in front of Pirlo but out to the sides. No Toni, no Gilardino. Single striker at the point (problem is Italy do not have anyone who ideally fits this position – i know everyone will laugh, but Inzaghi is the one who would best fit that role, or dare i suggest Totti, but i belive he would not work well despite his amazing talent).