Cesare Prandelli has a big test coming up, when the Italian national team faces Germany in Dortmund on February 8th. His list of 23 called up players features some new faces, along with a few returning veterans. Yet the squad which has been called up is missing some important players who are injured. The star striker of the future, Mario Balotelli is still injured, along with Quagliarella, Pirlo, and Pepe, with Prandelli deciding not to call up Marchisio and Gilardino.

There are plenty of experienced players returning, among them is Gianluigi Buffon. Juve’s keeper is finally in a relatively positive state of fitness, but Prandelli’s call up highlights a sickly dependence on the keeper which needs to stop soon. While Buffon is a legendary goalkeeper, Prandelli can’t drag the 33 year-old to the 2012 European Championships, Italy needs a younger keeper. I’ve seen Sirigu (who has been called up) make some excellent saves for Palermo, and he’s probably my first choice to be Buffon’s heir.

Here’s the 23 players called up by Cesare Prandelli for the friendly against Germany:

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon, Salvatore Sirigu, Emiliano Viviano

Defenders: Davide Astori, Leonardo Bonucci, Mattia Cassani, Giorgio Chiellini, Domenico Criscito, Christian Maggio, Andrea Ranocchia

Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani, Daniele De Rossi, Sebastian Giovinco, Stefano Mauri, Riccardo Montolivo, Antonio Nocerino, Thiago Motta, Angelo Palombo

Forwards: Marco Borriello, Antonio Cassano, Alessandro Matri, Giampaolo Pazzini, Giuseppe Rossi

Something which hit me when I was looking at the teams which these players play for is that there are now three Inter Milan players in the squad! Somehow, the club notorious for its lack of Italians, has snuck in three players into the national team. I’m glad to see Ranocchia, Pazzini, and Thiago Motta in the team, because all three of them are relatively youthful and energetic.

I’m also glad to see Alessandro Matri being called up. The ex-Cagliari forward who recently joined Juventus in the January transfer window has been banging in the goals this season. Giovinco is also being given a chance after his re-emergence at Parma, and I’d really like to see this pair of newcomers succeed.

How do you think Italy will do against Germany in the friendly? Is this squad good enough? Share your predictions and comments below!

2010 was a bad year for Italian football. I tried to think of the positives, but very few came to mind. A disastrous World Cup in South Africa, a bad showing in the Europa League, and only a Champions League victory (guided by a Portuguese mastermind) which retains some dignity for Italian football.

While 2010 was a poor year, it now allows all of Italian football to rebuild in 2011. Just looking at the Serie A, a much more competitive league has formed after an exciting summer of transfers. AC Milan have strengthened considerably with the super-signings of Ibrahimovic, Robinho, and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Juventus are rebuilding properly under Luigi Delneri, who is creating a team which plays through the electrifying Milos Krasic. Inter Milan are in a rebuilding phase as well after the disappointment of Benitez’s failure, and now Leonardo trying to make a proper impact with a treble-winning side.

These changes along with a general strengthening of teams like Lazio, Napoli, Palermo, and even Roma all contribute to a much more exciting league.

No more 1-0 wins, ground out with counter-attacking football, now Italian sides seem to have realized that to win, you have to score goals. Juventus score plenty of goals while leaking at the back, Palermo play a fluid style with the humble Javier Pastore orchestrating the side, and AC Milan steamroll through teams with Ibrahimovic’s wrath accompanied by a dancing Robinho. No matter what anyone says, the Serie A has become exciting. AC Milan seem unstoppable, and if Leonardo manages to wake up a drowsy Inter team, we’ll have a proper battle for the scudetto on our hands.

With the Serie A becoming more exciting, we are also seeing this positive change reflected in the Italian national team. Cesare Prandelli is a shining symbol of hope for Italy fans, giving us all the chance to see Cassano back in the Azzurri shirt, along with Mario Balotelli and other exciting young players. The qualification for the European Championships of 2012 doesn’t look to be too difficult, and if Prandelli continues to breed these youngsters into the national team, there’s a chance that Italy will be a contender for the tournament held in Poland-Ukraine.

2011 is ultimately a year of hope for Italian football. A chance to forget about the UEFA co-efficient, the World Cup in South Africa, and a boring Inter Milan dominance in the Serie A. An exciting league has formed, and along with it a stronger national team is moulding itself under Cesare Prandelli’s venturing eyes. What do you hope for Italian football in 2011? Share your comments below!

I was getting very excited about the Italy – Serbia game which was supposed to be played today, but to my (and probably many other people’s) disappointment, the match was cancelled. The game was cancelled because of crowd trouble, mainly from the Serbian fans’s end. The match’s kick-off was delayed by about 35 minutes, and the game was stopped after just six minutes of play.

This is a huge disappointment for me, especially because Serbia is probably the toughest opponent that Italy has to compete with in these Euro 2012 qualifiers. In a group with the Faroe Islands, Estonia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, and Serbia, Italy was doing relatively well, and this match which was supposed to take place at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris was going to be an important game.

The main disruptions that the Serbian fans caused were basically throwing flares all over the place. Whether it be onto the playing field, towards Italian keeper Viviano, or in the Italian crowd it didn’t matter. The Serbian players even tried to calm down their fans, but they were unsuccessful, and therefore the Scottish referee Craig Thomson cancelled the match after about six minutes.

There were already some ideas of fan trouble when Serbia’s usual keeper Vladimir Stojkovic decided to not play because of abuse on the way to the stadium from his own fans. The cause of this abuse was domestic rivalry, and Stojkovic even went to the Italian dressing room to explain his withdrawal.

Prandelli was very disappointed with what happened, and he commented regarding the trouble.

“It’s a great disappointment, there’s great bitterness, the ground was full of children with so much enthusiasm. According to the Serbians we have spoken to, the aim of the Serbian fans was to stop the match,”

Now the big question arises, what will UEFA do about this cancelled match? Well, I read over UEFA’s rules regarding the European Championships and I found this regarding what to do in case of an abandoned match.

“If the match is abandoned before the end of normal time or during any extra time because the field is not fit for play or for other reasons, it must be replayed in full either the next day or on another date as agreed by the host association and the visiting association, subject to the approval of the UEFA administration. An agreement must be reached within two hours of the referee’s decision to cancel the match. In case of dispute, the UEFA administration fixes the date and kick-off time of the match. Its decision is final.”

So it seems like the match will be replayed on a certain date agreed by both associations along with UEFA’s approval, but there’s been rumblings that the match could be marked off as a 3-0 win to Italy. Here’s what the Italy soccer federation vice president Demetrio Albertini said regarding what will happen in the future.

“We will not ask for anything. It’s up to the UEFA delegate to talk with UEFA to decide what to do,”

So things are still up in the air regarding what will happen, I think that the match will just simply be replayed with no away fans allowed to attend. But UEFA could decide to give Italy the win, especially because it doesn’t seem like the Azzurri supporters caused any problems. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, what are your thoughts regarding this cancelled match? Comment below!

Tomorrow Italy will be playing it’s final match of this international break, a qualifier for the European Championships of 2012 which will be taking place in Poland and Ukraine. The Azzurri will be facing Serbia at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris of Genoa, and the Sampdoria players like Cassano and Pazzini are looking forward to playing in front of their fans.

This match is important in many different ways, not only does Prandelli want to bounce back after the relatively disappointing draw against Northern Ireland, but he also needs to make sure he finds the right system with his players. With plenty of talented players to play as forwards, Prandelli needs to make sure everyone gets playing time, and that the forwards find a way to score some goals.

Right now the group is pretty tight, and although Italy are first right now, they could be overtaken if they don’t perform against Serbia. The group has Italy in first place with seven points, then Estonia just one point behind at six points, and then Slovenia, Serbia, and Northern Ireland all tied with four points while the Faroe Islands are at the bottom with zero points.

In the other matches taking place tomorrow of the group, you can expect Northern Ireland to win against the Faroe Islands, and it’s possible that Estonia will win at home when they face Slovenia. This forces the Azzurri to get a win, because if they don’t they could fall all they way down to third place in the group.

As for the team which Italy will be facing, Serbia have actually been going through a bit of a bad time recently. They first only managed a 1-1 draw against Slovenia, and then they were defeated at home 3-1 by Estonia. Serbia had gone a goal up in the second half against Estonia, and you’d expect them to hold onto the lead, but Estonia instantly fought back with three goals, disappointing the Serbian fans.

So Prandelli will have to take advantage of Serbia’s slump in form, but how will he do that? It seems possible that Pazzini will start along with Cassano, with Borriello also in the frontline. Prandelli experimented with a 4-3-3 in practice before the match starting Cassano on the left, drifting in inside to play as a “trequartista” behind Borriello and Pazzini.

This was accompanied by the midfield three which started in Ireland, Pirlo, De Rossi, and Mauri, and a defence composed of Zambrotta, Gastaldello (Bonucci received a knock against Northern Ireland, nothing serious though), Chiellini, and Criscito. And it seems like Prandelli would like to stick with Viviano in goal, but this entire formation could have a few changes by the time that the players begin to play Serbia.

To me the team looks good, Criscito is on the rise (as was Cassani, but Prandelli seems to have chosen Zambrotta instead), Cassano and Pazzini will be able to link up well, with Borriello wanting to make up for his missed chance in Ireland. My only disappointment is that yet again, Giuseppe Rossi probably won’t be part of the starting 11. He’ll most likely be used as a super-sub, which isn’t that great of a chance to prove himself.

What are your thoughts on the possible formation that Prandelli will put out? How do you think Italy will do against Serbia? Share your thoughts by commenting below!

A disappointing result for Italy, a 0-0 draw with plenty of wasted opportunities from the Azzurri. While there were some positives to take from this match, Prandelli really needs to teach his side how to finish off opportunities. The entire team was slightly hesitant, and against a well supported Northern Ireland team in their own stadium, the Azzurri needed to show a bit more fight.

The starting line-up was a strange one from Prandelli, and I think it’s part of why the team didn’t play very well. Viviano was in goal, with Cassani at right back, Bonucci and Chiellini in the middle of defense, and Criscito at left back, so far it seems like a good side. Then in midfield you had De Rossi, Pirlo, and Mauri, again a good mix of players, no criticism from my part. But up front Prandelli decided to go with Cassano, Borriello, and Pepe, and this is where I think the coach made the wrong decision. I’m glad with Cassano and Borriello playing up front, but I’m tired of Pepe, he covers ground with his endurance, but he lacks quality.

The match started cautiously, both sides took their time in trying to see what their opponents were like, and eventually things began to look a little better. Pirlo was the metronome, exchanging with Cassano to create opportunities and confuse the Irish midfield. Both of the fullbacks had great games, with Cassani fighting for every loose ball and providing good crosses, along with Criscito who created one of the best chances for Italy.

On the other hand, Borriello was isolated for the majority of the first half, barely touching the ball and getting involved in the play. And Pepe altogether disappeared for about half an hour, only to be seen when he missed a great chance set up by Criscito. So there were some players on form, and others who were having trouble, but that didn’t really stop this side from creating some chances.

Probably the most notable one was Borriello’s (who began to get more and more involved as the game progressed), one on one with the keeper, but the Roma forward hit it directly at the Irish keeper. Cassano tried to follow up, but his curling shot went wide as he claimed that it was brushed by a defender’s shoulder.

Yet as the match progressed, Northern Ireland became more and more confident, and eventually created a great chance for Healy who flashed his header wide. They would also go on to create a good chance in the final minutes which Viviano did well to save.

Prandelli made some substitutions as the second half wore on, replacing Borriello with Pazzini, Mauri with Marchisio, and finally Pepe with Giuseppe Rossi, but sadly only giving the American-Italian only five minutes of playing time. These substitutions helped, and Italy eventually created another great chance, Cassano curling a pinpoint cross to Pazzini at the far post, and Pazzini hitting it down across goal, with Rossi at the other post unable to tuck the ball in.

It was a disappointing result, and while I could criticize Prandelli along with the players, I’ve come to a strange realization. Maybe this is really the best that our team can do? Maybe these are the best players we have, and they genuinely can’t give anything else?

While there were good things to notice, like Criscito’s maturity along with Cassani’s spirit, there were more negatives than positives in this goalless draw for Italy. Share your thoughts on the Azzurri’s performance below.

Cesare Prandelli has revitalized the Azzurri. He won the first two qualifiers of the European Championships of 2012, and he looks ready to win even more. While Italy only faced Estonia and the Faroe Islands, the two wins were important nonetheless. And now, as Prandelli looks to call up another set of Italians to face Northern Ireland and Serbia in the next two qualifiers, he’s thrown in some new names.

The ex-Fiorentina coach has revealed that among the players he is looking at, there’s the Roma captain Francesco Totti. At 34 years-old, the experienced forward won the 2006 World Cup under Lippi, and Prandelli is looking to bring back the Totti-Cassano partnership. Here’s what the coach said regarding Totti:

We are looking for quality, and Totti has shown to have the technical qualities, but also great personality. The idea to see Totti and Cassano together in the national team together is a specific desire. There was talk about friendship, the relationship that exists between the two: we want to create a chance which would be an example for kids to come watch the match.

So it’s very possible that you’ll see Totti and Cassano playing together against Northern Ireland, or Serbia. But Prandelli hasn’t forgotten about his other star striker, Mario Balotelli. In fact, the coach is very eager to restart using the Manchester City forward. Prandelli here commenting about Mario:

I miss him, because I really have the desire and intention to try an attack with players of his caliber. He presented himself wonderfully in the national team, and I wish him now only to recover from his injury the best he can.

After these comments, could we be seeing a front three of Cassano, Totti, and Balotelli? The best way that trident would work would be to have Cassano and Totti both playing right behind Balotelli. But for now, Balotelli is injured, and his return is set around November or December, depending how the recovery goes.

Prandelli also commented on the general state of the Italian national team, and where he wants to take them in the future:

My national team is one which is growing little by little. Our intention is to have youngsters grow, and I’m convinced that we’ll find some soon of quality. I don’t know when we’ll realize this project of mine. At the moment, we’re thinking about unifying the two things: playing good games and reaching the objective of qualification.

Prandelli will be revealing his squad on Sunday, October 3rd. This squad will face Northern Ireland away from home, and then Serbia in Italy, both matches which have the potential to be difficult. So lets hope that Prandelli knows what he’s doing regarding Totti, and we might see the Azzurri grab another pair of wins.

Finally Italy has clicked. While the comeback win against Estonia was a good result, this 5-0 win shows that Prandelli has found harmony within the team. Prandelli’s home debut as the coach of the Italian National team is certainly positive, Cassano inspired the team, and he looks ready to face any opposition. And with this win, Italy take command of the qualifying group at first place with six points, two points ahead of Serbia who are second.

The match at the Stadio Artemio Franchi marks a step forward, Prandelli decided to start with Gilardino center-forward, with Cassano and Giuseppe Rossi supporting him. The midfield three were Pirlo, De Rossi, and Montolivo, and the defense was made up of Antonelli, Bonucci, Chiellini, and De Silvestri in front of Viviano in goal. A good selection from Prandelli, with Pirlo and Cassano acting as the architects which pass and penetrate the Faroe Islands’s defence.

As the match kicked off, the usual Italia fan invaded the pitch, the same one who back in the Lippi days wore a shirt which said, “Cassano in Nazionale”, which means “Cassano in the national team”. This time he went over to Cassano, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and ran off peacefully saying good-bye to Prandelli.

After that interesting incident, Italy began well, they attacked and created attacking opportunities right away. Italy constantly kept possession in the opponent’s half, causing plenty of trouble with Cassano and Pirlo’s passing masterclass. Bonucci rose up from the defence in a similar way to Lucio, expertly weaving his way around defenders hoping to get a chance to score, and the rest of the team made sure to accommodate the Juventus player’s runs.

It was in the 11th minute that Italy scored, Gilardino flicking with his head a corner swung in by Pirlo. It was 11 months that Gilardino didn’t score, and this goal is very welcome by the Fiorentina striker, especially after the disappointment in South Africa.

The second goal came from Daniele De Rossi in the 22nd minute, unmarked in the area, first hits his first shot against the defender, and the lucky rebound comes right to him which he smashes into the net. The Roma midfielder’s shot deflects off of Gregersen’s heel, but the ball would’ve most likely finished up in the net anyway.

At 2-0, Italy continued to play with an attacking style, a defensive wall stopped everything the Faroe Islands tried to do, and the ball circulated around the Azzurri’s feet. Then, about five minutes later Cassano shows why Lippi should’ve picked him for the World Cup: the Sampdoria forward cuts in from the left side and lashes a shot across the keeper into the goal which makes the Artemio Franchi Stadium explode with joy.

The Italy players were relaxed and calm as they filtered the ball through the Faroe Islands defence over and over, eventually scoring a fourth and a fifth goal. Quagliarella found the back of the net somehow as everybody scrambled for the ball, and Pirlo beautifully curled a close-range free kick under the bar.

A perfect performance from the Azzurri which helps forget the disappointment of the World Cup in South Africa, and hopefully move on towards a positive campaign in the European Championships. How do you think Italy played? Comment below!

Italy have begun to forget about Lippi and the World Cup failure, the team has new faces and is beginning to click under Cesare Prandelli. The first qualifying match for the European Championships Poland/Ukraine 2012 was against Estonia, and while Prandelli couldn’t use Balotelli, Buffon, and a few other important players, Italy were able to win.

Cesare Prandelli decided to go with a 4-3-3, using a front three of Pazzini in the middle, Cassano on the left, and Pepe on the right. In the midfield there was Pirlo, Montolivo, and De Rossi playing in front of Bonucci and Chiellini in the center of defense, with Molinaro on the left and Cassani on the right. Sirigu started between the posts, getting his second cap for Italy, his first being the 1-0 loss which the Azzurri suffered against the Ivory Coast.

Italy started very offensively, Cassano stringing passes together, Pirlo spreading the play, and Pazzini looking dangerous up front. But soon enough this attacking style which created a couple of good opportunities slowly died down as Estonia played defensively, absorbing Italy’s attacks as they tried to hit the Azzurri on the counter. The first goal arrived from a free kick, a long range shot which Sirigu spilled awkwardly, then Zenjov got the tap-in before the Italian defenders could clear the ball.

This made it 1-0 in the 31st minute, the Azzurri’s morale couldn’t be lower, they were unable to do much for the remainder of the first half. The second half began with Italy trying to maintain the ball against Estonia who were pumped up with the idea of defeating a team 83 places ahead of them in the FIFA rankings.

Then the Azzurri’s response arrived, a corner swung in by Pirlo which Cassano headed into the back of the net, equalizing and lifting the entire team’s spirit. This was in the 60th minute, and just three minutes later Pirlo swung in another corner towards Cassano at the near post, the Sampdoria player backheeled it into the middle of the penalty area where Bonucci whacked it into the back of the net. A comeback in just three minutes in which Cassano got a goal and an wonderful assist.

Italy held out for the rest of the match playing with a more relaxed tempo, Prandelli had brought on Quagliarella for Pepe before the comeback, and Cesare went on to replace Montolivo with Palombo and Cassano with Antonelli. Estonia began to push forward as their coach Ruutli put in forwards in hopes of finding an equalizer. In the end Italy were able to hold out and get three important points, and they now find themselves second behind Serbia who won 3-0 over the Faroe Islands.

Here are the ratings for the Italy players, keep in mind that I am very strict in the way I rate players.

Sirigu: 5.5, spilled the free kick letting Estonia go ahead, and after that he was flapping uselessly at crosses.

Cassani: 6.5, pushed forward providing another option in attack, confident in his play and provided solidity on the right side.

Bonucci: 6.5, got the winner and was pretty solid at the back with Chiellini, pushed up and helped out in attack quite a bit, leaving Chiellini with some work to do.

Chiellini: 7, was a rock at the back, the only time he slipped up was for the goal but other than that he was fantastic at keeping the Estonian forwards quiet.

Molinaro: 6, an okay return, pushed forward but not as much as Cassani, gained confidence throughout the game and found a way to help be incisive.

De Rossi: 6.5, a strong presence in the midfield, paired up with Pirlo to keep possession and spread the ball around.

Pirlo: 7, a wonderful performance from the AC Milan midfielder, swung in dangerous corners, got an assist, and taught us all how to appreciate smooth passing.

Montolivo: 5, I had forgotten that Montolivo was on the field for about 30 minutes, totally invisible, didn’t touch the ball and was disappointing. Prandelli did well to take him off.

Pepe: 5.5, Pepe ran around and was active, but he just didn’t find a way to be useful playing up near Pazzini, would’ve been better used in the midfield.

Pazzini: 6.5, was dangerous at the beginning with a couple of good shots, great movement with Cassano as their quick passing moved up the field well.

Cassano: 7.5, a great performance from Cassano, quick passing, maintained possession, scored a goal, and assisted another with brilliance.

Quagliarella: 5.5, replaced Pepe and barely touched the ball, didn’t do much and was fairly disappointing.

Palombo: 6, took off Montolivo and provided more solidity, a good move by Prandelli which allowed Pirlo to move up a bit more than before.

Antonelli: 6, only played 10 minutes on his debut for the Azzurri, replaced Cassano and he ran around, provided enthusiasm, and made sure he was noticed in a positive light.

What are your thoughts on Italy’s win? Share your thoughts by commenting below!

As the new Serie A season pauses this weekend for national teams to begin their qualifying for Euro 2012, Italian soccer fans may feel lost not being able to watch their favorite club.  To be honest, the Italy-Estonia qualifier looks less than tantalizing only two months after the exciting World Cup match-ups and high-level play.  But this match (which you can see on ESPN3 on Friday) does have some compelling story lines that makes it worthwhile to watch:

1. The New Azzurri Team Members: As Niccolo wrote, injuries and disappointing play have led to a number of new players being called up by Cesare Prandelli for tomorrow’s match (in addition to those called up for the Ivory Coast friendly in August).  Five players received their first call-up for the Italian national team – Luca Antonelli, Cesare Bovo, Lorenzo De Silvestri, Daniele Gastaldello, and Luca Cigarini.  With injuries to big names like Balotelli and Marchisio, this is a chance for some fringe players or less well-known players to make a case for their inclusion on the Euro 2012 squad going forward.
2. Removing the Bad Taste of the World Cup: Leading up to the World Cup, prognosticators saw the warning signs for the Italian team and expressed trepidation about their chances – too few goals, too slow pace, too little enthusiasm.  The failure to advance past group stage left a bad taste in the mouth of many Azzurri fans and tainted the Italian system.  While Estonia is not a top-flight contender like Spain or France, it is a chance for the new Prandelli era to put the previous team behind them and begin the trek to the 2014 World Cup in style.  A dominant or convincing win would boost morale, but a poor win, draw or loss could resurrect doubts about Italian football.
3. Redemption for World Cup Players: Andrea Pirlo has the opportunity to show he is still a world class player, despite a knee injury that reduced his effectiveness in the World Cup.  Giampaolo Pazzini was a major disappointment for the Azzurri in South Africa – after being put on the Italian squad because of a phenomenal ’09-’10 Serie A season, Pazzini was a dud in his World Cup appearance.  Both, and other members of Lippi’s squad, can show they can still play internationally.
4. The Race for #2 (or maybe #1) Keeper: With Buffon recovering, three keepers will have the chance to establish themselves as the solid backup or even the starter depending on Gigi’s health.  While Marchetti already has experience playing for the Azzurri, his performance in South Africa left many fans looking for better.  This could be a good chance for Sirgu or Viviano to show they are world class keepers, or Marchetti to show he is better than his World Cup performance.
5. The Chance to See Estonia’s Cool Football Culture:  While only in existence as an independent nation since 1991, Estonia has created for itself a pretty cool football culture.  Its stadium, A. Le Coq Arena, is named after a national beer and only holds about 10,000 people for soccer matches.  Their supporters are known as “the football hospital” in English and upon joining, members are given a “diagnosis” for joining the hospital.  The players aren’t well known outside the country, with two (keeper Mihkel Aksalu and striker Tarmo Kink) playing in the EPL.  American soccer fans will recognize New York Red Bull midfielder Joel Lindpere.

Prandelli has announced the squad of 23 which will face Estonia and the Faroe Islands this International break for the Euro 2012 qualifiers. The azzurri will face Estonia in Tallin September 3rd, and then the Faroe Islands in Florence September 7th. While they aren’t the toughest of opposition, Italy will also have to eventually face Serbia, Slovenia, and Northern Ireland as they attempt to qualify for the European Championships being held in Ukraine and Poland.

Here’s the 23-man squad:

Goalkeepers:

Marchetti, Sirigu, Viviano

Defenders:

Chiellini, Bonucci, Cassani, Bovo, Antonelli, De Silvestri, Gastaldello, Molinaro

Midfielders:

Pirlo, De Rossi, Pepe, Palombo, Montolivo, Cigarini, Lazzari

Forwards:

Cassano, Pazzini, Gilardino, Quagliarella, Rossi

There’s quite a list of injured players who could’ve been useful for Prandelli: Buffon, Iaquinta, Balotelli, Amauri, and Marchisio are all unable to play for Italy due to injuries. But it’s important to think about the players that Prandelli called up, I’m looking forward to possibly seeing a 4-3-3, with Cassano on the right wing, Pazzini in the middle, and Giuseppe Rossi on the left, but that isn’t Lippi’s only option. He could go with a 4-2-3-1, using De Rossi and Pirlo in front of the defence, and Pepe on the right, Rossi on the left, and Cassano supporting Pazini. There are plenty of attacking opportunities, but it’s important also to look at the rest of the team.

The squad looks solid in midfield and attack, but if there’s an area that worries me it’s the defence. The only well-known names among the defenders are Chiellini, Bonucci, and maybe Molinaro, the rest are relatively new to the Italian national team. While it’s positive thing that there are new faces, and not the same old players which Lippi used, I still worry whether the new players will be able to play well wearing the azzurri jersey. It’s good that there are some quality keepers though: Marchetti has already played for Italy, Sirigu is unproven at international level but is strong for Palermo, and Viviano personally held Inter to a 0-0 draw this weekend playing in goal for Bologna.

What are your thoughts on the Italian players which Prandelli has called? Can they do the job? What formation will the coach use? There are plenty of questions which will hopefully be answered on September 3rd and 7th when Italy plays Estonia and the Faroe Islands.