5 Players to Watch in Italy's Euro 2016 Qualifier with Azerbaijan
Italy take on Azerbaijan on Friday evening, welcoming their Group H rivals to Palermo for their second Euro 2016 qualifier. Having already recorded a victory over Norway, the Azzurri will be well aware that two wins this week will put them in an excellent position to reach the tournament in France.
Antonio Conte has selected an interesting squad for the encounter, adding one or two new faces to his regular core of players. While Mario Balotelli has once again been left out, Andrea Pirlo has returned to the squad, the effects of his hip injury now behind him to be reunited with his former Juventus coach.
Over the following pages is a look at five players to watch closely during Italy’s latest match, with some notable names to monitor.
1. Ciro Immobile
After initially struggling for Borussia Dortmund, striker Ciro Immobile has returned to the form which saw him end last season as the top goalscorer in Serie A. The 24-year-old striker’s first three matches saw him fail to find the net, only for the German side to look on as he scored in Italy’s friendly against the Netherlands.
That strike sparked an instant improvement in the Juventus youth product, who has now taken his tally to three for the season at club level, netting twice in the Champions League and beginning to repay the faith of Jurgen Klopp.
With Mario Balotelli omitted from the Azzurri squad once again, Conte too has shown belief in Immobile, and the striker should enjoy the next two outings for his national team.
2. Andrea Pirlo
The return of Andrea Pirlo to the Italy setup should come as no surprise, the 2006 World Cup winner making it clear he would love to continue playing for the Azzurri. “I spoke to Conte, he asked me to be part of the Azzurri family again and I accepted,” the Juventus star told Gazzetta TV last month (h/t The Daily Mail), and he did not have to wait long.
Injury to Milan’s Giacomo Bonaventura saw the 35-year-old quickly added to the squad, and he is now likely to feature from the start against Azerbaijan. Having only returned to club action this past weekend, Pirlo managed 79 minutes against Roma on Sunday and his fitness level will be important here.
3. Marco Verratti
If Pirlo is the master, then Marco Verratti is most certainly the apprentice, and he will now be forced once again to learn his craft from the older man. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has been in good form this term, stats site WhoScored.com showing that across Europe’s top-five leagues, only Xabi Alonso (125.3) has made more passes per game than Verratti’s 106.1.
What is interesting here is Conte’s choices; does he immediately opt to return Pirlo to the heart of the Azzurri midfield, or does the 21-year-old get to retain his place? Given the quality of the opposition, the former Pescara star could consider himself unfortunate to miss out.
4. Leonardo Bonucci
Defender Leonardo Bonucci inflamed tensions between his club and Roma this week, with his tweet celebrating Juve’s win becoming headline news on the peninsula. The Bianconeri defender was forced to apologise for his actions, telling a press conference on Tuesday that he “didn’t want to offend” the Giallorossi, per Football Italia.
That aside, the 27-year-old has been in excellent form this term, WhoScored showing he has averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 3.8 clearances per game so far this season. The same source also highlights his continued excellence on the ball, making 53.5 passes per outing and completing them at a superb rate of 90.7 per cent.
5. Matteo Darmian
Like many of his club team-mates, Matteo Darmian has endured a difficult start to 2014-15, struggling to overcome the loss of Ciro Immobile and Alessio Cerci. The Granata rallied briefly, winning against Cagliari and FC Copenhagen, but last weekend saw them lose again, going down 2-1 away to Napoli.
It is a far cry from the summer, with Darmian proving to be one of few bright spots for the Azzurri in a dismal World Cup showing. He looked solid in defence and bright in attack, and his impact on the Italy side was discussed in detail here.
Once again pulling on the famous blue shirt of his country, it will be interesting to see if the 24-year-old can rediscover that form.