Three Takeaways From Italy’s UEFA Nations League Games

Italy punched its ticket to the final four of the UEFA Nations League this past weekend, with crucial wins over Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The final round is set to be played in October 2022. Roberto Mancini has not shied away from calling up a plethora of budding talents, naming a 41-man squad for the latest slate of games.

Gli Azzurri are currently riding a 22-game unbeaten run and have since emerged as legitimate contenders for the UEFA Nations League. Here are three takeaways from Italy’s latest training camp:

1) Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne emerge as first-choice contenders. 

Mancini has called up a number of wingers in recent training camps, indicating the starting roles are up for the taking. Vincenzo Grifo, Federico Chiesa, Stephan El Shaarawy, and Federico Bernardeschi among others have all staked their claim for a more prominent role, but if Italy’s latest games were anything to go by, none of them will likely start come Euro 2020.

Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Berardi have demonstrated they are ready to lead Gli Azzurri’s frontline, combining to devastating effect in the final third. The Sassuolo man has made the most of his opportunity, scoring goals in consecutive games this international break. Berardi has emerged as one of Italy’s elite creators with Sassuolo and should be handed a more significant role.

Insigne, on the other hand, has kicked into another gear this season, taking his game to another level. The diminutive playmaker was arguably Italy’s man-of-the-match in both of his nation’s games this past break, assisting Berardi’s goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina with an inch-perfect pass. In many ways, the left-wing position is Insigne’s to lose going into the Euro.

In any case, there are a number of players ready to step up in their absences, as Mancini has regularly demonstrated with his callups. As of right now, there is no reason why the Insigne-Berardi tandem should not start.

2) Locatelli sets himself apart from his midfield counterparts. 

The Sassuolo midfielder’s recent ascent to stardom has been nothing short of meteoric, with Locatelli emerging as one of Italy’s midfield maestros. As it is the case up front, Italy has no shortage of midfield options and could turn to a wide array of options in the middle of the park. Jorginho seems to be a mainstay under Mancini and has impressed when called upon, while it is hard to argue against Nicolo Barella.

The Inter man has been in sensational form under Antonio Conte and has proven he is more than ready for regular minutes with the national team setup. This leaves the third and final midfield position up for grabs. Naturally, it is Marco Verratti’s to lose, but the Paris Saint-Germain man has regularly failed to translate his domestic dominance in an Azzurri shirt.

Manuel Locatelli dominated the proceedings in Italy’s games, indicating he may just be the missing link in the midfield. The Neroverdi midfielder offers the side some much-needed balance, both in and out of possession. While Verratti may be seen as the favourite to start going into Euro 2020, Locatelli can easily overtake him with more consistency.

3) There are still more questions than answers at #9. 

Andrea Belotti spearheaded Italy’s attack in both of Italy’s games in Ciro Immobile’s absence, and frankly, did not disappoint. The Torino man led the line with great aplomb, netting an important goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite impressing in both games, Belotti has his limitations and is yet to take the leap alongside Europe’s elite hitmen.

If Italy is to have a shot at major trophies, Mancini will need to assess his striking options and determine his preferred number nine. Immobile and Moise Kean are in the running, while Francesco Caputo has an outside shot. It may just come down to who’s in form going into the tournament.

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Serie A Injury and Suspensions Report – Round Seven

Atalanta: Hans Hateboer and Cristian Romero played against Liverpool but they are still hampered by thigh problems. Robin Gosens (calf) and Marten De Roon (thigh) are trying fast recoveries but they have slim chances to be available. Cristiano Piccini (thigh) and Mattia Caldara (knee) are out.

Benevento: Gianluca Caprari was handed a two-game ban following last week’s red card. Federico Barba is back, Iago Falque is notAlessandro Tuia will miss a month with a cheekbone fracture. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round Seven – Top Matches

SASSUOLO-UDINESE

Sassuolo: the Neroverdi were missing their top three players against Napoli, but they won anyway thanks a brand-new scheme by Roberto De Zerbi, who, for once, opted for caution and a three-man back-line and got rewarded with their talented central midfielders stepping up. Filip Djuricic has COVID and will not return here, Domenico Berardi and Francesco Caputo have been called up, but they might be limited, so it is possible Giacomo Raspadori stays initially in a big role and Gregoire Defrel gets the nod. Both the Frenchman and Jeremie Boga have not looked great as they work their way into shape, while Hamed Traore is generally pretty lively. Even if at less than 100 percent, Caputo and Betardi are always good choices, while Lopez would be an outstanding one if used as no.10 to substitute Djuricic. Continue reading

Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round Six

Atalanta: Marten De Roon strained the adductor in his left thigh and will sit out the next two matches. Cristiano Piccini picked up a similar issue while trying to gain some shape. Robin Gosens is out with a late calf problem. 

Benevento: Iago Falque and Federico Barba will stay on the mend with their physical issues, while Gabriel Moncini returned midweek. 

Bologna: Federico Santander underwent reconstructive surgery on the right knee after spraining it midweek and will return in the Spring. Among their injured players, Gary Medel (calf) is the closest to recovering, but he might need another week. Andreas Skov Olsen (back) and Andrea Poli (fibula) could return after the second international break. Ibrahima Mbaye (thigh) and Nicola Sansone (hip) are late scratches.  Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round Six – Top Matches

INTER-PARMA

Inter: Romelu Lukaku suffered a thigh injury that will cost him at least one game and the Nerazzurri will have to make up for the loss of their target man, something that rarely happened last year. Alexis Sanchez is dealing with a small problem as well, therefore Lautaro Martinez, who has slowed down after opening the campaign with three straight goals, will have to shoulder the attack, then they will hope Andrea Pinamonti can be decent right away. They also briefly used Ivan Perisic as second-striker in the last game. Stefano Sensi is back on the shelf with his customary muscular problems: Christian Eriksen had some flashes last week, but so far him and Marcelo Brozovic have produced nothing too exciting. Their best midfielder has been Nicolò Barella (two assists), while Arturo Vidal has mostly taken care of the dirty work. At some point Radja Nainggolan will get in on the action, but it has not happened yet. Fortunately, Achraf Hakimi (one goal, two assists) was a false positive and he will resume plowing the flank from the start here, while Ashley Young has shaken off the virus and will challenge Ivan Perisic, who has been solid (two assists) but has not really taken off. Their back-line has improved with Alessandro Bastoni back in the fold.

Recommended picks: Martinez, Perisic, Hakimi.  Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Recap – Round Five

Standings implications: Roma managed to at least slow down Milan in the Monday night thriller. Napoli stayed perfect in the matches they actually played but they had to dig deep to sink a plucky Benenevento. Juventus lost some more ground as they could not get past Verona. Inter and Lazio both bounced back after multiple winless rounds, as the Nerazzurri patiently worked their way around Genoa’s defence, while the Biancocelesti bested Bologna. Sassuolo and Sampdoria are the surprises of the early season: the Neroverdi were again the comeback kids against Torino, but their rally stopped short this time, while the Blucerchiati handed Atalanta their second tough L in a row. Fiorentina held on two dear life this time in order to beat Udinese and return to winning ways. Cagliari defeated Crotone, keeping the opponents on the down low, while this time Spezia were on the wrong end of a two-goal comeback in Parma.

Continue reading

Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round Five

Atalanta: Matteo Pessina returned in Champions League from a late-season patellar dislocation. Ruslan Malinovskyi had an old scar in his adductor flare up and missed the previous game, but he is set to be available SaturdayCristiano Piccini (knee) could return sooner rather than later, while Pierluigi Gollini (knee) is at least two weeks away.

Benevento: Nicolas Viola has resumed practicing after his meniscus surgery and made the squad list. Gabriele Moncini and Federico Barba are out again to muscular problems and are joined in that regard by Iago Falque.  Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Previews – Round Five – Top Matches

ATALANTA-SAMPDORIA

Atalanta: the Bergamaschi looked unprepared to match Napoli’s aggressiveness in the last fixture and the much-anticipated bout ended with a shocking beating. They will look to return to form in Serie A as well after pummelling Midtjylland. Alejandro Gomez has been the tip of the spear so far and straight-up one of the best players in the League. Luis Muriel has put his name in the stat-sheet twice, like Sam Lemmers, who has made the most of his limited opportunities. Duvan Zapata has been more up-and-down. Josip Ilicic looked rusty in his first game back, but that is understandable: the good news is that he indeed came back and the coach will likely give him regular minutes to get him into shape. Ruslan Malinovskyi is questionable due to an injury, which may lead to some playing time for the intriguing Aleksey Miranchuk. Their stud wing-backs Hans Hateboer and Robin Gosens have scored one goal each, with the German international adding two assists.

Suggested picks: Gomez, Muriel, Zapata. Continue reading

Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round Four

Atalanta: Aleksey Miranchuk is set to be available after missing the first three matches with a thigh strain. Cristiano Piccini and Matteo Pessina have resumed practicing regularly following knee injuries and they too will return soon. Josip Ilicic is getting closer and closer, but the information on him is not always solid. Rafael Toloi is out of the quarantine after skipping the previous game, while Marco Carnesecchi has COVID. Mattia Caldara partially tore the patellar tendon in the left knee and will not be back before 2021.

Benevento: Andres Tello is be back after missing some time with ailments, but Federico Barba is still out. Gabriel Moncini will skip a game or two due to an adductor strain. Nicolas Viola needs more time to recover from a meniscus tear. Continue reading

Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round Three

Atalanta: Pierluigi Gollini (PCL tear), Aleksey Miranchuk (thigh strain) and Matteo Pessina (patellar dislocation) will once again be unavailable and the coach raised some concern regarding Cristiano Piccini, who has not been able to practice fully since joining. The fact that they are signing another player in his role does not bode well for his timetable. The team announced that somebody tested positive but did not disclose whom: Mattia Caldara and Rafael Toloi are absent out of the blue. 

Benevento: Federico Barba returned midweek but subbed off in the first half and has been ruled out. Andres Tello (thigh) and Oliver Kragl (neck) are again sidelined. Nicolas Viola (meniscus) might not be back for the first game after the break. Continue reading