Is there any width in that Italian side?
No, typically wingers are not used in Italian football, a lot of players who start out as wingers are usually transformed into full backs or attacking midfielders. Maggio and Abate both started their careers as wingers but have now settled into full back roles. The full backs do provide good width to the team and are a vital component to the success of Prandelli’s 4-3-1-2.
Donadoni and Bruno Conti were probably the two players who made an impact as wingers in Italy but they also took up attacking midfield roles.
Blanc is announcing two squads for France, one containing foreign based players and another containing domestic based players, he will then announce a full squad at a later date. Here is the foreign based squad he’s selected.
Defenders:
Gael Clichy
Patrice Evra
Younes Kaboul
Laurent Koscielny
Philippe Mexes
Adil Rami
Midfielders:
Yohan Cabaye
Florent Malouda
Samir Nasri
Hatem Ben Arfa
Franck Ribery
Attackers:
Karim Benzema
Kaboul and Ben Arfa?? Christ. Hopefully there are better options in France and he can cull these two weak links. Otherwise it is a decent looking list of players.
There are a lot worse than Ben Arfa on there. Malouda and Koscielny ? ffs.
Malouda and Koscielny are alright. The latter in particular has been playing much better in recent months…
Malouda has had a desperate season. Koscielny is just plain terrible.
Have you seen Koscielny play in the last year? He has been very good for Arsenal this season, probably their best player after Van Persie.
Rintintin has been following what has been going on at the bottom of the EPL this season as opposed to the top so i can’t imagine he has seen much of the young Frenchman in action…
[quote=“The Dunph, post: 678122”]
Rintintin has been following what has been going on at the bottom of the EPL this season as opposed to the top so i can’t imagine he has seen much of the young Frenchman in action…[/quote]
You have been poisoned from watching Ligue 1 football which is atrocious .
Two decent players in good form. Koscielny and Kaboul would be a stronger partnership than the Dutch or Germans anyway. Ben Arfa has been in fine form in the second half of the season
Philippe Mexes now that is a worry
France have one of the best squads at the Euros. Can’t imagine the problems behind the scenes have disappeared though
Bizarre from Blanc with his home and away squads announcements
Just watched Blanc being interviewed there, he was saying that while Malouda has barely played for Chelsea this year, he has the kind of big match experience you need in a tournament like this, so he’s probably going. He seems pretty keen on Mexes as well.
Bizarre stuff indeed with the foreign v domestic squads.
[size=3]This was on football365 today:[/size]
The Guide To Criticising Roy Hodgson’s Squad Selection
[size=3]Captain: if someone who has been captain before, “predictable”. If not, “wrong”.[/size]
[size=3]Average age of squad over 26: too old, over-reliance on the failed so-called “golden generation”.[/size]
[size=3]Average age of squad under 26: inexperienced/ruining our chances for the Olympics (I forget whether we care about this or not).[/size]
[size=3]Goalkeepers:[/size]
[size=3]Joe Hart: obvious choice and deserves no credit.[/size]
[size=3]Rob Green: plays for a championship club. Only selected due to failure to persuade anyone else out of retirement, ergo poor man-management.[/size]
[size=3]Ben Foster: nepotism.[/size]
[size=3]Right back:[/size]
[size=3]Failure to take all of Micah Richards, Glen Johnson, Kyle Walker, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling constitutes a decision, and therefore automatically a risky/wrong one.[/size]
[size=3]Left back:[/size]
[size=3]Ashley Cole: obvious, deserves no credit. If a back-up is selected: unnecessary, waste of a squad place (cf. Stephen Warnock). If not: short-sighted.[/size]
[size=3]Centre back:[/size]
[size=3]Failure to persuade Rio and Terry to play together is poor man-management. Success is “too risky”.[/size]
[size=3]Central Midfield:[/size]
[size=3]Gerrard: make reference to Hodgson’s time at Liverpool and cast doubt on ability to get a performance out of him.[/size]
[size=3]Lampard: too similar to Gerrard. If not picked, make unflattering AVB comparisons.[/size]
[size=3]Scott Parker: would certainly perform better if 'Arry was manager[/size]
[size=3]Carrick/Barry: boring.[/size]
[size=3]Scholes: if picked, desperate. If not picked, a missed opportunity[/size]
[size=3]Anyone else: an unknown quantity.[/size]
[size=3]Wings:[/size]
[size=3]Joe Cole: if not picked, point out that he has been playing brilliantly in France. If picked, point out that he has been rubbish in France. No-one will bother to check either way.[/size]
[size=3]Ashley Young: if picked, diver that will not fool continental referees, therefore a waste of space. If not picked, point to past goalscoring form and ability to win penalties.[/size]
[size=3]Adam Johnson: if picked, has hardly played for Man City this season. If not picked, has hardly played for Man City this season and would have bought much-needed freshness to the squad.[/size]
[size=3]Walcott: if picked, has only ever performed that one time against Croatia. If not picked, performed that one time against Croatia.[/size]
[size=3]Stewart Downing: if picked, 0 goals 0 assists. If not picked, bemoan lack of natural left-footers in the squad.[/size]
[size=3]Anyone who plays for Swansea: if picked, they play for Swansea, a small club. If not, harshly overlooked.[/size]
[size=3]Strikers:[/size]
[size=3]Rooney: if picked, waste of a squad place. We’ll be out after 2 games anyway. If not picked, have “ROO-DICULOUS!!!” headlines on standby.[/size]
[size=3]Andy Carroll: if picked, has been rubbish all season. If not, has been brilliant for the last two games.[/size]
[size=3]Defoe: if picked, has not played all season. If not, gifted finisher, adds freshness to the squad, 'Arry would have picked him.[/size]
[size=3]Crouch: if picked, exposes England’s dearth of strikers. If not, think of the wonder-goal.[/size]
[size=3]Sturridge/Welbeck: if picked, inexperienced. If not, robbing the future of English football of valuable tournament experience.[/size]
[size=3]-- --[/size]
[size=3]For tabloid journalists, this is a handy cut-out-and keep style guide. For anyone else, combine this with a copy of next Wednesday’s Sun to form a potentially lethal drinking game.[/size]
[size=3]-- --[/size]
[size=3][1] Taken from this morning’s mailbox Submitted by Steve (Dembele Full But We Hungry - Bob Marley), Nottingham[/size]
Chris Smalling has been ruled out of Euro 2012 with a groin problem.
The media will still question why Woy didn’t take him when he announces his squad.
Has Villa returned for Barcelona yet? If he hasn’t played any football before the end of the season for Barca it would be a massive call for Del Bosque to bring him.
Russia have named their preliminary squad.
Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev CSKA Moscow Vyacheslav Malafeev Zenit St Petersburg Anton Shunin Dynamo Moscow
Defenders: Aleksander Anyukov Zenit St Petersburg Alexey Berezutsky CSKA Moscow Vasily Berezutsky CSKA Moscow Vladimir Granat Dynamo Moscow Sergey Ignashevich CSKA Moscow Dmitry Kombarov Spartak Moscow Roman Sharanov Rubin Kazan Roman Shishkin Lokomotiv Moscow Yury Zhirkov Anzhi Makhachkala
Midfielders: Igor Denisov Zenit St Petersburg Denis Glushakov Lokomotiv Moscow Magomed Ozdoyev Lokomotiv Moscow Igor Semshov Dynamo Moscow Roman Shirokov Zenit St Petersburg Konstantin Zyrianov Zenit St Petersburg
Attackers: Andrey Arshavin Zenit St Petersburg Alan Dzagoev CSKA Moscow Artem Dzyuba Spartak Moscow Marat Izmailov Sporting Lisbon Aleksander Kerzhakov Zenit St Petersburg Aleksander Kokorin Dynamo Moscow Roman Pavlyuchenko Lokomotiv Moscow Pavel Pogrebnyak Fulham
When do the Danes name their squad?
Come on Olsen, put us out of our misery…
Biggest surprises are the exclusions of Pazzini and Aquilani who were squad regulars throughout. Chiellini is also expected to be a major doubt for the tournament after coming off injured. A lot of young players included as well who are more than likely there for the experience. Pazzini and Aquilani can consider themselves harshly treated.
[font=verdana][size=3]
Goalkeepers:Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Napoli), Sirigu (Paris St.Germain), Viviano (Palermo);[/size][/font]
[font=verdana][size=3]
Defenders:Abate (Milan), Astori (Cagliari), Balzaretti (Palermo), Barzagli(Juventus), Bocchetti (Rubin Kazan), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus),Criscito (Zenit San Pietroburgo), Maggio (Napoli), Ogbonna (Torino),Ranocchia (Inter);[/size][/font]
[font=verdana][size=3]
Midfielders:Cigarini (Atalanta), De Rossi (Roma), Diamanti (Bologna), Giaccherini (Juventus), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris St. Germain), Nocerino (Milan), Pirlo (Juventus),Schelotto (Atalanta), Verratti (Pescara);[/size][/font]
[font=verdana][size=3]
Forwards:Balotelli (Manchester City), Borini (Roma), Cassano (Milan), Destro (Siena), Di Natale (Udinese), Giovinco (Parma)
[/size][/font]
When is he reducing it to 23?