I would say these players are guaranteed a spot:

Buffon
Marchetti
Cannavaro
Chiellini
Grosso
Zambrotta
Pirlo
De Rossi
Camoranesi
Di Natale
Gilardino
Pazzini
Iaquinta

The older guard plus others who are certainties, that is 13 of the 23.

My remaining 10 right now would be:

Amelia
Bocchetti
Criscito
Gamberini
Motta
Marchisio
Palombo
Candreva
Quagliarella
Rossi

i would put Toni and Totti and maybe Perrotta, hes getting back at his best.

I think Perrotta's days are over, there is a lot of choice in the midfield, but Toni is always an option because of his style and if he scores then he might be worth a shout. I hope he doesn't start though, he could be a great sub potentially.

One other name - Cassano? He looks to be slipping again at Sampdoria, he has no chance now.

Cassano would be great for Italy but if he cant settle in one club in all his career then there must be smth wrong with the guy.

x2 for Toni as a sub.

and for Perrotta, hes a running horse, Italy doesnt have many of those. i would use him as a sub too.

Lippi has striker headache

Italy boss Marcello Lippi is still unsure as to which strikers to take to the World Cup with only two names absolutely certain, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Lippi has five or six places available up front, having already decided upon taking Fiorentina's Alberto Gilardino and Juventus's Vincenzo Iaquinta, even though the latter has been out for much of the season following knee surgery.

In terms of out-and-out centre-forwards, Lippi is looking to choose one or two of Luca Toni, Giampaolo Pazzini and Marco Borriello.

The latter had the highest average rating of all players in Serie A at the half-way point of the season according to La Gazzetta's rankings, but he is relatively unproven at international level.

Toni's return to Italy with Roma has been stunted by injury while Pazzini has suffered a slight dip in form after an exceptional start to the campaign.

As for second strikers, Lippi will again choose one or two of Amauri, Mario Balotelli, Raffaele Palladino, Fabio Quagliarella, Giuseppe Rossi and Francesco Totti.

He had hoped to count on Amauri, the Brazilian target man, who applied for Italian citizenship, but his form has been woeful over the last year and he hasn't scored since October.

La Gazzetta understands Lippi would prefer to have Totti, but it's as yet unclear whether the Roma talisman would be true to his word and come out of international retirement.

---------------

I forgot about Borriello, he is in with a shot. I can see Totti and Nesta turning up at this rate as well, may as well pull all the old boys out whilst he still can lol!

BTW the FIGC has said Lippi's successor will be named before the tournament takes place.

'Lippi should leave Canna at home'

Former Juventus midfielder Zibi Boniek believes Italy boss Marcello Lippi should leave Fabio Cannavaro at home this summer.

Cannavaro has endured a tough season at Juventus, leading many to question not only his captaincy but also his place in the Italy squad.

“There is a common axis in Lippi's squad: Buffon, Chiellini, De Rossi, Pirlo, Gilardino, plus Pazzini, a player who knows who to play football. He will always be in my Italy side,” Boniek told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“Once upon a time the Azzurri started from Cannavaro. Now instead, if Nesta were to decide to come out of international retirement, I would take away his place.

“Anyway in general Italy aren't badly put together. In attack, for example, you are in place with Gilardino, Pazzini, Iaquinta and Di Natale.”

Asked to reveal what he thinks Italy are lacking, Boniek replied: “Please don't misunderstand me. I would say someone like Cassano. Not Cassano, though. I agree with Lippi that he shouldn't be called up.

“It would take a person like Kaka, someone who can beat their man with speed and create danger,” he concluded.

----------------

I can't really disagree right now, his form has dropped off with the rest of the squad and he is starting to look his age. Having said that, in a one-off tournament who knows what can happen?

I'll be really worried if the back four is Zambrotta - Cannavaro - Chiellini - Grosso. Three of those guys might have been great in 2006 but in 2010 it is very different.

Yes, we'd all like an Italian Kaka, but there isn't one!

cant believe that its been 4 years since Italy lifted the trophy, time has flown by bizarrely quickly

I was going to say that Grosso should not be in the lineup. He seems washed up.

However, it could just be a Juventus thing.

Maybe. Right now I'd have Criscito miles ahead of him though, both for club and country...

I say it could be a Juventus thing because this season hasn't fared well for anyone on the squad. Not sure what it is. Maybe the water in Turin went bad.

Yeah, it is hard to say that their form will necessarily stay with them for Italy, it's just Juve have been in a crisis and everyone is rock bottom. Criscito wasn't actually great today but he has a lot more to offer than Grosso right now, but Grosso is definitely a player who puts his best performances into the Azzurri.

i would love to see Motta called up in the squad but he wont.

Zambrotta is ahead of him, and Santon will be a fixture for many years, when he actually gets a run of games!

last time i saw Santon, he was a LB and Motta is a RB. Motta can be a sub for Zambrotta if he doesnt perform well.

Santon is right footed but can play left back as well. Inter have Maicon and Zanetti on the right so...

Nesta turns down Lippi
Monday 1 March, 2010
Milan defender Alessandro Nesta has turned down the chance to come out of international retirement and join Marcello Lippi's Italy squad.

Lippi has spoken to Nesta on several occasions over the last few months to try and convince him to return to the fold.

However, the 33-year-old doesn't want to put his fitness at risk or take a place away from someone who participated in the qualifying campaign.

“He told me, I believe in a definitive manner, that he doesn't feel like it,” Lippi revealed.

“I am sorry. I wanted to give a spark. But I respect his decision.”

Italy are in action in Monte Carlo this week where they face Cameroon in a friendly as part of their preparations for the World Cup.

The Azzurri will wear their new strip for the first time ahead of the finals in South Africa.

http://football-italia.net/mar1n.html

bad news but it was expected.

Give a spark? If he wants a spark call up Balotelli Not a bright spark either

According to Football Italia's Squad Selector this is what they have down for certainties (bold) and ones above look to make the cutoff):


Goalkeepers
Buffon (Juventus)
De Sanctis (Napoli)
Marchetti (Cagliari)
----------
Amelia (Genoa)
Sirigu (Palermo)

Defenders
Cannavaro (Juventus)
Chiellini (Juventus)
Grosso (Juventus)
Zambrotta (Milan)
Legrottaglie (Juventus)
Criscito (Genoa)
Cassani (Palermo)
Bonucci (Bari)
----------
Bonera (Milan)
Santon (Inter)
Maggio (Napoli)

Midfielders
Pirlo (Milan)
Gattuso (Milan)
De Rossi (Roma)
Palombo (Sampdoria)
Camoranesi (Juventus)
Marchisio (Juventus)
Montolivo (Fiorentina)
----------
Candreva* (Juventus)
Pepe (Udinese)

Forwards
Iaquinta (Juventus)
Gilardino (Fiorentina)
Di Natale (Udinese)
Rossi (Villarreal)
Quagliarella (Napoli)
----------
Borriello* (Milan)
Pazzini* (Sampdoria)
Toni (Roma)
Totti (Roma)

The asterixed players have pieces:

Bonucci: http://www.football-italia.net/ss/bonucci.html
Pazzini: http://www.football-italia.net/ss/pazzini.html
Candreva: http://www.football-italia.net/ss/candreva.html
Borriello: http://www.football-italia.net/ss/borriello.html


Well firstly, Marchisio has to be an absolute certainty, he has had a fantastic year and is nearly a champion already, just needs to compose his shooting

I really like Candreva as well but I'm not sure if he has done enough to make it, he is superbly versatile and a great dribbler and worker who makes things happen. Montolivo will probably get the 'backup Pirlo' role.

The strikers are the main contentious points, I think the top three will go but then I don't agree with Rossi and Quagliarella, they are the most suitable to offer something different, but are not in good form. Pazzini is, as well as others. Looking at the Marcatori:

Di Natale 25
Milito 20
Pazzini 17
Miccoli 17
Gilardino 15
Borriello 14
Vucinic 13
Matri 13
Pato 12
Maccarone 12
Eto'o 12
Hamsik 12
Barreto 12
Tiribocchi 11
Di Vaio 11
Floccari 11
Totti 11
Pellissier 10
Adailton 10
Cavani 10

You can't say the options aren't there. We know Lippi won't take Miccoli, but he has choices.

only Paraguay will be a threat in the group stages, but Italy should finish first

Guys, I've said it before and I will again...Lippi is no fool. He knows Euro 2012 with younger players and another coach will be better for my Italia, though heaven help us if today's rumour of Prandelli as his replacement actually happens!

He is sticking with the experience of the "pensioners" to take us as far as is possible within their limitations.

which will be the QF at best, |Holland, Spain or Brzil at their best will dismantle Italy

Italy don't have to be the better team in a game to progress, we have seen it many times, and even a poor Italy coached by a retard was a penalty shootout away from beating the tournament winners in 2008.

I agree...I have the quarter finals pencilled in. We would be exceptionally lucky to go further! This is 1974 and 1986 revisited though they turned out even worse than yours and my prediction for now!

that is interesting you mention that, there is always a drop off in form following a WC win by most teams

Agreed. Italy in the WC is a very tough opponent no matter what, not since 1986 have they been eliminated in normal time.

tactically it was a good game against Spain, for Donadoni

Defend for 120 minutes?

J.J. please don't wreck my afternoon by reminding me of Donadoni! That was a classic case of a known street wise fly guy conning his way into a position he was not fit to handle...the idiot in charge of the FIGC should have known and seen that! But yes, even a bad Italy in the World cup is not easy to knock out...

Avon, having said that to J.J., I again come back to 1974 when we couldn't get out of the group stages. Watching us struggle to beat Haiti 3-1 when everyone else was taking six and more goals from them was the warning that no-one seemed to heed. Watching our over confidence against Poland who were then a force in Europe was soul destroying!

In 1986 Enzo Bearzot warned us not to expect too much from the team he had then and he was right!

well, if you can do it!

I haven't been watching Italy as long as you Carlo (*runs*) but one thing that has become clear over the years is that at any point in the past and most probably the future, the Azzurri rarely put in a convincing performance against inferior opposition. It is clearly something to do with the psyche, that they reserve energy for 'more important' games.

good in a way I guess

You don't get such things as Spain scoring 42 goals in 5 games like they did in the qualification of Euro 2000, inc 9-1 against Austria and 13-0 I think against Lichestenstein

and then Spain lose 0-1 against Norway in the opeing game of the Tournament, lol

we need younger guns such as Pazzini, Montolivo, Marchisio and maybe Candreva. Miccoli can win us games on his own but it just wont happen with Lippi in charge and that's a real shame.

Imo Italy needs a strong and fit Totti if he can deliver.

Guys, since the Northern Ireland friendly, even before the Confed.Cup debacle, I've been convinced Lippi felt he had put his own head between a rock and a hard place.

As we know, he admits what drew him back to international football when he could have stayed a hero in retirement was that he missed the incredible buzz he got from day one after actually getting off the plane in Germany back in 2006. Perhaps even his astute brain didn't fully accept the fact his Berlin heroes couldn't maintain that high standard indefinitely...though they kept it going at least after a fashion for long enough to save Donadoni from being crucified at Euro 2008!

To cut a long story short, I've always believed in youth and still do, despite being an older man. While Irlanda del nord only provided modest opposition, it was enough to show Lippi and indeed all of us that good Italian talent still exists, albeit mostly within our mid table clubs. Although they are mainly rising stars, there are some older players too, deserving of a chance they've never got through playing for unfashionable provincial clubs. Despite that particular match being like a breath of fresh air, Lippi, more's the pity wasn't prepared to gamble on raw inexperienced talent laced with a high energy level as opposed to the experience of an older but slower squad for the Confed.Cup.

Frankly I think he should have taken the chance on the unknowns and even if those inexperienced guys got their noses bloodied they would have learned from it. He has since said it's too late now to throw the youngsters in. Had he done so back then, that wouldn't be the case as things stand and let's be frank, could those lads have done any worse than the wankers who embarrassed us?

Lippi knows he made a bloomer which accounts for his trying out some new caps. But he is committed to the pensioners' squad now and they have their limitations...and that's his second mistake which is why I've said what I did to Avon about our being exceptionally lucky to get beyond the quarter final.

Because Lippi has gone for "a safe pair of hands," this Italy a year on will not be embarrassed per se but they won't win either.

Not that it makes a difference to me in terms of watching. In a football sense I live for Italy in the World Cup and I will be glued to my tv urging on i miei azzurri cari, while cursing our opposition with the kind of passion which makes my neighbours close their doors and windows!


J.J. despite the fact they will try to be acclimatised as soon as possible, what bothers me is just how much of a shock to the system going from a northern hemisphere summer to a sudden southern hemisphere winter will give our players. Added to that, as we are all well aware, no European international team has ever won outside our continent, let alone hemisphere and even taking into account we Italians do tend for the most part to rise to the occasion when it is demanded of us, I can't, unfortunately, see history changing!

Marcello Lippi has named his 29-man pre-World Cup squad, which does not include Amauri, but Andrea Cossu and Leonardo Bonucci remain.

The Coach will bring together these players for a two-day get-together in Rome's Borghesiana training ground.

They'll unite on Monday evening and depart on Wednesday afternoon, but there are no Roma or Inter players because the Coppa Italia Final is this week.

Amauri is now an Italian citizen and for the first time is available for selection, but his poor form at Juventus and injuries mean it's too late to be in the squad going to South Africa.

Cagliari trequartista Cossu does have a place after his strong debut against Cameroon in March and the same goes for Bari defender Bonucci.

World Cup holders Fabio Grosso, Gianluca Zambrotta, Mauro Camoranesi, Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta are brought in.

Napoli winger Cristian Maggio, Milan's Gennaro Gattuso and Juventus striker Iaquinta are included despite recent injury concerns.

Lippi has left the goalkeeping issue open by calling in four shot-stoppers, as Morgan De Sanctis, Federico Marchetti and Salvatore Sirigu battle it out for two World Cup places alongside Gigi Buffon.



Goalkeepers: Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Napoli), Marchetti (Cagliari), Sirigu (Palermo)

Defenders: Bocchetti (Genoa), Bonucci (Bari), Cannavaro (Juventus), Cassani (Palermo), Chiellini (Juventus), Criscito (Genoa), Grosso (Juventus), Legrottaglie (Juventus), Zambrotta (Milan)


Midfielders: Camoranesi (Juventus), Candreva (Juventus), Cossu (Cagliari), Gattuso (Milan), Marchisio (Juventus), Maggio (Napoli) Montolivo (Fiorentina), Palombo (Sampdoria), Pepe (Udinese), Pirlo (Milan)


Forwards: Borriello (Milan), Di Natale (Udinese), Gilardino (Fiorentina), Iaquinta (Juventus), Pazzini (Sampdoria), Quagliarella (Napoli)


-------------------------------------------


That's it?

Of those who will be axed to make the final selection I'm not going to suggest the names I would strike from the list. I'm trying to imagine what Lippi will do. I'm guessing he'll stick mainly with the "pensioners" so I'd say by his way of thinking, Marchetti, Bonucci, Cossu, Maggio, Borriello, and Criscito are most at risk.

Può il dio nel cielo aiutarci!

I learned a long time ago that if I'm going to make my opinions known then the facts should be accurate. I thought I had done so in my above posts.

Perhaps it's the holiday week end, perhaps it's being sidetracked by the sad business of the Lazio supporters' behaviour yesterday which has prevented comments on Lippi's first selection of players for South Africa pending his absolute final choice squad which has to be trimmed to regulation size.

Now that respected journalist Carlo Garganese has made very similar comments to those I have recently posted, particularly the segment highlighted in red, I'd like to think we may see a reaction. Then again, as the Football-Chat forum's only Italian born member perhaps the fire burns deeper within me. If you don't feel it, you're not going to talk about it.

I already knew that Lippi would pick these players, he hasn't indicated anything different, so I have already thought that the best that could be hoped for would be a last hurrah from some of the older names. I still think as a unit Lippi's Italy will be strong, but I'm expecting Cannavaro to play better than he has done over the season. It's worth adding that he has been much better in recent weeks, with the WC on the horizon.

Any team in any tournament needs luck, but Italy are a tournament team and hopefully can come out with some respect. As mentioned earlier, no European team has won outside of the continent, so I would make Brazil favourites based on that.

Picking Brazil as favourites is predictable but I must say I too, in this case find it hard to argue against them as possible winners.

Lippi still has time to amend this selection before the deadline. It may seem like sacrilege coming from a Romano, but De Rossi's form of late has been along the lines of, for each special move he makes, as for example his fine assist for Totti's sublime goal against Parma, he then ruins the effect by making the kind of stupid mistake which could have cost us dearly by losing the ball in our own penalty area! Couple that to the fact that the last time Lippi personally came to assess Totti and De Rossi, they were both subbed at half time!

We probably will see De Rossi in Sth Africa but I don't think we will see any other giallorossi. Certainly, Perrotta no longer rates a call. We will not see any Inter players, but we already knew that...

Luck? I'm thinking more along the lines of Devine Intervention! But yes, we may see a spark or two of the old magic from someone, or at least we can hope for something like it...

Miccoli:
“I will go to the seaside in Gallipoli with my family who are worth much more. I will watch the World Cup through binoculars,”
“Actually, I won’t watch it all. If I do turn on the TV, I might even support Portugal…”

----------------------

It's always been about him.

do u blame him ? He's having one of his finest seasons but doesnt get a call for the most pretigious cup in football. It must be very frustrating.

I don't blame him for being disappointed, but his response shows exactly why he isn't going.

Lippi:

Miccoli doesn't get called and says he is going to follow Portugal, Cassano said he wouldn't go even if he was picked as he is getting married, these aren't guys you call for a team unit.

The next coach might go a different way, but by then I think Cassano and Miccoli's boat may have sailed.

Anyway in training Lippi has been using these two tridenti:





I think he will go with the first one, and have for a while.




I like it

the second tridenti is shocking and should only be used against a B caliber team or even a C one.

Im very worried about De Rossi and Pirlo. they havent been at their best for a long long time and as for Marchisio, its his first world cup so lets hope he doesnt choke.

As for Micolli, its his last chance to feature in a world cup, he must be furious and we dont have players who are a lot better.

Also imo Totti is needed for a plan B if our first tridenti doesnt work.

I agree with some of those players, although they tend to play better for La Nazionale. Even Grosso looks like a footballer for Italy I would take Pazzini, although Borriello has impressed me several times this season.

That first tridente has goals, although I expect Iaquinta to be more of a play/space creator. It's also possible Camoranesi will replace him for certain games, although I think Camo is on a downward spiral now and is a liability on occasion even if he does work hard and have great quality.

Di Natale: 26/33
Gilardino: 15/35
Iaquinta: 5/13

The second one though, it's more of a working option.

Quagliarella: 9/32
Borriello: 14/27
Camoranesi: 3/23

Regarding Miccoli surely he knew he wouldnt be called up, he did afterall testify in the Calciopoli court cases against Lippi's son saying he pressured him into bottling games etc if i remember right there was a small part in Gazzetta about it at the time wher Davide Lippi told Miccoli if you stitch me up you will never play for the Azzurri again.

Also remember Moggi told Miccoli that he would send him to Serie B if he didn't move to Benfica, Moggi and Lippi are close. There was no chance of Miccoli going, he is a great talent who would get into most squads, but he could have scored 50 goals this year and he wouldn't go, same for Cassano.