I totally agree that our transfer market was horrible:
We bought Iaquenta for 11M and sold Miccoli who is much better in everything
We bought Grygera who isnt a good CB and C-Ra doesnt try him as a RB
We bought Tiago and Almiron while we need just one
We already have Crisito and still looking for young CB such as Zapata and Ivanovic
We loaned out Giovinco while he should stay and learn form Nedved, slowly replace him , and now we're looking for a left winger as Nedved's sub
It's my first post here so go easy on me if i'm wrong
Good first post!
Iaquinta is a different forward that Miccoli and much more versatile... I think he was primarily purchased because of his ability to play as an aggressive, offensive winger... something Palladino was being asked to do by Deschamps and something his skill set didn't quite seem to match. Miccoli is more in the mold of Del Piero and Palladino, and arguably not better than those two. He was a little pricey, but I think he'll be worth it. He's a ballchaser, which differs him from all the other forwards, save maybe Zalayeta. I liked this purchase actually despite his alledged piss poor form so far in the friendlies.
I really don't think Grygera is a Ranieri player, and Claudio is trying to find a place to make him work. I think not putting him as a right back is a mistake. Him and Zebina should be alternating that position, depending on form. Zebina is an excellent player when he wants to be, but having his sub being Birindelli will do nothing to motivate him.
I really liked both these signings, cause central midfield depth is incredibly important. However, signing both these guys is not something a rebuilding team does unless there is a lot of confidence in the Nocerino/Zanetti tandem holding down a midfield position as the defensive conscience. Neither seem to be comfortable on the wing. Almiron looks like the better of the two, but I think we'll be quite happy to have both of them.
I sort of agree with your evaluation of the CB situation. Why buy back Criscito and then go after Ivanovic or Zapata? I don't know why Ivanovic... he's just as unproven in Serie A as Criscito. Zapata on the other hand has proven Serie A experience, is not as young as the other two, and could be a long term force on CB. With Barzagli getting locked up long term, there really aren't a lot of Serie A proven options under 26.
Loaning out Giovinco was a mistake, period. I would have rotated him on an aggressive offensive formation like the trident with Del Piero, playing alongside guys like Iaquinta and Trezeguet to hone his playmaking skills. This kid is likely the real deal, and the likely replacement for DP if developed right. I don't think he is a direct Nedved replacement on the wings however, he's more of a CAM or Support Striker. I think they have to buy someone like VDV or Riquelme to do that.