World Cup Group D - Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

[Neymar]

imo, because of pirlo lack of mobility, the rest of italy's midfield is always too deep and leaves the striker (usually balotelli on his own) too isolated. i just think they would be better off by replacing him with a more dynamic player.

 

[Neymar]

without pirlo, buffon etc.. id say denmark will beat them and leave italy to lose in the play offs

i never said drop buffon. but even if you do drop buffon, pirlo, + your pick of 2 more players, i still think italy are better than denmark.

 

[Mumorn]

i never said drop buffon. but even if you do drop buffon, pirlo, + your pick of 2 more players, i still think italy are better than denmark.

buffons gonna retire.

lack of world class talent in the italy squad. if they had brought Totti up theyd have qualified, they needed his creativity in the final 3rd.

 

[Mumorn]

imo, because of pirlo lack of mobility, the rest of italy's midfield is always too deep and leaves the striker (usually balotelli on his own) too isolated. i just think they would be better off by replacing him with a more dynamic player.

he's never had to rely on his mobility. yet he's won everything possible and been the best player in the teams that have. nothing wrong with the way Italy played today, just weren't good enough up front, real lack of paolo rossis around.

 

[braineclipse]

imo, because of pirlo lack of mobility, the rest of italy's midfield is always too deep and leaves the striker (usually balotelli on his own) too isolated. i just think they would be better off by replacing him with a more dynamic player.

That wasn't the problem today, the problem was that the most dynamic midfielder in that team had been wrongly sent off.

Pirlo was certainly good enough two years ago. This World Cup with Montolivo injured I think he was still the right choice. **** me, look at some of the other players in that Italy side/squad and tell me that the problem was Pirlo...

I feel for Italy. Brought it on themselves to some extent by losing to Costa Rica, but still...

 

[braineclipse]

he's never had to rely on his mobility. yet he's won everything possible and been the best player in the teams that have. nothing wrong with the way Italy played today, just weren't good enough up front, real lack of paolo rossis around.

Balotelli was crap and had to be subbed as he was red card waiting to happen, Immobile average at best, Cassano crap again, Thiago Motta - meh, Verratti good, but unfortunately injured, wing backs - again, meh. Out of all that people chose to pick on Pirlo? Do not understand it...

 

[Neymar]

he's never had to rely on his mobility. yet he's won everything possible and been the best player in the teams that have. nothing wrong with the way Italy played today, just weren't good enough up front, real lack of paolo rossis around.

i agree that he's never been a mobile player. but i just feel that he is now so immobile now that he might be entering into a level whereby its impossible to play at the top level with such a lack of mobility. he plays in a position where he naturally has to provide defensive cover, but due to him being so slow he needs other midfielders to get tight to him. and i just think this is perhaps holding his teams back. at club level (in serie a), its less obvious becuase he has vidal and pogba who are absolutely world class runners. but if you look at their champions league performances, i think it shows that it is at least time to question whether pirlo should have a whole team built around him. they have the likes of pogba, buffon, vidal, chiellini, tevez, but have failed to impress in the ucl in recent years. maybe they would be better off w/o pirlo, and changing the way they play?

 

[Neymar]

Balotelli was crap and had to be subbed as he was red card waiting to happen, Immobile average at best, Cassano crap again, Thiago Motta - meh, Verratti good, but unfortunately injured, wing backs - again, meh. Out of all that people chose to pick on Pirlo? Do not understand it...

i think its just me tbh lol

but i think part of the reason the likes of balotelli perfomed poorly today was due to a lack of support from the midfielders, who are so busy having to support pirlo that they leave the strikers isolated.

regarding verratti, does anyone else think he is overrated?

 

[braineclipse]

i agree that he's never been a mobile player. but i just feel that he is now so immobile now that he might be entering into a level whereby its impossible to play at the top level with such a lack of mobility. he plays in a position where he naturally has to provide defensive cover, but due to him being so slow he needs other midfielders to get tight to him. and i just think this is perhaps holding his teams back. at club level (in serie a), its less obvious becuase he has vidal and pogba who are absolutely world class runners. but if you look at their champions league performances, i think it shows that it is at least time to question whether pirlo should have a whole team built around him. they have the likes of pogba, buffon, vidal, chiellini, tevez, but have failed to impress in the ucl in recent years. maybe they would be better off w/o pirlo, and changing the way they play?

You should ask the AC Milan fans what they think about it...

Another two years is a big ask and I'm guessing this will be his last tournament, but I see absolutely no reason to think that they would have been better off not using him in this one to include Thiago Motta, Cassano or Immobile instead. If Italy were like Germany and had tons of attacking players to chose from and were picking runners over ball players to cover for Pirlo I would get your point, but this Italy side already has a lot of average players in it and not much quality left out of the team. And the players that are playing and "covering" for Pirlo are players like De Rossi, Verratti and Marchisio that are in on merit and would be in regardless.

 

[braineclipse]

i think its just me tbh lol

but i think part of the reason the likes of balotelli perfomed poorly today was due to a lack of support from the midfielders, who are so busy having to support pirlo that they leave the strikers isolated.

regarding verratti, does anyone else think he is overrated?

But today Balotelli got a strike partner in Immobile! Lot of good it did him (and Italy), this is the level of footballer previously dropped "to keep Pirlo in the team".

Pirlo was the one that's looked the most likely to give Balotelli service, and if Balotelli hadn't ****ed up his first touch he would have had an assist for a Balotelli goal.

Verratti is excellent imo, but if you don't really rate Pirlo at this point I get why you would think he's overrated.

 

[scaramanga]

Foster; Jones, Cahill, Smalling, Shaw; Milner, Lampard, Wheelchair, Barkley, Lallana; Sturridge.

Quite incredible that total dross like Smalling, Jones, Foster and Wheelchair are allowed to represent England at a world cup. How embarrassing.

Not getting much news on England over here (unsuprisingly) - is Hodgson safe in his job? If so he's done an extremely effective job convincing a nation/ the FA that we are useless, filthy dogshiit. Dire, just dire at the Euros, clueless and embarrassing at the World Cup. Seems like Hodgson has lowered expectations so far that his bosses are now satisfied with abject failure. Absolutely bizarre.

I'm not sure a better manager could I've improved things much.

Talent-wise we probably have the 3rd/4th best team in the group. Our fitness levels aren't great. Our players are, without exception, thick. We lack the culture of keeping the ball. Most of our players are professionals because they were faster/stronger than their peers at an early age.

Until we work out how to get this country producing intelligent, cultured footballers it really doesn't matter who we stick in charge.

 

[braineclipse]

I'm not sure a better manager could I've improved things much.

Talent-wise we probably have the 3rd/4th best team in the group. Our fitness levels aren't great. Our players are, without exception, thick. We lack the culture of keeping the ball. Most of our players are professionals because they were faster/stronger than their peers at an early age.

Until we work out how to get this country producing intelligent, cultured footballers it really doesn't matter who we stick in charge.

If I was in charge I would keep Hodgson. Performances have been good in a very close group and if played again England could very easily have gone through. Players seem to respond quite well to Hodgson and he's started a process where he's been using younger players.

Unless someone like Mourinho, Ferguson, van Gaal or Hiddink wants the job at some point I see no reason to replace Hodgson.

 

[Neymar]

let me emphasize its not pirlo's technical ability that i have a problem with. other players with a similar role to him don't need so many players sacrificing themselves for them as they are a lot more mobile. xavi, xabi alonso, schweinsteiger etc.

italy's tactic seems to be for pirlo to launch as 50 yard ball to balotelli and ask balotelli to produce a piece of magic. playing like this, its not surprising that their strikers are struggling.

and verratti seems to have problems with his decision making, he dwells on the ball for too long, gets caught in posession far more than pirlo. i would take the likes of barkley, Wheelchair, erikssen ahead of him.

 

[braineclipse]

let me emphasize its not pirlo's technical ability that i have a problem with. other players with a similar role to him don't need so many players sacrificing themselves for them as they are a lot more mobile. xavi, xabi alonso, schweinsteiger etc.

italy's tactic seems to be for pirlo to launch as 50 yard ball to balotelli and ask balotelli to produce a piece of magic. playing like this, its not surprising that their strikers are struggling.

and verratti seems to have problems with his decision making, he dwells on the ball for too long, gets caught in posession far more than pirlo. i would take the likes of barkley, Wheelchair, erikssen ahead of him.

But who should he be dropped for? Who in this Italy squad is good enough to make a difference, but not getting games?

Wheelchair over Verratti? Wowser...

Eriksen and Barkley are quite different players. Verratti obviously has some problem areas to his game, at 21 for a player like that it's expected in my book.

 

[Neymar]

If I was in charge I would keep Hodgson. Performances have been good in a very close group and if played again England could very easily have gone through. Players seem to respond quite well to Hodgson and he's started a process where he's been using younger players.

Unless someone like Mourinho, Ferguson, van Gaal or Hiddink wants the job at some point I see no reason to replace Hodgson.

i'd keep hodgson too. but only because the fa seem intent of employeeing an english manager. if this wasn't vital, i would probably pursue a change. however, i dont think we should give him credit for using younger players. i think anyone wouldve done this because the "golden generation" are really ageing now. and the younger players are getting picked by default.

i think if someone like ferguson had retired at the end of last season, it would have been interesting to try and get him to replace hodgson. wenger looks like he's just singed his last contract at arsenal. i wouldnt mind having him as england manager in a few years time.

 

[Neymar]

But who should he be dropped for? Who in this Italy squad is good enough to make a difference, but not getting games?

obviously there is no single player in italy who can do what pirlo does better. but w/o pirlo i think the whole team could focus on changing the way they play. and perhaps produce better and more dynamic performances as a team

 

[braineclipse]

obviously there is no single player in italy who can do what pirlo does better. but w/o pirlo i think the whole team could focus on changing the way they play. and perhaps produce better and more dynamic performances as a team

Not based on the rather crappy performances put in by the players that got a chance in that Italy side during the World Cup.

This is a team that reached the final of the Euros two years ago, beating a very dynamic Germany on their way there. Pirlo is two years older, but looks very similar to what he did then.

If I was Italian I would be very happy about Pirlo (and Prandelli for playing him) and look much harsher on some of the other players in the squad.

Anyone can play the "could perhaps" game. If Pirlo didn't play I could be saying that they "could perhaps" have done better with him. I see no players in that rather average looking Italy squad that deserve a spot in the team over Pirlo at this point, not because player like Thiago Motta, Cassano, Immobile etc can't do what Pirlo can do.

Prandelli built much of his team around a Juventus core, a Juve team built around Pirlo. Solid choice for me.

 

[Neymar]

Not based on the rather crappy performances put in by the players that got a chance in that Italy side during the World Cup.

This is a team that reached the final of the Euros two years ago, beating a very dynamic Germany on their way there. Pirlo is two years older, but looks very similar to what he did then.

but i don't think italy were that good in euro 2010. i don't think they were ever that convincing in that tournament. and despite getting to the final, they only won 2 games in that campaign. one of which was against ireland.

 

[Whiffler]

Incredible how few actually understand the concept of 'MINIMUM amount of time added on'

.... nor lots of other laws of the game.

Unfortunately the commentators are dire - especially those who until recently have been professional players.

 

[Denmark Spur]

Prandelli has quit as Italy manager