Azzurri: Which fringe player do YOU think deserves a shot with Conte's Italy?
Italy are a headscratcher, aren't they?
It's not often that qualifying at the head of one's group to the European Championships unbeaten is considered underwhelming, yet this Italy team has somehow managed to do it.
Coach Antonio Conte has flattered to deceive as the Azzurri's CT, putting together a squad which seemingly emphasizes his system over individual quality, which has seen the likes of Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Berardi be sidelined despite their good performances in Serie A.
The latter two are in the manager's bad books for skipping the Azzurri's last two Euro 2016 qualifiers (against Azerbaijan and Norway) for injuries which he did not deem to be serious enough.
This has resulted in what many believe is a low-quality squad being assembled, and the Corriere dello Sport's recent attempt at guessing the Final 23 seems to confirm this.
This poll will focus more on players who would fill key positions of need for the Azzurri, which would explain the lack of emphasis on goalkeepers (Gigi Buffon, ladies and gentlemen). Is Juventus' ageing (but recently very impressive) central defensive trio of Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli the solution, despite an error-prone qualifying campaign? Should Antonio Candreva or Eder be starting insted of Lorenzo Insigne and Giacomo Bonaventura, to name two?
Who do you think should be on the plane, nay play a key role in the Azzurri's Euro 2016 campaign?
Here are (some) options:
- Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
- Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)
- Jorginho (Napoli)
- Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina)
- Alessio Romagnoli (Milan)
- Giacomo Bonaventura (Milan)
- Leonardo Pavoletti (Genoa)
- Riccardo Saponara (Empoli)
- Danilo Cataldi (Lazio)
- Luca Tonelli (Empoli)
- Manolo Gabbiadini (Napoli)
- Armando Izzo (Genoa)
- Edoardo Goldaniga (Palermo)
- Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria)
- Mario Balotelli (a controversial pick, but why not?)
- Franco Vazquez (Palermo)
We'll tally the votes (and the most interesting takes) and give Coach Conte a piece of our (collective) minds!
