Didoz, I think that the arrival of Poulsen, Amauri and Giovinco, coupled with the fact that Pavel Nedved is 36 years young, certainly means that we'll see more 4-3-3 (or 4-3-1-2) then last year (4-4-2 will likely still be Ranieri's favorite). Del Piero is no spring chicken himself, so he'll sit more games than usual - he also may play occasionally as a trequartista - we're going to need someone to help link the mids to the attack, given our relative lack of creativity amongst the midfield ranks. I believe that a primary reason why Van Der Vaart wasn't purchased was because 1: Ranieri and the board were infatuated with Amauri and 2: he would have to play if he was bought (As one would expect any huge talent to... also, to justify the $ spent), which would mean that Giovinco would be seeing considerably more bench time, for the indefinite future. Not that he'll be our saviour (although I am expecting big things), but I really believe management want to give Seba the chance to be a reference point on our team for many years to come. You're right, our defense is inconsistent (also somewhat underrated...), but give the new arrivals a chance - obviously, their play will determine how flexible our tactics can be. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Mellberg might even play some RB and De Ceglie could be quite solid ... and who knows what Knezevic will bring to the table (or if he'll play at all)? Time will tell... but it's quite possible with the arrival of Poulsen and a moderate upgrade to the FB's, that we won't need wide mids to track back as often, or as deep as they had to last year. I also believe that we actually have 3 high quality (Ned, Camo, Gio) and 1 relatively solid, (Marchionni - if he can stay healthy, and isn't sold), potential AM's, if we should so choose to play them in advanced positions. Anyways, I think that anytime 7 new players arrive (8 with Chimenti), the complexion of the team has to change some. It's going to take quite a while to see how this all shakes out. Time to get rid of some of our Midfielders already...