Italy - Russia starts in half an hour.

http://livetv.ru/en/eventinfo/121484_russia_italy/

Italy's defence is very shaky. To think of some WC players we had there in the past and mediocrity we have now.

Currently watching the Italy game... What a mess!!!

How the boneheaded duo of Bonucci and Barzagli managed to make up part of the best defensive record in the league is beyond me!! Shocking mistakes in defense. Just goes to show that form is temporary, class is permanent. How Italy can rely on players who only had one decent season to show on their resume is just unacceptable.

Maggio with another shocker for the second goal. Prandelli needs to start Abate against Spain. At least he has big game experience against top class opposition.

Exactly what I have been saying this entire season basically. Those Juve defenders are all mediocre aside from Chiellini. Now that they're out of this season's club bubble their mediocrity is showing with a vengance.

And the same, exactly the same, goes on Montolivo. His usual mediocre display. But luckily he has a friend in Prandelli.


And another Maggio mistake leads to 0-3.

Yes, Abate has to start, but I wouldn't emphasize his "big match experience" too much.

Montolivo is being played as an attacking midfielder. Big difference from 2 defenders who have basically played week in week out together for an entire season.

Prandelli needs to either drop the diamond formation or play someone suitable to the AM position. Just because Monto can pull of playing the position every once in a while does not mean you depend on him for that position going into the tournamet.

De Rossi was also a let down, while Pirlo was all fancy touches and no grit. The space between midfield and defence was wide open

I would go as far to say Chiellini too is the very definition of mediocrity. But the guy makes up for it with his strength and brutish plays. I've watched him long enough, and in no way is he the continuation of the likes of Maldini, Nesta, Baresi or heck, even Cannavaro. He just lacks that finesse that grace that sets great apart from good.

Oh definately. The only way he wins balls is by taking down his opponent. The only method he has for defending set-plays is sticking out his elbows every which way.

I wouldn't call him mediocre, he's just a good defender nothing more.

Barzagli and Bonucci on the other hand are the definition of mediocre. Can you really honestly see them carrying this season's form into the Euro's and into next season? Juve better look out because they could be in a world of trouble, especially in the CL

Wow, what a ******* embarrassing result for Italy. Spain will probably massacre this team.

Looking forward to England-Belgium tonight, more because I want to see Belgium. They have some really good individuals like Kompany, Vermaelen, Witsel, Fellaini, Dembele, Defour, Hazard, Lukaku. Be interesting to see them all play together as I haven't seen Belgium for a long time.

Could be a good team for 2014 and beyond.

Prandelli should have called Ranocchia instead of Bonucci.

Anyway, Mediaset says that Prandelli will try a 3-man defense against Spain:

A 3 man defense experiment inclusive of Bonucci.

Good luck with that.

Edit: It looks more like a 5 man defense.

Maggio decent but inexperienced, Bonucci Sh!t, Barzagli inconsistent, Chiellini good, Balzaretti good.

I don't think that midfield will be good enough against Spain. Since we don't have the counteractive quality, we could have at least increased the number.

I think that's one grand fail waiting to happen.

The 3 man defense barely worked for Juve as when they started with it they usually ended up reverting to 4-3-3 to get something out of the game. I remember the Juve fans complaining for all they were worth about it and why Conte was messing with a working 4-3-3 system.

It's just not a good idea, especially when 3 of the 5 at the back are very weak. Barzagli is proving once again that he's mediocre, Bonucci is just ridiculous, and I don't get why he got called up. Bonera is probably more reliable than this guy who's nothing but a brainless oaf. While Maggio is just not experianced and does not have and defensive capacbilities. He's the only one out of those 5 who would benefit from the 3 man defense because that's what they use at Napoli and it would take away some of the defensive burdens from him.

As for the midfield, Pirlo behind the front 2 might not work

I think Prandell should stick to what was working in the qualifiers. De Rossi needs to be put in front of the defense, play a flat 4 at the back with Chiellini and Barzagli, remove Bonucci and Maggio out of the equation.

Gee, what a time to lose one's mind. 3-man defense? Pirlo upfront? Asking for disaster? Most definitely.

Against Spain, Prandelli should revive the catenacio 5man-defense 2DM Pirlo ACM Striker.

But we know its gonna be Balo-Cassano, so scratch that :/

Exactly. Euros are not at all as forgiving as the World Cup is, you have the hit the ground running. Seeing as how slow Italy starts, stupid ideas like what Prandelli is having should never be entertained. One bad mistake at the wrong time, and you're done and dusted. But let's see, it's just a matter of days now.

I think that would bomb big time. The 3 man defense is just a no-no against top quality opposition, and you don't get any better than Spain. Furthermore, Italy don't have any players, aside from Di Natale and Maggio, who have counter attacking qualities. It's a pretty slow team and I'd rather they stuck to a tri-dent, Cassano-Balo-Toto/Gio with Cassano and the other wide striker going in behind Balotelli for support and to connect with the midfield.

A flat back 4 is necassary, but Maggio simply cannot pull off playing a pure RB role, he's just too defensively unstable.

I'd personally go with something like this

Gary Cahill injured for the whole tournament, in comes Martin Kelly

Slowly starting to think this is the worst England squad to a major tournament ever, let alone my lifetime.

Did England employ the Milan medical staff on a part time basis?

It would seem so. This is becoming so unlucky it's funny. Of course it'll all be Hodgson's fault that 4/5 starters are unavilable..

Anyone up for Brazil vs Mehico? Mehico leading by 2 goals to 0. The new "Juan" gave a penalty.

Is that Inter's Juan?

Yep.

Pato missed a great chance fro Brazil (not a sitter though). he seems to have put his injuries behind him but he needs to get his finishing touch back. that wasn't the kind of chance he'd waste on his day.

Neymar lacks experience and cares too much about showing off, but his potential is immense judging from what I saw.

Inter have a Juan?

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3276/serie-...m-internacional

Did he ever play for them?

Few minutes vs Lazio 3 weeks ago.

Yup, Inter's Jaun, and as for the match, let's just say I've seen better displays from Brazil. Let's see what they do against Argentina in a few days, in the next stop of their world tour. Now that'll be a match, or what?!

Yep, but his goal against USA was in place of 10 goals, that was probably his best goal this season IMO.

His best goal this season? It didn't have much competition did it!

His best goal this season? For all my money that was against Barcelona in September. 25 seconds and bam!


Yeah, that too.

What Kurt said

Also I agree with acid. the one against Barca was his best goal of the season.

Olic out of the Euros. So other teams can get injuries afterall?

OK, watching a rerun of Brazil - Argentina. how many one on ones does that monster (Hulk) miss? damn you Menezes for not giving Pato more chances.


Also, minute 30 > Brazil leading 1-0 and a penalty on Neymar is not given, next moment an Argie fouls on a Brazilian, gets the ball, plays Messi and bam, it's 1-1. awful ref'ing.

Apparently Messi has scored 8 goals in his last 4 games for Argentina.

Does it matter really? He has to be good for Argentina when it matters, and not just against Bolivia or in friendlies.

Goals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylrvg0hDqQE

Messi's winning goal is very nice.

True enough. And people may say I'm using the word again, but it was "pathetic" defending by Brazil. Really scared to go out and attack Messi outside the box, I was half inclined to think the backline was mentally retarded or had physical defects - mainly, some problems with their eyes or something.

I mean when Silva and Lucio used to play together, they kept Messi in their pockets. May I even go on to say that if Silva were in form and fitness playing today, no way Argentina would have slotted 4 past him. The last one was the biggest example of poor, poor defending. Messi running in, and all the scardy-cats of the Brazil defense either staying still or running back. Surely a player of his quality will take his chances if you allow him space.

Of course scoring plenty of goals in friendlies and easy games don't count that much. but 8 goals in 4 games is impressive.

Also, Neymar looks really good. he's very skinny and will have to gain weight and build muscles if he wants to play in Europe and I don't know how that would affect his game. he's really fast and technically gifted, but so was Pato when he was in Brazil.

Almost a full-strength Argentina against a Brazil without Julio Cesar, Lucio, Thiago Silva, Dani Alves, Maicon, and even David Luiz. True story. That's 6 front-line stoppers out. And Messi fanboys have got something in their pants. Not here on the forum, obviously, but on other mainstream sites.

+1.

Hey, like I said Argentina playing players like Lavezzi, Higuain, Messi, Di Maria duking it out against Brazil's B team, and barely winning by one goal. I like how Argentina always plays their full full team against Brazil. Even in the Copa Americas. Only players like Cambiasso and Heinze were absent yesterday. Classy.

The Messi love in is getting pretty sad.

After the Germany-Portugal game I saw twitter was going crazy over Messi's 3rd goal. I put ESPN and actually thought the commentator must have had a heart-attack or something, the way he was mumbling about Messi's goals. I thought maybe he scored another like he did against Getafe a few years back.

It turns out it was a good, but pretty routine curler from the edge of the box. I mean come on. Good goal, yes. But everyone went on as if it was one of the top 5 goals ever scored.

People got overexcited because it was a fairly epic game between football's greatest rivals and Messi's was a nice goal that decided it in the last minutes. sometimes the circumstances make a goal rather than the actual quality in it.

See that's where I feel the problem is. Epic? Fairly? Brazil had all of their Under-23 squad out, it is Brazil's World Tour after all, preparing for the Olympics. And all of their mainstay defenders out, including a young, upcoming keeper. And we have Messi fans saying that "See, who needs Xavi and Iniesta, blah, blah, blah!" Right.

I guess a lot of them did not get the memo that this was a poor friendly, and Argentina had more to lose than win.

And really, that's the whole problem with the fanatics of the supposedly best player in the world, they live in their own little dream world. Obviously, talking about all the happy-go-lucky new football fans, who know not an inch of history. At least, here on Milanfan we do have some reasonable ones. But really, enough is usually enough.

I mean, I know Maradona, and while I don't necessarily like him one bit, I have no trouble denying he was a country mile (or two million) ahead of where Messi is, both at Napoli and with Argentina. He had that something extra that Lionel doesn't, and yet people harp him out to be the best ever, when he clearly isn't half as good (on a consistent basis, at the very least) as Maradona.

Playing and carrying Napoli through the best/toughest league in the world. Winning the World Cup. And all that.

That must be killing you.

Totally. I'm so dead, I'm not even in my body.