Under 21 World XI

.............................. Akinfeev (21)

......... Ramos (21) - Richards (19) - Veloso (21)

................... Aissati (19) - Drenthe (20)

................... Moutinho (21) - Messi (20)

.......... Benzema (19) - Pato (18.) - Rooney (20)

Didn't realise Raul Garcia was only 21.

So because I'm bored I'm going to name two XI's now

-------------------Akinfeev-----
Kompany--da Costa--Ramos--Jansen
------------Cesc----Veloso-----------
------Messi----------------Silva------
------------Rooney----Augero------

2nd XI
-----------------Ustari-------------
M Torres--Richards--Zapata--Bale
-------Fernandes--R Garcia---------
Aissati--------Afellay-------Drenthe
---------------Benzema-------------

Even then no room for the likes of Gago, Matias Fernandez (current SAPOTY, but isn't a starter for Villarreal) Rossi, Sobis, Pato, Gourcuff, Nasri etc

Hurts me to leave out Banega as well, who I thought looked absolutely fantastic at the U20 WC, but since I haven't seen him play since, it'd be unfair to include him.

-------------Akinkeev------------

Kompany---Ramos---Richards--Bale

--------Mountinho-Drenthe-------

-------------Fabregas-----------

Messi-----------------------Rossi

-------------Rooney-------------


Rooney was poor in the first half of the season, but was our best player from Feb/March onwards. I still believe that he is as good as Ronaldo and this season - if he stays injury free -will prove it.

I was wondering how long it will take for Rossi to get a mention... couldn't make the Italian U21 XI this summer, but the only italian in the World XI

On a serious note, the italians to consider are:
De Silvestri (19) RB
Dessena (20) Mid
Giovinco (20) Mid
Acquafresca (20) Str
Rossi (20) Str
Criscito (21) LB
Andreolli (21) Def

Out of these, the most realistic one for a World XI is Giovinco - the "Totti" of the current Azzurini, he will be the star of 2009 EuroU21!

Rez wrote:-------------Akinkeev------------
Kompany---Ramos---Richards--Bale
--------Mountinho-Drenthe-------
-------------Fabregas-----------
Messi-----------------------Rossi
-------------Rooney-------------

Rooney was poor in the first half of the season, but was our best player from Feb/March onwards. I still believe that he is as good as Ronaldo and this season - if he stays injury free -will prove it.

bluenine wrote:I was wondering how long it will take for Rossi to get a mention... couldn't make the Italian U21 XI this summer, but the only italian in the World XI

On a serious note, the italians to consider are:
De Silvestri (19) RB
Dessena (20) Mid
Giovinco (20) Mid
Acquafresca (20) Str
Rossi (20) Str
Criscito (21) LB
Andreolli (21) Def

Out of these, the most realistic one for a World XI is Giovinco - the "Totti" of the current Azzurini, he will be the star of 2009 EuroU21!

Rez wrote:-------------Akinkeev------------
Kompany---Ramos---Richards--Bale
--------Mountinho-Drenthe-------
-------------Fabregas-----------
Messi-----------------------Rossi
-------------Rooney-------------

Rooney was poor in the first half of the season, but was our best player from Feb/March onwards. I still believe that he is as good as Ronaldo and this season - if he stays injury free -will prove it.

Maybe because he is actually doing something. And i have always known it to be a fact, Italians will have preference to people playing in there own league. So i am not so surprised he hasnt got that many games(starting not sub) for the u21's. Not that the people infront of him looked so good in the tournament this past summer.
Currently joint top scorer in la liga, and 10+ goals in 6 months in seria a last season, im sure that figures more than if a coach for the u21 picks him or not.

bluenine wrote:I was wondering how long it will take for Rossi to get a mention... couldn't make the Italian U21 XI this summer, but the only italian in the World XI

On a serious note, the italians to consider are:
De Silvestri (19) RB
Dessena (20) Mid
Giovinco (20) Mid
Acquafresca (20) Str
Rossi (20) Str
Criscito (21) LB
Andreolli (21) Def

Out of these, the most realistic one for a World XI is Giovinco - the "Totti" of the current Azzurini, he will be the star of 2009 EuroU21!

It would be rude not to include him, I cant hype him up in one thread and then discount him in another thread

Anyway he is the only young player to score goals in all 3 of the top leagues in the world and for that alone he deserves to be in there.

Was this the same tournament in which he scored more goals than all the other strikers in the squad, but still didnt start?!

Never heard of Giovinco, but if he is the 'Totti' of the new generation, I expect to hear about him spitting on people, slagging of English teams and then choking against them

Ramos v Richards

Who is better at RB and who is better at CB?

Out of the two i would play Ramos at RB.

He is new "totti" only play-wise, thankfully. Unfortuinately owned by Juve, playing at empoli on loan this season... they might as well give him a shot, not like their players are doing anything better... Giovinco looks like the real deal, watch out for that name.

I hope Giovinco and Acquafresca get more playing time in Serie A this season.

Rez wrote:Never heard of Giovinco, but if he is the 'Totti' of the new generation, I expect to hear about him spitting on people, slagging of English teams and then choking against them

I've been informed that Pelle, Palladino and Pazzini are both better than Rossi. Pazzini and Palladino are 23, How old is Pelle?[/b]

bluenine wrote:He is new "totti" only play-wise, thankfully. Unfortuinately owned by Juve, playing at empoli on loan this season... they might as well give him a shot, not like their players are doing anything better... Giovinco looks like the real deal, watch out for that name.

I hope Giovinco and Acquafresca get more playing time in Serie A this season.

Rez wrote:Never heard of Giovinco, but if he is the 'Totti' of the new generation, I expect to hear about him spitting on people, slagging of English teams and then choking against them

I will look out for him, although I dont think they will ever show Empoli on channel 5.

Where does Aquafresh play, who does he play for and does he have the shiny white teeth to live up to his name?

Acquafresca is half owned by Inter, plays at Cagliari.... he scored that cheeky head lob against Lazio 2 days ago... he was the deal sweetner in the Suazo to Inter transfer.

Rez wrote:

bluenine wrote:He is new "totti" only play-wise, thankfully. Unfortuinately owned by Juve, playing at empoli on loan this season... they might as well give him a shot, not like their players are doing anything better... Giovinco looks like the real deal, watch out for that name.

I hope Giovinco and Acquafresca get more playing time in Serie A this season.

Rez wrote:Never heard of Giovinco, but if he is the 'Totti' of the new generation, I expect to hear about him spitting on people, slagging of English teams and then choking against them

I will look out for him, although I dont think they will ever show Empoli on channel 5.



Where does Aquafresh play, who does he play for and does he have the shiny white teeth to live up to his name?

Abiol

Tweedle wrote:I've been informed that Pelle, Palladino and Pazzini are both better than Rossi. Pazzini and Palladino are 23, How old is Pelle?[/b]

22

Pelle not only is the most expensive player for AZ...he is also the worst!

Fey wrote:

Tweedle wrote:I've been informed that Pelle, Palladino and Pazzini are both better than Rossi. Pazzini and Palladino are 23, How old is Pelle?[/b]

22

Pelle not only is the most expensive player for AZ...he is also the worst!

More good news for you... Rossi's form hasn't gone un-noticed... here is Donadoni talking about which youngsters are next in line for a call up to the senior side:

“I’m hoping that younger players will play a bigger role in the squad. Our youngsters are amongst the most promising in the world and we need to exploit them. "Domenico Criscito needs more experience, but it isn’t easy to be playing regularly for a big side like Juventus at his age. He is still one of the best in his age group. “I’m watching Giuseppe Rossi with interest and also I’m following Riccardo Montolivo, Alessandro Rosina and Marco Borriello. These players are the future of the Italian national side.”

Rez wrote:
It would be rude not to include him, I cant hype him up in one thread and then discount him in another thread

Anyway he is the only young player to score goals in all 3 of the top leagues in the world and for that alone he deserves to be in there.

Messiah wrote:Abiol

22, otherwise I'm sure more people would have included him. I certainly would have.

Surprised no one has mentioned Silva. As Frank said he was arguably Valencia's best player last season, and at 21 he's already a cruical player for both club and country. He's much more proven than Drenthe.

Also Jansen for me will become one of if not the best LB's before too soon.

Nice to see everyone mention different players I guess tho.

Silva is only 21? Wow! He definately should make the XI then!

Also Jankovic is a good shout, he was very impressive during the Euro U21 this summer.

Calidad wrote:

Messiah wrote:Abiol

22, otherwise I'm sure more people would have included him. I certainly would have.

Surprised no one has mentioned Silva. As Frank said he was arguably Valencia's best player last season, and at 21 he's already a cruical player for both club and country. He's much more proven than Drenthe.

Also Jansen for me will become one of if not the best LB's before too soon.

Nice to see everyone mention different players I guess tho.

bluenine wrote:More good news for you... Rossi's form hasn't gone un-noticed... here is Donadoni talking about which youngsters are next in line for a call up to the senior side:

“I’m hoping that younger players will play a bigger role in the squad. Our youngsters are amongst the most promising in the world and we need to exploit them. "Domenico Criscito needs more experience, but it isn’t easy to be playing regularly for a big side like Juventus at his age. He is still one of the best in his age group. “I’m watching Giuseppe Rossi with interest and also I’m following Riccardo Montolivo, Alessandro Rosina and Marco Borriello. These players are the future of the Italian national side.”

It was only a matter of time

In all honesty I am not sure if he is ready for the national team yet, but I think he will do well if given the opportunity.

Who starts for Italy up front these days? I hope its not always Del Piero and Inzaghi as they were horrible against France.

-----------------Akinfeev-----------------

Richards---Taylor----Ramos---Drenthe

Messi--Fernandes--Fabregas--N'Zogbia

-------------Aguero--Rooney-------------


I've gone for players i know, i don't know much about Zapata, Veloso etc etc.

When everyone is fit, I expect Toni-Iaquinta-Di Natale

There are so many good italian strikers these days that Donadoni is spoilt for choice. So it really depends on personal choice and tactics than who is better or more talented. I mean, Donadoni could easily play Del Piero-Lucarelli-Rocchi without any dip in performance. Or Totti-Amauri-Miccoli or Quagliarella-Inzaghi-Rigano for that matter (Did I mention 12 strikers without saying Gilardino or Cassano or Montella? ). So the new kids on the block (Bianchi, Rossi, Rosina, Palladino, Pazzini, Pelle, Acquafresca, etc) will have a really hard time breaking into the Azzurri.

Unfortunately, Italy don't have those kind of reserves in defence

Rez wrote:

bluenine wrote:More good news for you... Rossi's form hasn't gone un-noticed... here is Donadoni talking about which youngsters are next in line for a call up to the senior side:

“I’m hoping that younger players will play a bigger role in the squad. Our youngsters are amongst the most promising in the world and we need to exploit them. "Domenico Criscito needs more experience, but it isn’t easy to be playing regularly for a big side like Juventus at his age. He is still one of the best in his age group. “I’m watching Giuseppe Rossi with interest and also I’m following Riccardo Montolivo, Alessandro Rosina and Marco Borriello. These players are the future of the Italian national side.”

It was only a matter of time



In all honesty I am not sure if he is ready for the national team yet, but I think he will do well if given the opportunity.



Who starts for Italy up front these days? I hope its not always Del Piero and Inzaghi as they were horrible against France.

Kimbo wrote:-----------------Akinfeev-----------------

Richards---Taylor----Ramos---Drenthe

Messi--Fernandes--Fabregas---Rossi

-------------Aguero--Rooney-------------


I've gone for players i know, i don't know much about Zapata, Veloso etc etc.

Italy has too much defensive quality for Criscito to have a chance in the near future IMO. Rosina and Montolivo, even Rossi (though Italy also have a dearth of quality up front) also deserve a chance.

Blue, do you still rate Rosina higher than Montolivo? Who do you think would suit the national set up better? I think Montolivo is more suited to international football at present. Rosina's a bit more impactive than Ricardo

Lets see... Rosina competes with DP for the wing, while Montolivo competes directly with Pirlo & Aquilani. I think Rosina might get his shot before Montolivo.

Yeah, I rate Rosina higher. Higher than Montolivo, higher than Aquilani, higher than Foggia. But all 4 are very talented.

On the defence, Italy surprisingly don't have that much defensive cover... Criscito just needs one good season with Juve to become a Azzurri regular.

Tweedle wrote:Italy has too much defensive quality for Criscito to have a chance in the near future IMO. Rosina and Montolivo, even Rossi (though Italy also have a dearth of quality up front) also deserve a chance.

Blue, do you still rate Rosina higher than Montolivo? Who do you think would suit the national set up better? I think Montolivo is more suited to international football at present. Rosina's a bit more impactive than Ricardo

--------Akinfeev

Richards --- Ramos --- Pique ---- Jansen


----Moutinho ----- Veloso ---- Cesc---


Messi -------- Rooney -------Aguero

Not too sure about Veloso as I haven't seen him play but I beleive the hype

Rez wrote:

Kimbo wrote:-----------------Akinfeev-----------------

Richards---Taylor----Ramos---Drenthe

Messi--Fernandes--Fabregas---Rossi

-------------Aguero--Rooney-------------


I've gone for players i know, i don't know much about Zapata, Veloso etc etc.

Rossi is nowhere near N'Zogbia.

golsud , Veloso is the real deal , him + Drenthe were the two special players of this summers Euro U21's .. and he is continuing his form with Sporting. I think he was recently called up to the Portuguese senior team.

I think Foggia may struggle for the Azzurri though. I think he'll benefit hugely at Cagliari being the centre of attention through which everything goes.

What I'm trying to say is that, he HAS to be the main focus of any team he is part of.

I think I need to see more of Rosina. Personally I rate Montolivo higher, he's more my type of player.

You think Di Natale will be a starter for the Azzurri? His form at the moment shows he deserves it but what if he suddenly has a dip? He's a seesaw forward

bluenine wrote:Lets see... Rosina competes with DP for the wing, while Montolivo competes directly with Pirlo & Aquilani. I think Rosina might get his shot before Montolivo.

Yeah, I rate Rosina higher. Higher than Montolivo, higher than Aquilani, higher than Foggia. But all 4 are very talented.

On the defence, Italy surprisingly don't have that much defensive cover... Criscito just needs one good season with Juve to become a Azzurri regular.

Tweedle wrote:Italy has too much defensive quality for Criscito to have a chance in the near future IMO. Rosina and Montolivo, even Rossi (though Italy also have a dearth of quality up front) also deserve a chance.

Blue, do you still rate Rosina higher than Montolivo? Who do you think would suit the national set up better? I think Montolivo is more suited to international football at present. Rosina's a bit more impactive than Ricardo

bluenine wrote:When everyone is fit, I expect Toni-Iaquinta-Di Natale

There are so many good italian strikers these days that Donadoni is spoilt for choice. So it really depends on personal choice and tactics than who is better or more talented. I mean, Donadoni could easily play Del Piero-Lucarelli-Rocchi without any dip in performance. Or Totti-Amauri-Miccoli for that matter.

Unfortunately, Italy don't have those kind of reserves in defence

Did you mean Toni, as Totti has retired from international football?!

I dont think he should still be picking Del Piero, he should pick some younger players ahead of him.

It appears you have the opposite problem to us, as we have dearth of talent up front, but an abundance of talent in defence.

I've never seen Zapata or Akinfeev either. But everyone else seems to like them, hence the inclusion.

Kimbo wrote:

Rez wrote:

Kimbo wrote:-----------------Akinfeev-----------------

Richards---Taylor----Ramos---Drenthe

Messi--Fernandes--Fabregas---Rossi

-------------Aguero--Rooney-------------


I've gone for players i know, i don't know much about Zapata, Veloso etc etc.

Rossi is nowhere near N'Zogbia.

Because Rossi is in the stars and Zogshite is in the gutter