Azzurri

I am really unsure if the Azzurri will even get out of their group this year. England and Uruguay have beaten and tied the Azzurri in their last 2 meetings. England got off to a very good start in Euro 2012 and when they met the Azzurri in the quarterfinals were more or less exhausted. Meeting the Azzurri in the first game could be an advantage. Uruguay has some great strikers that could put an unbearable pressure on the Azzurri if they need to win or draw the final game in the group. Costa Rica could be a problem because the other countries will be concentrating on their key matchups. Once and if the Azzurri get out of the group stage they will be more prone to go far. By that time they will be more confident and the knock-out games will put pressure on the opposition as well.

I was hoping that some key players would have been chosen. Totti I think was needed to add leadership and fantasista skills even at his age. If Cassano falters or gets tired there are few that can replace him. Was hoping Destro would be on the team to sub for Balotelli if he is injured or unproductive.  It is unfortunate that Gigi Rossi was not fit in time. He was the best striker in Italy before his injuries. Would have liked De Sanctis as a sub for Buffon. He has shown great consistency all year at Roma. Now for who was chosen:

Gianluigi Buffon  Juventus, Goalkeeper, 36  Buffon has been there done that maybe too often. He has had another great Seria A season but for the second season in a row has been less than stellar in the champion's league. There may be better goalies in Italy including Sirigu, De Sanctis, and Mirante. His last kick at the can?

Salvatore Sirigu  Paris Saint-Germain, Goalkeeper, 27  He was spectacular Saturday against Ireland  and has held the fort in Paris for a couple of years. A suitable replacement for Buffon.

Mattia Perin  Genoa, Goalkeeper, 21  Not sure he deserves to be selected based on performance. He is young and is going to Brazil for experience. Has really proven nothing so far. If the Azzurri go far they may rue the fact their third string goalie had no experience.

Giorgio Chiellini  Juventus, Defender, 29  He has always been considered the heir to Maldini or even Materazzi. However, he has been inconsistent, injury prone, and last year in the Confederation Cup he was manhandled by Brazil. A rugged defender in his prime and his time to prove something.

Andrea Barzagli  Juventus, Defender, 33  Few remember he was part of the 2006 World Cup team mainly because he barely played. Has been injured this season. He brings some consistency but has slowed down at 33. Spain ran him off the field in the Euro final in 2012.

Ignazio Abate  Milan, Defender, 27  Another injury prone defender. One strong positive is his pace. Two strong negatives are his defensive blunders and his crossing skills. A high risk player.

Mattia De Sciglio  Milan, Defender, 21  Yup another injury prone defender. Only 21 he has great potential but very inexperienced and unsure of himself. Not as fast as Abate but better passing skills.

Gabriel Paletta  Parma, Defender, 28  He did not look very good against Ireland. He is argentinian with some italian roots as most argentinians have. Had a good year at Parma but he is inexperienced at the international level.

Leonardo Bonucci  Juventus, Defender, 27  In his prime he may be the catalyst of the italian defence. If he has a good tournament Italy may go far. Unfortunately, he also overreacts and could make a boneheaded error.

Matteo Darmian  Torino, Defender, 24 Have no idea who he is, has almost never played for Italy. I am incredulous he is included in the final roster.

Andrea Pirlo  Juventus, Midfielder, 35  Pirlo's last tournament for Italy. When Pirlo plays Italy rarely is outclassed. However, he looked old in last year's Confederation Cup. Unsure how he will hold up in the Brazilian heat. He probably needed fantasista support since he is man marked and luckily Cassano is around to help creatively. Totti should have been there as well.

Daniele De Rossi  Roma, Midfielder, 30  Another champ from 2006, De Rossi is the Bob Gainey of the Azzurri. A tireless worker and a determined physical midfielder who sometimes has a key goal or a key pass.

Claudio Marchisio  Juventus, Midfielder, 28  Mainly there because he plays for Juventus. He has had a poor season and I refer to him as the invisible man or telephone pole. Sometimes you watch the game and at the 60th minute you realize Marchisio is in the line-up. Since Montolivo has gone down injured, Marchisio has to get more involved. He is in his prime and it is now or never.

Alberto Aquilani  Fiorentina, Midfielder, 29  He has played well in the past for the Azzurri. However in the regular season he has moved from team to team always injured never living up to his potential. If he gets to play he could be a key. Very passive at times in the regular season.

Thiago Motta  Paris Saint-Germain, Midfielder, 31  Motta had a good Euro 2012 tourney. However, recently he has been awful and slow in his Azzurri appearances. Another argentinian who was on the Inter team that won it all several years ago. May be past his prime and could play a supporting role.

Antonio Candreva  Lazio, Midfielder, 27  Has had a very good year. In his prime and has good pace. He has been inconsistent in the past  but maybe now is his time to shine. He has an excellent shot as well even though he sometimes kicks it at the wrong time.

Marco Verratti  Paris Saint-Germain, Midfielder, 21  Pirlo's understudy he may not be ready for prime-time. Physically small, he has good passing skills but no where near Pirlo's creativity. Then again Pirlo was not even starting as a 21 year old in Seria A.

Marco Parolo  Parma, Midfielder, 29  Had a good year at Parma but another inexperienced player internationally.

Antonio Cassano  Parma, Forward, 31  The Azzurri can go far if Cassano is up to the task. The most creative player in Italy this may be his last kick at the can as well at 31. He has a skill set few players have. His fitness is always in question. His behaviour has always been stellar when playing for Italy. He is desperately needed to set up the likes of Balotelli and Immobile.

Mario Balotelli  Milan, Forward, 23  The pressure is on Balo after a less than stellar year at Milan. There are still questions about his skills. Incredibly he is younger than Immobile and slightly older than Insigne even though he has played several years now for Italy. He might be more mature but less confident than two years ago where he led the Azzurri to the final in Euro 2012.

Alessio Cerci  Torino, Forward, 26  Still young he showed great pace this year and reminded people of another great left footed Azzurri Bruno Conti. He is sometimes inconsistent, but when he is on he can run a defence ragged. 

Lorenzo Insigne  Napoli, Forward, 23  Supposed to be the next one the fantasista following in the footsteps of Baggio, Del Piero, and Totti. Has had a poor year except for the Coppa Italia final where he scored two goals to lead Napoli to the Cup. He has been constantly outplayed by Mertens at Napoli and sometimes seems to come up with poor choices in his passes and kicks. He is real diminutive to boot. 

Ciro Immobile  Torino, Forward, 24  Has all the skills and led Seria A in scoring this year. The problem is his lack of experience at the international level. He could be a break through star a little like Totti in 2000.

Let us pray for the azzurri padre nostre ...