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Torino Striker Talks About Azzurri Call Up

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Joseph Genova

Fabio Quagliarella is honoured to be back in the Italy squad under new coach Antonio Conte after five years without receiving a call up. ITA_Quagliarella

The Torino striker last played for the Azzurri in November 2010, against Romania and the 32-year-old poacher still believes he can contribute after having multiple good season under Torino coach Giampiero Ventura.

“It is a major honour and I am very excited. I hope I can play a part, I think if it was not for injuries, I would have been back in the national team last year. We have some quality, experienced strikers who all offer something different and I believe there is a good mix of everything here. I guess though, he[Conte] heard my words about calling me and listened!
” Quagliarella told the media at Coverciano.

“The coach already knows me and is familiar with what I can do, which I think has benefitted me. [Giampiero] Ventura is someone else I must thank because we talk a lot and he gives me confidence”

Quagliarella addresses why he never really showed the best of form at Juventus and Napoli, and is praising 24-year-old Lorenzo Insigne.

“I think maybe I arrived at clubs at the wrong times or at times it was my fault too but this is what happens in the career of a player, At Napoli, I wanted to do better and I’ll always be a fan of the club. Insigne shares a room with me and I’ve told him to believe. He is always laughing and joking, he is handling the pressure well.He can do anything but the [Diego] Maradona comparisons are a problem and that puts unfair pressure on him. He can become the symbol of Napoli though in my opinion.”

Galliani Out?

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Joseph Genova

The Rossoneri vice-president is the focal point of anger after their humiliation at the hands of Napoli.

AC Milan fans directed their displeasure at the clubs vice-president, Adriano Galliani after the Rossoneri were demolished 4-0 by a brilliant Napoli side.

In fairness to the Diavolo defence, they were going up against a very powerful Napoli side and a potent trident consisting of Insigne-Higuan-Calejon. The 24-year-old Lorenzo Insigne was the catalyst to the Milan defeat, bagging a brace; one of them coming from a sublime free kick.

Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was sparred(for once) as the cheers were being jeered towards Galliani. “Thanks Galliani” were the words being echoed as the fans left the stadium, there wasn’t any sympathy towards the players who just didn’t have enough to stifle Sarri’s magisterial offence, or produce enough magic to beat the Partenopei defence, fans began to chant “go to work’.

Last week, the Milan vice-president held a Crisis meeting after the defeat to Genoa but clearly, no solution has been made. Hopefully Mario Balotelli will have a solution but we won’t know until he returns from a groin injury. Balotelli has been nothing short of amazing since his return to Serie A, showing he is trying to get his head straight and that is exactly what Milan need; a level headed Balotelli.

There is an international break this week so this will give Milan the chance to gather their thoughts and come up with a solution together.

@TheCalcioSpot

Serie A – Team of the Week – Week 7

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Joseph Genova

This is a new feature we will be doing, we will be mentioning who we here believe were the best 11 players from Serie A the following week.

Week 7 brought us a lot of interesting games; the thrashing of Milan handed to them by Napoli, Inter’s comeback against Sampdoria, Fiorentina winning yet again to bring them to the top of the table, but who were the 11 catalysts?

(3-5-2)

GK – Samir Handanovic (Inter)

Made a lot of key saves early in the game and even after conceding, the first goal was a bit of a howler and he could’ve maybe positioned himself accordingly, but he was a crucial role in the 2-1 comeback.

CB – Pedro Pereira (Sampdoria)

Now I know he isn’t a center back, but nobody would’ve have also guessed that this man right here is merely 17-years-of-age. He was a defensive rock for Sampdoria in their defeat. Pereira was able to set up Sampdoria’s only goal of the game, not bad for a youngster.

CB – Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)

It would be odd to not see a Juventus player in the mix. Juventus seems to be slowly going back into their old ways of winning and Bonucci had a great role in it, although it was a typical performance from him; quality defending, starting up the play, it was enough to earn him a spot.

CB – Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)

Since moving to Napoli in 2014, Kalidou Koulibaly has been an integral part to Napoli’s defense. This week the strong French defender kept Milan’s Carlos Bacca at bay and ensured the Partenopei outfit claimed an outstanding three points, although the Rossoneri looked weary and seemed like they didn’t even want to play; Koulibaly still shut down any threat in an effortless manner.

CDM – Allan (Napoli)

Scoring yet again to bring his goals total tally to three, Allan is proving to be one of the best signings Napoli has made this year and coach Maurizio Sarri is making him out to be a monster. Allan provides loads of defensive support this week and makes darting runs forward and finds the perfect spot to be, bravo Allan.

CM – Alessandro Florenzi (AS Roma)

There’s not much to say about this man’s performance yet again; since getting consistent playing time under Rudi Garcia, Alessandro Florenzi has been nothing short of spectacular, proving to have one of the highest footballing IQ’s by playing everywhere on the pitch, (and may I add he does it VERY well) this week he featured in the center of the park and notched an assist and a goal.

CM – Miralem Pjanic (AS Roma)

The Bosnian shows this week why he is such a potent midfielder, adding another goal and assist to this seasons tally. Miralem Pjanic shows why he is such an integral part to Roma’s midfield, combining very well with Alessandro Florenzi this past weekend.

RM – Frederico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina)

Received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the second half and was a menace to La Dea’s defence during his time on the pitch. To think, this man is only 21-years-old, definitely a player to watch this season in Serie A as coach Paolo Souza promised to give him more playing time.

LM – Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)

Since Sarri took over at Napoli and he changed the formation to a 4-3-3, this man here has been on complete fire and it seems no team has the extinguisher just yet. Against Milan, Insigne yet again proved how hard it was to mark him, bagging a brace; one of them being a sublime free kick. No wonder why he’s earned a call to Conte’s side.

ST – Paolo Dybala (Juventus)

Watching Dybala play is one of the biggest joys any person in this world has, he’s like a child with magnificent feet and a knack for scoring. This past week against Bologna he put one in the back of the net making him Juventus’ top scorer.

ST – Alvaro Morata (Juventus)

Finally Mr. Morata finds the back of the net for the first time this Serie A season; his usual tidy finish of course but it was enough to earn him a spot in our XI.

NOTABLE MENTIONS: Sami Kedira scored his debut Juve goal, Gervinho who put in another amazing performance for Roma, Ryder Matos got Carpi their first win.

@TheCalcioSpot

Has Giovinco Earned the Call

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Joseph Genova

Sebastian Giovinco made a controversial move over to the MLS prematurely in his career, still possessing the skill set that can make defences tremble. The atomic ant is making every Juventus fan rue the day he was sold to MLS side Toronto FC, scoring two hat-tricks, also leading the league with 16 goals and 10 assists in only 22 games. The Italian native is the symbol of the MLS now and is going down as one of the best players in their history, not hard to see why, his first season and he’s having a Messi-like season with 26 points in 22 games. A debate is always made if he can play better without former Roma star Michael Bradley and fellow American Jozy Altidore. Without the company of these highly decorated Americans, Giovinco has managed eight goals and one assist, pretty outstanding, he averages 1.75 goals per game. I’ll leave that for you, the reader to decide. The question many followers of La Formica Atomica ponder is; does Seba deserve a call to the Italian National team? We took to Twitter to see what fans had to say.
@brigantine72 said: Yes & I’m not even a TFC fan.
@MUptonfish agreed: I think it’s a no brainer for Conte to call him up. It’s not like there is any Italian striker covering themselves in glory.

Some don’t think Giovinco can lead the attack and should stick with what made him which is the infamous trequartista (three quarter) role. Basically the role of this player is to sit behind the strikers. Make the occasional run between the strikers, but mainly setup and drive one from a distance.
@kdb_stylin was an advocate of that: trequartista position but Conte needs to be brave and play 4-3-1-2 and call Seba.
Italian Coach Antonio Conte relies on his infamous 3-5-2 that found him so much glory at Juventus, problem is he’s a one trick pony which could be opposite of what Italy needs.
Sebastian Giovinco definitely earned a call to the national team. He can play as a striker alongside a target man like Graziano Pellè who currently plays for English side Southampton. There’s no other Italian player basking in as much glory as Giovinco, we know Italy’s in a slump in attack and Italy needs somebody with the confidence to get them going, question that remains… Will Conte call somebody up playing for the MLS? All I know is, I would love to see Giovinco putting on the number 10 jersey for Gli Azzurri. He’s the only one that deserves it.

Alessio Romagnoli Sale – The Up’s and Down’s

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Joseph Genova

This is the talk of the Serie A community, the sale of Alessio Romagnoli from AS Roma to AC Milan.

Dubbed the next Alessandro Nesta, Romagnoli was very hot property and was highly sought after all around the world, gathering interest from every corner of the globe; Arsenal, Milan, Chelsea and even Atletico Madrid were amongst the high profiled teams looking to obtain the signature of the 20-year-old.

Now lets break down why he is such hot property in the eyes of so many Italians and even in the world. Italy has always been known for their production of phenomenal defence man, thats not an opinion either. Italy owned the world when it came to the production of defence they even decided to name it a style of play; Catenaccio. That defensive superiority has declined….To put it politely. Since roughly 2006 their has been no Fabio Cannavaro or Nesta, Paolo Maldini or Giacinto Facchetti, so when quality defensive talent comes around…You better believe their will be a lot of hype and a sizeable price tag that follows.

Looking through social media I’m seeing a number of mixed reviews, some say the sale was good for Milan bad for Roma, some say good for both parties cause of financial reasons, bad for the future of Italy cause supposedly Milan can’t raise good defenders (I’m just as confused as you don’t worry).

Some Romanista’s are horrified with the decision, pulling the sob story “what have they done with my Romans?!” or my favourite “THEY WOULD SELL A YOUNG TOTTI” then the realistic ones are simply stating, “its to balance the books” or “He’s a third string centre back and we got €30 million for him! thats great business Walter Sabatini”

In the grand scheme of things, Milan did get the better end of the deal. Yes they splashed “€30 million on a third stringer” but that third stringer is gonna be an anchor in defence for Italy in years to come alongside Daniele Rugani. Watching the two play together during the U-21 was like watching Maldini line-up beside Nesta all over again, Rugani with his composure and his beautiful gift of tackling and Romagnoli with his sheer grit and passion, it was something that only God could’ve scripted for the Italian back line. Romagnoli will grow into a €30 million signing, I have the utmost of faith in him especially for the near future.

There is a trend I’m beginning to notice in Serie A, the only team working well in the market would have to be the four time champions, Juventus. Not only do they build for now, but they build for the future, they develop and if they can’t or don’t have space, they loan them out. Roma is beginning to focus on now, yes the move was made to balance the books but that shows volume that they are willing to trust foreigners rather then stick with their own, splashing money on Salah and Dzeko, potentially signing France’s future Evra, Lucas Digne, Roma is now linked with Kurt Zuoma, and Juan Jesus..but they had the future? But I digress. Under the American ownership Roma has began to transform into a team that is living in the now, by all means I’m not saying their youth team isn’t good, but look how many of them they have gotten rid of, Gianluca Scamacca, dubbed the next Zlatan Ibrahimovic already standing at 6’4, he has all the makings to be a specimen and he’s sold for scrap to PSV. The American tenure has been good to the Giallorossi, my fear for them is in the long haul. Im a big advocate that every team in Serie A needs to begin to develop their own talent and keep the Italians IN Serie A.

For Milan fans everywhere, congratulations on your triumph, bask in it and enjoy what Sampdoria fans got to enjoy last year with the wonder kid.

For Romanista’s, my deepest condolences for your loss, talent like that doesn’t come around that easily and you may have passed up on the future for some money to fund now, and yes….. Roma would sell Totti if he was up and coming because when he started, he was faltering as well, The Sensi family just maintained faith in their academy. The only difference between Totti and Romagnoli, besides the different regimes and era, Totti has a chance to make a difference by scoring or putting it on a platter, defenders never receive the same credit.

Paul Pogba, The New Club Icon?

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Joseph Genova

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri says that all the pressure is on Paul Pogba to prove himself worthy of the clubs coveted No.10 jersey.

The 22-year-old Frenchman has been nothing short of spectacular since joining the Bianconeri from Manchester United in 2012, playing a pivotal role in three successive Scudetto’s.

Pogba has now taken the No.10 shirt, following the departure of Argentinian Carlos Tevez. Allegri says that he must do justice to a jersey previously worn by club icons like Roberto Baggio, Fabio Capello and Alessandro Del Piero.

“Paul asked to wear No.10,” the Bianconeri boss told reporters on Thursday. “In this sense, he will
have the greatest responsibility [of all of Juve’s players].

“Wearing this number will not be an easy thing because this jersey has been worn by the great players of Juventus.”

Previously there were rumours that link the Old Lady with the likes of Schalke midfielder Julian Draxler and Bayern Munich’s Mario Gotze, both German internationals. It looks like they found a solution internally and deemed Pogba worthy of the jersey.

The questions on a few Juventini’s minds are, does he deserve the jersey, considering only the greatest of the greats have donned that number for Juventus.

Paul Pogba was heavily linked with a move away from Juventus this past season, leaving question marks on his future. Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Chelsea were just a few of the bigger clubs eyeing him. Jose Mourinho is a big fan of the Frenchman.

“I think everybody has an interest in Pogba,” the Chelsea coach told reporters, “but there are things you can do and things you cannot do. I love the Eiffel Tower but I can’t have the Eiffel Tower in my garden. I can’t even have the Eiffel Tower of Las Vegas!”

This could be a tactical ploy by the Juventus staff, give the future of the club everything he wants to tie him down for an even longer time, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Pogba does not demonstrate what Michel Platini did at Juventus during his tenure.

Nobody earns the No.10 unless they play for the name at the front of the jersey and not the back, although Pogba has demonstrated this already, it still remains to be seen if he fully earns it, but once this season is up; EVERY Juventus fan will believe he deserves it.

The Frenchman previously wore the No.6 jersey but come Saturday at the Supercoppa Italiana clash with Lazio, he will don his new number.

By: Joseph Genova

@joegenovaa

Will Dzeko Fit in At Rome

Posted on August 6, 2015 by Joseph Genova

When you look back the type of strikers that Roma have over the years, (Borriello, Osvaldo, Bojan, Baptista etc) you start to smirk, then the more names you hear the more you start thinking, how in the world did they end up with Dzeko? Today Edin Dzeko arrived in Rome ahead of his move to Roma and was greeted by plenty of Romanistas. This is very big for the Giallorossi, there is no doubt about that. Also there is no doubt that Dzeko is a quality striker. When’s he’s playing and not being wasted on the bench he’s among the best finishers in world football. But, today we ask, is the Bosnian hit man a good fit at The Stadio Olimpico?

There is no doubt in my mind, he is. Roma have lacked a quality striker, a proven striker for the longest of times. When you look at Roma’s team, you can see the talent they have but they always needed that one guy to finish the chances that guys like Iturbe, Gervinho, Ljajic, Totti, Pjanic and now even Salah will create. That’s where Dzeko will step into the picture. He’ll be able to finish all the chances that are created. Last year Roma lacked someone that could score, Roma now have someone they can look to, someone to act as a focal point for the rest of the players, once again something Roma lacked last year. When you look at it, Dzeko is someone Roma needed, so there is no doubt that he’ll fit into the team perfectly. He’s the type of player that will grab people’s attention. A guy who’s made for the big moments. A guy who offers a jump in quality. When is the last time we went into a season where you said Roma have Serie A’s possible top goal scorer? (Yes it’s been awhile!). Roma fans have all the right in the world to be excited for this guy, he’s everything they needed and wanted. So Dzeko, your new adventure in Rome starts now, just as you wanted and all Roma fans wanted. Benvenuto Edin!

Written by: Sebastian Fazio

Twitter Account: @CalcioASRoma