There were already Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri, and now Mancini has called up Luiz Felipe and Joao Pedro, two freshly naturalized Brazilians. Getting a bit much for a marquee footballing nation, no?

Also, Mancini recalled Mario Clownotelli. Is Italy that desperate for forwards? --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
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On 2022-01-24 11:42, Al Kamista wrote:

There were already Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri, and now Mancini has called up Luiz Felipe and Joao Pedro, two freshly naturalized Brazilians. Getting a bit much for a marquee footballing nation, no?

Also, Mancini recalled Mario Clownotelli. Is Italy that desperate for forwards?

Dunno what the injury/illness situation is like for other Italian
forwards, but Balotelli is presumably doing well in Turkey with Adana Demirspor. He has been playing and scoring, and the team (newly
promoted) is in 4th place. Their coach is Montella, and perhaps he has
been giving really favourable reports to Mancini ?
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 1:53:28 PM UTC-5, MH wrote:

On 2022-01-24 11:42, Al Kamista wrote:

There were already Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri, and now Mancini has called up Luiz Felipe and Joao Pedro, two freshly naturalized Brazilians. Getting a bit much for a marquee footballing nation, no?

Also, Mancini recalled Mario Clownotelli. Is Italy that desperate for forwards?

Dunno what the injury/illness situation is like for other Italian
forwards, but Balotelli is presumably doing well in Turkey with Adana Demirspor. He has been playing and scoring, and the team (newly
promoted) is in 4th place. Their coach is Montella, and perhaps he has
been giving really favourable reports to Mancini ?

All that might be true, but it's a guy with SO much baggage, and one who has demonstrated multiple times that he values lifestyle over football and craves attention (of any variety).

It's a bad look for Italy, IMO.
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 1:42:34 PM UTC-5, alka...@hotmail.com wrote:

There were already Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri,

And Rafael Toloi.

and now Mancini has called up Luiz Felipe and Joao Pedro, two freshly naturalized Brazilians. Getting a bit much for a marquee footballing nation, no?

The 1934 World Champions say hi.

Also, Mancini recalled Mario Clownotelli. Is Italy that desperate for forwards?

The short answer: yes.
The longer answer: absolutely yes.
Italy hasn't produced any real world-class (or even international class, using Kicker's definition) attacking talent since the days
of Del Piero, Totti, Inzaghi and Vieri (in hindsight, that was a heck of a golden generation). Chiesa, the player most likely to come close to that level, tore his ACL, and won't be back until 2022-2023.
Currently we have Immobile, who has never been able to transfer his domestic form to the national team; Belotti (injured); Scamacca and Raspadori (who?), Kean (hasn't lived up to expectations), and precious little else. I wouldn't be surprised if Mancini will end up fielding a strikerless formation in the WC playoffs against North Macedonia and (hopefully) Portugal/Turkey.
Something like Berardi-Insigne-Bernardeschi, with Pellegrini or Zaniolo as additional options.
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On 2022-01-24 13:29, Al Kamista wrote:

On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 1:53:28 PM UTC-5, MH wrote:

On 2022-01-24 11:42, Al Kamista wrote:

There were already Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri, and now Mancini has called up Luiz Felipe and Joao Pedro, two freshly naturalized Brazilians. Getting a bit much for a marquee footballing nation, no?

Also, Mancini recalled Mario Clownotelli. Is Italy that desperate for forwards?

Dunno what the injury/illness situation is like for other Italian
forwards, but Balotelli is presumably doing well in Turkey with Adana
Demirspor. He has been playing and scoring, and the team (newly
promoted) is in 4th place. Their coach is Montella, and perhaps he has
been giving really favourable reports to Mancini ?

All that might be true, but it's a guy with SO much baggage, and one who has demonstrated multiple times that he values lifestyle over football and craves attention (of any variety).

It's a bad look for Italy, IMO.

OTOH, I don't recall (could definitely be wrong though) any antics or
sulks when with the NT, for whom he has on occasion played well. Plus
there is always the possibility that at 31, he has grown up a bit.
Presumably Montella can evaluate that.
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 6:24:57 PM UTC-5, MH wrote:

OTOH, I don't recall (could definitely be wrong though) any antics or
sulks when with the NT, for whom he has on occasion played well.

He played very well in Euro 2012 and was the star of the team. He was horrible at WC2014 (you know, once upon a time, when Italy used to make it to the World Cup), and apparently some of the veterans were not happy with his attitude, even though I don't remember specific episodes of sulkiness/bad behavior/antics.
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)

On Tuesday, January 25, 2022 at 6:06:54 AM UTC-5, Futbolmetrix wrote:

On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 6:24:57 PM UTC-5, MH wrote:

OTOH, I don't recall (could definitely be wrong though) any antics or sulks when with the NT, for whom he has on occasion played well.

He played very well in Euro 2012 and was the star of the team. He was horrible at WC2014 (you know, once upon a time, when Italy used to make it to the World Cup), and apparently some of the veterans were not happy with his attitude, even though I don't remember specific episodes of sulkiness/bad behavior/antics.

https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Mondiali/25-06-2014/mondiali2014-balotelli-flop-italia-uruguay-801037581740.shtml
This article claims that his teammates (Buffon and De Rossi in particular) didn't like the fact that he isolated himself from the rest of the group, hanging out with his girlfriend and friends instead of being with the team. On the pitch he actually started well, scoring the winning goal in Italy's opening match against England, then missed a couple of early chances against Costa Rica that could have sent the match in a different direction. In the decisive match against Uruguay he started nervously, fell to Godin's provocations, earned a quick yellow card that could have become a red, and was subbed at half time (probably to protect him from a possible red). Instead of joining his teammates on the bench, he took a shower at half time and was ready to leave on his own. It's this behavior that sealed his fates for the NT.
https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Mondiali/25-06-2014/mondiali2014-balotelli-flop-italia-uruguay-801037581740.shtml
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
* Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)