Italy took on Republic of Ireland at Craven Cottage in a pre-World Cup warm up match which ended in a sluggish 0-0 draw.
The match, which took place in London’s Craven Cottage, did not come without a cost for the Azzurri as Riccardo Montolivo now looks set to miss the World Cup with an injury sustained in the contest.
Did we get our ratings right? Give your say in the comments below.
Salvatore Sirigu – 8 – Reliable
Firm stop to save a relatively easy Anthony Pilkington free kick in the first half but made a great reflex save from a Shane Long header and then reacted to collect the follow up and denied that same player in the second half. Unlikely to be called upon in Brazil but nice to know that Buffon has an able deputy.
Matteo Darmian – 7 – Promising
An assured performance when he overcame some little jitters that would have to be expected. You would not have known it was his international debut up against the tricky Aiden McGeady.
Gabriel Paletta – 6 – Shaky
Caught out of position a little too frequently and his distribution again left something to be desired. Did his prospects of starting in Brazil a little damage with this display in struggling to cope with the pace and movement of Long and Pilkington.
Leonardo Bonucci – 7 – Solid
Signs of slight tiredness in some touches but that can be attributed to a long, hard season with Juventus perhaps. On the whole, never really troubled but a better attack may have caused him more headaches. Unlucky not to score with a second half header.
Mattia De Sciglio – 7 – Decent
Better defensively than he was going forward in his position at left back. Would be more comfortable on the right hand side perhaps and that will no doubt factor in Cesare Prandelli’s thinking for the tournament itself.
Thiago Motta – 6 – Slack
Not the most enjoyable night at the office he will enjoy, almost caught his side a goal after half an hour with a horrendously slack pass in his own area and was overran for spells in the first half as well as being caught in possession on more than one occasion.
Marco Verratti – 7.5 – Determined
Bright and involved from the get go, if this is what life after Pirlo will be like then the future is not a bleak one. There are still questions about him as a defensive player but what a joy he is when picking passes.
Claudio Marchisio – 7 – Tireless
Demonstrated perfectly just why his energy levels and enthusiasm will be so important in the heat of Brazil. Arguably the fittest member of the squad. Had a good early effort that was well saved by David Forde.
Riccardo Montolivo (C) – 5 – Heartbreak
Substituted after 13 minutes after an innocuous looking challenge from Alex Pearce and instantly signalled his discomfort, seeming to tell the bench “it is broken” in reference to his leg. A truly saddening sight.
Giueseppe Rossi – 6.5 – Valuable
Surprisingly on corner kick duties. Looked lively but did not get a great deal of service. However, the main thing for ‘Pepito’ was simply being on the field getting minutes and match sharpness ahead of the main event next month.
Ciro Immobile – 6 – Subdued
Top scorer in the league but had very little to encourage Azzurri, a slack early touch seeing a chance get away from him and although he had two volleys, both were blocked. Had a second half goal ruled out for offside, fairly.
Substitutes
Alberto Aquilani (Montolivo 13) – 5
Looked weak before seeming to struggle with his vision and requesting to be subbed less than 25 minutes after coming on.
Marco Parolo (Aquilani 37) – 6
Not a lot done wrong for the solid Parma midfielder but the game rarely opened up enough for him to showcase his passing range or that blistering shot he possesses.
Antonio Cassano (Immobile 56) – 6
Not a whole lot of time to make an impact but certainly was a popular introduction among those in attendance, judgement reserved pending further friendly use.
Daniele De Rossi (Motta 62) – 6.5
The biggest Italy cheer of the night for someone arriving from the bench was reserved for the Roma midfielder whose role in Brazil now looks to be even bigger with Montolivo’s injury.
Alessio Cerci (Giuseppe Rossi) – 70
Not enough real time to make an impact but it will be interesting to see where Prandelli chooses best to deploy him at the World Cup.
Coach
Cesare Prandelli – 7
Started the game off with a loose 4-4-2 formation, Marchisio and Montolivo playing in more advanced midfield roles than the deeper PSG pair Motta and Verratti with Rossi occupying a vague free role behind Immobile.
His side did lack creativity at times but it is hard to judge them too harshly: they are coming off the back of a long season, have been undergoing intense preparations for the South American and were visibly shell-shocked by the loss of their friend and teammate, Montolivo.
