Sevilla 3-0 Barcelona

It may get repetitive, but why is the most complete Italian midfielder still not in the squad.

Enzo Maresca

 

Maresca, Gattuso, Pirlo and Camoranesi in midfield is looking pretty damn fine ot me with Cassano back upfront with either toni or Gilardino.

 

donadoni: "i want to select maresca for the national team qualifying games."

head of the figc: "hmmm i see but cannavaro,zambrotta,cassano are already getting the call from the spanish league, we can't have more then 3 players out of italy on the italian team."

donadoni: "but i want to select the best possible players."

head of figc: "there is enough mediocore mid-fielder's aged 28-32 on mid level serie a teams that can get selected."

donadoni "but maresca is better then all of them. its not like there are any on inter."

head of figc: "too bad."

donadoni "(somethings never change.")

 

donadoni: "i want to select maresca for the national team qualifying games."

head of the figc: "hmmm i see but cannavaro,zambrotta,cassano are already getting the call from the spanish league, we can't have more then 3 players out of italy on the italian team."

donadoni: "but i want to select the best possible players."

head of figc: "there is enough mediocore mid-fielder's aged 28-32 on mid level teams that can get selected."

donadoni "but maresca is better then all of them. its not like there are any on inter."

head of figc: "too bad."

donadoni "(somethings never change.")

y:thumbsup: :rollani:

 

I may be wrong, but I thought this game was on the 2nd of September?

 

I may be wrong, but I thought this game was on the 2nd of September?

It is, title changed.

I wonder what condition the players will be in and how much the match against France will be in their minds.

 

Id settle simple for a win!

 

a win is all i want even a 1-0 will do....i hope the success doesnt go into the heads of our players .......wont be easy...they will be highly motivated

 

Italy squad:
Goalkeepers: Abbiati (Torino), Amelia (Livorno), Buffon (Juventus)
Defenders: Barzagli (Palermo), Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Dainelli (Fiorentina), Grosso (Inter), Oddo (Lazio), Pasqual (Fiorentina), Zaccardo (Palermo), Zambrotta (Barcelona)
Midfielders: Ambrosini (Milan), De Rossi (Roma), Gattuso (Milan), Marchionni (Juventus), Perrotta (Roma), Pirlo (Milan), Semioli (Chievo)
Forwards: Bonazzoli (Sampdoria), Cassano (Real Madrid), Di Michele (Palermo), Gilardino (Milan), Inzaghi (Milan), Rocchi (Lazio)

Totti, Toni, Del Piero and Camoranesi have been left out so they can improve their fitness. Materazzi is suspended.

 

Rocchi is in the squad even after his many misses agaisnt Croatia...a bit weird, I must say. Marchionni finally gets called but I'd have liked to see Maresca or Aquillani (who was superb yesterday agaisnt Inter until everyone from Roma got tired). I hope Zaccardo doesn't get to play much, especially against France.

 

I don't know why 5 full backs have the call here let alone Zaccardo. I would have left out Zaccardo for Aquilani or Maresca or another winger.

 

If that is the sqaud also for France then I am slightly worried, but then we do have many players can do well. Bonazzoli gets a call which is kind of nice to see, but no Iaquinta which is a surprise to me. Rocchi is a huge surprise. The Marchionni call is great. The central defence is thin. It will be Cannavaro and Barzagli in central it seems with Dainelli in reserve. Goalkeepers are solid.

My team for the Lithuania game:

-------------------Buffon
----Zambrotta--Canna--Barzagli----Grosso
-----Marchionni--Pirlo---Gattuso----Cassano
-----------------Inzaghi-Gilardino

My team for the France game would be different, but for Lithuania I want width and attack

 

Shit, now I hope the French will have a weakened team also because that squad is weak IMO.

 

A few years ago we wouldnt have said this, but right now the midfield is the strongest part of our side.

 

I wonder why Maresca, & Aquilani didn't get the chance!!

I'd opt for the same team as Deano's too..

 

Shit, now I hope the French will have a weakened team also because that squad is weak IMO.

What is so weak about it?

IMO Toni, Nesta and Matrix are the only two which will be felt, (only one of the latter 2 would start)

Sure, the defense needs a bit more depth for a WC squad, but for a couple one-off games, Canna-Barzagli should be able to handle it.

Speaking of the French team, has it been announced?

 

The funny thing about the French squad is that Domenech is forcing Makelele to play even though Makelele retired from the NT. FIFA's rules state that you get a two match ban for refusing a call for your NT so Makelele was forced to accept. What a ridiculous situation...

 

Can anyone post the France squad?

 

oh crap i dont like this squad ......no totti ......he wasnt too bad yesterday at all.......... but still i believe ......... this team can definitely hold the french and beat the lithuanians .........i wud like to see how cassano and gila play together

 

Squad

Goalkeepers: Gregory Coupet (Olympique Lyon), Mickael Landreau (Paris St Germain).

Defenders: Eric Abidal (Olympique Lyon), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Juventus), Francois Clerc (Olympique Lyon), William Gallas (Chelsea), Gael Givet (Monaco), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Liliam Thuram (Barcelona).

Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Racing Lens), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Florent Malouda (Olympique Lyon), Rio Mavuba (Girondins Bordeaux), Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan).

Strikers: Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyon), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Franck Ribery (Olympique Marseille), Louis Saha (Manchester United), David Trezeguet (Juventus), Sylvain Wiltord (Olympique Lyon).

 

I hope we play 2 forwards anyway. Donadoni's 4-3-3/4-5-1 is a formation which can work, but for this match against Lithuania I would just like 4-4-2.

 

Squad

Goalkeepers: Gregory Coupet (Olympique Lyon), Mickael Landreau (Paris St Germain).

Defenders: Eric Abidal (Olympique Lyon), Jean-Alain Boumsong (Juventus), Francois Clerc (Olympique Lyon), William Gallas (Chelsea), Gael Givet (Monaco), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Liliam Thuram (Barcelona).

Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Racing Lens), Claude Makelele (Chelsea), Florent Malouda (Olympique Lyon), Rio Mavuba (Girondins Bordeaux), Patrick Vieira (Inter Milan).

Strikers: Sidney Govou (Olympique Lyon), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Franck Ribery (Olympique Marseille), Louis Saha (Manchester United), David Trezeguet (Juventus), Sylvain Wiltord (Olympique Lyon).

The France squad isnt too different to the World Cip, but without Zidane. In the end I think the Italy squad called at its best can still do well against that France.

 

their squad is quite good and only the butcher is missing ........... toni will be a big miss coz if we do play a 4-1-4-1 then i dont think we have a forward who holds the ball up as well as toni

 

To be honest I wanted a bit of this. We need some change. I hope Marchionni takes his chance on the right and if he does I am not so worried. Barzagli needs to perform, but the rest of the starting team can more or less be our starting XI in 2008. We have some weak names in the squad that we might not agree with, but then we will not use all 24, in fact we would use about 16 at most in these 2 matches.

 

4-4-2 wud do v/s the lithuanians but i wud still play 4-5-1 coz it worked so well in the wc and with the same midfield virtually we wud still get in xcess of 2 goals i think