While I express my congratulatory remarks to my Neapolitan friends, I am also concerned. Juventus started Bonucci, Barzagli, Pirlo, and Marchisio in yesterday's match; four men that could easily be starting in a couple weeks time for the Azzurri against Spain. Give credit where credit is due; but no matter how good Napoli were on this day; what lies ahead for these four men could surely be more menacing then that of the Neapolitan attack.
Although these four players have had very solid campaigns for Juventus this season, watching them against Napoli brought back some old, rather discomforting memories of years past. For instance, Barzagli's performance at Euro 08 against the Netherlands; how slow he was on that fateful night... has he recovered form from that match? Or has it been masked all along?
I'll avoid my own pessimistic origins and give the Azzurri/Juventus backline the benefit of the doubt. For this night in Rome, Juve's poor defence was down to excessive partying and poor coverage from a certain Uruguayan defender and his swiss counterpart at right back.
Let Training Camp Begin
The National team met today at 12:00p.m. at the technical federal Center in Coverciano to start the preparation phase for the 2012 UEFA European Championships The program contained a press conference at 1:30 pm with the head coach Cesare Prandelli, while at 5:00 pm the Azzurri hit the field for the first training session (open to the press).
The Juventus, Napoli, Torino, Pescara and Paris St.Germain players still involved with their respective clubs in the final matches of the season, will reach Coverciano on Saturday, May 26th.
Here's what we Learned from Day One @ Coverciano
The Prandelli guidelines "My aim is to create an atmosphere of enthusiasm and generosity. I want to give the impression of a team that is well-prepared to venture forth into this European Championship in the knowledge that it is a unique event: approaching it with a smile and without nerves or controversy, showing they are happy to be taking part."
~ Already this is a far cry from previous Azzurri teams; most notably the World Cup 2010 team.
Prandelli's response to Chiellini's injury and Juventus' defeat in Coppa Italia "We are waiting for the results of new tests, but we are quietly confident. Giorgio really wants to travel with the squad and make progress. Are the Juventini demoralised? Yesterday Napoli played very well, I'm not really concerned about what state the Juventus players are in when they arrive, quite the contrary. What I did find deplorable was the whistling and booing that went on while the national anthem was being played. We were all horrified and I felt a sense of outrage at this. Another aspect we'll have to improve upon is observing minutes of silence."
Prandelli on the Azzurri's Attacking Options "The quality of play will enhance the performance of our strikers, he continued. Will Cassano and Balotelli play? They are here, but other players might get a game. I have spoken a lot with Mario, he knows how big an opportunity this is for himself and for us. Even when things are well-organised, quality makes the difference. From the performance of the strikers, to that of Pirlo, to Buffon's saves, it's obvious that technique in a move can decide how a match goes. Insigne? I thought I'd call him up, then I preferred to rely on players who were more familiar with the game in the top flight, in Serie A."
~ Prandelli's remarks to Balotelli are spot on. An international tournament has a way of fast tracking a player into super stardom: similar to players like Baggio '90; Rooney Euro '04; Ronaldo Euro '04; Vieri '98. This tournament is a tremendous opportunity for Balotelli to fire his career into the right direction.
The most interesting bit of news though came with this remark:
“I have the final 23 in my head, but everyone in the squad has the ability to change my mind,”
With this in mind; who will be included in Prandelli's 23 Man squad!? Below you'll find a list of his 32 man squad. Take the names and come up with your list of the final 23 men going to the 2012 European Championships. The person who gets closest to the actual squad wins the ultimate prize; my compliments.
Portieri: Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Napoli), Sirigu (Paris St. Germain), Viviano (Palermo);
Difensori: Abate (Milan), Astori (Cagliari), Balzaretti (Palermo), Barzagli (Juventus), Bocchetti (Rubin Kazan), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), Criscito (Zenit San Pietroburgo), Maggio (Napoli), Ogbonna (Torino), Ranocchia (Inter);
Centrocampisti: Cigarini (Atalanta), De Rossi (Roma), Diamanti (Bologna), Giaccherini (Juventus), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris St. Germain), Nocerino (Milan), Pirlo (Juventus),Schelotto (Atalanta), Verratti (Pescara);
Attaccanti: Balotelli (Manchester City), Borini (Roma), Cassano (Milan), Destro (Siena), Di Natale (Udinese), Giovinco (Parma).
