What a squad!

As the Euro Cup game, Italy vs. Germany is playing tomorrow, Saturday 2nd of June. 

I'm obviously for my team, Italy, but I also know there will be a risk of them losing to Germany. 

So here is the Italian squad:

The coach: Antonio Conte... I've never seen such a screamer and a monkey in my life. He will scream from the beginning till the last second of the game. Last time, the Spanish coach wasn't moving at all, not saying anything with the same facial expression on, the opposite of Conte. At the end of the game, Italy won and Conte decided to jump on the "protection thing for players", a real monkey! 

Goalkeepers (3 of them):
Gianluigi Buffon (1) also plays in Juventus... Considered one of the best keepers out there! I actually admire how he isn't afraid of going for the ball even if attackers from the other team are coming towards him. 
Frederico Marchetti (13) also plays in Lazio... I'm not sure what to say about him, I've barely seen him in a game. 
Salvatore Sirigu (12) also plays in Paris... Alright, this one plays in a French club and since I don't watch Paris at all so I can't say much. 

Defenders (6 of them):
Andrea Barzagli (15) also plays in Juventus...  A good center back, who knows how to defend the goal. 
Leonardo Bunucci (19) also plays in Juventus... Great passer, a tall and strong defender that is able to make long passes. Categorized himself as one of the best defenders, since he got better through the year 2014-2015. 
Giorgio Chiellini (3) also plays in Juventus... A force of nature that many coaches would love to have. One great leader behind Buffon, but personally I don't really know how to think about this player. 
Matteo Darmian (4) also plays in Manchester United... I love Manchester United and love the cute defender. Used to be in Torino, but got transferred to Man. United in July 2015. He was originally a center back but changed into the fullback position as he has the ability to play with both feet which to me is amazing! A legend! 
Mattia De Sciglio (2) also plays in Milan... A right-sided fullback who is quick on his feet. A real cute mature player who is going to go far. Don't know much about him, though. 
Angelo Ogbonna (5) also plays in Wes Ham United... A strong and powerful center back. I've watched him play a few times when he was in Juventus, but since then, I completely forgot he existed as I don't watch Wes Ham United. All I know is that he can pull off a great tactical play with his left.

Midfielders (8 of them):
Federico Bernardeschi (21) also plays in Fiorentina... A young midfielder or forward in his club, all I know from his play is that he is quick and has a strong left foot. Plays better in a 4-3-3 formation, he is one of Italy's most talented and exciting player. 
Antonio Candreva (6) also plays in Lazio... I don't know much either about this player as I dislike Lazio. I tend to not pay much attention when they play against Juventus or another team. I have seen the way he manages to be on the left side as well as the right. Great penalty kicker! 
Daniele De Rossi (16) also plays in Roma... I'm far from being a fan of him! He was given the title of "complete midfielder" because of his awareness during games, the pace, and his goal-scoring abilities. 
Alessandro Florenzi (8) also plays in Roma... For some odd reasons, I do find this player quite cute. I've seen how he plays mostly in his club, and so far in the Euro Cup I've seen a great style of play. He is tactically intelligent, quick, energetic, and a hard working player. 
Emanuele Giaccherini (23) also plays in Bologna... The only time I got to see him play was back in 2011 when he was in Juventus. Quick and hard working, he was developed as a winger due to his ability to dribble, agility, and balance. He can play anywhere he wants in midfield. 
Thiago Motta (10) also plays in Paris... Once again, I don't watch them so I don't know where he stands much. From what I've seen he is quite mature and well developed. He excels a lot more in the air. 
Marco Parolo (18) also plays in Lazio... Tall for a player! He is accurate when shooting, and he is quite powerful! 
Stefano Sturaro (14) also plays in Juventus... One of the most promising young footballers in the world due to his work-rate, composure, tenancy, and ability to read the game. He makes me think of my brother. They know where to play, it comes naturally. 

Forwards (6 of them):
Éder (17) also plays in Internazionale... A Brazilian-born footballer who got to play for the for Italy through more than 5-year of residency. He has both nationalities which are amazing! He is great at finishing the games which make the team in the EuroCup do better. 
Stephan El Shaarawy (22) also plays in Roma... I personally don't like him much, but I can tell you that he is one of the most promising and talented young Italian players. He has shown his shooting power with strikes from outside the box, which makes him an above-average passer. He is also known "Il Faraone" (The Pharaoh) since his father is Egyptian.
Ciro Immobile (11) also plays in Torino... A quick forward, but known for his offensive movement and ability to make attacking in order to exploit spaces. He can finish the game with both feet. He won't back down from chasing after the ball and press opponents when not in possession. 
Lorenzo Insigne (20) also plays in Napoli... One of the shortest player I know, but his nickname is Il Magnigico. An amazing, creative, agile, a balanced player who has a great vision, ball control, and dribbling ability. He is capable of scoring goals himself and is an accurate set-piece taker. One of his former Napoli teammates referred him as "Italian Messi". 
Graziano Pellè (9) also plays in Southampton... One of the most annoying footballers I know! He pisses me off, I mean he is a strong, large and hard-working striker who does great in the air due to his height and physical attributes, but he won't calm down on the "I'm the center of attention". 
Simone Zaza (7) also plays in Juventus... A strong, quick, and well-rounded left-footed forward. His powerful and offensive playing style makes him a great footballer. 


Now, after knowing all that, I still have faith that they might win. But like I've mentioned before Germany has an amazingly strong team that isn't afraid of getting up and chase the ball after falling down. They are vicious on the field and won't let anyone down! I still despise the team, can't stand the players, but I can't deny how good they are at football. Even my "twin" said it over Skype last time. I had a talk with him, and he is for Italy as he's Italian, but he also knows that it's going to be a tough game! Every Italian I know is on the edge because our players won't probably make it past the Germans. Now I can't just back down and think negatively... I'm for Italy, always have, always will, and if the lineup collides well I'm sure we have a chance. If they put certain players with the ones they know how to play with, we will do well enough! 

The only sad part about this EuroCup is that my player, Claudio Marchisio, couldn't make it as he was injured, so they have a missing midfield that knows his way around. He can switch to defense to offense really quickly, his athleticism, tackling, vision, a range of passing, and good reading of the game enables him to break down the opposition's play. He is gifted with flair and excellent technical skills. His ability to pass and shoot with both feet, despite being naturally right-footed, make him a threat in the opponent's half, especially in or outside the penalty area. A Juventus legend that is missing in the EuroCup. I miss seeing him play! But then again other players that have not made the team like Pirlo or Balotelli. So we can't just blame the coach for not putting them, but it would have been nice to have them around! Especially against Germany! 

"Forza Azzurri" 

~Bella

What a goal...

I know, it's not Wednesday, but I declared that this post is important and you have to read why!

Football or soccer for people here in the U.S.A.

Being European watching or playing soccer is part of the culture, or at least it seems like it is. 

For one, I was born and raised around soccer. It's a sport that is very popular, and there's always a game playing on TV. You'll go to a bar, you'll see people coming in just to watch a game and have fun with friends. The audience can be extremely loud, and into the games, the atmosphere that surrounds soccer will become high and very pleasant, especially if people around you are on the same team which in my case is rare! 

After living in North America for a while now, I can tell you that soccer here and back in Europe is different! 

First, I saw that in the United States, major league soccer will rely on finding college stand-outs while in Europe, the clubs seek, sign and develop their own players at a young age. They will teach them how to play well, eat well, psychology... 

Second, football, as we call it in most of Europe, will be part of the culture being the number one sport and everyone is loyal to their team... Like me... I'm loyal! While in the U.S, it's not the number one sport that people would watch. It comes way after basketball, football, and baseball. 

Third, the time frame... European soccer leagues will be played at a different period of time than the Americans. It's slightly different and we have more leagues as we have more countries. 

Enough of the differences, and let's talk more about my team! 

For a long time now, I've been into the Italian leagues, Italian teams, and players. When the FIFA begins, I'm for the Italians and England (second favorite international team)! In Serie A Italy, I'm for JUVENTUS from Turin (Torino). Torino has two teams, Juventus, and Torino... I actually started loving Juventus after a soccer player, Claudio Marchisio. Ten years older than me, married, has two children, and I'm still in love with him. To top it all off, his jersey is number 8, my favorite number. Sadly, he injured himself and he is missing the European Championship 2016. My midfield player is missing, and I miss seeing him play.  I fell in love with the way he plays, and how he is as a person. I'm a fan... So I started loving Juventus, who happens to have an amazing French soccer player and beautiful people who play on the team... My "twin" from Turin actually hates me for loving Juventus as he is for Torino... So we don't get along when it comes to soccer. We fight over which one is best, usually I win, cause there's no doubt my Juventus are the best! Hehe

FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), founded in 1904 in Paris. The World Cup is every four years, at different locations, so last time it was in Brasil and the next one in 2018 it will be in Russia. I'm not as excited about the location, but it will be interesting to watch. Each international soccer team needs to qualify to get into the FIFA. Sadly, not everyone makes it, but my Italians somehow manage to get up there! The best final that I was able to watch and enjoy with an ice cream was in 2006, back in Germany, France against Italy... A game that no one will ever forget! A French soccer player, Zinedine Zidane got caught in a middle of a fight with an Italian player. After insulting Zidane's mother, he got hit in the stomach. The fight was famous, a song broke out after that, and French people hated Italians. It went really far, and to make it worse, Italy won the cup. Deep inside me, I was happy, but I knew that my Italian cheated and were vicious in that game, which is not as common for them... Zidane actually played for Juventus for a while, and they won so much that today, Juventus holds plenty of cups. They became the best team out there. 

This is the time where the Euro 2016 is on, and trust me I have been watching and being aware of everything (tried). Of course, I'll be for Italy, but I'm also for three other teams, two more than the other... England and Republic of Ireland being the two others I really love and the Northern Ireland which I quite like. Now if you don't watch it or ain't a fan you won't know who is playing and who is good or awfully sucky! I've had so many people ask me why I ain't for France or Portugal or even Germany... I can't be for France, not even on the FIFA, they are arrogant, and I can't stand that! Portugal, there's nothing to say about their players, I don't like them at all! And Germany... Long story short, between the last FIFA, and how they are vicious players and the history of the country, I can't tell you how much I dislike the team! If they lose and disqualified, I'll be the happiest person in California! Anyways, Wednesday, Ireland is playing against Italy. Despite the fact that my favorite player isn't playing the Euro this year, I'm sure Italy will either win or tie to Ireland... And to be honest, I'm not ready to see either of my team lose or fight one another. It's going to be a depressing day, I'm warning you! 

After being into soccer for so long, I have this one rule that if I get in a relationship or even get married, the guy will either need to love soccer as much as me or to at least let me watch my games. I don't watch every single one, just the ones that interest me. Just let me be me and don't try to change the way I think about my team or about the sport! You want to be with someone European, you have to deal with soccer as I will deal with baseball or basketball or even football. 

"Becoming a Juventus icon has always been my dream. You achieve that status not for how long you stay at a club but for how much you give when you are there." - Claudio Marchisio.

~Bella