England with a more ready squad in the remake of the Euro 2021 final. And coach Mancini throws the big news into the fray
The atmosphere is undoubtedly special. The national team, which arrived by train from Florence, looked around and experienced the embarrassment of crashing other people’s parties. Ok, in honor of him, they lit up the Maschio Angioino and the Fountain of Neptune in Piazza Municipio in blue, but between the balconies of the popular neighborhoods, like clothes hanging, blue banners that already scream the Naples champion of Italy run. Superstition is clearly offside, the Var is not needed. Azzurro Napoli, not azzurro Italia. Roberto Mancini’s national team arrives as a guest band to play before the Big Concert, before the Big Party that is about to explode. He has little sand left in the hourglass. Barella and Verratti strum at the San Paolo waiting for Kvara and Osimhen to receive their well-deserved apotheosis.
Goal, the keyword
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Particular atmosphere because in any case it is a game that is worth a lot, Italy-England, a remake of the Euro 2021 final, the first official step towards the next edition. And then it’s been ages since the national team played in Naples: Italy-Armenia 2-2, 15 October 2013. Ten years. Mario Balotelli, intimately linked to the city, scored the last blue goal at the San Paolo. To recover a Neapolitan victory for Italy, one had to go back even to November 15, 1997: Pierluigi Casiraghi’s decisive goal in the play-off against Russia. “Play-off” is a word that gives us hives. Balotelli and Casiraghi: purebred bomber, extinct species. In three play-offs (two with Sweden, one with Macedonia) and in the unfortunate crossings in Switzerland and Ireland: 0 goals. We don’t know how to make them anymore, we children of Giggirriva. Absurd. As if in Naples, suddenly, they no longer know how to make pizza. Ciro Immobile, a true Campanian, in reality he has always made pizzas, even in this championship, he is the best Italian striker (9 goals), like Zaccagni, but next June 16 it will be two years since he does not score one in the national team. Almost exactly one year after the Macedonian Apocalypse (March 24, 2022), the key word of the night remains the same: goal.
In the sign of Mateo
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The fact that Mancini, a year ago, had thought of calling a minor Balotelli back into service for the match in Palermo and later regretted not doing so, explains well the situation which has worsened further. The blue attack is one of many dried up Italian rivers. While his colleague Southgate can lose Rashford without tearing his clothes and leaving Abraham and Sterling at home, Mancini has to choose between Wilfried Gnonto, 19, who has never moved from Serie A; Gianluca Scamacca, West Ham substitute, who hasn’t scored in the Premier League since 4 January; and Mateo Retegui, 23, a rookie caught in Argentina. Naturally the great curiosity is him, el Chapita of San Fernando, whom Mancio pampered yesterday by comparing him to the first Batistuta. We harbor the hope of a Schillaci-like explosion, of which he shares Sicilian chromosomes. He has the goal embedded in his surname, Rete-gui, a good sign, and a promising match. The most used adjective these days to describe it is “bad”. Bad like Vialli when he chased the ball. Mateo has the wickedness of Luca and the Argentine blood of Maradona, the two souls that will float in the sky of Fuorigrotta. We will have the sensation of seeing them on the pitch, like in that cursed (for us) semi-final of Italia ’90, when the most Neapolitan part of the San Paolo shouted “Diego! Diego!” to cover up the boos and insults of others. It’s not that our defense aquifers are much more generous. The Bonucci-Chiellini encyclopedia, which has made school, like the Devoto-Oli dictionary, has been placed in the library, and we replace them with the Toloi-Acerbi couple, 32 and 35 years old. Waiting for the grandchildren of Nesta, Maldini, Cannavaro to finally blossom. The two Nerazzurri have the task of stopping Hurricane Kane: 53 goals in 80 games. Toloi and Acerbi, having re-emerged from negative experiences (Roma, Milan), are giving their best at the end of their careers. The two count 36 tokens in the Champions League. The Englishman Foden, alone, already 42 at 22; Bellingham 23 to 19 years old. To say how talents blossom with ease elsewhere.
More choices and more ready
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Good for us that Gareth Southgate remains stubbornly fond of Harry Maguire, big marble cat in central defence. Defined as “Fantozziano” by the Guardian, highly criticized at home, we have considered the English coach a good friend since, in the European final, he chose three penalty takers who entered the hellish Wembley coldly: of course they were wrong. But since that day his England has grown more than ours. Also thanks to the good World Cup played in Qatar: against France he deserved to pass. Southgate has more choices and young players who are more ready and hardened by a more coaching championship. Saka, who is helping Arsenal win the Premier League, 12 goals, is no longer the one taken for the cup by Chiellini. It’s easier for him to take one of our men by the handle. The English are stronger and favourites, even if they never beat us.
All in one night
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We count on the magic of Maradona who didn’t like the British. Let’s hope that Jorginho enters the San Paolo as in the Cocoon pool and rediscovers the energy of his 22 years, when he played in Benitez’s Napoli. Even if there in the middle, without a Cristante, there is the risk of suffering the English physicality. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, genius loci, said: “My Naples resembles the Italy of the European Championship”. He is right. Same quality of play, same offensive spirit, same courage to challenge and beat more equipped opponents. But then the national team, which looked like today’s Napoli, suffered an involution like Milan: inability to manage success and to renew itself to feed new hunger, terrible difficulty finding the goal which suddenly narrowed. But what if Mancio, to whom we owe our trust and gratitude, found everything in one night? What if Napoli, who spanked Liverpool to Maradona, returned from Milan? After all, crashers often enjoy themselves at other people’s parties.
March 23, 2023 (change March 23, 2023 | 09:04)
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