WHAT A WIN!!!

Shanked: It's time for Ademilson to step up his game, I guess!

Pauker: Not lies, I promise

Walter: Thanks Walt, love the colors as always, and as a Barcelona fan at heart, I cannot say that that game brought me any joy at all

After Cesare Prandelli announced his resignation from the Italy post after the European Championship last summer and Giuseppe Bergomi was given the job, quite a bit of expectancy fell upon the ex-international star. He had created winning sides at Inter and Denmark, but Italy is another beast entirely.

It was announced upon his getting the job that Bergomi's Italy debut was to be against South Korea at the Stadio Olimpico, a relatively simple match for the Azzurri to hopefully win and give a confidence boost to the new boss.

In anticipation of that game, Bergomi has announced his 23 man squad for the friendly. Injuries to starting goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu and star striker Mattia Destro made space in the squad for Ajax tender Francesco Bardi and Parma goal-scorer Alberto Paloschi, who have yet to receive their first caps.

Coaching both Inter and Italy have led to some accusations of bias toward Bergomi's club side's players for the national team. However, the 86 cap man has called up only 4 Nerazzurri players (Lorenzo Insigne, Andrea Poli, Giuseppe Bellusci, and Andrea Ranocchia), but all 4 are already national team regulars.

Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio have kept their roles as captain and vice-captain respectively, both players experienced national stars, with De Rossi boasting an incredible 121 caps already.

The full squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers

Emiliano Viviano (Juventus)
Andrea Consigli (Udinese)
Francesco Bardi (Ajax)

Defenders

Andrea Ranocchia (Inter)
Giuseppe Bellusci (Inter)
Davide Astori (Juventus)
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)
Marco Capuano (Pescara)
Ignazio Abate (AC Milan)
Domenico Criscito (Zenit)
Guilherme Siqueira (Granada)

Midfielders

Andrea Poli (Inter)
Daniele De Rossi (Roma)
Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)
Riccardo Montolivo (AC Milan)
Giacomo Bonaventura (Napoli)
Alessandro Florenzi (Udinese)
Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus)

Forwards

Lorenzo Insigne (Inter)
Fabio Borini (Porto)
Mario Balotelli (Real Madrid)
Giuseppe Rossi (Villareal)
Alberto Paloschi (Parma)

Nice updates, I like the Italy squad, seems impressive.

Great stuff as always, Emma. For some reason in FM, I do not like Balo, but will you try him out? The forward line seems amazing, and that goes with every position as well :P. Viviano, Bardi, Consigli, plus the injured Sirigu seem to be fighting to be the heir of Gigi.. Maybe look at Leali and Perin for the future?

This game was joyful to watch, even if Inter RAPED Barca

I can't believe you are a Barca fan Anyway, why not watch the video again?

2013-10-09 22:08#137360 Pauker :

Mohamed: Thanks Momo

Pauker: I think he'll do well, Balotelli that is. Right now Sirigu is the No1, but Leali is also developing nicely!

Walter: VISCA LA BARCA!

Italy thoroughly defeated the South Korean national side by a scoreline of 2-0 in new manager Giuseppe Bergomi's debut in the job. Early goals from center back pairing Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Ranocchia did the job for the Azzurri, but a late injury to that latter put a damper on the win.

Bergomi surprised quite a few people by starting with only 1 striker despite calling up 5, Fabio Borini the lone man in a 4-3-2-1 system set up to control the match from the outset. It was the Italians' dominance from corner kicks, however, that was the real story of the match.

Andrea Poli, who also plays for Bergomi's club side, Inter, provided three excellent deliveries in the first half. Bonucci and Ranocchia converted the first two with bullet headers, while the third struck the crossbar off of De Rossi's head.

In the second half, Mario Balotelli was given a run out in place of Borini, and the Real Madrid front man did excellently, bullying the South Korean defense and unluckily slammed a shot off the post after a lay off from Insigne.

What perhaps out-shadowed Italy's strong victory was a serious injury sustained by Inter Milan captain Andrea Ranocchia. The towering center back, having already scored, went down with strained knee ligaments and will miss slightly over a month, a severe blow for both Inter and Italy.

"It was a very good win for us," said Bergomi. "Poli especially impressed me quite a lot." In response to Ranocchia's injury, Bergomi replied, "It is a big blow. Andrea [Ranocchia] is a top defender, the best in Italy, and he will be missed."

Italy's next fixtures will be in early September when they host Latvia before traveling to Slovakia in World Cup Qualifying matches in Giuseppe Bergomi's first competitive matches in charge of the Azzurri.

How good is Borini :P? Hoping big wins from Latvia and Slovakia

Good debut win, really enjoying this story

Great win Neal, Italy will surely win the World Cup under your management!

How dare you leave Denmark?!?!?

Haha jk, good win with Italy, but unfortunate with the injury to Ranocchia.

Pauker: 20+ goals a season for Porto, very quick and great finisher. And yeah, no way

Justice: Thanks Niko

The Madridista: That's the plan

Pixel: Sorry, I just had to join my home country

In the first match of Inter's new Serie A campaign, they traveled to rivals Atalanta in the Lombardo Derby. Many people expected Inter to pick up an easy 3 points to start strong once again, but on derby day, anything can happen.

Ademilson and Luca Caldirola got the surprise starts due to injures to two key Italian players, Mattia Destro and Andrea Ranocchia. Both performed well, but it was last season's €21M man Adam Maher that took the match onto his shoulders.

Fresh off of scoring 4 goals in 5 preseason matches as well as against Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana, Maher was looking deadly. Andrea Poli slipped the Dutch star through on goal and he made no mistake, slotting easily past Ujkani to give Inter the lead.

78 minutes into the match, the derby's bad blood came through, and Atalanta's Brazilian midfielder Renan was shown a straight red card for a horrible tackle through the back of countryman Philippe Coutinho. Bergomi was on his feet, yelling, so appalled was he at the challenge.

As the clock ticked on, Atalanta started to throw their 10 men forward in hope of an equalizer, but it was that man Adam Maher once again. Isco, leading a counterattack, showed a quick pair of heels to his man in the box and was hacked down. Maher stepped up and slotted home the spot-kick for his second of the match.

"This is exactly the start we wanted," said Giuseppe Bergomi. "This is our only match this month in Serie A so it important to get a good spirit going as we prepare for September."

Great start to the new season :D. You should be banned for yelling so hard to the ref :P.

Isco and Maher are in the same time in the pitch = to rape and awesome creativity by both