Gli Azzurri are finally about to enter a new era, one that fans have been looking forward to for months. Cesare Prandelli is coach of the azzurri and on August 10th, will lead the team in his first match in charge in a friendly against the Ivory Coast. The man himself is quiet, smart, and reserved, and might just be what the teams needs.

So for the rest of this week, every post will be about Prandelli. Today we kick it off with a look back on how he got the job to begin with: his stellar club record, where he made his name using limited resources.

Prandelli was a soccer player himself, a midfielder who spent six years at Juve amongst various other clubs. As a coach, he started out the way most do- managing youth teams. He was coach and youth coach of Atalanta for 7 years, before moving onto Lecce. Interestingly, Lecce was probably the worst point of his coaching career, where he did less than expected and was sacked. He was then hired by Hellas Verona, where his career began to rise. Over two seasons, he promoted the club to Serie A from B and then led them to a ninth place finish. Parma were quick to snap him up, and he spent two years there. The club was in the midst of financial difficulties and had to constantly sell their best players, including a ripe Marco Di Viao, but he somehow led the club to a seventh place finish. This would become a staple of Prandelli’s career- taking a club with limited resources- most of these were selling clubs- to fantastic heights.

He then joined Roma for a very short time, but had to leave to be with his cancer striken wife. He took over from Fiorentina in 2005, and never looked back. Since:

-2005-2006: Took the team from relegation battlers to Champions League qualification, although this was later stripped from them via Calciopoli. Won Panchina d’Oro for best Italian coach.
-2006-2007: Started with a 15 point deduction and ended the season in 5th place. Had they been allowed to keep those 15 points, he would’ve finished in fourth again. Secured UEFA Cup qualification ad won Panchina d’Oro yet again.
-2007-2008: Reached semis of the UEFA Cup and finally led the team to the fourth place finish that they had earned the past two years. Was awarded “Serie A Coach of the Year” at the Oscar del Calcio awards.
-2008-2009: Knocked out of the group stage of the Champions League but finished 4th in Serie A yet again.
-2009-2010: Reached the round of 16 in the CL where they were controversially knocked out by Bayern. Domestic troubles that year led to a disappointing 11th place finish.

(The one blemish on his career seemed to be last season at Fiorentina, but there are a few things to keep in mind. It was the first time that Fior were truly contending in the Champions’ League, with the year before being their first time in it, and the squad was not that deep. Taking them into the round of 16 was a fantastic achievement, and were it not for poor referees, they would’ve gone farther. The knockout against Bayern seemed to dampen the team’s spirit and cause a slump they couldn’t really get out of. Additionally, on a personal note, I’ve never seen such an unlucky team in Serie A. That year, the amount of times they hit the post/had good goals called off/ had offside goals go in against them was astonishing and sad to see.)

His accomplishments are even more impressive when you consider just how he did them. Prandelli has never been in charge of a rich club, one owned by oil tycoons or rich sheiks. Fiorentina were bankrupt in 2002, and by 2006 he had earned enough points with them to take them into the Champions’ League. He doesn’t run teams with immense squads or unlimited funds. He’s the total opposite of a Jose Mourinho, who’s success is inspired by money. Prandelli knows how to win without it.

He was allowed to speak to the FIGC in the summer of 2010 and became the Italy coach. If his club records are anything to go by, the man can take limited resources and turn a team into something special. He likes to play good attacking football and often incorporates young Italians into his team, such as Riccardo Montolivo whilst at Fiorentina. He also is quite shrewd on the transfer market and is able to see the talent that players have, not just the hype, as he proved when he brought the disgraced Gilardino to Fiorentina and turned him into one of the better strikers in Serie A.

This is the very short history of a young coach who seems destined for a brighter future and a return to Fiorentina, eventually. However his short term furture lies with gli azzurri, and next post will profile what his reign as azzurri coach should be like, based on his quotes so far.

As a side note, I’ll be on vacation till Sunday. Paul will take over posting duties, though, so no worries there.

Yesterday, Prandelli’s club career was the spotlight of the post. We looked at his history in calcio and his qualifications for this job. Today, the focus is on just what the man wants to do as coach of gli azzurri. The easiest way to do that might be to break it down, quote by quote.

July 1st: Right after we were knocked out of the World Cup, Prandelli was interviewed. We learned quite a bit about what he thought about our World Cup and what he hopes to turn our team into. Most encouragingly, he realized we had a big problem and we do need to address it.

Cesare did not want to spend much time dwelling on the past, but did realize that he had to acknowledge it. He talked about the World Cup rather vaguely (The less said, the better), but did say that “I want to transform the negativity into something positive.” Although this is a pretty standard line, he admits that he is at the fulcrum of our future; “I want to transform”; it’s well and truly in his hands alone now to change our fortune.

That being said, he knows there’s no point dwindling on the past. “What has happened has happened. I hope to organise a team based on real human values. There are difficulties, but I want to start off right, with determination and the will to do well.”  He knows it won’t be easy, but he wants to start with the fundamentals and re-instate that drive to win that many players seemed to lack this summer. A team- not a collection of individuals- seems to be his ultimate goal here. And he believes that patience and openness are key in this aspect:  ”I don’t have any recipes at the moment, just the will to start well.” The focus is on trying things out and figuring out what works, instead of making a plan and forcing players into it (ie Lippi’s formations). It shows a willingness that Lippi lacked, which is all good news.

As for the players themselves, ”I am thinking about the first call-ups for the game. It would be nice to see good games, as well as the possibility to improve as we go on.” This is important to keep in mind- we won’t see a hugely polished Azzurri come August 10th. It’ll be his first game in charge and the players will be motivated but still probably unsure of exactly what he wants. He’s trying to keep expectations in check. At the same time, ”I wanted to avoid naming names because it’s not fair. Those who will get called are those who deserve to be here.” Simple: the call ups are based on who deserves it. Revolutionary, ironically. Interestingly enough, though, he named Buffon as his ideal captain so he seems a shoe in once he returns from injury.

And going with that, he also revealed that Oriundi will be considered for gli azzuri: “If they have Italian citizenship and they play really well I don’t see why one should not call them up.” Hopefully this won’t re-open the Amauri debate, but it does leave the door open for other foreign players who earn it- although you need more than just talent. ”It will also be based on respect and roles. I hope to take quality players with me.” Now this is interesting because it points out a loophole in the meritocracy: the players will only be called up if they earn it AND respect him. So if you’re in form but call Prandelli uno figlio di puttana, you won’t be going. Which is the way it should be, but as we’ve seen with Terry and other prima-donnas, you have to remind these guys who’s in charge.

Based on what he’s said so far, Cesare is ticking all the right boxes. He wants players with desire. Players who deserve to be there. Players who respect him and the shirt. He wants everyone to look to the future but keep in mind that the team will get better over time. None of this is really new, but I did want to cover it in depth so that everyone knows what to expect from Cesare.

Tomorrow, we’ll have videos of Prandelli’s finest moment as a coach so far. He truly exudes passion and love.

The Mario Balotelli-Manchester City transfer saga is really dragging on a bit now. It’s been rumored for days, if not weeks, that Balotelli is going to re-join his old coach Mancini, and some reports are claiming that he’s already signed for them (His agent denies this, though). All things considered, going to Man City could be a great move for Balotelli, given that he actually starts in the first XI and plays regularly.

Gli Azzurri could hugely benefit from a regularly playing Balotelli. We all know that the boy has two things in spades: talent and an attitude problem. Yet we’ve only seen both occasionally because he so rarely starts for Inter. On Man City, everyone would be able to find out just how consistent he is, and find out if he’s a tremendous striker or more of a super sub. Prandelli’s new meritocracy requires in form players who are actually playing, so this would only help his chances at the Azzurri. His disciplinary issues would also be more transparent; if he makes it through an entire Prem season without a red card, then surely his issues are a thing of the past. Playing in the physical Prem would toughen him up and give us another weapon up front.

Of course, this all assumes that Mancini plans to actually start him; admittedly, this argument inherently implies that Mancini will play him more than Benitez will, which is almost impossible to prove. But it does seem somewhat likely. Man City do have a lot of striking options, but I doubt Mancini would go after a former player with this much verve if he only wanted to let him sit on the bench. Besides, Bellamy doesn’t have the best of relationships with him, Santa Cruz is oft injured and looks to be on his way out, and Adebayor is inconsistent. Mancini plays a 4-3-3 at City, so Balotelli could be flanked by the likes of Tevez while Toure and De Jong shore up the midfield. It’s quite a stacked team, and should he be able to shine there, there’s really no reason why he shouldn’t be called up for us.

It could also be a good move for Inter. No one wants young Italians to leave the peninsula, but if it aids in their progress than maybe it’s for the best. Besides, with a front-line that includes Milito, Eto’, Sneijder, and Pandev, all of whom started regularly last year, it’s hard to see where Balotelli would fit in. Perhaps Benitez plans to use him more than Mourinho did, but if that’s the case, why is this transfer saga still going on? Inter could earn a ton of money from this, and Balotelli would grow as a player. It seems like a win-win.

Balotelli could become the next Zola in the Prem- but only if he has the trust of his coach and regular playing time. It’s impossible to tell how Balotelli would do at Man City given that he’s not even a Citizen (yet, if ever), but it might just work.

Giuseppe Rossi is a fantastic attacking talent who’s really shone for Villareal over the past few years. He didn’t make it to the last World Cup due to a bizarre and unfortunate array of circumstances- his father died early in the winter so Rossi took a few weeks off from playing, and though he seemed to find his form by the end of the campaign, Marcello remained unconvinced. Now, rumor has it that he’s looking to return to Serie A.

But should he?

There’s no doubt that Rossi could succeed here. He’s done it before, almost singlehandedly saving Parma from relegation a few years ago. He’s a young and dynamic striker, and supposedly quite a few clubs have him on their radar, including Milan. A move back could kickstart his return to the Azzurri, and give him a fresh challenge.

This great volley was just one of the crucial goals he scored for Parma- and shows his class.

On the other hand, sometimes it’s better to have players not all confined to one continent. In some cases it helps- ie, when we won in 2006, all of the squad plyed their trade in Italy- but in other cases, teams are just too inflexible when all of their players only know how to play one way- see England over the past 40 years. Rossi could still return to gli azzurri if Prandelli wants him to, and playing over in La Liga could be a tactical advantage that he would have. He’d have the know how to play against Spain at the very least, and would have a different brand of soccer that he’s used to. I doubt he’d have any trouble fitting in on gli azzurri in any case, since he was great in the Confederations’ Cup and he was playing for Villareal at that time as well.

From an azzurri standpoint, then, I don’t think it makes much of a difference whether or not he returns to Serie A. I’d love to see him back on the peninsula on a personal note, though, since I watch Serie A week in and week out and would get to see him. What do you guys think?

The Azzurrini squad is always quality. There’s a lot of class players just waiting to emerge from the wings that play in these youth championships. Unfortunately, the most recent one is turning out quite poorly for Italy- sort of like the most recent World Cup.

Our  U-19 team is competing in the UEFA U19 Championship right now. There’s not many teams involved in this- only 8, and the tourney begins with 2 groups of 4 teams. Our group is rather tough, being comprised of Italy, Portugal, Croatia, and Spain. We played our first game a few days ago, losing 2-0 to Portugal after going down to 9 men. We tied 0-0 today, after once again going down a man, to Croatia. Which leaves us in a rather precarious position:

Bottom of the group. To advance, we have to beat Spain in the final group game and do it by enough goals so that the other game swings in our favor. That means that Portugal must lose but Croatia has to win by 1 less goal than we win by.

To put it in simpler terms, once again we’re facing elimination from a competition and could well finish bottom of the group. This is turning out to be a rather dour summer for Italia.

The World Cup just ended and we have friendlies and Euro qualifying soon… but almost nothing in the meantime. The players are all on vacation, getting ready for preseason training soon with their clubs, and Prandelli is thinking and thinking about what players to use. But for now, gli azzurri are on a break.

Luckily, the U-19 team is playing today. More information about our team and the competition is here. It should be a good game- their opponent is Portugal, who’s usually no pushover on the international level. In fact, Italy only have one trophy on the U19 level, and it came in 2003 after beating Portugal in the final. I can’t seem to find a link anywhere online, but if someone can, please post it in the comments and I’ll edit it into this post.

Our first friendly is on August 10th I believe, so we still have 3 weeks of no azzurri action.

According to FIFA: They have us ranked 11th, Spain 1st, and France a whopping fall to 21st. And yet Egypt are 9th and didn’t even qualify for the World Cup.

These rankings really don’t count for much except seedings, and they’re highly controversial, but it’s about what we deserve.

On the other hand, once we finally do win a trophy, FIFA can take these rankings and make sure everyone sees “Italia” on the number one spot.