Italy’s International Call-Ups – A Bit of Old and a Bit of New

Italy’s International Call-Ups – A Bit of Old and a Bit of New Posted: 05 Sep 2012 02:15 AM PDT (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) Italy manager Claudio Cesare Prandelli has released his squad list for the upcoming 2014 World Cup Qualifying matches against Bulgaria and Malta, showcasing a brand new look following the Azzuri’s impressive showing at Euro 2012. With a few interesting inclusions and exclusions, Italy supporters will be excited to see how the revamped side performs in the next few days. Fresh off his hat trick for Milan over the weekend, Giampaolo Pazzini is included in the squad, while the other piece of the deal that saw Pazzini head to the red side of the San Siro, Antonio Cassano, is left out. Key pieces of the Euro 2012 finalists Giorgio Chiellini and Mario Balotelli have been left out due to injury concerns. Earning his first call-up to the full Nazionale is Napoli starlet and U-21 Azzurini gem, Lorenzo Insigne, along with PSG’s Marco Verratti on one cap. The Juventus contingent is strong, as always, with no fewer than 7 of the Bianconeri included. Prandelli is expected to stick with the 3-5-2 that served him so well until the end of Euro 2012, with Torino center-back Angelo Ogbonna most likely to step in for Giorgio Chiellini. Up top will be the most interesting area of this team, with Sebastian Giovinco, Giampaolo Pazzini and Pablo Osvaldo at the forefront for the final two starting slots. Predicted Starting XI (3-5-2): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Ogbonna; Maggio, Nocerino, Pirlo, Marchisio, Giaccherini; Giovinco, Pazzini Full Squad: Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Massimo De Sanctis (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St. Germain), Emiliano Viviano (Fiorentina) Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (AC Milan), Federico Balzaretti (Roma), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Mattia Cassani (Fiorentina), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino) Midfielders: Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna), Emmanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Antonio Nocerino (Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Andrea Poli (Sampdoria), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain) Strikers: Fabio Borini (Liverpool), Mattia Destro (Roma), Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Pablo Osvaldo (Roma), Giampaolo Pazzini (Milan)

México v Costa Rica: A CONCACAF Classic Awaits in World Cup Qualifiers Posted: 04 Sep 2012 04:20 PM PDT The Mexican National team is preparing to continue its road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Brazil less than two years from today. José Manuel de la Torre, Mexico's head coach, has already called six international players who participate in European football for these two games against Costa Rica, a traditional rival for Mexico in CONCACAF. Andrés Guardado (Valencia/Spain), Javier Hernández (Manchester United /England), Héctor Moreno (Espanyol/ Spain), Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio/ France) and Francisco Javier Rodríguez (Stuttgart/ Germany) will compete for México; alongside the rest of the squad, which will be composed entirely of players that play in the Mexican League. On September 7th, México will play Costa Rica in San José, a place that has played host to many memorable moments, both positive and negative. In 1992, under manager César Luis Menotti-a member of the 1978 Argentina World Cup winning team, Mexico lost 2-0 in Costa Rica after a difficult and hard fought battle. On the other hand, the last time these two met on Costa Rican soil, the Mexicans came out 3-0 winners, securing their qualification to the South Africa 2010 World Cup. On September 11th, Costa Rica will travel to Mexico to face El-Tri in the Azteca Stadium, a venue with distinct history for them. Costa Ricans everywhere will all remember how their national team fought their way to victory in a 2001 World Cup Qualifier, a loss that to this day remains the only loss the Mexicans have ever suffered in all World Cup Qualifiers held at the Azteca Stadium. México will come into this game after a painful result, having lost 1-0 to the United States on August 15 at home. Despite the friendly tag placed on the game, the results will not bode well with Mexican fans, players and coaches as the rivalry that has developed between the US and Mexico over the years is anything but friendly. The current situation of the Mexican National team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers is ideal; the victories over Guyana and El Salvador place them in a privileged position with six points at the top of their group. These matches against Costa Rica will determine who will advance to the CONCACAF hexagonal final tournament to start next year. This is a quite a moment for Mexican football, as the U-23 team won the Gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics – an astonishing result against the odds. Perhaps the main question that surrounds Mexico's sport media at the moment is which Olympic hero will be selected and made part of the final roster. The answer, of course, can only be found in the mind of José Manuel de la Torre. World Cup Qualification is already on its way for México, and as preparation for Brazil 2014 begins, El-Tri's new generation is waiting to show its worth. Below is the list of players selected for Mexico’s two matches: 1. Jesús Corona. Cruz Azul 2. Alfredo Talavera. Toluca 3. Guillermo Ochoa. Ajaccio 4. Severo Meza. Monterrey 5. Israel Jiménez. Tigres 6. Francisco Javier Rodríguez. Stuttgart 7. Héctor Moreno. RCD Espanyol de Barcelona 8. Hugo Ayala. Tigres 9. Hiram Mier. Monterrey 10. Jorge Torres Nilo. Tigres 11. Darvin Chávez. Monterrey 12. Carlos Salcido. Tigres 13. Jesús Zavala. Monterrey 14. Gerardo Torrado. Cruz Azul 15. Edgar Gerardo Lugo. Santos Laguna 16. Elías Hernández. Tigres 17. Javier Aquino. Cruz Azul 18. Andrés Guardado. Valencia C.F. 19. Ángel Reyna. Monterrey 20. Oribe Peralta. Santos 21. Marco Fabián. Guadalajara 22. Javier Hernández. Manchester United 23. Aldo de Nigris. Monterrey The road to Brazil truly must start now for the Mexican national team, as they will hope to continue their success on the international scene after a great victory for their U23 team in the 2012 London Olympics.

Yael Like a Girl: The Times They Are A-Changin Once Again Posted: 04 Sep 2012 11:32 AM PDT In late 2007, the US Women’s National Team sat in a hotel meeting room skeptically eyeing their new leader and anticipating some words of wisdom. The Swede pulled out a guitar from next to her at the table and began to sing Bob Dylan’s ’The Times They Are A-Changin.' Despite awkward giggles and shocked facial expressions, the players were being serenaded with words they knew were true…things would be different. Pia Sundhage, during her five-year reign as leader of the USWNT, instituted new training sessions, emphasized different tactical concepts and created a fresh group dynamic for a team lacking direction and struggling with controversy in the wake of previous coach, Greg Ryan. Pia shared her personal philosophy in clear English, though never without a hint of her Swedish accent and phraseology. She talked about "to be brave," "to enjoy the journey," "the American attitude" and "find a way to win" often. On a cold, rainy day when the team had just finished running the beep test in brutal, windy conditions, she entered the locker room, drenched from head to toe, singing, "You can get it if you really want." No one laughed awkwardly during her Jimmy Cliff rendition. The team had become accustomed to being sung to. The unique training drills had become habitual. Pia's style was anchored deep within the team culture. The USWNT ship sailed on under Pia's guidance—not without its share of ups and downs, but it was a fairly smooth journey, marked by two Olympic gold medals and a second place finish in the 2011 World Cup. On Saturday, Pia announced that she will be leaving the U.S. team and returning home to coach the Swedish National Team. She ended her American journey the same way she began it: with Bob Dylan. "If not for you, I wouldn't be where I am…" she sang to the fans in Rochester, NY before the USWNT victory tour game against Costa Rica. Once again, "times, they are a-changin'." There is a huge question mark as to who will take charge of the USWNT. Despite Pia's overwhelming success in big tournaments, her successor is left with quite a difficult task. There are a number of veteran players, and experience heavily skewed in their favor. It will be vital that the new coach identify the proper areas to introduce new talent, while maintaining the leadership and team culture that has been responsible for the team's achievement in the past. For all of Pia's wonderful traits, she essentially operated independently of the youth national team system. The new coach will be wise to repair this disconnect and implement his/her coaching philosophy throughout the youth ranks as to prepare youngsters to fill in with the senior team. It is imperative not only to use the youth system for identification, but to teach the players and encourage the qualities that the USWNT values. Moreover, for the majority of Pia's tenure, she had the Women’s Professional Soccer league at her disposal to identify players as well as allow her mainstays to play regular games. She could easily attend a game or request a filmed version and see five or six of her players play in one sitting. In the aftermath of WPS folding, players have dispersed throughout Europe. Some will be featured in the new professional league forming in the U.S., but many potentials to represent the country are playing elsewhere. Ali Krieger, Ashlyn Harris, Keelin Winters and more than a handful of other top players are playing in the Frauen Bundesliga in Germany. Christen Press, Meghan Klingenburg, Brittany Bock, myself and many more have joined teams in Sweden. Young talent Lindsey Horan is playing for Paris Saint Germain in France. Rebecca Moros and Beverly Goebel ventured to play in Japan. The next coach may have a treasure chest of talent to pick from, but not without a search. With many other countries starting to invest more heavily in their women's programs, the onus is on US Soccer to select a coach for the American women that is prepared to take on a task that runs far deeper than choosing an 11-player lineup. The new USWNT leader will likely implement a fresh style, tie in the youth national teams, potentially cut a couple veteran players and decide where and when to inject the team with new faces. There is a lot to live up to on the heels of Pia's success with the team. The new coach may not have Pia's musical talent, but will surely institute his/her own way. Because "the times they are a-changin'"!

Roy Hodgson: Thinking In Reverse Posted: 04 Sep 2012 10:20 AM PDT Euro 2012 was regarded as a mild success for the England football team and Roy Hodgson, despite their failure to improve on a record that has seen them only ever win once in the knockout stages of the competition – and on penalties at that. A successful campaign, both by the media and Hodgson himself, had done enough to convince those who follow England that it was wrong to expect anything other than abject failure. The idea of escaping from what was the second easiest group in the tournament would be tantamount to winning the competition for the former West Bromwich boss. In his defense, there were a large number of injuries prior to the competition that would have severely dampened any kind of preparation. He wouldn’t be the first manager to favour caution over a less restrained approach. On the whole a large number of teams in international football have chosen to adopt this style of football, Venezuala being a prime example. That being said, England has far better resources at their disposal than most. Of the final squad that went to Poland and the Ukraine, several of them were coming off the back of trophy winning seasons. A handful of them had won either the Premier League or Champions League. It’s not like they were inexperienced novices who didn’t know how to win. The English FA have already made their bed with Hodgson. They had to know full well what they were getting, and in doing so at best are short sighted and naive. The two main candidates to replace Fabio Capello had won a grand total of one trophy between them, that tells you everything you need to know about the standard of English managers available out there right now. In that respect they have probably made the right decision, Hodgson at the very least will placate the older members of the squad. A more pragmatic thinking manager would realize that the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard need to be replaced sooner rather than later, but having said that he is quoted this week on that very subject by saying “‘They’re both very good players and I don’t think anybody has seen obstacles,” which suggests he hasn’t seen an England game featuring the two in the last ten years. I get that some of the players could easily buy into Roy’s setup. The majority of them still have that failed “golden generation” tag attached to them and are even now desperate to live up to it by winning something, regardless of how it’s done. A team that isn’t overly successful will start to cut corners. The starving man cares not for the quality of his meal. A desperate team with a cautious manager will favour one off results over a long term plan. In tournament football, that’s fine to an extent but when those results don’t come, what then? In the end this England side have been bereft of an identity for too long. It’s part of the reason why a manager like Capello could never win because despite losing only a single game following the World Cup in 2010, the team still looked like a collection of individuals. At least now they have a common bond, but for how long? A lot of England fans will not care about the mindless things that flow out of the mouth of their manager for some years. It doesn’t help the fact that for the most part, Hodgson’s portrayal is that of a wise old owl, more suited to a childens fairytale than football management. He uses his experience in the wider world of coaching – namely Scandinavia and a short ill fated spell with Inter – to project this image of someone that has seen it all and done it all when in fact his entire career is based on over performing with average teams and under performing with good ones. Experience is all well and good, if you use it in the right way and learn from your mistakes. This isn’t what you get with Roy. It’s his methods, his way. The same methodology he used all those years ago. In any other industry, would using tactics and theories from forty years ago yield success? Possession football – like every methodology – does have it’s flaws. Despite it appearing to be a high risk style that relies on cavalier passing along the back four, it is much safer than say giving Andrea Pirlo time and space to do whatever he wants for ninety minutes. Hodgson said in reference to Martin Skrtel’s error that led to Manchester City’s equaliser last week: It is getting a bit ridiculous when people are suggesting Brendan Rodgers might have been pleased with Martin Skrtel’s missed back pass last week because that is how he wants Liverpoool to play. I am not prepared to have the wool pulled over my eyes at the age of 65. This shows either a massive lack of understanding or an arrogance that is frankly staggering. The whole point is not that Brendan Rodgers would be in any way pleased, but that the team is learning to play in that style and there were always bound to be bumps in the road. A far more worrying quote would be this one which also appeared in today’s Guardian: I don’t even know how these possession counts are worked out and no one has yet succeeded in convincing me that you win games by what is perceived to be possession. For years under Sven Goran Eriksson, England played at a level of football that the majority of people would love to get back to right about now. The one thing they lacked massively in that period of time was composure. A simple thing like being able to keep the ball, because in international football if you don’t keep the ball eventually you will get punished. The national side took the lead in almost every major game they played in this era but were unable to get through the games unscathed because of a reluctance to play anything other than a so called “traditional” English tempo. It’s not that one way of playing is solely better than another on it’s ideology alone, but that a team cannot win in this day and age without at least being able to play both ways on a very basic level. To be able to go out, express themselves in the manner that we see every week in the Premier League and then when the time is right keep your opponent at arms length by keeping the ball. If England could have kept the ball a little better at Euro 2012, maybe Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker wouldn’t have been dead on their feet against Italy. Then again, the rigidity in tactics meant that wasn’t a possibility. Hodgson’s every man behind the ball tactics aren’t so much a valid way of playing as rolling a dice and hoping it comes up an odd number. Chelsea were held up as an example this summer, that you could win a trophy playing this so called philistine football. The problem with that is that it relied on too many co-incidences. Performances like the second leg of their last sixteen match versus Napoli don’t happen very often. A team like Barcelona, despite Chelsea holding them at bay for the majority of their semi final, missed a countless number of chances to kill off the tie and Bayern Munich was three minutes away from the trophy. Things like that don’t happen very often. Maybe Roy Hogdson is just that fortunate. It is, after all, better to be lucky than good.

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