Champions League Semifinals: Juventus Can Beat Real Madrid

 

Arturo Vidal (Photo: Giorgio Perottino/REUTERS)
Arturo Vidal (Photo: Giorgio Perottino/REUTERS)

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Once again, Barcelona and Real Madrid have been playing the best club football in all of World Football, but in the match-up of Juventus against Real Madrid in the Champions League Semifinals, Juventus is not to be taken likely.

 

Juventus is a giant of World Football, and the argument can be made that Juventus has the best defense and the best midfield in all of club football, plus Carlos Tevez is Juve’s striker and the top scorer in Serie A.

 

In the defense, Juventus has Gigi Buffon in goal, and they can also use three defenders with two wingbacks or they can use a traditional Back Four with two outside backs and two center backs.

 

Juventus’ defense is the Italian national team’s defense, but by using a traditional Back Four, Juventus can field more midfielders.

 

Juventus’ defense contains Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini, not to mention Angelo Ogbonna, who will soon be one of the best central defenders in the world.

 

Even without Barzagli playing in a three-man defense, Ogbonna is an incredible defender with almost unmatched pace, outstanding technical ability, and excellent marking and tackling abilities. Ogbonna is left-footed, but he is good with his right foot, which allows him to play as the right defender better than Chiellini whose right foot isn’t nearly as refined.

 

A Juventus Back Four would contain Stephan Lichtsteiner, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, and Patrice Evra, and this defense with an overload of two-way midfielders in front of them is difficult to break down or penetrate.

 

The midfield is perhaps Juve’s biggest advantage, and Juventus possesses a monster midfield, even with Paul Pogba likely out injured for the first leg of the semifinal.

 

The Old Lady can start Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio, and Roberto Pereyra at the same time, and if Pogba is available then they can use Pereyra, Pirlo, Pogba, Marchisio, and Vidal all at the same time with only one striker: Tevez.

 

In this final formation, Pirlo would be lining up behind Pereyra, Pogba, Vidal, and Marchisio from right to left, and that would pose a problem for Real Madrid.

 

Looking at Real Madrid’s midfield, James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos, and Isco is a world-class midfield, but Juventus’ midfield is overwhelming.

 

All of Juventus’ midfielders are two-way midfielders, and every single one is world-class and capable of scoring incredible goals.

 

All of their midfielders pass and move and cover for one another, and they all run non-stop.

 

Even Pirlo who is often seen as a languid player is a grandmaster at covering tons of ground and controlling games while looking like he is barely breaking a sweat.

 

Perhaps Real Madrid is the heavy favorite because less people watch Serie A these days, but make no mistake about it, Real Madrid’s coach, Carlo Ancelotti, and all of his players consider Juventus to be a giant of an opponent that they fully respect and recognize as an elite opponent.

 

The big question for Juventus will be which tactical scheme is the best to use against Real Madrid.

 

Is it better to go with three marking central defenders lining up from right to left, or is it better to use as many of Juventus’ elite two-way midfielders as possible to win the battle of the midfield?

 

In this match-up, Juventus has the best center midfielder in the world: Vidal.

 

So, does using three at the back diminish Juventus’ ability to control possessing and dictate the style and tempo of the game?

 

One important note about Juventus is that Marchisio is often overlooked and underrated, but the Italy international can play any position in the midfield where he can attack at pace or defend with tireless energy.

 

Marchisio also possesses a formidable shot with both feet, and he has an enormous amount of experience. He is more experienced and proven than Real Madrid’s fabulous midfielder, Isco.

 

Real Madrid is the favorite in this match-up, but this is really an even match-up where Juventus has the better defense and midfield, plus they have a feared and world-class goal-scorer in Tevez.

 

This will be a riveting Champions League Semifinal.

 

Here are some of the line-ups and formations we could see from Juventus against Real Madrid:

 

Juventus XI (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pereyra, Pirlo, Marchisio; Vidal; Morata, Tevez. (Assuming Pogba is still injured)

 

Juventus XI (3-5-2): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio; Morata, Tevez.

 

Juventus XI (4-5-1): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pirlo; Pereyra, Pogba, Vidal, Marchisio; Tevez.

 

 

Copa America: What’s Brazil’s Best XI?

 

Neymar (Photo: AP)
Neymar (Photo: AP)

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Readers will immediately notice the absence of Oscar, Willian, Luiz Gustavo, and Elias, but World Soccer Source is backing David Luiz to play as the defensive midfielder with Fernandinho playing as the central midfielder.

 

This obviously gives Marquinhos the start at center back with Thiago Silva.

 

By starting David Luiz and Fernandinho as the defensive midfielders, Brazil would have excellent ball-winning in its midfield with the distribution of David Luiz and Fernandinho to release Brazil’s attackers: Lucas, Felipe Anderson, Neymar, and Luiz Adriano.

 

Using Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, and David Luiz down the middle makes the Brazilian defense very difficult to penetrate, and Fernandinho only bolsters this defensive strength.

 

Although often playing as a defensive midfielder, Fernandinho is an excellent center midfielder full of running, vision, ball-winning, and incisive passes through the defense.

 

An attack with Lucas, Felipe Anderson, and Neymar is likely Brazil’s most talented, most creative, and most dangerous option, and Luiz Adriano is somewhat the default option to play as the Number 9. Nevertheless, Luiz Adriano’s ability to stretch defenses, attack defenses at pace, outmuscle defenders, and finish is impressive.

 

Pato is Brazil’s most talented Number 9, and by far the most explosive and deadly, but Luiz Adriano is the best Brazilian Number 9 right now.

 

Danilo has been a revelation at right back, and he’s the best Brazilian right back since Maicon. Only Bruno Peres is close to Danilo.

 

At left back, Marcelo is just better than Filipe Luís. For many, Filipe Luís is a more disciplined defender, but Marcelo is too good, too proven, and too experienced to not start in the Copa America.

 

World Soccer Source’s Best Brazil XI differs slightly from Dunga’s first-choice XI, but starting Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, David Luiz, and Fernandinho together makes the Brazilian defense and defensive midfield arguably the best in the world.

 

Willian, Oscar, and Neymar is a world-class line of three attacking midfielders, but Lucas, Felipe Anderson, and Neymar is more talented, faster, and more Brazilian.

 

Below is World Soccer Source’s Best Brazil XI for the Copa America:

 

Goalkeeper: Diego Alves

Right Back: Danilo

Center Back: Thiago Silva

Center Back: Marquinhos

Left Back: Marcelo

Defensive Midfielder: David Luiz

Central Midfielder: Fernandinho

Right Attacker: Lucas

Attacking Midfielder: Felipe Anderson

Left Attacker: Neymar

Striker: Luiz Adriano

 

 

Brazil XI: Diego Alves; Danilo, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Marcelo; David Luiz, Fernandinho; Lucas, Felipe Anderson, Neymar; Luiz Adriano.

 

 

Copa America: What’s Argentina’s Best XI?

 

Javier Pastore (Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)
Javier Pastore (Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Argentina’s current squad is even stronger than Argentina’s outstanding 2014 World Cup squad. Carlos Tevez was a criminal snub from Argentina’s World Cup squad, and Javier Pastore would have helped to maximize Lionel Messi’s ability to score more goals by making him less responsible for creating goals and more focused on scoring goals.

 

Pastore has proven to be a magician of a passer, dribbler, and goal-scorer, and like Kaká described Zidane, Pastore appears to glide around the field.

 

His speed and quickness are very underrated, and he’s developed a reputation as a nutmeg master than appears to average at least one per game.

 

Pastore has bolstered his work rate and defending, and Pastore can be seen all over the field stamping his influence on the game and controlling the passing tempo and speed of play. Paris Saint-Germain has played their most beautiful and effective soccer when Pastore has played. Pastore deserves to be a starting lock for Argetnina.

 

Along with Pastore, Roberto Pereyra is a welcomed and key piece to the Argentinean National Team. The Juventus midfielder first appeared like a quality central midfield option for Juventus, but now Pereyra has demonstrated that he’s a creative and explosive player with lots to offer in the attack. Pereyra can also play any position in the midfield very well.

 

A central midfield duo of Javier Mascherano and Roberto Pereyra is an upgrade for Argentina, and with Pastore ideally lining up in front of them, Argentina’s midfield is even better than the 2014 World Cup addition.

 

While Gonzalo Higuaín is more of a Number 9 than Carlos Tevez, Tevez is an excellent Number 9, and using him as the striker is no different than Chile using Alexis Sánchez as their striker. Tevez gets behind defenses. He holds up play. He drops back to collect the ball and create, and he scores lots and lots of goals.

 

Below is World Soccer Source’s opinion of the Best Argentina XI for the 2015 Copa America in a 4-2-3-1 formation:

 

Goalkeeper: Sergio ROMERO

Right Back: Pablo ZABALETA

Center Back: Nicolás OTAMENDI

Center Back: Ezequiel GARAY

Left Back: Marcos ROJO

Defensive Midfielder: Javier MASCHERANO

Central Midfielder: Roberto PEREYRA

Right Wing: Lionel MESSI

Attacking Midfielder: Javier PASTORE

Left Wing: Ángel DI MARÍA

Striker: Carlos TEVEZ

 

 

Argentina XI: Romero; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Garay, Rojo; Mascherano, Pereyra; Messi, Pastore, Di María; Tevez. 

 

 

The Best Brazil 23 (February 2015)

 

Neymar (Photo: AP)
Neymar (Photo: AP)

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Below is the best Seleção 23-man roster as of February 2015:

 

Goalkeepers: Rafael, Diego Alves, Jefferson

 

Center Backs: Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marquinhos, Miranda

 

Right Backs: Danilo, Bruno Peres

 

Left Backs: Marcelo, Filipe Luís

 

Defensive Midfielders: Luiz Gustavo, Fernandinho, Paulinho, Ramires

 

Attacking Midfielders: Oscar, Willian, Felipe Anderson, Coutinho

 

Forwards: Neymar, Lucas, Luiz Adriano, Pato

 

 

Three Young Kings: Neymar, Pogba, Varane

 

Raphaël Varane and Paul Pogba. (Photo: AFP)
Raphaël Varane and Paul Pogba. (Photo: AFP)

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

There’s about to be a regime change in World Football, and Neymar, Paul Pogba, and Raphaël Varane will be the undisputed best footballers in the world at their respective positions: forward, midfielder, defender.

 

Neymar is widely considered the heir apparent to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but, for this writer, Neymar already wears the crown.

 

The French midfielder Paul Pogba of Juventus continues to dazzle fans, players, coaches, and the media with his incredible technical ability and completeness as a midfielder, and all of this skill is present in a 6’5” frame that displays power, speed, and rubber band-like flexibility.

 

This season, Raphaël Varane – another French player – has oddly been the third choice center back for Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti after Sergio Ramos and Pepe, but Ancelotti has also shown a tendency to use Varane in the biggest games. Last season, Varane started for Real Madrid when the stakes were the highest.

 

For this writer, only Thiago Silva is superior to Varane, and the argument can easily be made that Varane is amongst the top three center backs in the world. Varane also excels as a right back – and one would imagine as a left back as well.

 

While Neymar is the most famous of the three, both Pogba and Varane are household names for soccer fans, and both are considered world-class footballers of the highest order.

 

As each day goes by, Neymar, Pogba, and Varane become the best footballers around at their respective category of position.

 

Let’s look at each player in greater detail:

 

FORWARD: NEYMAR (Brazil, Barcelona)

 

Neymar is the crown jewel of world football. His overall skill, dribbling, and creativity have no rival, and the speed and spontaneity of his attacking make him impossible to shut down.

 

While Messi is an incredible passer who constantly breaks down defenses with perfect passes, Neymar has a more versatile arsenal of passing skills. Messi’s perfectly weighted chips and balls played over the top require unbelievably skill, but Neymar’s passing skills are more complete and advanced due to his use of both feet.

 

Neymar uses both feet interchangeably to dribble, pass, and score, and his ability to beat defenses by himself or by orchestrating the attack make him a once in a generation player.

 

The Brazilian prodigy is mostly known for his electrifying speed, his tricks, and his ability to score, but Neymar is a very complete attacker that is a deadball and penalty kick specialist, in addition to being a playmaker that makes his teammates better.

 

Finally, Neymar has always been a big-game player that always delivers despite the pressure. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have always seen much better success in club soccer than in international soccer, but Neymar has always excelled and put up big numbers on both the club and international level.

 

Neymar is the future King of World Football, and he has the potential to go down as the best footballer of all-time.

 

MIDFIELDER: Paul POGBA (France, Juventus)

 

Paul Pogba has always been seen as a prodigy that was a complete midfielder blessed with the physique and athleticism of an NBA shooting guard, but the French midfielder continues to show more and more trickery and creativity in his touches, dribbling, passing, and shooting.

 

Some of Pogba’s first big-time highlights were his rocketed goals from distance with either foot, but now Pogba is showing a degree of dribbling in tight spaces and in the open field that is often reminiscent of Neymar.

 

In addition to being a powerful and technical two-way player, Pogba has now become something of a magician that plays like a Number 10 but tackles and defends like a world-class center back.

 

If you add to all of this that Pogba is so influential all over the field and so tireless in his work rate, the Frenchman becomes a player that can boss games by himself and determine the outcome of games single-handedly.

 

Paul Pogba is a monster of a midfielder, and the undisputed best midfielder of his generation.

 

DEFENDER: Raphaël VARANE (France, Real Madrid)

 

Like Neymar and Pogba, Varane looked world-class as a teenager. It was simply impossible to watch Varane play against elite players and not see a center back that was basically perfect with his tackling and technical ability, and he is close to unbeatable in a foot race.

 

Varane is about 6’4”, and this size and speed combined with his calmness on the ball make him the heir apparent to Thiago Silva. Varane is already a proven performer at the very highest level, and he not only performs well as a defender, but he often outshines every other defender by some distance.

 

In many games, Varane shuts every opposition attacker down and makes it almost futile to even attempt to get past him. If you get past him, he’ll catch you and win the ball back with a clean tackle or takeaway, but most of the time opposing players can’t beat him 1v1.

 

The overall skill and grace Varane shows in his technical ability with the ball is a sight to see, and Varane’s skill and athleticism is all effortless. The French defender often looks like he is just jogging around when he easily outpaces attackers and passes the ball around with ease.

 

Raphaël Varane is a monster of a center back, and he is the undisputed best defender of his generation. Varane even looks much better than the legendary French defender Lilian Thuram.

 

 

The Effect on the Ballon d’Or Race

 

With both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo years away from slowing down, it will be interesting to see how Neymar, Pogba, and Varane affect the Ballon d’Or race. Neymar has already been knocking on the door for about two years, but now Pogba has to be considered a serious contender from now on. Varane will likely be at somewhat of a disadvantage as a defender, but his grace, speed, and solid defending will certainly make him an undeniable contender for years to come.

 

How long will the Ballon d’Or be a two-man race?

 

 

World XI (August 2014)

 

Paul Pogba (Photo: Claude Paris/Associated Press)
Paul Pogba (Photo: Claude Paris/Associated Press)

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Below is World Soccer Source’s Best World XI in a 4-3-3 formation as of August 2014:

 

 

GOALKEEPER: Manuel NEUER

Country: Germany

Club: Bayern Munich

 

 

 

RIGHT BACK: Philipp LAHM

Country: Germany

Club: Bayern Munich

 

CENTER BACK: Raphaël VARANE

Country: France

Club: Real Madrid

 

CENTER BACK: THIAGO SILVA

Country: Brazil

Club: Paris Saint-Germain

 

LEFT BACK: David ALABA

Country: Austria

Club: Bayern Munich

 

 

 

CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Paul POGBA

Country: France

Club: Juventus

 

PLAYMAKER: Andrés INIESTA

Country: Spain

Club: Barcelona

 

CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Arturo VIDAL

Country: Chile

Club: Juventus

 

 

 

RIGHT ATTACKER: Thomas MÜLLER

Country: Germany

Club: Bayern Munich

 

STRIKER: Cristiano RONALDO

Country: Portugal

Club: Real Madrid

 

LEFT ATTACKER: NEYMAR

Country: Brazil

Club: Barcelona

 

 

Does Brazilian Football Require an Overhaul?

 

Neymar, Brazil's brightest star. (Photo: Getty Images)
Neymar, Brazil’s brightest star. (Photo: Getty Images)

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Does Brazilian football really need an overhaul?

 

Yes and no.

 

Brazil continues to have an abundance of world-class players at every position, but many former and current players, journalists, pundits, and the like have all gone on record lamenting the problems with the running of the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) and the problem with young Brazilian players in Europe being made less creative and dynamic by their European coaches.

 

Domestically, the CBF needs to listen to the advice of all of the great Brazilian soccer minds, coaches, players, and ex-players that have specific ideas of what they want changed and how to do it, and these ideas need to be put into action.

 

Abroad, European teams want to get Brazilians while they are young, but they often want to take the Brazilian characteristics out of the players. Europeans want Brazilians because of their skill on the ball, but they want Brazilians to adapt to the European way of playing.

 

The problem with this approach is that many of the very best and most successful European players like Zinedine Zidane played like Brazilians – or even better. The elements that have made Brazilian players the most highly sought after are what European teams are paying for, so they need to be careful to not ruin their Brazilian players.

 

Since Brazilian players develop fantastic technical skill on their own outside of any organization as young children, there’s no real problem with Brazil’s development of players, minus the absence of a better striker on the 2014 World Cup team.

 

The reason for this particular absence was because the striker phenom, Pato, was supposed to be the striker on the 2010 and the 2014 Brazil World Cup squads. In theory, Brazil had been grooming Pato to be the Number 9 since he was a teenager. Injuries and some inconsistent club form because of the injuries have derailed this plan until now, but Pato is only 24 going on 25 years old.

 

If Brazil’s World Cup squad had used a stronger and more creative attack consisting of Lucas, Oscar, Neymar, and Pato, the attack might have been much effective and exciting, which likely would have pressured Germany too much in the back to allow Germany to score seven goals in a World Cup semifinal.

 

There might have never been the 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semifinal, and the subsequent crisis might have never been.

 

Hulk and Fred in particular were like dead weight for the Seleção in the World Cup, and the failure to include better options on the roster or to drop Hulk and Fred when they were underperforming were major problems.

 

From a purely soccer standpoint, there is no shortage of technical, creative, and athletic Brazilian players at every position, and the non-structured manner in which many Brazilians learn to play is in fact the reason that they are so good.

 

Therefore, any changes to Brazil’s academies and youth development need to be done in such a way as to not eliminate the unique way in which Brazilian kids learn how to play soccer with such skill and creativity with the ball.

 

There are problems with the management of the CBF, but these problems don’t affect the early development of world-class Brazilian players that learn to play by playing pick-up soccer, juggling, and just practicing with the ball.

 

It’s important to remember that Brazil did just reach the semifinals with an impressive group of world-class players, so many of the arguments about Brazilian football being in a state of complete crisis are just mass hysteria and exaggeration.

 

The two big takeaways from Brazil’s performance in the 2014 World Cup are: 1.) the Seleção needed to give Neymar and Oscar better attacking partners; and 2.) Brazil needed to recollect themselves after conceding an early first goal to Thomas Müller of Germany in the semifinal game.

 

Brazilian football isn’t going to drop out of elite status because of one embarrassing goleada, and Brazil did use a tactically sound 4-2-3-1 formation where there was a defensive midfielder, a box-to-box midfielder, a playmaker, two wide attacking midfielders that looked to cut inside, and a striker. Plus, the Brazilian defense featured four defenders that almost anyone would consider world-class.

 

In the wake of the 2014 World Cup, Neymar and many others have said that Brazil needs to catch up with Germany in how they train and prepare, but the thing that Brazil has that no one else has is still there: a bottomless pit of world-class players with a unique and creative way of mastering control over a soccer ball.

 

The Seleção needs to continue to use creative and technical players at every position, and it needs to combine the somewhat recently improved caliber of its center backs and defensive midfielders with the types of outside backs, creative midfielders, and attackers that can score, keep possession, and display creativity like no other national team.

 

Going forward, Dunga needs to make sure that he uses players that look to quickly pass and combine with one another, so that Brazil can exploit its greatest asset: creative and highly technical players.

 

One thing to keep repeating is that Brazil did in fact reach the semifinals, which it lost terribly without two of its best players: Neymar and Thiago Silva, the most important attacker and the most important defender.

 

Brazil is a soccer crazed country of over 200 million people that consistently produces the best players, so maybe, just maybe, all this talk of jogo bonito being dead is just the overreaction of a country with unrealistically high expectations of its players and huge overreactions to its losses – even really embarrassing losses.

 

Hulk and Fred didn’t work out, so it’s time to give their spots to different players that can help Neymar and Oscar to put the opposition on its heels.

 

Dunga needs to take stock of the talent pool and use the best players at each position in the 4-2-3-1 formation, or perhaps the Brazilian 4-2-2-2 formation.

 

Brazilian football is still alive and well, and Neymar is its king.

 

2014 World Cup Best XI

 

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Thomas Müller of Germany deserved the Golden Ball at the 2014 World Cup.

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Picking a 2014 World Cup Best XI was difficult with too many names for too many positions. In one of the best World Cups ever and with so many great players, there are no clear best choices for any position. Some players were fantastic but featured in less games because their teams were eliminated. Other players put in their best performances in only a few games when the stakes were the highest.

 

To look at one specific example, Neymar scored four goals and carried Brazil by being the only Brazilian player that could put the opposing defenses on their heels, break their defensive shape, and defeat teams from the run of play. By attacking so well, Neymar was Brazil’s best defender because he neutralized Brazil’s opponents’ ability to be able to build out of the back and take control of games.

 

Neymar only got to the quarterfinals before having his back literally broken, but he was better than Lionel Messi who bizarrely earned the Golden Ball, presumably for taking a team with no real playmakers or a balanced midfield to extra time of the World Cup Final.

 

Below is World Soccer Source’s 2014 World Cup Best XI:

 

GOALKEEPER: Manuel NEUER (Germany)

 

RIGHT BACK: Philipp LAHM (Germany)

 

CENTER BACK: Jérôme BOATENG (Germany)

 

CENTER BACK: Mats HUMMELS (Germany)

 

LEFT BACK: Marcos ROJO (Argentina)

 

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER: Javier MASCHERANO (Argentina)

 

CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Toni KROOS (Germany)

 

RIGHT WING: Arjen ROBBEN (The Netherlands)

 

PLAYMAKER: JAMES RODRIGUEZ (Colombia)

 

LEFT WING: NEYMAR (Brazil)

 

FORWARD: Thomas MÜLLER (Germany)

 

 

Italy’s Midfield Tsunami

 

Andrea Pirlo, Italy's midfield maestro. (Photo: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Andrea Pirlo, Italy’s midfield maestro. (Photo: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Against England, in Italy’s first game of the 2014 World Cup, Cesare Prandelli fielded an Italian side without three center backs, and this tactical choice allowed Italy to win the midfield battle without losing anything defensively.

 

England under Roy Hodgson fielded one of its best sides in memory, and while England posed a real attacking threat and scored a goal, Italy’s defensive problems were with the selection of Gabriel Paletta and not with the formation or tactics.

 

With a complete midfielder like Daniele De Rossi of Roma being something of a defensive midfielder virtuoso, there is no need to use the three-man defensive system used by Juventus and often by Italy; the gap between two center backs is plugged by De Rossi, and this allows one less defender to be used, so that more midfielders can be started.

 

This is precisely what Italy did against England in their first game and win of the 2014 World Cup, and the defensive problems were primarily with the unwise choice of starting Paletta as the left center back.

 

Prandelli had the option of fielding a Back Four comprised of Ignazio Abate, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, and Matteo Darmian, and this would have allowed Chiellini to play as a center back, which is the defensive position where he plays his best. In fact, Chiellini should be on anyone’s short list of the top center backs in the world.

 

Paletta is a talented defender, but too often he was beaten with speed or found giving away possession near the top of the box.

 

Barzagli and Chiellini are a much better and more proven center back pairing – not to mention the fact that Leonardo Bonucci of Juventus was also available.

 

Bonucci is considered by many to be a center back that performs much better in three-man defense, which basically consists of three center backs lined up right, left, and center, but Bonucci certainly has more experience and skill than Paletta to play as a center back in a four-man defense.

 

Despite the problems with the Italian defense, Italy’s midfield put on a clinic of passing, team defense, and overall skill against England. England played well, but the Italian midfield comprised of Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Antonio Candreva, Marco Verratti, and Claudio Marchisio would have been too much for anyone.

 

In addition to running non-stop, every one of Italy’s midfielders can receive and release the ball quickly, show for the ball or move into space, play incisive and inventive passes, tackle and defend, and attack and score; one-footed players don’t play for Italy.

 

Armed with an apex predator of Mario Balotelli’s natural ability and athleticism as the lone striker, Italy’s five-man midfield is stocked full of world-class two-way midfielders that no team in the tournament can match.

 

Using five midfielders that are all gifted passes maximizes Balotelli’s talent. Balotelli is often described as an athletic and powerful striker, but Balotelli is an artist and a prodigy.

 

Balotelli’s close range chip that was on its way into the net before a last second header from under the cross bar saved a certain goal was so ridiculous, audacious, and skillful that only a few players in the entire tournament could have executed it – even trying it requires a certain level of healthy but total disrespect for your opponents. Being able to chip a ball that high with defenders so close without the ball sailing over the cross bar is not something that many players can do against World Cup competition.

 

Balotelli’s full arsenal of skills, tricks, and physical gifts make the five-man midfield more essential for Italy because it allows Balotelli to receive not only quality service but a steady stream of it. All of Italy’s midfielders can play final passes and dangerous balls for Balotelli.

 

Italy’s new formation is a real threat to Brazil in this World Cup because it helps Balotelli, makes Italy harder to break down with passes, and it gives Italy more weapons.

 

Brazil’s XI is outstanding (as are the substitutes), but Brazil is not only a balanced mixture of defenders and players making up the Front Six, but also attack-minded and slightly more defensive-minded midfielders.

 

Italy’s midfield is just a tsunami of complete midfielders that make it close to impossible for opponents to win the battle of the midfield or break through the center.

 

Whereas in the last few years Italy often used three center backs, two wing backs, three midfielders, and a first and second striker, the Nazionale is now willing to use the more common four-man defense with De Rossi as the defensive midfielder providing that extra protection for the center backs. This allows Italy to possess the ball, defend, and attack, which makes Italy’s midfield more difficult to outplay or even contain.

 

Against Italy, England used electric attackers like Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, and Raheem Sterling along with a slightly older but highly-skilled and still reasonably fast attacker in Wayne Rooney, and this allowed England to break down Italy’s makeshift back four.

 

As soon as Italy fixes the Back Four (which Prandelli did not need to start), the vulnerability on the flakes will be gone, but since Candreva and Marchisio provided defensive help out wide anyway, the use of Abate and Darmian (or Mattia De Sciglio whenever he recovers from injury) will take away the one weakness Italy had.

 

Italy was so good that, even without Gigi Buffon in goal, Salvatore Sirigu was exceptional, just as everyone expected him to be. With Barzagli, Chiellini, and De Rossi covering the center of the defense, even attacks out wide will likely be shut down as soon as Barzagli, Chiellini, and De Rossi provide coverage when the outside backs are beaten.

 

The World Cup is just as much Italy’s to lose as it is Brazil’s. With Buffon or Sirigu in goal along with the defenders, midfielders, and striker discussed above, Italy is a scary opponent.

 

Gli Azzurri also have Antonio Cassano, Alessio Cerci, Ciro Immobile, Thiago Motta, and Lorenzo Insigne to set loose on their opponents.

 

Given how well Andrea Pirlo played for 90 minutes at 35 years old in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest and given how Mario Balotelli scored and performed well in his first World Cup game, Italy’s two players that skeptics like to target either because of age or perceived immaturity both proved to be more than up to the task of delivering in this World Cup.

 

It was only one game, but Italy is definitely one of the favorites to win the 2014 World Cup.

 

Italy’s Front Six comprised of De Rossi, Pirlo, Candreva, Verratti, Marchisio, and Balotelli is every bit as good as Brazil’s Front Six of Luiz Gustavo, Paulinho, Hulk/Willian, Oscar, Neymar, and Fred.

 

 

Who Will Italy Start in the 2014 World Cup?

 

Italian striker, Mario Balotelli. (Photo: Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Italian striker, Mario Balotelli. (Photo: Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

 

 

By: COLIN REESE

 

Cesare Prandelli has a variety of formations available to him as the coach of the Italian national team, and each formation affects which players start and where.

 

Brazil, Spain, and Germany have been widely tipped to be the favorites in this World Cup, but perhaps Brazil and Italy are the real favorites because Brazil is Brazil and Italy has so many weapons and formation options available to them.

 

The 3-5-2 formation is a likely formation for Italy, but so too is the 4-3-2-1 formation. If Italy uses the 3-5-2 formation, then Prandelli will likely start Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano in the attack, but if Italy uses a 4-3-2-1 then perhaps Cassano is less likely to start with an overloaded midfield that would likely feature attacking midfielders and playmakers such as Antonio Candreva and Marco Verratti.

 

As for the defense, there is a belief amongst many people that Juventus center back, Leonardo Bonucci, performs much better in the 3-5-2 formation than in a four-man defensive set-up because he’s more famous as a ball-player rather than a ball-winner, but many observers feel that the Roma defensive midfielder, Daniele De Rossi, would perform better than Bonucci as the central defender in the three-man defensive set-up.

 

Italy could also start Leonardo Bonucci in the center of the defense with De Rossi as the defensive midfielder in the 3-5-2 system as well. Either way, Bonucci is a world-class center back that has the ability to perform at the World Cup.

 

At this point, it’s not clear what formation Prandelli will use, but whatever the defensive set-up, having Daniele De Rossi, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini all lining up centrally in defensive roles (and a defensive midfielder role in De Rossi’s case) is about as strong of a defense that can be found in the World Cup, with the obvious exception of Brazil which has Luiz Gustavo lining up as a defensive midfielder in front of Brazilian center backs Thiago Silva and David Luiz.

 

Given the quality of Italy’s players and the fact that they are very used to playing with one another, it’s more important to get the right players on the field rather than being married to a 3-5-2 formation or a 4-3-2-1 formation – or any other formation for that matter.

 

Andrea Pirlo and Daniele De Rossi will likely start in the midfield and Claudio Marchisio, Marco Verratti, and Antonio Candreva are key midfielders to find space for in the Starting XI.

 

With those five midfielders, Italy has De Rossi protecting the defense and providing quality passing from deep in the midfield with Pirlo floating around as the regista or deep-lying playmaker that not only orchestrates the passing but that also provides plenty of defensive coverage, and Italy also has Marchisio, Verratti, and Candreva providing everything one could ask for out of midfielders: creativity, defending, running, world-class passing, and attacking prowess.

 

After seeing Italy recently, it has become clear that Verratti is too talented of a passer and too active of a two-way midfielder to not start, and it has also become clear that the non-stop two-way play of Candreva and Marchisio prevents opponents like England from being able to just try to swarm Pirlo and take him out of the game; Italy’s other midfielders besides Pirlo are too talented and active to not pay constant attention to.

 

Italy’s opponents won’t be able to treat Italy as a squad that lives and dies by Pirlo because all of Italy’s other midfielders are world-class midfielders that almost any national team would love to have and start.

 

Prandelli no longer has to decide on the ideal strike partner for Balotelli because De Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio, Verratti, and Candreva provide so much passing quality that Italy can flood the midfield with world-class midfielders who can all keep possession and create scoring chances for Balotelli or any of Italy’s midfielders, plus attacking midfielders like Candreva and Verratti can provide much of the passing in the final third that Cassano provides.

 

Candreva is a legit scoring threat and attacking weapon in his own right with or without Balotelli, and Prandelli will likely make starting Candreva in the midfield a bigger priority than given Balotelli a striker partner. Balotelli doesn’t need a striker partner.

 

Defending Italy and trying to attack Italy will be a problem for any national team because trying to not only contain all of those midfielders but also trying to pick them apart with passing will be a tall order given the quality and quantity of midfielders on the field at the same time. To make matters worse, Balotelli will be very active in stretching opposing defenses with his speed and skill and defending him is a nightmare whether or not he has quality service.

 

While Italy’s likely formation is anyone’s guess, Ignazio Abate and Mattia De Sciglio look poised to start as the right and left back or the right and left wingbacks, and Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli or Leonardo Bonucci are likely to start as the center backs.

 

If Italy uses a three man defense then Barzagli, De Rossi/Bonucci, and Chiellini looked poised to start, in which case Thiago Motta would slide into the defensive midfielder role.

 

 

Look for the following players to likely start for Italy perhaps in a 4-3-2-1 formation:

 

Gigi BUFFON; Ignazio ABATE, Leonardo BONUCCI, Giorgio CHIELLINI, Mattia DE SCIGLIO; Daniele DE ROSSI, Andrea PIRLO, Claudio MARCHISIO; Antonio CANDREVA, Marco VERRATTI; Mario BALOTELLI.

 

 

If Italy uses a 3-5-2 formation, the look for this Italy XI:

 

BUFFON; BARZAGLI, BONUCCI, CHIELLINI; ABATE, DE ROSSI, PIRLO, VERRATTI/ MARCHISIO, DE SCIGLIO; BALOTELLI, CASSANO/CANDREVA.