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VOTD: Ciro Immobile's brilliant equalizer gives Italy momentary hope against Spain

2013-06-18T22:00:55Z

By Ciro Immobile's standards on the Under-21 international level, the European Championships had been a rather quiet tournament for the striker who is currently co-owned by Juventus and Genoa. Maybe it was the fact he didn't have the best of season at Genoa, maybe something else. All we knew was that it wasn't the same kind of Immobile who had been scoring goals for fun in previous appearances in the Azzurrini kit.

But Immobile's moment of brilliance — with the help of an equally impressive assist from central defender Matteo Bianchetti — was one of the few bright spots in Italy's 4-2 loss to Spain in the championship game on Tuesday, a disappointing end to the Azzurrini's tournament run.

The goal was the perfect response to what...

Euro Under-21 Championship Game Time Thread: Italy vs. Spain

2013-06-18T15:00:05Z

Just like that, we find ourselves at the end of the road for the Under-21 Euros. And luckily for Italy, their squad that had the potential to reach the championship game has gotten there.

Spain vs. Italy. Heavyweight vs. Heavyweight. It's the same final that with saw at the senior tournament a year ago, only with the obvious twist of an age difference and different names on the back of all the jerseys.

Azzurrini manager Devis Mangia is confident that his squad will compete against a Spain side that has been the talk of the tournament through the first five games leading up to the championship.

"I looked into the eyes of my players and no one is satisfied with just reaching the Final," the former Palermo tactician is quoted as saying on UEFA.com.

"The players will all contribute and do their best. There is no doubt about this in my mind, you just need to look at us to see there desire.

"Spain have a great team and I don't mind if they are the favorites. However, from kickoff we start at 0-0 with 11 players on each side.

"Italy have a chance to win because in the past, in different competitions, the less favored team has won.

"Perfection does not exist in football. We have tactical and technical resources."

-- Source: Football Italia

Mangia is expected to stick with the same starting lineup that edged the Netherlands over the weekend. That means Juventus midfielder Luca Marrone, who has only played in the Azzurrini's opening game against England due to a hamstring injury, will all but certainly miss his fourth straight game of the competition.

Pre-game reading: SB Nation's preview; UEFA.com's preview; WhoScored's preview

On TV in the United States: ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Also available online at ESPN3 with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. on the East Coast and 8:45 a.m. out West.

UPDATE: LINEUPS!

Italy XI (4-4-2): Bardi; Donati, Biancheti, Caldirola, Regini; Florenzi, Rossi, Verratti, Insigne; Immobile, Borini

Italy bench: Leali, Colombi, Biraghi, Capuano, Marrone, Bertolacci, Crimi, Gabbiadini, Destro, Sansone, Paloschi, Saponara

Spain XI (4-3-3): De Gea; Montoya, Bartra, Martinez, Moreno; Koke, Illarramendi, Thiago Alcantara; Tello, Morata, Isco

Spain bench: Marino, Joel, Nacho, Marc Muniesa, Alvaro, Carvajal, Camacho, Sarabia, Rodrigo, Munian, Alvaro Vazquez

OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: Juventus sign Federico Peluso outright

2013-06-17T18:00:15Z

What, you thought Beppe Marotta wasn't going to take up the option to buy a player after they spent (part of) the season on loan with the club he oversees?

Juventus have made their first official signing of the summer, making Federico Peluso's loan spell from Atalanta a permanent move to Turin. The 29-year-old defender spent the second half of the season on loan from Bergamo, joining the Italian champs during the the January transfer window. The press release from the Juventus press office is as follows:

Juventus Football Club S.p.A announces the exercising of the definitive acquisition right for the player Federico Peluso from Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio S.p.A. for a fee of €4.8 million that will be paid over two financial years.

The acquisition will generate economic and financial effects starting from 1 July 2013.

The employment contract signed by the player will last until 30 June 2017.

It's a move that was bound to happen. Aside from his shocker of a debut against Sampdoria in early January, Peluso was solid cover for Giorgio Chiellini and Kwadwo Asamoah down the left flank of the defense. And it's not like he's being signed with the assumption of a ton of playing time, so he's sticking around knowing that he's going to be a squad player for the long run with Juventus.

A question or two to leave everybody with: With the signing of Peluso, what does this mean for Juve possibly acquiring another left wingback? What about the reported chase of Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna that has been filling the newspapers for the past two or three weeks?

Maybe keeping Peluso impacts all of this, maybe it has nothing to do with it at all. I guess with actual transfer news, there's always a way to bring it back to the rumors. Fun, fun, fun.

Sassuolo confirm Juventus' interest in striker Domenico Berardi

2013-06-17T10:50:11Z

One of the staples of the Beppe Marotta era at Juventus is to not only buy for the season that's looking the squad right in the face, but to also invest for the future with some of Italy's better young talents. After buying a pair of Under-21 Italy internationals, it doesn't look like Juve's director general is going to change things up any time soon.

Well, maybe down an age group in Italy's youth setup, but that's just nitpicking.

Highly-rated Sassuolo striker Domenico Berardi seems to be the next youngster up on Marotta's shopping list, according to Football Italia on Monday. If you're too lazy to click on the link, here is the nuts and bolts of it:

Newly promoted Sassuolo have confirmed Juventus are interested in signing young forward Domenico Berardi.

"Juventus are the side who are closest to him right now," Sassuolo sporting director Nereo Bonato told Tuttosport.

"However, at this moment in time, they are working on other transfer matters. We'll see where we are at the start of July."

...

"It would do Domenico well to stay at Sassuolo for another season," Bonato added. "However, he certainly has important qualities and a future with a top outfit."

I'm going to "other transfer matters" as trying to sign somebody like Gonzalo Higuain, Stevan Jovetic or Carlos Tevez. Not something that has been made known to the public, but it's pretty easy to understand what Juve's No. 1 priority at this point in time is. Or, at least, that's what I'm hoping is the case.

But back to Berardi, who found the back of the net 11 times last season in Serie B (and was profiled by Jose two weeks earlier when it seemed like Juve first had interest in the striker).

Adding a player Berardi, much in the same fashion as Juve did with Manolo Gabbiadini and Nicola Leali a summer ago, is what Marotta has done extremely well since he came to Juventus. He's not afraid to spend a little chunk of money, loan the player out for a year or two and allow them to develop. There's no word as to whether it will be a deal where Juve buy him outright and loan him straight back to Sassuolo or co-ownership a la Gabbiadini with Atalanta.

Either way, adding a highly-rated striker who doesn't turn 19 years old until the beginning of August isn't the worst investment for the future Juve have (potentially) done.

Andrea Pirlo and his little friend Emanuele Giaccherini help Italy beat Mexico

2013-06-16T22:15:10Z

Based on simple numbers, Italy's Juventus contingent were going to play a big role in the success — or failure — of the Azzurri's Confederations Cup opener against Mexico. It's just simple math, really. Over half the starting lineup against El Tri consisted of Juventus players, so it's no wonder that they'd be looked upon to have an integral part in the Azzurri's result on Sunday at the Maracana.

And, well, that's exactly what happened.

Andrea Pirlo did exactly the same kind of things we've gotten so used to seeing Andrea Pirlo do. Emanuele Giaccherini suddenly channeled his inner-Zinedine Zidane for the assist on Mario Balotelli's game-winning goal in the 78th minute that gave Italy a 2-1 win over Mexico.

Exactly the way we drew it up, didn't we? Well, maybe the Pirlo part...

Excuse me while I watch that for the rest of the day. Not a bad way to celebrate your 100th cap in an Italy jersey.

And while Pirlo was the class of the field as he has been so many times before, Giaccherini's assist was a surprise to many. It seemed as though he was dividing thousands of opinions on Twitter all game long — some thought he was having a solid game, others thought he was totally craptastic. I'm in more of the former camp rather than the latter. He covered a lot of ground in Cesare Prandelli's new-found Christmas tree formation.

Giaccherini certainly gets a lot of guff for even being on the Italy roster, and in a lot of ways it's understandable. There are obviously better players than he is that are either on the bench or not even on the roster and those saying "Giaccherini doesn't start for Juve so why should he start for the Azzurri?" were out in full force today. But for one game, Giaccherini repaid the faith that Prandelli showed in him, playing a rather big part in how Italy beat Mexico.

While there was the good in Pirlo and Giaccherini, there was the bad in Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Barzagli.

Again, Principino was used out of his natural position in midfield and, surprise surprise, he struggled to make any serious kind of impact. It was a struggle for Marchisio, there's no doubt about it. The way he was playing, I'm kinda surprised he lasted nearly 70 minutes on the field. It obviously begs the question as to why Marchisio is played out of position when he's so effective as a central midfielder, but I guess we'll never really know until somebody asks Prandelli himself.

And then there's Barzagli, who had one of the first un-Barzagli-like games in quite a long time. There's the penalty he gave away, tumbling over Gio Dos Santos in the box for a clear-cut call. There were also missed passes that you rarely see a player like Barzagli do more than once in a game, let alone a handfull of times. Maybe it was the shift to a four-man backline again, I dunno. But if Italy do want to go deep into the tournament, Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini — who was an absolute rock against Mexico — will have to be two of the team's top performers.

I'll just leave this here.

Chapeau al marziano con la maglia numero 21!👍👏
— simone pepe (@pepigno7) June 16, 2013

Confederations Cup Game Time Thread: Italy vs. Mexico

2013-06-16T18:00:02Z

We're done with World Cup qualifying for a little while. Done with those competitive friendlies, too. Now Italy head to the tournament that it hasn't exactly done well at in the not-so-distant past.

That's right. It's Confederations Cup opening day for Gli Azzurri, with Italy and Mexico being Saturday's lone fixture. Yes, this is the same Confederations Cup that Italy bombed out of four years back after getting thumped by Brazil. And yes, this is the same Confederations Cup that Italy decided to roll out some really interesting kits at four years ago.

Don't worry. The jerseys are gonna be a lot less UPS-ish this time around.

Regardless of what color their jerseys and shorts may be, Italy has a tough opener against a Mexican side that has certainly struggled in its on bid for a spot in next year's World Cup. And with the Alberto Zaccheroni reunion waiting in the wings, Cesare Prandelli's men are obviously going to aim to begin the tournament off on the right foot. That means none of that nonsense we saw against the Czech Republic nine days prior.

Translation: It's time for Italy's defense to be rock solid again so that Gigi Buffon can go back to doing nothing during matches again and having an attack that actually knows what it's like to put a shot on target.

Just minor details. Follow as you wish, fellas.

For those of you in the States, this game will be on ESPN. Pre-game at 2:30/1:30/11:30, kickoff 30 minutes later.

LINEUPS!

Italy XI (4-3-2-1): Buffon; Abate, Barzagli, Chiellini, De Sciglio; De Rossi, Pirlo, Montolivo; Marchisio, Giaccherini, Balotelli

Mexcio XI (4-2-3-1): Corona; Flores, Rodriguez, Moreno, Salcido; Torrado, Aquino; Zavala, G. Dos Santos, Guardado; Hernandez

Open Euro Under-21 Championships/Confederations Cup viewing thread

2013-06-15T17:30:04Z

Are you ready for a weekend full of Italy? I hope so.

First it's the not-so-full-strength Azzurrini looking to advance into the Euro Under-21 finals against the Netherlands and their big and bright orange jerseys. I'm just warning you so that you adjust your television screens accordingly. Just a favor from me to you, guys.

Ah, but there's more!

What will Neymar's hair look like? How immaculate will Dante's afro look when he comes out of the tunnel for warmups? Will the Brazil fans revolt if their team doesn't score five or six goals in their first game? How small will Hulk's jersey be?

The most important question is this: Will anybody in the crowd walk up to Alberto Zaccheroni and tell him what a great job he did at Juventus? Yeah, that Alberto Zaccheroni, the same guy who replaced Ciro Ferrera a few years back.

So many questions, so many answers to wait for!

It should be quite an intriguing opener at the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil with Italy and Mexico kicking off in less than 24 hours from now. And as has been the case throughout the Under-21 tournament, there's surely going to be more than a few senior squad members watching the youngsters play against the Netherlands.

SB Nation team previews for both Japan and Brazil can be found by clicking the respective country name. It's just that easy, ladies and gentlemen!

Nobody knows where the Supercoppa is going to be played

2013-06-15T09:55:12Z

For the second straight season, Juventus will be playing in the Supercoppa come the second weekend in August. But unlike last season, nobody knows where the heck it is going to be played. Sounds just so Italy, doesn't it? Well, yeah, it is starting to look that way.

It hasn't been just one location that's being mentioned right now. It's a whole bunch of them. Some make sense, some others just because they're there and won't be much of a problem to get to.

Beijing? Nah, not happening.

Toronto? Maybe.

Rome? Maybe.

Indecision? You better believe it. And now because of all the uncertainty, we've got ourselves a war of words going on between Lazio and Juventus. Because, ya know, that's exactly what we need to throw fuel onto the already hot fire. Courtesy of Football Italia:

It was meant to be in Beijing in August, but Juve argued they could not make it due to their U.S. tour, so negotiations are underway to play in Toronto or even Rome.

"Juve first say yes, then took it all back. They probably think they are able to order everyone else about," slammed Lazio President Claudio Lotito.

"We are happy to play anywhere, Rome or Toronto, but they want to play in Turin. Lazio have stood by all the rules. I haven't spoken to President Andrea Agnelli, as it would be pointless. He is shirking the commitments he mad.

"Lazio are losing €1.8 million from the summer tour of Colombina and the money guaranteed by the organizers to play in Beijing, so this doesn't end here. We want to be compensated."

Welp. Shots fired.

Juventus didn't take long to respond, though, taking to their new, fancy-looking website to voice their views on the matter. Shots fired? Yeah, more shots fired.

Ever since winning the Coppa Italia on 26 May, Italian Football Federation member of the board and President of S.S. Lazio, Claudio Lotito, has begun to release statements that have become progressively more offensive, unacceptable and often untrue. He is evidently taking no notice of the trophy victory that earned S.S. Lazio the right to contest the Italian Super Cup, but is instead focusing on the monetary sum he thinks the club is entitled to.

Ah, disputes in Italy can just escalate so fast, can't they? I hope you have your popcorn ready.

The battle between Lotito and Juventus (presumably Agnelli himself or somebody from his PR staff that penned the club statement) looks like it isn't going away. Why? It's simple, really. Juve are being a lot more firm when it comes to their commitments in the United States this summer unlike a year ago. And as a person who has purchased tickets for the game in San Francisco for quite a pretty penny, I'm quite thankful for that.

That, of course, causes a fair amount of scheduling conflicts.

If Juve were to play on around the same date as last year's Supercoppa, Aug. 11, that would leave only five days to recover from the tournament and travel from the United States. That's a big reason why Antonio Conte pulled out a U.S. tour a year ago. But then again, the Supercoppa against Napoli was set in stone and ready to roll in Beijing, which is obviously a vastly different situation than we're currently seeing take place in front of us.

Because of the International Champions Cup, having the game take place somewhere in Toronto makes all that much more sense. But even simple things like that seems too logical with the clubs going back and forth through the press. Ah, the beauty of Italy. What a whacky, controversial place we know.