It was only a friendly, peeps need to see the brighter aspects to this game. Like, for example, us Americans witnessed the birth of the next great American GK
On another note, we need these kind of performances for Ciro to see who his best starting XI is going to be when the season starts. For example, Trez, if he doesn't start getting more involved or converting then Ciro knows what decisions need to be made. This is the time for Ciro to see who is consistently playing well so he can gather up his top XI to start.
Losing in PKs does not mean we had a bad performance. I would have been much more concerned if we lost in regular time with an overall bad performance. PKs do not necessarily tell us who the better team was when we all know who the better team was on the night, performance wise (Juve). Again, take lightly the loss but focus more on the positives. Ciro is experimenting and he needs to know that when certain players need rested he can rely on others to fill their places. He needs to know which teams click versus which ones just can't seem to find their niche.
At the end of the night I was pleased with the team.
Buffon: Always reliable, thank God we have him.
Zebina: Like I said, this is his year. Great performance and it is nice to see his confidence is back. If you can't see that then you need to re-watch the last 2 games he has played.
Legro: For the most part reliable, maybe its me as an ex defender but I am not completely sold on him. Good back up when we need it.
Chiellini: Love him, one of my favs but he still makes some pretty crazy challenges and decisions he needs to learn from. Aside from the few tangents he goes on, he is great and nearly impossible to get by.
Molinaro: Showing more confidence going forward I think. To be honest, when I saw him in the beginning I thought it was Sali. Moli seems to be improving slightly, but not significantly enough to start. I saw DC on the bench, would like to see him play if fit.
Grygera: Sweet baby Jesus, help us if he is at LB.
Felipe Melo: I love how he charges forward and how strong he is when on the ball. He is a hard one to knock off the ball when he has possession and I love that he is not afraid to try that killer pass from the hole. He closes down quickly, and with his speed is a nuisance for opponents. He covers a lot of ground and with Sissoko playing our opponents are going to have a two man army they need to get by to get close to Buffon.
Marchisio: To be honest I don't think he has had as much playing time as some others which I think is a bit unfair. I hope Ciro gives him more time to acclimate with the team/new formation/role. I think he showed good movement around in midfield, but not his typical industrious performance.
Zanetti: Please stay fit, the guy is class. So calm when on the ball.
Camo: He deserves a
for his performance again. I love seeing this Camoranesi and not the hot headed inconsistent one of last year. You can tell he is twice the player and enjoys the free role in a 3 man midfield when he can drift.
Giovinco: You could see the boys riding him in the beginning. I think, as always, he shows his potential. He made some great runs, covered a lot of ground and made himself available to get the ball. I love that he tries the slot the ball through the middle to unleash the speed of IQ/Amauri. He tries to get the right type of ball to each striker to get the most out of them.
Iaquinta: One fast mofo right here. You can tell we are trying to use that now with the passes through the middle. He needs to keep at it, he will challenge the starting spot well. The guy runs so hard for as long as he is on the field.
Trezeguet: Come on brotha, I am not sure what you are waiting on. Start scoring so some people on here will shut up about selling you. He has it in him, you all know he does. The goals will come, I just hope the team is showing more support than these dumb ass announcers were on GolTV.
DP: I don't think there was one person here who wasn't standing with heart racing when he took that free kick as soon as he stepped on the field. We all wanted him to sink it I think. Not much to do in overtime with so many strikers, but damn it we were counting on you DP to make that PK. We know he wouldn't have done that if it was a CL final. He tried to pull a Totti
Amauri: Not a whole lot to say about him in this game. Quiet.