Donadoni unveils Euro 2008 roster with 1 surprise.

Italy are again in the group of death. Why does this happen to us always!!!

Inzaghi? Could be an option but we are talking far down the sub list...I think he had to chose Delpiero and cassano...quaglia and dinatale play a similar style.. But they are deadly together...and how do you keep borrelio out? He's been great... Maybe domeniche can pass on. Trezeguet but donadoni couldnt pass on borrelio and delpiero.. So unfortunately, inzaghi did not make it. Plus, dp, cassano, dinatale and quaglia can play tre quartista if needed.

Italy best 11
Buffon - Grosso Chiellini( prove himself in juve this year)Cannavaro Zambrotta - Camoranesi Pirlo De Rossi ( best serieA midfielder this season)- Cassano( as playmaker he did remarkable in samp) Del Piero( in his original hole, he was one of the best in europe this year) Toni.
Che spettacolo

yea gilardino is missing? he was a killer in world cup 06 and is nasty on ac when he comes off bench...also totti and nesta sorry their choice would be nice to have em tho. i would like pipo...inzaghi and gilardino on the squad!

"What about Gilardino???"

Do you guys hear that? Listen closer...that's the collective laughter of every Milan fan on the planet. Including me.

I was hoping someone could answer this, but why would Andrea Dossena not be included in Donadoni's Squad?

He seems to be the next big thing (except he's 26 so technically, he's in his prime)

Thanks

Do y'all know something I don't? Why no Gilardino? Please enlighten me!

Oh...with the exception of Pirlo, I think this squad's weakest link is our mid field. With our world class strikers and legendary defense we should go far in the tournament (that's if the officiating doesn't spoil it)

Gilardino? Who is that? hahahaha

Gilardino....you're kidding, right?

If Casano can keep his childish outbreaks under wraps and put his squad and country first I'm happy to see him on the team. By far he's the most gifted striker in terms of skill and finesse, and can be quite dangerous. Why Pippo didn't make the cut baffles me. Del Piero had a good year w/Juve but I would have gave Inzaghi the knod before DP, despite there role differences. What about Gilardino???

Forza Italia

Inzaghi should go instead of Borriello. Borriello has never played any uefa tournament, nor had any real international experience. Inzaghi, on the other hand, has a wealth of both. Honestly, who would you expect to score?

I was a bit surprised to see him pick Cassano, but a good decision. In top form...he's stunning, and Sampdoria-Juve confirmed this. Him, Camoranesi, and Del Piero are some of the rare men in the squad that can beat their man one-on-one.

My last note is, how cruel is 24? Why didn't Donadoni just announce 23, he should have picked like 27 cause now that one guy is going to be unbelievably disappointed.

Calcio - the same case can be made for Boriello...he's got a whopping 2 caps with the Azzurri. I don't see that as a reason not to include Amauri. Just sayin...

I love our squad heading into this tournament. Just look at all that technical ability. Who else has that many dangerous options at striker? What team can control the midfield with ball winning defensive players and playmakers to hold on to the ball? I think oddly enough our defense is the weak point (although stronger then most other sides). However, I don't think there's any doubt they will come together for a strong tournament. I'd prefer to see Canna, and Barzagli in the middle with Grosso and Gianluca on their side. We'll see what happens, but either way it'll be a hell of a team to watch if they stay healthy.

Also one other point, our most talented player is likely to be a sub for the tournament. In this case it's not necessarily a bad situation because I like Cassano coming in off the bench to provide some fire power and creativity for the team (they needed this during qualifying).

To Lorenzo : Amauri is indeed a lethal striker with characteristics of Toni. However, he has never played for the Azzurri. It is not likely to well integrate him into the team in such a short period of time.

To Moka : True, Inzaghi (or any other Italian target men) will not play as long as Donadoni sticks with 4-3-3 and Toni is available. The question is who will replace Toni in emergency situation (Toni gets booked, injured, etc.) ?

Inzaghi may be the only missing clog in this otherwise near perfect team.

i hear you moka...but if i can remove my biases for a second (i know, it's difficult, right? hehe), i honestly think Amauri is a more adequate replacement for Toni rather than Boriello. The reason why I say this is because Boriello really tailed off towards the end of the season.

But like I said before, let's just hope Toni stays healthy throughout, and we won't need any Boriello subs in tight games!

bringing materazzi is a mistake. he is crap. during the matches Inter played Juve for instance, Ale Del Piero just exposed all of his weaknesses and made him look like a complete asshole. I am very interested to see how Cassano does.

Forza ADP!!!!!!

Lorenzo, as a Palermo fan, you'd obviously want to see Amauri get the call-up.. Just like myself, an AC fan, wanting Inzaghi to get the call-up.. But honestly, if you think about it, the Italian team doesn't need them..

Toni/Di Natale starters and then DelPi/Cassano come as subs.. and then there's Quagliarella AND Borriello..

At first I was upset that Pippo didn't make it, but think about it.. he'll barely get playing time (even tho it's likely that he'll score).. so it's a smart move to give the younger players a chance to get some experience(Cassano, Quags)..

Who's gonna lead the Italian offence in 2010?

Montolivo and Aquiliani! :D.. I really hope they get playing time.. especially Montolivo..

I would've rather had Amauri over Boriello or Inzaghi. Nonetheless, some don't think he's "Italian" enough. He's only lived in Italy for 7+ years, married an Italian, considers it his home, etc.

But let's not get into this debate again. We'll know how well this side can play once we get to see the upcoming friendly in a little over a week from now.

Inzaghi should get the nod over Borriello in terms of current form, experience, and reliability in big games. The decision to include the later in the expense of the former shows that Donadoni already thinks one step ahead : World Cup 2010. If Toni stays healthy throughout then nobody will ever questions the decision. Else, it may prove to be costly.

Don't get me started...

Yes, Donadoni has brought Del Piero. But the big news is that he has decided to take the gamble on Antonio Cassano. Oddo’s injury plus lack of form since coming back combined with Panucci’s ability to play on the right meant that the Milan fullback and team barber in 2006 will be watching Euro 2008 at home. That allowed Donadoni to bring an extra striker, which he used to call up Cassano.

I'm with you on Aquilani/Montolivo, one of them will go and I think it'll be the Fiorentina player (less tenure with the Azzurri).

Forget Amauri. He is not Italian, only on paper. Balotelli on the other hand has as much right to say he's italian as anybody else...

Wasn't Amauri of Palermo available, since he has become an Italian citizen? What a tandem Toni and Amauri would make...unstopable!!

I'm not shedding a tear if Nesta and Totti aren't on the roster because of their own decisions. Forget them. Italy is made up of many champions and we play as a team not as a group of individuals...don't need them. It'd be nice to have them, but they aren't hurting us by their lack of presence.

So he did end up going with the 6 strikers including Cassano and Del Piero. Sanity prevailed (ahem...pun not intended).

FINALLY MY DAY HAS COME! Everyone from the roma blog knows how annoying I am... because all I do is talk about this kid, but he will prove himself. This is the best news I have heard in a long time...He is the best striker in Italy

Really, I think Pippo Mio deserves a spot on the roster. He plays amazingly in the CL/Europe, and his form as of late has been superb. It's too bad to see the roster without names like Nesta and Totti though = [

We can like Cassano's inclusion or not, but now that he's on the team we can only hope that he will be mature and contribute to a victorious tournament! This team need fear no-one! (apart, perhaps, a bigoted officiating crew)

Is this the same Aquilani that gets massive hemorrhages from paper cuts? ;) Kidding, hopefully Aquilani will be back in shape for the Euros. I think Cassano has got the excitement factor down, but I confess it would have been nice to see Rossi get a call-up.

i was really hoping to see rossi on the azzurri squad. don't get my wrong i is a FANTASTIC squad, but i think it needs a few surprise elements or secret weapons if u will. rossi would inject some excitement. anyway hopefully aquilani would provide that :)

I don't foresee many of the attackers retiring, as most are fairly young (except Del Piero, but who knows when that man is quitting, and Toni who still has a lot of years left in him) so I suppose we will have to wait to see Rossi on La Nazionale. But no one can dispute, IMO, that he has the quality to at least be a member of this team if not for a starter --- that will come later, hopefully. Here's to hoping he can get back in form next season!

There have been exceptions Skeptic (for instance Cassano was still eligible for the U21 squad in 2004 but still went to the senior national team), but usually that's how it goes, unless Rossi has a really excellent year next season.

Also we'll have to see how many players retire from the Azzurri after the Euro and such.

But do you think that Rossi will really have to wait until the 2009 U21 European Championships to get a call-up? While I heartily support Cassano getting called up for the Euros, I would honestly have loved for Rossi to finally be rewarded for a fantastic season and considering what he's sacrificed to cast his lot with the Azzurri.

Anyone who saw the tournement in 2004 will know what Cassano is capable of. During the abysmal trip to portugal it was evident that Cassano was a phenominal talent and even at times inspiraitonal. His reacitons when he scored the late winner against Bulgaria, in vain, showed us all that there is a heart behind the seemingly childish footballer. It was obvious that at that moment cassano bled azzuri and geniuinly cared about football and not his post match rendevous with a woman or night out at a club. Cassano is a talent to be seen and it is a wise move to invite him to Euro and i have no doubts that this will pay dividends. Montolivo will be cut, unfortunately, but he has a bright future for the azzuri and for me will be the heir to Andrea Pirlo.

I love the decision. We needed another player that can carry the team to victory by himself. Last tournament we had Canna, Totti, Nesta, Toni and Gigi (even if Totti and Nesta never had that type of complete game performance due to injuries). Those guys were all capable dominating games when others struggle. Cassano is that type of 'bail-out' player that can help the team advance if it struggles in a particular game.

I agree that Montolivo is the most likely to be dropped, in the absence of an injury at Coverciano or a serious "Cassanata".

Including Cassano in the 24 and then cutting him at the last minute would be incredibly cruel, and completely counter-productive in the longer run (which should matter more to Donadoni now that he has a contract through 2010).

That's the thing about Italy Medalinho, a player has to "graduate" from the U-21 squad before making the Azzurri squad. Even players like Nesta, Baggio, and Totti all had to go through the process.

Should've used that extra striker slot for Guiseppe Rossi...the kid deserves the call up...amazing year in Spain, led the Azzurrini for years...he deserve a shot....Donadoni should've at least taken him to EURO...

Cassano's coming, eccelente! nah i think its good news for italians. no-one seems to like the guy, but to be honest, i love him for his skill and his stupid moments.
apart from him, its a predictable squad i guess, would like to montolivo and aquilani stay in place of maybe camoranesi or borriello, whichever way, it's a squad capable of winning the tournament

I think Montolivo will be the player who gets cut for the previously stated reason(s).

As for Cassano, it's a mixed bag of feelings, and I think it's that way for everyone. Nobody can argue his immense talent. It's just that you never know what could set him off in a bad way. I HOPE that he keeps it under wraps and can come off the bench and be that spark...I really do. If that is the case, Italy has become all the more dangerous.

On a side note, in terms of form, Boriello was non-existent through the last 5 games of the season. Let's hope Toni stays healthy throughout.

With Materazzi and Cassano on the field at the same time the potential for red card/meltdown madness is very high, but I doubt there's a player in Italy that can change a game the way Antonio can. It's a good move I think, even if he's just a super sub.

Happy to see Montolivo there though, by the by. He was great in the second half of the season.