Supposedly he's signing on the 19th. He currently in The Maldives swimming with sharks. Riccardo Calafiori swimming with some sharks in the Maldives 🦈 pic.twitter.com/M7Ujj0ToRE— Le African Gooner (@leafricangooner) July 11, 2024
RE: Scalvini If there is a bright spot to tearing his ACL it's that ManU backed off and instead signed another CB.
Scalvini is an elegant defender. But, he's not that physical and he's not that fast. For him to take the next step, he's got to get stronger and more physical because he's not going to get faster
https://football-italia.net/gasperini-aims-dig-at-spalletti-italy-no-messi/ “I share the same view as many others,” Gasperini said. “We lacked the team. Spalletti was not able to transmit certain principles, and only he could know the reasons. Italy looked empty and this was the biggest disappointment."
Albania's goal was the Euros quickest goal ever in 22 seconds Croatia's goal only took 31 seconds after a penalty save Switzerland's second goal only took 26 seconds after half time
after watching the final I am pro Spaletti getting more time. ball possession and a 4231 is the way forward. we can go to the 352 when needed but we have to push and push and play on the front foot we simply just can't play players like Cristante and Fratessi in this system as they have no feet. what Mancini did in 2021 should be improved on as this is the way to win. with Tonali Fagioli Baldanzi Pafundi Fabbian Ricci etc we should be able to keep the ball better at the 2026 world cup. Even someone like Sensi if healthy at 30 could replace a Jorginho. There is a lot of technical talent they just need more time to cook in the oven.
I think to recapture what Mancini had in 2021 is impossible at this point. It was lightning in a bottle. It was a style that was only possible because of the available talent and because they were in form (lasted a short window) If Spalletti wants any success with this current group he needs to bring it back to basics. This current crop is incapable of doing a good press. If you can’t press, you can’t play “modern” as he wants
What did you see with Spalletti in his scudetto season that you think he can carry to the national setup? Did he do the same things as in the previous season where he finished third? And was his approach with Napoli similar to his approaches at Roma and Inter?
When I think of Spalletti, I think he is a master of the 4-2-3-1 if he has the right players. At Roma and Napoli, it seemed he required full backs with stamina and a work rate unmatched to other teams. I think of the work Riise and Mario Rui put into his system. He also required a regista. At Roma it was Pizarro and Napoli it seemed to be Mr. Lobotomy. Now, it also seemed he did utilize a withdrawn forward, for example Totti and Zielinksi. Skillful wingers, a la Mancini and Kvara. This what I think I have seen from Spalletti consistently with the clubs.
Spalletti at Naples always tried to play a positive football even in his first year. The difference between both years is we dumped our veteran players and replaced them with better ones. Insigne for instance was a player who made the entire team play for him as he acted as a left wing regista. The problem being that it made us very predictable and slowed down the play to a snails pace. Kvara on the other hand was 10x the athlete and devastating especially on counters. Our play became a lot faster. It made everyone else more dangerous and tougher to deal with like Osimhen. It was the perfect alchemy. When we hired Spalletti, I was hoping that he would at least apply some basic ideas that we saw in Napoli; a team that defends high, presses high, and is constantly pushing the ball towards the net at 300 km/hr. But it became obvious in qualifying that this current crop was never going to play that way. Too many missing elements. At the euros we learned that some of these guy are no where near as good as we thought. Guys like Pellegrini and Frattesi cannot play in both phases. One of Spalletti’s many errors was overestimating the ability of the players
The only positives going into the next cycle is that it appears that our backline is coming into place. Bastoni is still solid. Calafiori looks like he’s our new tactically flexible ace. Buongiorno will become a lion under Conte. If we recuperate Scalvini, that’s a a group of players that can be the back 3 for the next decade.
I agree we look to be set up for a really good back 5 with our CBs and wing backs and can even hide a Di Lorenzo type in a back 3 while we are low on right footed CBs but I am also optimistic that Tonali Barella Fagioli Locatelli Fabbian Ricci and some of the young kids can emerge to be a ball playing midfield. Yes Fratessi Cristante can not be in a system like this but there are players that can and more that should emerge. Even a veteran like Sensi if healthy could do it in his sleep.
Cristante needs to be phased out ASAP...no offense to him as he is a solid all around player but his best days are behind him and and he does nothing particular plus. Besides the obvious in Locatelli I would take Casadei, Fabbian, or Ricci over him yesterday. Mandragora as well. Frattesi has a role on this team imo...you cannot have his goal rate as a midfielder by simple luck. He makes things happen. No I do not want him starting but a player with his work rate who contributes goals and assists is always welcome.
I feel that Frattesi is a great player; he just wasn’t used properly with tactics, etc. I mean the whole team played pretty terribly and not up to standards. However these are players that I really do not want to see on the national team again: Cristante, Pellegrini, El Shaarawy, Di Lorenzo, Jorginho, and Zaccagni. I can tell that Jorginho is really passed it. He was world class at his time, but we need to move on from him. Tonali should be back soon and should replace him. I know Zaccagni scored that great goal, but besides that, he really ain’t that good. Not very talented.
Sensi has tons of talent but might literally be made out of glass...If he could ever stay healthy he could play a role for one more cycle as a Regista. He's not nearly the bulldog that Lobotka is though.
All this midfield talk, imagine if he picked and played Locatelli and Verratti over the likes of Jorginho and Pellegrini. We prolly wouldve been in much better shape.
Frattessi is good as a sub to be an attacking option in the box. He is a good squad player to have but he should be playing very few minutes.
More importantly he should have been playing in his role. Take away Barella and Chiesa in the Albania match, when your best players all throughout have been Gigio, Bastoni, and Calafiori all despite conceding 5 goals, you know you're in trouble.
Frattesi must stick with the team as an impact sub only. He needs to be used like Inter uses him, if we are chasing the game, put him in. Spalletti needs to understand that he should not be starting as he does not excel in ball possession and distribution.
Locatelli probably wouldn't have looked any better, and Verratti hasn't been heard from in a year, so who knows what he would've looked like, but the fact remains that Verratti's premature departure from the NT picture has left a gaping hole in the squad. PSG has Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, Ugarte and yet their midfield was at times an issue in the wake of Verratti's dismissal, so that's all I'll say about Verratti's level of talent. Luis Enrique is a jackass, and Spain is much better off with De La Fuente instead of having Enrique suck the life out of all that Spanish talent by making them play keep-away.
Tottenham rumored to want Chiesa. Supposedly Juve are satisfied with Roma's offer. Neither Spurs or Roma are in the UCL.
I think Chiesa is mostly motivated by money. It’s an interesting situation. There is a possibility that he’ll see out his contract but Juve obviously want to sell now