The long awaited return

January 3rd, 2012 | by: samcalcio | Comments Off

I don’t think we’re in Udine anymore, Toto..

In the end, it was inevitable. For a coach as fair thinking as Prandelli, not to mention the deliberate “meritocracy” that Pranders has applied to the Azzurri, this seemed a logical choice. Okay, we’ve lost two centre forwards, and need a decent striker to play in the role that Cassano and Rossi utilised so well.  How does a man who has hit 67 goals in 86 Serie A games sound, including winning the Capocanonneire title the last two years?

..Yeah, alright.

No problem? Well, just the one..minor, issue.

Antonio Di Natale is 34, very much in the twilight of his career, and has a less than perfect record with the Azzurri, despite scoring 10 goals in 36 games(not a bad record, but about half as potent as his record for Udinese) was present, and underwhelming, in the last two disappointing international tournaments.

This has led to the call up of Di Natale becoming a somewhat contentious issue. alluding to a conflict of interest between Prandelli’s intention to move the Azzurri forward with youth and development, but having the best Italian striker at the moment far exceeding the age he would like his picked players to be.

Also, what on god’s earth does Prandelli do if Di Natale comes in, lights up the Azurri like a forest fire and then Cassano AND Rossi come back? That’s a headache no-one will want.

However, given that both players will be on the treatment table for some time, that appears to be a hypothesis for another time.

What is certain, is that, in my opinion, Di Natale had to come in.

We have two, usually guaranteed, nailed on forwards out of action. Fact.

We have, available for selection, the best Italian striker at the moment, with a goal scoring record in the last two years that is only challenged by Mario Gomez, Robin Van Persie, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, no less. Not a bad list to be part of, no?

Di Natale’s positives offer so much more than than any negative than can be offered, in my opinion.

Not only does he offer versatility, and a cool head, but his experience in high pressure situations, international tournaments, in addition to being an excellent captain for his club, mean that this could be a positive move for Prandelli, Toto and his teammates.

And as Italy march on towards what could be a very positive tournament, it’s only fair to to asses all the options available, before making a highly informed decision, right? To exclude someone despite form is what marred Marcello Lippis campaign in 2010, and Italy will be wary not to tread that path again.

All in all, a bit of reason is in order. Antonio Di Natale is one of the most talented, underrated, versatile and multi faceted performers to hail from the peninsula in the last 10 years. I would hesitate to suggest that if Totti was in the same form, he’d be a regular starter. And in times of need, a hero is called for. And who better than Toto?(Apart from Dorothy)

Sam is on Twitter. If this type of miscellaneous rant is your thing, give him a go.