Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 22

Thread: Your Italy team v England

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    49,570

    Your Italy team v England

    You're Mancini, what's your team?

    Donnarumma

    Di Lorenzo Bonucci Chiellini Emerson

    Verrati Jorginho Locatelli

    Barrella

    Chiesa________Insigne

    I'd ditch any and all of their No9's, they're useless in their press and none of them can finish and produce precious little credible link play either, and play Barella more advanced like an attacking midfield for the press and so with the combined press of Chiesa, Barella and Insigne there's a 3 pressing the next line and also blocking any lines to play out and Barella or Locatelli who has some strike on him, might well chip in with a goal or assist coming forward looking to be found by Chiesa or Insigne released ahead of them.

    I'd keep Chiesa and Insigne well advanced, with Insigne playing very inside left leaving Walker who offers nothing going forward sitting with no-one to get to grips with in putting him in that 'inbetween' two stalls position when he frequently gets done by inside out runs in behind him then does something very rash

    I'd have Veratti at RCM because he has very good right to left switches and balls down the line and through the lines from there, I think it's a waste playing him at LCM

    Italy's press had been pretty damned good, but I think keeping Chiesa and Insigne more advanced and having Barella as the other most advanced press rather than any of their forwards as they're all poor at it and don't ever look like scoring or assisting or releasing another player to assist and really really go after that midfield pairing of Rice and Phillips and England's back four with a very aggressive press given how they folded so disastrously under less pressure from a 4 man press than I'd expect my team to put on them
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    49,570
    I'd put a very strong focus on making that front foot aggressive press as good as it can possibly be, making sure the 3 players furthest forward in it are all very capable of notching a goal or assist, I know, as I expect Mancini does that England's back four and Rice and Phillips are all incredibly poor at keeping the ball in tight areas and playing their way out and if I press Rice or Phillips quickly and aggressively and I'm blocking the lines, they're only going to play the ball backwards and my pressers will follow that ball with the next line moving onto Phillips and Rice

    I know none of that back six have the ability to hurt me or release Sterling, Sancho/Saka/Foden with a ball from deep (Rashford's not even in the conversation, God knows why Neville is prattling on as though he is, when he came on at LWFD in the 4-0 win, he didn't make a single run in behind despite being in acres of space numerous times after England had tried to build on the right and the ball going back to Hendo who was looking for the run and Rashford just stood their motionless like a dummy).

    Knowing this I might even encourage both my full backs to be really aggressive with both, even following them inside when they try to go there as Shaw can't get forward the same to overlap with my playing Chiesa more advanced where he can really hurt England and England really do not want Chiesa released in isolation one v one against Maguire when he's very quick, mobile and agile and can go either way and quickly shift the ball onto either foot and produce a high quality finish

    It's a bit reminiscent of how I wanted us to line up and how we did line up for the late season trouncing of the filthy at old toilet, 4312 with our 2 wide/inside forwards both playing predominantly very much as inside forwards, because although they have quality higher up the pitch, they have no quality to find those players if you set up right in how you press them and England are no different
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    49,570
    Perfect for setting traps in your pressing too, as soon as the rapid press is on Rice or Phillips, I'd have Chiesa or Insigne immediately running of the back of either looking to nick the inevitable backwards pass from them

    Pretty much Barella presses Rice, Insigne goes to Phillips so the only ball is backwards and Chiesa's looking to nick it when it does, or Barella presses Phillips, Chiesa goes to Rice so the only ball is backwards and Insigne's looking to nick it when it does, might very well get Sid's desired Prickford blunder that way too, he started flapping and falling apart again the last couple of games when he's had to deal with backpasses under pressure
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Reading
    Posts
    8,084
    Not a fan of Immobile?

    I’d probably go with that team too although the midfield was overrun by the Spaniards.

    Wasn’t impressed with Barella and he’s linked with us

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    3,157
    Quote Originally Posted by TheDOC1979 View Post
    Not a fan of Immobile?

    I’d probably go with that team too although the midfield was overrun by the Spaniards.

    Wasn’t impressed with Barella and he’s linked with us
    He is too immobile!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Reading
    Posts
    8,084
    Quote Originally Posted by scientificred View Post
    He is too immobile!
    It had to be you 😝

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    49,570
    Quote Originally Posted by TheDOC1979 View Post
    Not a fan of Immobile?

    I’d probably go with that team too although the midfield was overrun by the Spaniards.

    Wasn’t impressed with Barella and he’s linked with us
    All Italy's No9 type forwards are poor, poor in the press, poor in their link play, poor at even getting hold of the ball and bringing their team mates into play with basic rudimentary passes and they never look like scoring or assisting

    Insigne and Chiesa are an entirely different story however, they are incredibly dangerous and talented and given the ball in the positions the Danish forwards had it on the 7 or 8 times Rice, Phillips and that back four were completely undone by a simple 4 man press, they'd put at least 2 past England

    The thing with Spain is they have numerous players who are incredibly good with the ball and at keeping it and working with it in tight areas and have an exceptional coordinated team press, their press wasn't actually better than Italy's, it was their number of players who are better with the ball and keeping it and working with it in very tight areas that was the difference.

    When Italy pressed Spain, Spain had the players to keep it and play out under that press, when Spain pressed Italy very well it was usually rapid pressing after they had lost possession in a tight area when their players were all well positioned to press so rapidly as they were already in very good positions expecting their player to be able to work the ball out of the tight area to them and in all those situations, the anticipation their player might lose the ball in such a tight area is obvious

    England aren't good at keeping the ball in tight areas, except for the forwards, England don't have a passing game or that kind of quality with the ball and looking after it and they don't have a very finely tuned and well orchestrated pressing game as Southgate doesn't play one
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    3,157
    Italy have a far superior midfield but lack real daggers in attack.
    I think England will basically PTB but unlike PL PTB teams they have a lot of pace with goal threat up front.
    Italy will probe for long periods and England will have sporadic and fast breaks.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    49,570
    Quote Originally Posted by scientificred View Post
    Italy have a far superior midfield but lack real daggers in attack.
    I think England will basically PTB but unlike PL PTB teams they have a lot of pace with goal threat up front.
    Italy will probe for long periods and England will have sporadic and fast breaks.
    I think Italy will press that England back four and 2 No6's, all of that back four and the keeper have big mistakes in them put under pressure and Rice and Phillips are novices and woefully inexperienced at No6 against this level of opposition.

    Walker's made 4 big mistakes this season in the Prem leading to him conceding penalties, Stones has made 2, Maguire has made 3, which would be four if VAR had done it's job and justly awarded Chelsea a pen when he dragged back Azpilacueta by his neck when he was wrong side of him and otherwise had a free header and Shaw has made 2, including one in our late season drubbing of them at Old Toilet.

    If Phillips' and Rice's headless chicken routine and absolute inability to keep the ball and their composure in tight areas under Denmark's quick and aggressive 4 man press is anything to go by then an incredibly front foot aggressive press by Italy surely must be expected.

    I think a lot will depend how Mancini sets up, I think Chiesa and Insigne absolutely are daggers up front, Chiesa's had precious little in the way of opportunities and his goals have come through him being an absolute dagger and incredible talent with each and every goal he has scored looking nothing more than a half chance when it arrived to him.

    If Mancini plays one of his useless No9's and plays them furthest forward England have a much better chance, because none of them look like scoring or assisting and they all fail miserably in the basics of getting in front of defenders, getting control of the ball and laying it off simply and in playing them Mancini sacrifices having his 2 daggers too far away from goal far too much of the time.

    If he employs an extra midfielder in a 4312 keeping Chiesa and Insigne a lot closer to goal, both operating as inside forwards, making inside out runs and inside out diagonal runs in behind England's full backs, with his team being able to press better while also blocking the lines, in the knowledge none of that England back six have the ability to keep the ball or their composure under pressure in tight areas or possess the capability to play accurate long balls in behind to release Sterling or Sancho/Foden/Saka then it could be a comfortable 3-0 win for Italy with Chiesa scoring first.

    Chiesa is a forward I would like Jurgen to reignite his interest in, he'd make a brilliant addition to our front 3, very 2 footed, can go either way, very agile and moves the ball very quickly from one foot to the other setting it perfectly to strike it with devastating accuracy with either foot in the process, far more clinical and deadly in and around the box than any of England's forwards, the lad only needs half a chance and he's only had half chances to date and look what he's produced, whether or not Mancini sets up to keep him and Insigne closer to goal might well be the difference
    "If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    3,157
    Quote Originally Posted by Nineteenx View Post
    I think Italy will press that England back four and 2 No6's, all of that back four and the keeper have big mistakes in them put under pressure and Rice and Phillips are novices and woefully inexperienced at No6 against this level of opposition.

    Walker's made 4 big mistakes this season in the Prem leading to him conceding penalties, Stones has made 2, Maguire has made 3, which would be four if VAR had done it's job and justly awarded Chelsea a pen when he dragged back Azpilacueta by his neck when he was wrong side of him and otherwise had a free header and Shaw has made 2, including one in our late season drubbing of them at Old Toilet.

    If Phillips' and Rice's headless chicken routine and absolute inability to keep the ball and their composure in tight areas under Denmark's quick and aggressive 4 man press is anything to go by then an incredibly front foot aggressive press by Italy surely must be expected.

    I think a lot will depend how Mancini sets up, I think Chiesa and Insigne absolutely are daggers up front, Chiesa's had precious little in the way of opportunities and his goals have come through him being an absolute dagger and incredible talent with each and every goal he has scored looking nothing more than a half chance when it arrived to him.

    If Mancini plays one of his useless No9's and plays them furthest forward England have a much better chance, because none of them look like scoring or assisting and they all fail miserably in the basics of getting in front of defenders, getting control of the ball and laying it off simply and in playing them Mancini sacrifices having his 2 daggers too far away from goal far too much of the time.

    If he employs an extra midfielder in a 4312 keeping Chiesa and Insigne a lot closer to goal, both operating as inside forwards, making inside out runs and inside out diagonal runs in behind England's full backs, with his team being able to press better while also blocking the lines, in the knowledge none of that England back six have the ability to keep the ball or their composure under pressure in tight areas or possess the capability to play accurate long balls in behind to release Sterling or Sancho/Foden/Saka then it could be a comfortable 3-0 win for Italy with Chiesa scoring first.

    Chiesa is a forward I would like Jurgen to reignite his interest in, he'd make a brilliant addition to our front 3, very 2 footed, can go either way, very agile and moves the ball very quickly from one foot to the other setting it perfectly to strike it with devastating accuracy with either foot in the process, far more clinical and deadly in and around the box than any of England's forwards, the lad only needs half a chance and he's only had half chances to date and look what he's produced, whether or not Mancini sets up to keep him and Insigne closer to goal might well be the difference
    I still think that will be the plan. Allow Italy a lot of possession but little penetration and hit them fast and hard on the break.
    Agree with your thoughts on Chiesa but if he comes here someone goes like Mo or Sadio or Firmino.

Similar Threads

  1. Your England team v Italy
    By Nineteenx in forum Football Forum
    Replies: 39
    Last Post: 11th July 2021, 04:30 PM
  2. Your England team v Denmark
    By Nineteenx in forum Football Forum
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 8th July 2021, 12:38 PM
  3. Your England team v Germany
    By Nineteenx in forum Football Forum
    Replies: 85
    Last Post: 3rd July 2021, 07:00 PM
  4. Your England team v Ukraine
    By Nineteenx in forum Football Forum
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 3rd July 2021, 05:29 PM

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •