Exactly, we need some middle ground between Chiellini's and Bonucci's methods of handling passes.
Buy on AliExpress.com
Leonardo Bonucci (211 Viewers)
- Thread starter Dostoevsky
- Start date
- Tags 50-50 a_legend bonuccbauer butthurt judas much passing. wow pep's favourite "defender" prodigalsonreturns wasteman supreme
Buy on AliExpress.com
What game have you watched?
Thursday 14 October, 2010
Blog: From friend to foe
Teammates at Bari last season, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Ranocchia will soon be international rivals in Italy blue. Antonio Labbate reports
In 1974, when Juventus had to find a replacement for veteran defender Sandro Salvadore, 36, they signed a young midfielder from Atalanta with the idea of transforming him into their new libero. That boy was Gaetano Scirea, a 21-year-old who would become a legend for club and country.
Scirea is no longer with us after his tragic death in September 1989, but he was cited by Giovanni Galli this summer when the former goalkeeper, an international teammate of his for four years, was asked for his opinion on Leonardo Bonucci.
“Bonucci has personality and coolness to get out of certain situations – you can see that in his offensive forays,” stated Galli. “He always plays the ball, hardly every gets agitated and regularly takes up good scoring positions in the opposition box. For me he has the qualities to become the new Scirea.”
Bonucci, of course, had by now completed a €15m switch to the Old Lady after they opted not to renew the contract of 36-year-old Fabio Cannavaro. Leonardo had just excelled in his first Serie A season at Bari, who co-owned him with Genoa, going on to make his international debut after just 27 top-flight games.
“This isn’t a dream,” he declared after joining Juve. “I have always believed in my abilities. Cannavaro’s shirt doesn’t weigh heavily on my shoulders. In football, cycles start and they finish. This is now my time for Juventus and for the national side.”
Leonardo has certainly gone a long way in just 24 months. Two years ago he was still owned by Inter, albeit playing on loan in Serie B with relegation strugglers Treviso and Pisa. He was then inserted into the deal that saw Inter sign Diego Milito and Thiago Motta from Genoa, before his own big money move in 2010.
Bonucci, though, has still much to prove. While Scirea was part of a defence which consisted of Antonello Cuccureddu, Claudio Gentile, Luciano Spinosi and Francesco Morini, this present Juve rearguard has its problems at full-back and isn’t getting the midfield protection that it needs – nine goals conceded in their first five League games is testament to that.
It has led to criticism of the new boy. While he looks elegant bringing the ball out of defence, as well as launching long as he did with accuracy at Bari for the runs of Vitor Barreto, he’s not looked so clever defensively at times, especially when run at with pace and his positional sense needs working on. His insistence on not wasting possession is also an area of concern as he openly accepts.
“At times the Coach tells me to just kick it into the stands, but my weakness is that I never want to give the ball away,” he has admitted. “I like to take risks, although I realise that I need to improve that part of my game.”
Of course one can argue that such a ‘weakness’ is also his biggest strength, especially when playing alongside a no-nonsense brute such as Giorgio Chiellini.
After all, few central defenders have Bonucci’s technical ability or nerve – especially ones who, like him, were born in 1987.
In some ways, you have to wonder whether Bonucci would have been better off playing for Genoa this season in terms of his own development. He’s the kind of player who would fit in well with Gian Piero Gasperini’s brand of football, given that the Rossoblu boss is a fan of fielding two ball-playing defenders, who can aggressively press, alongside a pure power centre-back.
Instead, the Marassi outfit have Andrea Ranocchia in their ranks, Bonucci’s defensive partner at Bari last term before his knee went crack. Up until that season ending injury, the former Arezzo player was arguably the more impressive of the two and looked more likely to win international honours as Marcello Lippi searched for some new stoppers.
Ranocchia is now back in action and, after Inter wisely bought a 50 per cent stake in him during the summer, he’s making his case for Azzurri recognition yet again – one that could come at the expense of Bonucci himself in the starting XI.
Young Andrea, 22, has made a more than decent start to the campaign at the Ferraris. That despite his somewhat surprise half-time substitution in the Week 2 game against Chievo, which President Enrico Preziosi publicly criticised Gasperini over.
His early season form was not lost on new Italy boss Cesare Prandelli either, given that the tactician conceded last week that he would have selected the Genoa player for the first time had the Under-21 set-up not needed him for their Belarus play-offs. Now that the Azzurrini’s Euro 2011 dreams are embarrassingly over, there seems to be no more excuses for exclusion.
Ranocchia has the ability to be a first choice option for Italy alongside Chiellini within the space of a year. It’s a possibility that shouldn’t be lost on Leonardo. Last season Ranocchia was Bonucci’s greatest ally at Bari, this term Andrea will be his biggest rival in Italy blue.
Blog: From friend to foe
Teammates at Bari last season, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Ranocchia will soon be international rivals in Italy blue. Antonio Labbate reports
In 1974, when Juventus had to find a replacement for veteran defender Sandro Salvadore, 36, they signed a young midfielder from Atalanta with the idea of transforming him into their new libero. That boy was Gaetano Scirea, a 21-year-old who would become a legend for club and country.
Scirea is no longer with us after his tragic death in September 1989, but he was cited by Giovanni Galli this summer when the former goalkeeper, an international teammate of his for four years, was asked for his opinion on Leonardo Bonucci.
“Bonucci has personality and coolness to get out of certain situations – you can see that in his offensive forays,” stated Galli. “He always plays the ball, hardly every gets agitated and regularly takes up good scoring positions in the opposition box. For me he has the qualities to become the new Scirea.”
Bonucci, of course, had by now completed a €15m switch to the Old Lady after they opted not to renew the contract of 36-year-old Fabio Cannavaro. Leonardo had just excelled in his first Serie A season at Bari, who co-owned him with Genoa, going on to make his international debut after just 27 top-flight games.
“This isn’t a dream,” he declared after joining Juve. “I have always believed in my abilities. Cannavaro’s shirt doesn’t weigh heavily on my shoulders. In football, cycles start and they finish. This is now my time for Juventus and for the national side.”
Leonardo has certainly gone a long way in just 24 months. Two years ago he was still owned by Inter, albeit playing on loan in Serie B with relegation strugglers Treviso and Pisa. He was then inserted into the deal that saw Inter sign Diego Milito and Thiago Motta from Genoa, before his own big money move in 2010.
Bonucci, though, has still much to prove. While Scirea was part of a defence which consisted of Antonello Cuccureddu, Claudio Gentile, Luciano Spinosi and Francesco Morini, this present Juve rearguard has its problems at full-back and isn’t getting the midfield protection that it needs – nine goals conceded in their first five League games is testament to that.
It has led to criticism of the new boy. While he looks elegant bringing the ball out of defence, as well as launching long as he did with accuracy at Bari for the runs of Vitor Barreto, he’s not looked so clever defensively at times, especially when run at with pace and his positional sense needs working on. His insistence on not wasting possession is also an area of concern as he openly accepts.
“At times the Coach tells me to just kick it into the stands, but my weakness is that I never want to give the ball away,” he has admitted. “I like to take risks, although I realise that I need to improve that part of my game.”
Of course one can argue that such a ‘weakness’ is also his biggest strength, especially when playing alongside a no-nonsense brute such as Giorgio Chiellini.
After all, few central defenders have Bonucci’s technical ability or nerve – especially ones who, like him, were born in 1987.In some ways, you have to wonder whether Bonucci would have been better off playing for Genoa this season in terms of his own development. He’s the kind of player who would fit in well with Gian Piero Gasperini’s brand of football, given that the Rossoblu boss is a fan of fielding two ball-playing defenders, who can aggressively press, alongside a pure power centre-back.
Instead, the Marassi outfit have Andrea Ranocchia in their ranks, Bonucci’s defensive partner at Bari last term before his knee went crack. Up until that season ending injury, the former Arezzo player was arguably the more impressive of the two and looked more likely to win international honours as Marcello Lippi searched for some new stoppers.
Ranocchia is now back in action and, after Inter wisely bought a 50 per cent stake in him during the summer, he’s making his case for Azzurri recognition yet again – one that could come at the expense of Bonucci himself in the starting XI.
Young Andrea, 22, has made a more than decent start to the campaign at the Ferraris. That despite his somewhat surprise half-time substitution in the Week 2 game against Chievo, which President Enrico Preziosi publicly criticised Gasperini over.
His early season form was not lost on new Italy boss Cesare Prandelli either, given that the tactician conceded last week that he would have selected the Genoa player for the first time had the Under-21 set-up not needed him for their Belarus play-offs. Now that the Azzurrini’s Euro 2011 dreams are embarrassingly over, there seems to be no more excuses for exclusion.
Ranocchia has the ability to be a first choice option for Italy alongside Chiellini within the space of a year. It’s a possibility that shouldn’t be lost on Leonardo. Last season Ranocchia was Bonucci’s greatest ally at Bari, this term Andrea will be his biggest rival in Italy blue.