With every match, the Azzurri continue to evolve, as The Donadoni Bus picks up new kids and leaves others at the curb. This week, The Bus has already made its stops en route to Saturday’s Euro qualifier with Georgia, and some familiar faces were left staring at their lunch boxes.

Specifically, in addition to Inzaghi and Del Piero (who were… well… dropped from the Azzurri squad by The Don this time around), Materazzi, Zambrotta, Camoranesi, Aquilani and Perrotta have been ruled out due to injury, while Canavarro is suspended.

So who the hell is The Don bringing?

Well, let’s go through The Don’s selections, starting from the back, moving our way forward.

Goalkeepers:

• Obviously, Buffon is as permanent as it gets, and I don’t think an explanation is really required.
• Curci is a capable backup (and will likely be in the spotlight some day), as he demonstrated against Manchester United.
• Although I realize that Amelia has lots of experience, I do think that there may have been better options, such as those from Atalanta or Napoli.

Defenders:

• Palermo’s defense hasn’t exactly been impermeable this season, so one could argue against Barzagli, but I’m not; it could be far worse.
• Bonera is solid, although I would like to see someone who plays more for his club, even though it’s not his fault that Milan are stacked on defense.
• As for Chiellini, I hold him in high regard; I’ve seen him make mistakes at times, but he’s just 23 and is already very good.
• Gamberini has been getting plenty of action for Fiorentina, and he likes to make an occasional run up field, which I like.
• With our memories of his brilliant goal against Germany, it’s hard to say anything negative about Grosso, although in all fairness, he hasn’t been himself at Lyon. Let’s hope it’s just the French air.
• Oddo is solid. I think we can now confidently say that he’s developed into a cornerstone of the Azzurri defense.
• Panucci is OK in my book; granted, he’s the resident old guy, but I think every defense needs one.

Midfielders:

• Ambrosini is in form. Assists, goals… you name it. He’s a good choice.
• My long-lost brother (a.k.a. De Rossi) is the man. Do you hear me? The man. Despite the fact that he’s been cast in a defensive/controlling midfield role for a while now, make no mistake – this guy will drop jaws on occasion by blasting one in from 30 meters out, ala Quagliarella.
• If we ever get player more intense than Gattuso, we’ll start losing people from celebration-related injuries. Who doesn’t love Ringhio?
• To be honest, I’m surprised we haven’t already seen more of Mauri; the fact that his phone hasn’t been ringing at every call-up is just a testament to the depth of our midfield.
• Meanwhile, I’m scratching my head over the inclusion of Montolivio. It’s not so much that he’s bad (he’s not). It’s just that there is some very stiff competition for this position. For instance, how about E. Corini from Torino? OK. Corini may be old at 37, but he’s doing very well, as is Doni from Atalanta. Montolivio, by comparison, is fresh from the U-21 squad, and I’d rather see him start out with a friendly.
• Pirlo hasn’t gotten much press lately (Who could with Gila coming out of hibernation?), but I definitely won’t criticize this choice, as Pirlo is an assist black-belt who can also come out of nowhere with a free kick past the ‘keeper.

Forwards:

• Yes, Di Natale is a forward, but ESPN seems to think he’s a midfielder. Whatever he is, he scored two goals against Ukraine for the Azzurri and he’s scoring for Udinese. This little guy is in top form.
• Foggia is listed by Channel 4 as a forward. I say he’s a midfielder. (Boy, we have a versatile bunch, don’t we?) Anyway, he’s a midfielder for Cagliari, and his four goals this season have all been penalty kicks. He’s only 24, and it appears as though he’s just hitting his stride.
• Iaquinta is playing well right now, and he brings plenty of international experience to the table, but he may not be fit, come match time.
• Can Lucarelli make it any more obvious how much he dislikes Shakhtar? Anyway, he’s no rookie at the age of 32, but he had 20 goals for Livorno last season, so I’m not complaining about his inclusion. If not for Totti, he’d have been our Capocannoniere.
• Quagliarella picked up a brace of nice goals against Lithuania, and I like the fact that he can fire on goal from the dark side of the moon. At 23, Quagliarella is the future of our Azzurri, ladies and gentlemen.
• At this point, Toni has proven that he can score anywhere. He’s tied for the top scorer spot in the Bundesliga with 8 goals thus far. (How great is it that an Italian is the top gun in Germany?) I’m just waiting for him to open it up for the Azzurri.

As for our opponent, Georgia hasn’t won a Euro qualifier since March, although it should be pointed out that they most recently drew with Ukraine, and before that, lost to France and Lithuania by only one goal in either match… although our ragazzi did beat them up pretty badly last year. Nonetheless, I don’t want to count our chickens before they’re hatched, and no, I’m not saying that because of Ribery’s comments. (I guess he felt left out of the French sh!t-talking jamboree that recently transpired.)

Contrary to what Ribery says, I believe that we can still qualify, provided we stay motivated and don’t slip up - especially in our November match against Scotland. (We’re currently one point behind Scotland, and one point ahead of France.) First we must beat Georgia, however, so let’s hope our Azzurri give them a proper welcome.

Forza Azzurri!

Categories: Azzurri, Euro 2008