With an international break approaching, we get a chance to analyze the new Italy team which Prandelli is building. While he didn’t decide to call up Totti, he has included a player from the Lippi-days. Here’s the list of 23 players which Cesare Prandelli has called up:

Goalkeepers: Mirante, Sirigu, Viviano

Defenders: Cassani, Zambrotta, Bonucci, Bovo, Chiellini, Gastaldello, Antonelli, Criscito

Midfielders: De Rossi, Lazzari, Marchisio, Mauri, Palombo, Pirlo, Pepe

Forwards: Cassano, Gilardino, Pazzini, Borriello, Rossi

The first inclusion that I’d like to talk about is Zambrotta’s. While I don’t think he’s as bad as some of the other players which participated in the World Cup for Lippi, I still don’t think that he should be called up. And with Santon’s re-emergence for Inter Milan against Juventus (where he did well to contain Juventus and push forward), you’d think that the decision for the future would be the Inter player. So please share your thoughts on the decision to include Zambrotta.

An interesting choice which Prandelli will have to make is the one about the keepers. Which one do you start with? All three haven’t been truly outstanding recently, but none of them have had any bad games either. We’ll just have to wait and see who Prandelli decides to start with against Northern Ireland.

And the final question for me are the forwards, who will Prandelli start with here? While it seems obvious that all five will have some playing time, it’ll be interesting whether he’ll try the Cassano-Pazzini partnership, or maybe a front three with Giuseppe Rossi and Antionio Cassano behind Gilardino. I certainly hope that Rossi can find a way to shine, and force his way into the starting 11 for the second match against Serbia, but it looks like he’ll have some tough competition.

What are your thoughts on the Azzurri which Prandelli has called up? Share your thoughts below!

The Azzurri performed poorly throughout the World Cup and waited till the 80th minute of the match against Slovakia to start playing when it was too late to make a reaction to compensate for the failures in the previous 260 minutes of football. What is most troubling is the fact the Italian reaction was not due to team effort but rather down to a spark offered by Fabio Quagliarella who was behind one goal and scored another.

Italy’s squad lacked the confidence and played some uncharacteristic football dominated by loose marking, lack of communication amongst defenders and poor defending from set-pieces. The Italian team conceded 5 goals from a remarkable 6 shots on target which means almost every shot by opponents turned into a goal and that the Italian goalkeepers saved to make a single save. The Azzurri suffered from the absence of the injured Gianluigi Buffon who managed to play the opening 45 minutes before Federico Marchetti assumed the role of goalkeeper without making any outstanding saves.

Italy lacked creativity and invented little in terms of scoring chances inside the box before the second-half against Slovakia when Quagliarella was brought on to save Italy’s faltering World Cup campaign. The absence of Andrea Pirlo, despite his decline in form the last couple of years, was a massive blow for the team as he was limited to less than 45 minutes of playing time due to injury. When he entered the game, he was able to provide the Azzurri with more structured attacks despite his obvious lack of fitness. Italy’s attack which lacked creativity and produced nothing other than the penalty-kick converted by Vincenzo Iaquinta was pathetic in all three matches prior to the insertion of Quagliarella by coach Marcello Lippi.

Below is an assessment of the Azzurri players following all three matches in the group stage:

Gianluigi Buffon: N/A because he played in 45 minutes and had one shot which was very difficult to save against Paraguay. It was a defensive mistake by both Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Cannavaro.

Federico Marchetti: 5 out of 10. Marchetti did not commit any blunders but he did not make any saves either. From 5 shots which were on target, he failed to save 4 which were converted to goals. The third goal scored by Slovakia could have been avoided had he either rushed quicker to get the ball or stood his ground to attempt a save. He was left in no man’s land but the main fault lies with the defenders who left him exposed.

Fabio Cannavaro: 3.5 out of 10. This might be seen as harsh by some or as generous by others depending on how one views the goals conceded by Italy. The Germany 2006 version of Cannavaro had better sense of positioning and greater leaping power as well as better timing and most likely would have prevented both the Paraguay and New Zealand goals which came via set-pieces. The Kiwis scored after the ball deflected off Cannavaro’s knee. The former Azzurri captain was in no man’s land when Slovakia scored the second and third goals. His sense of marking deserted him and his leadership was quite poor considering he is the squad’s captain, most experienced player and a former best player in the world. Frankly, he was one of the main reasons behind Italy’s failure. He left Giorgio Chiellini with so much to do in terms of covering and tracking back.

Giorgio Chiellini: 5.5 out of 10. Chiellini had to cover for the deficiencies of the other defenders, mainly Cannavaro, and he covered time and again when Cannavaro was short or lost against Slovakia. He probably got used to having to carry the defensive line after Cannavaro’s poor showing with Juventus during the Serie A season when Chiellini had often had to save the Bianconeri but it does get tough after a while as witnessed by Juve’s miserable defensive record and the Azzurri shortcomings on the defensive end in South Africa 2010. He was perhaps a bit slow and, thus, maybe at fault for Slovakia’s second goal when he was late to cover the Slovak player Robert Vittek as he slotted the second goal for Slovakia. Other than that second goal by Vittek, Chiellini did what he could considering his partner was the aging Cannavaro.

Domenico Criscito: 5.5 out of 10. Did not commit any glaring mistakes yet he fell way short of the width, attacking impetus and overall impact offered by Fabio Grosso  in World Cup 2006. Obviously, both Grosso and Criscito had to take over after the world’s best left-back Paolo Maldini retired.

Christian Maggio: 5 out of 10. Was not at fault for any of the goals and only featured in the second-half against Slovakia. He showed the ability to go forward in spurts yet does not appear as a solid defensive option. Italy were stronger when Gianluca Zambrotta was on the right because of his experience and effort.

Gianluca Zambrotta: 6 out of 10. He actually performed much better than expected against both Paraguay and New Zealand to defy the critics who expected him to be horrible and a reason behind Italy’s failures. While Cannavaro disappointed as expected, Zambrotta stood his ground and performed consistently albeit nothing spectacular and way short of his impressive performances in Germany 2006. In the previous World Cup, Zambrotta was one of the stars and main catalysts as he threatened against Australia, Ukraine and Germany. Time for him to quit the national team without having to disgrace himself like Cannavaro who over stayed his welcome.

Gennaro Gattuso: 4 out of 10. He did not provide anything in the 45 minutes against Slovakia but the fault was not his because Lippi should not have started him after sitting the first two games and knowing Italy needed goals and not a defensive effort. Gattuso rightfully announced his international retirement before the World Cup. He deserves credit for making the decision and for being brave enough to acknowledge he is in free fall as he is only getting older. Poor performance on his behalf but it is not completely his fault because Lippi should have started someone else.

Claudio Marchisio: 4 out of 10. Marchisio did not do anything horribly but he did not contribute either. He was absent during the first two matches leading Lippi to bench him for the Slovakia match which was the right decision. The initial mistake was Lippi’s decision to play Marchisio out of position. A wasted player who perhaps could have performed better if properly used.

Riccardo Montolivo: 5 out of 10. Montolivo was better against Paraguay and the Kiwis when he attempted a number of long-distance shots which were saved by the goalkeepers on 3 occasions while one strike hit the post. At least he tried and hit the target on a number of occasions while someone like Alberto Gilardino did not have a single effort on target.

Daniele De Rossi: 5 out of 10. Italy’s greatest disappointment in the tournament. He does not perform as well for the Azzurri when compared with his passionate and gritty displays for his club Roma. He was at fault for Slovakia’s first goal. He gets a 5 for saving Italy against Paraguay and for creating the penalty against New Zealand. Overall, a tournament to forget for a player considered by many as Italy’s biggest hope.

Andrea Pirlo: 5.5 out of 10. Italy’s most creative force considering Antonio Cassano, Mario Balotelli, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero were all left home. He played a portion of the second-half against the Slovaks and he showed he can provide the Italians with improved and structured play as well as more incisive passing. Too bad he was not fully fit and his injury forced him to miss the first two games. His absence was decisive in terms of Italy’s failure to break defenders and opponents.

Simone Pepe: 5.5 out of 10. Better than the other players in midfield or on the wing. Pepe tried to put the ball in the box through crosses and passes as often as possible yet for all his efforts and determination, he offered little in terms of useful possession or chances against opponents. He wasted the chance to score against Slovakia at the death as he could have perhaps reacted differently when the ball fell close to him instead of simply executing a disappointing mishit.

Mauro Camoranesi: 4.5 out of 10. Did not feature against Slovkia in a good decision by Lippi. He did come on as a second-half substituteagainst both Paraguay and New Zealand. He did offer more than Marchisio but nothing decisive except for a long-range effort saved by the goalkeeper of the Kiwis and some crosses in those two matches. He received a yellow card and risked a red card as he seemed to be unable to control his temper.

Giampaolo Pazzini: N/A as he barely touched the ball in the second-half against New Zealand while he did not feature in the other two games. He cannot be blamed for Italy’s failures because he played little but also because he is a finisher and to play him would have been a waste of his talents. At least, Lippi was right about not playing him much.

Alberto Gilardino: 3.5 out of 10. While Cannavaro might have been at fault on the defensive end, Italy’s struggling offensive performances might be down to his presence in the starting lineup. Gilardino cannot be held responsible 100% because the style of play and the system employed by the  Azzurri left him both useless and isolated. What he must be blamed for is his lack of effort as he barely hassled defenders or stopped the buildup when the opponents had the ball in their area and were attempting to get the ball out from their defensive positions. He was definitely a great disappointment in terms of his contribution. Lippi was right not to use him against Slovakia but it was too late to remove him before the last match as he should have been benched from at the break during the Kiwis.

Antonio Di Natale: 5.5 out of 10. He did offer more than Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta but that was down to his characteristics and not his efforts. He gets the mark for converting the easy follow-up against Slovakia for Italy’s first goal in that match. He at least tried to move around but still he should not be playing for the Azzurri under Prandelli. He is also over 30 so he should not have been called up as that would mean Totti and even  Del Piero deserved to be on the squad since both have offered more to the Azzurri over the years.

Vincenzo Iaquinta: 5 out of 10. He gets the 5 for his cool conversion of the penalty-kick against the Kiwis. If Gilardino took he it, he probably would have missed considering he barely touched the ball in the World Cup. Iaquinta did try much harder than Gilardino  but was played out of position against both Paraguay and then New Zealand in the first-half. Even when he was moved to a more central role he still failed to deliver highlighting his lack of talent. He did run and he did move but he is lacking in terms of talent.

Fabio Quagliarella: 8.5 out of 10. He played only in the second-half against Slovakia but was Italy’s best performer in the tournament in the short time he played. He offered the Azzurri a lot in terms of movements and creativity. In the last 15 minutes, he provided the spark which Italy lacked in South Africa 2010. He had one shot cleared on the line, had a goal disallowed for a very close offside call as replays showed the Slovak defender’s foot was covering the leaning Quagliarella when he scored, was a key contributor to the first Italian goal as his shot was parried to the open Di Natale for the simple finish and scored a stunner in injury-time. Quagliarella’s goal was a sublime showing of his skills and his ability to create out of nothing as well as his composure. Another player would have rushed the shot or opted for force and power as opposed to a smart and delicate finish from outside the penalty box.

You can reach me on Twitter  @RamiSoufi for further comments or questions

Italy managed to draw 1-1 against both Paraguay and New Zealand while failing to impress despite having seen a lot in terms of ball possession, in particular against the Kiwis when the Italians had just over 70% in terms of ball possession. Pundits and fans alike are debating what has gone wrong for the Azzurri in South Africa 2010 with some attributing it to the Italian tendency to start slow referencing Spain 1982, USA 1994 and even Germany 2006.

What some fail to acknowledge is the fact the Italian squads in previous editions of the World Cup in 1982, 1994 and 2006 were far superior to Italy’s current team in terms of the quality of defenders and talent in the attacking department. In USA 1994 the Azzurri could rely on some of the best defenders to every play the game such as Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi while four years ago Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta were at their best. Zambrotta has admittedly surprised in this tournament and has been consistent and playing his best football in 3 years albeit still short of his commanding performances in 2006. The main concern here is Cannavaro’s decline with the skipper at fault on both occasions when the Azzurri conceded to Paraguay and New Zealand.

On both occasions, Cannavaro was off in his positioning and could not jump higher than the opponent or control the ball. Against the Kiwis the ball took a deflection off the captain proving he was clueless in terms of his positioning while the Paraguayan goal scorer out jumped both Cannavaro and Daniele De Rossi to score the opener against Italy. Cannavaro has become a weak link in the Azzurri’s defensive line and he is by far the slowest and least impressive of the back four considering Giorgio Chiellini is powerful and tough tackling while Zambrotta is consistent and Domenico Criscito has shown promise on the left flank.

Another main issue is the lack of talent up front with none of the strikers, including Antonio Di Natale, known for their ability to create something spectacular out of nothing. Alberto Gilardino has been a massive disappointment and has barely shot the ball on or off target with the match against the Kiwis showing how ineffective he can be if there is insufficient supply inside the box. The problem with Gilardino is the fact he does not get involved in the build-up and he does not create for himself or teammates rendering him useless in both World Cup matches. The other striker who has started Vincenzo Iaquinta has been played out of position and has struggled to shoot on target due to the lack of supply from the midfielders yet he at least puts the effort and chases the ball. This leaves Antonio Di Natale as the only striker capable of making a difference for the Azzurri yet in both matches he was inserted in the match in the second-half giving him little time to get accustomed to the opponents and to get in the flow.

Di Natale can create and can score as shown by his impressive 29-goal tally in Serie A yet he does need the support of the midfielders. The other two strikers on the bench are Giampaolo Pazzini and Fabio Quagliarella with neither considered world class. Compare those to the attackers at Italy’s disposal in 1994 and one name will suffice to show the massive gap in quality: Roberto Baggio. The former Fiorentina and Juventus forward was the hero for Italy in USA ’94 yet the Italians also had other stars on the bench or starting such as Gianfranco Zola and Giuseppe Signori. In 2006, Italy could rely on Alessandro Del Piero coming off the bench to offer a spark and Francesco Totti starting despite his questionable fitness due to surgery. None of the current forwards compare or come close to Baggio or Totti in terms of talent or the ability to change the direction of the match from a set-piece or a magical move.

This raises the question about Marcello Lippi’s decision to overlook Giuseppe Rossi who was one of the very few bright spots in an otherwise disastrous campaign in the Confederations Cup last year. Everyone knew Lippi would not consider Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Fabrizio Miccoli for various reasons while Alessandro Del Piero is perhaps too old for consideration. Under such circumstances, why did not Lippi pick Totti despite his age? Instead Lippi argued Totti could not withstand the rigors of having to play 7 matches in a single month. One can easily counter that by saying why not use Totti or even Del Piero as substitutes or perhaps for 30 minutes during each match? They surely could provide more spark than Pazzini or Di Natale who is closing on 33 years (Totti is a year older and Del Piero is 2 years older).

Besides the deficiencies on the defensive end due to Cannavaro’s alarming drop in level and the blow following Gianluigi Buffon’s injury, the lack of a creative force will come back to haunt Lippi and the Azzurri if it has not already done so since the Italians could end their campaign prematurely if the Slovaks are not beaten. Below is a list of other key factors which have hurt the Azzurri:

- Set-Pieces: The Azzurri were a force defending against set-pieces and actually used them best to their advantage. In this tournament so far, the Italians have conceded twice as a result of free-kicks and have lacked in terms of positioning (particularly Cannavaro).

- Trailing: The Azzurri have trailed against both Paraguay and New Zealand which is a major disadvantage considering the lack of goals in this tournament and more importantly the Italian strategy which relies more on taking the lead, sitting back and bouncing on the mistakes of opponents to score more goals. The Azzurri needed to score first to force opponents to come out and let go of their defensive plot. Ironically, Italy lost 4 points because of teams successfully implementing the Italian strategy.

- Injuries: The injury to Gianluigi Buffon will not be felt at this stage but it is a massive blow and against the likes of the Netherlands, Argentina or Brazil, the Juventus goalkeeper could be a difference maker. The injuries to Andrea Pirlo, Mauro Camoranesi and Claudio Marchisio have hurt the Azzurri in one way or another. Missing Pirlo has forced Lippi to keep experimenting using formations which actually do not suit the Italian players. In addition, Camoranesi has been a marginal influence off the bench while Marchisio has struggled in both matches.

- Tactics & Positioning: The system used by Lippi was a complete failure and even when he shifted to a more suitable 4-4-2 it did not work properly because Marchisio was still being used out of position while the strikers were starved from service. Marchisio cannot be used as a left-winger or a playmaker behind the striker. He was an attacking midfielder way back in his youth career but he has been a central midfielder since breaking into the Juventus starting lineup. Lippi is wasting three players by using his system or the current team selection since Marchisio, Iaquinta and Gilardino are all struggling under this formation. The key is to either move Marchisio to a more central role or simply to bench him once Pirlo returns or perhaps even starting Camoranesi at his expense while moving Simone Pepe to the left flank.

- Shots on Target: Against the Kiwis,Italy had 15 corners, shot 23 times and had possession 71% of the time yet only shot 5 times on target including a penalty and the rest were  long-distance shots. Not one shot on target by Gilardino and Iaquinta, except for his converted penalty. Montolivo had one long range effort which hit the post while two other shots on target came courtesy of long distance strikes by De Rossi and Camoranesi. Thus, there was a single effort inside the penalty box which was on target and it came from substitute Di Natale. This is quite shocking and will not help the Azzurri cause considering in 2006 both goals against the Germans were from shots from inside the box. According to ESPN’s stats New Zealand’s goalkeeper Mark Paston touched the ball more than any other player from the Kiwis who cleared the ball more than 50 times (most of any team in South Africa 2010). Clearly all stats were to Italy’s advantage yet the Azzurri failed to defeat the Kiwis in another sign of the declining game of the Italians.

- Marcello Lippi: No one can argue Lippi’s ability to guide teams to glory as evidenced  on both club level (with Juventus) and with the Azzurri, yet his decisions have been poor in terms of excluding players such as Totti and failing to convince Alessandro Nesta to return for the World Cup (Nesta performed much better than Cannavaro this year). Even more troubling is the fact Lippi does not appear to have settled on a strategy to implement which can be attributed to the lack of a creative force capable of integrating the strikers and linking the midfield with the attack.

- Friendly Matches: Italy probably played the fewest matches of any team participating in the World Cup whether in terms of the friendly games before the event or even throughout the year. Lippi needed more matches to test his system instead of implementing it in a couple of games. This had an adverse effect on the team in terms of performances and familiarity with the system. The Mexicans beat the Azzurri in a friendly prior to the event and are now doing well in the tournament having played more matches than the Italians in preparation for the World Cup.

- Teams Using Italian Strategy: While some might give Jose Mourinho a lot of credit for winning the Champions League, he really did not invent the wheel and actually relied on a trusted system which evolved from the Italian strategy: defend well, pressure the ball and have talent up front to make the difference. This is what won the Champions League for Inter with Julio Cesar, Lucio and Maicon a key component of the Nerazzurri success and even Brazil’s Carlos Dunga admitted he will be relying on the trio to guide the Selecao to success. Thus, the top teams and even the weaker ones are using an Italian strategy to achieve success. Only the Dutch, Spain and Argentina do not implement the Italian method. Brazil is one of the teams depending on the system and many of the average and weaker teams have relied on the Italian strategy to earn a draw or even snatch a surprising win.

Simply put, all is not lost for the Azzurri but Lippi must give Di Natale a chance to start while Gilardino and Marchisio ought to be benched. One change would make the transition to the new-look Italy even smoother and that would be to bench Cannavaro which is obviously not going to happen under Lippi. Regardless, The key is to defeat Slovakia and then face either the Dutch (if Paraguay finish first) or take the easier route which will still see Italy face Spain in the quarter-final (If Spain can bounce back to win Group H) and then Argentina in the semi-final. Either way, Italy must focus on defeating the Slovaks first and then turn attention to the knockout stages. On a match by match basis anything can happen as long as the Italians play as one unit, defend better against set-pieces and the strikers begin to pose a threat and score goals.

For further comments and other discussions please feel free to contact  @RamiSoufi on Twitter.

An ESPN interview with some of the Italian national team players shows that not even the squad seems to know who will be on the pitch on Sunday when they kick off versus Paraguay.  Marcello Lippi has been tight-lipped about who will start and what formation the Azzurri will play, even noting that the formation could be fluid throughout the World Cup.  A look at the starters in recent friendlies is a useless guide, as the last two have seen vastly different lineups.

However, if Marcello Lippi asked me who my starting 11 would be on June 14 (and I am checking my voicemail just in case), here would be my suggestion:

Formation:4-3-3.  The strength of this squad is their defending, and this formation allows the Azzurri to play with their best four defenders.  Since they are without Pirlo for the first two matches at least, this formation allows for players to move up for more offensive firepower if needed, such as moving Maggio up to the midfield.

Keeper:Gianluigi Buffon.  I don’t think I need to explain why.

Backline: Leonardo Bonucci, Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini, Christian Maggio.  Cannavaro and Chiellini are no-brainers and should be on the pitch from the opening kick.  Maggio is arguably better placed as a winger but starting him on the backline allows him to move around in the 4-3-3 as needed, either into the midfield or remaining back.  Bonucci may be the most controversial inclusion, but the young defender has shown a knack for scoring off set pieces and could be a valuable option in the box on offense if the club needs to score.  Plus, by starting the Bari defender, Lippi can play his more experienced players later in the match if experience is called for.  Lippi can call on Zambrotta for experience but if he needs fresh legs, Bochetti would be available.

Midfield:Daniele De Rossi, Riccardo Montolivo, Gennaro Gattuso.  Midfield is arguably the weakest part of the club right now with injuries to Pirlo and Camoranesi, so a three-player midfield with the option of moving up a defender or dropping a forward is ideal.  DeRossi and Gattuso are veterans who have won a World Cup and can provide experience in managing a World Cup match from the middle.  Pirlo’s injury means the Azzurri lack a playmaker whose passing skills can jump start an attack, so Fiorentina captain Montolivo and his passing skills are needed in the middle.

Forwards: Fabio Quagliarella, Alberto Gilardino, Vincenzo Iaquinta.  My gut has me leaning toward these three being the starters up front, although it may be hard to keep Di Natale and Pazzini on the bench to start.  Di Natale was the leading scorer in Serie A, so if Italy fails to threaten the goal in their first match you may see DiNatale starting the second.  But this lineup allows for an experienced front to begin a match and, if Italy needs a quick strike or more offense, has some firepower coming off the bench. 

We are about 48 hours away from the Azzurri taking the pitch – who’s your starting 11?

Milan defeated fallen giants Juventus 3-0 in a match with no consequence to the Serie A title race yet it served as the proper farewell for coach Leonardo who managed to do well despite the lack of depth in the squad and the limited resources.

The Rossoneri only spent on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who turned out to be a flop and was unimpressive forcing Leonardo to confine the Dutchman to the bench and use Alexandre Pato and Marco Borriello as his starting duo in attack. Unfortunately injuries had a negative effect on Milan’s season with Pato missing a chunk of the season due to injury along with centre-back Alessandro Nesta who has been sorely missed in recent weeks.

The lack of alternatives to both Pato and Nesta meant the Rossoneri had no chance to compete for the Serie A title and this was evident as the club’s progress was halted in recent weeks with defeats against both Sampdoria and Palermo. Defeating Juve is always a positive thing and a welcome sign but the current Bianconeri players are a shadow of the feared side in the mid 1990s and early 2000s.

Leonardo proved he can remain calm and make the right decisions despite the tremendous pressure heaped upon him and the constant criticism from president Silvio Berlusconi. The tifosi gave the Brazilian coach a tremendous farewell as they chanted his name and held banners to thank him for his efforts. Milan’s management has committed a big mistake by letting the Brazilian leave as he has been part of the club for over a decade in multiple roles and has helped bring in some of the brighter Brazilian talent to Milanello. With every Milan defeat one could see how that affected Leonardo who would cheer on with every goal scored by the Rossoneri throughout the season.

Milan will also need to replace not just the outgoing coach but also some of the veterans who are nearing retirement and must address the status of Huntelaar. The Dutchman will be best served if he is sold and that can bring in some much needed funds which can be used to bring another quality attacker who can hopefully adapt to life with the Rossoneri and meet expectations. The Rossoneri are in desperate need of at least one full-back considering Gianluca Zambrotta and Massimo Oddo are no longer capable of properly fulfilling their role in that position.

In midfield Gennaro Gattuso must be replaced and it is clear Frenchman Mathieu Flamini is not the ideal solution so the club ought to bring in a defensive midfielder to reinforce the squad. Finally, the biggest concern will be the status of Brazilian duo Pato and Ronaldinho. Pato has been linked with a move to the England Premier League while Ronaldinho has had his best season in Serie A and was one of the key players behind Milan’s ability to end the season in third place. Ronaldinho will finish the season as Serie A’s top assist man and has managed to find the net four times in two matches against the Bianconeri. He showed flashes of brilliance in several matches this season and while he has yet to return to his Barcelona form, the Brazilian managed to end the season on a high and produced a series of convincing performances during this campaign which merited a recall to the Brazilian squad headed to South Africa 2010.

The summer will be a crucial period for the club to make the necessary adjustments and bring in a qualified coach. The rumours point to either Mauro Tassotti or Filippo Galli taking over and while this means the Rossoneri will look for their former players to lead the line, this move might backfire as not every former player can become a decent coach.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has picked 29 players for training this week but did not include any players from Roma or Inter who will be contesting the Coppa Italia final. Serie A leaders Inter will probably not have any member in the Azzurri squad headed to South Africa 2010 considering Davide Santon is injured while Mario Balotelli has not impressed Lippi with his unprofessionalism and troubling attitude.

As for Roma they will provide Italy with midfield general Daniele De Rossi yet the question remains whether Francesco Totti and Luca Toni will be called up as well. Toni who is on loan from Bayern Munich is unlikely to be included in the final squad given the form of Giampaolo Pazzini and Marco Borriello with both chosen in the initial setup.

In attack it appears Lippi’s choices have been expected since he did not call up Antonio Cassano, Palermo’s Fabrizio Miccoli or the aforementioned Balotelli. Juventus captain and World Cup winner Alessandro Del Piero was not included and it is doubtful he will be unless there is a dramatic injury crisis prior to the decision on the final list.

In goal, the legendary Gianluigi Buffon is a certain starter and Lippi actually sprung a surprise by calling three other goalkeepers and not two which implies he is keeping his options wide open. Federico Marchetti of Cagliari, Morgan De Sanctis of Napoli and Palermo’s Salvatore Sirigu were all named. It is likely Buffon will be accompanied by Marchetti as his understudy and De Sanctis as third choice. The Defensive line included many of the usual names such as Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta and Fabio Grosso despite their lack of form and their limited playing time in some cases. Others included in the list of defenders: Nicola Legrottaglie, Domenico Criscito, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci as well as Salvatore Bocchetti, Christian Maggio and Mattia Cassani. In view of those called up, the core of Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Chiellini and Grosso will start with Criscito, Bonucci, Maggio and Legrottaglie providing backup unless Bocchetti is picked ahead of Juve’s reserve centre-back Legrottaglie.

In midfield, Milan schemer Andrea Pirlo, Roma’s anchorman De Rossi and Juve’s Claudio Marchisio are all certain starters despite De Rossi’s exclusion from this initial list due to his commitments with the Giallorossi. This area of the team appears to be the weakest with the Italy boss likely to rely on two veterans in the shape of Juve winger Mauro Camoranesi and Rossoneri defensive midfielder Gennaro Gattuso both of whom have missed large chunks of the season due to injury or lack of playing time. Lippi has also called up Sampdoria’s Angelo Palombo, Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo and Udinese’s Simone Pepe as well as Andrea Cossu and Antonio Candreva. The last two will unlikely be included leaving Palombo and Montolivo to compete for one spot with Pepe probably completing the list of midfielders. Candreva’s recent lack of playing time with the Bianconeri will affect his chances negatively while Cossu does not have enough experience at the international level. As such, Pirlo, De Rossi and Marchisio will be accompanied by Gattuso, Camoranesi, Pepe and one of Montolivo or Palombo.

The attacking list has become much clearer considering those excluded such as Cassano, Balotelli, Miccoli and Amauri. Many of the Azzurri fans will be relieved after hearing about Amauri’s absence from the list due to his lack of form this season. Those headed to South Africa 2010 will be Antonio Di Natale, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alberto Gilardino while those still competing for the remaining two spots include Totti, Marco Borriello, Giuseppe Rossi and Giampaolo Pazzini. Totti will get the nod if he is healthy and if Lippi can maintain unity within the squad by choosing the Roma skipper. On form Pazzini deserves the call up which means Rossi and Borriello will miss out but Rossi’s chances will depend on Totti’s situation.

The most interesting aspect is the fact the Bianconeri have nine players called up despite having a dismal season in Europe and Serie A with the club set to miss on the Champions League next season. This has raised doubts in the minds of many as to whether the Azzurri can compete and retain their World Cup title.

The eyes of the every milanista were set on this date.  It was well over a year in the making.  The speculations, the on again- off again of the entire operation.   From the “Gordinho” headlines to his flashes of brilliance here and there all led up to his triumphant arrival to the San Siro where he was ready to put on the mantle of hero (much to Kaká’s dislike).   It was also the return of Milan’s prodigal son.  Andriy Shevchenko was making his return and he was ready and willing to come back to the level of play when he was European Player of the Year ages ago, or so it seems.  No one expected the home side to come out on the negative end of a 2-1 at home as their struggles at the Giuseppe Meazza continued.

Milan’s revamp

If you looked at the starting lineup, this team should be attacking without a doubt.  From Jankulovski and Zambrotta in the back to Seedorf, Ronaldinho, Flamini, Abrosini, Pirlo, and Inzaghi up front there were lots of goals to be expected.   The problem was that they were  being caught on the wrong foot when Bologna counterattacked.  This is where you began to see their age.

With the absence of a Genaro Gatusso, age was evident especially with Marco DiVaio playing alone up front.

Masterful Dinho

If Sunday was an impression of things to come, Ronaldinho was worth the hassle and hysterics made by Silvio Berlusconi to bring him to Milan.

The script was set up to be a memorable moment for the rossoneri faithful.  There was no doubt that there was something in the air.   There was something that was forgotten in all of the prehype- nobody gave Bologna the script in order for them to be in the act.

Ronaldinho set up an infinite number of opportunities for Inzaghi, Seedorf, as well as the assist to Ambrosini that led to the equalizer for Milan.   Dinho himself had five shots on goal, but did not have his aim quite refined yet.

When it wasn’t Ronaldinho making plays Andrea Pirlo was there to continue to up the pressure on the visitors.  His effectiveness lasted for about 60-70 minutes.

The Dark Side

Outside of him, there was little other offense.  Milan was not able to tak advantage of the wings with some sporadic cross by Zambrotta.   This helped the visitors to pack the middle and depend on the counterattack.

Nobody told Marco DiVaio to not overshadow Ronaldinho.  These two were the stars of the game without a doubt.  DiVaio was the biggest star for Bologna playing all by himself at the point.  Yet with the the lone ranger up front, he was able to tie up the eternal Maldini as well as Kahka Kaladze.   The two central defenders were not able to contain him.  In addition to them Jankulovski was not up to par with Zambrotta playing a vital role in the team’s attack whenever he could.

Bologna opened the scoring in the 19th minute courtesy of a cross that DiVaio slammed home.  Milan then began to put pressure on Bologna, but they had various opportunities on goal but Bologna would finally allow Ambrosini to score in typical fashion as Ronaldinho’s set him up for the equalizer.

In the second half, Milan’s offense went stale especially when Inzaghi went off the pitch for Shevchenko.  The Ukranian was just a reflection of his playing days at Chelsea.  The offense went stale and there was nothing that they could generate anything.

Although they did not monopolize possession of the ball, Bologna took advantage of the opportunities that they received.  None was a better example than the one they had that ended up in a brilliant game-winning strike by Francesco Valiani that would beat a defenseless Christian Abbiati.

Milan despite the defeat showed signs of promise, but their absences were felt the most.  Some of their new acquisitions played very well.  Ronaldinho gave fans reason to cheer, Flamini was solid in the middle, and Zambrotta was in a track meet as he went back and forth the entire time.   Just that people know that Carlo Ancelotti’s men cannot afford these losses at home if they expected to be one of the protagonists for the Scudetto.  Yet with what they had there is a great deal of The rossoneri  will now face a Genoa side that comes off a loss against Catania.

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