Max Tonetto (Roma, 32 years old, defender)
On Wednesday, unless, of course, he enters the field, he will become one of the oldest team debutants in Italy. Only Mauro Tassotti and Leandro Remondini were older when they first played for Squadra Azzurra. Full of enthusiasm, Tonetto asks: “What could be better than a call to the national team and fights against Manchester United in the Champions League? Although I put the national team in first place - after all, since childhood I dreamed of playing for my country. Now I feel like a 20-year-old boy, caught up in an adult team. "
The extreme back of Roma, which had moved to the capital from Sampdoria on the eve of the season, at first did not always make it to the base, but his reliable game convinced Luciano Spalletti, and with him Roberto Donadoni. Nevertheless, Max should not be deceived: there are plenty of competitors - Zambrotta, injured Grosso, uncoupled Pascual. Interestingly, a couple of years ago, Tonetto, who was among the leaders of the Sampa, who fought for the four, looked even more interesting. But Lippi did not invite a defender. Just because of the high competition.
Fabio Cuagliarella (Sampdoria, 23, forward)
Half a year ago, little-known even in his native country, in a short time he became one of the main characters in the series of A. Cuagliarella, perhaps the most plastic and brisk player in the Apennine League. Before this season, Fabio had 38 matches in the first division, in which he scored 3 goals. All - in the last championship, in the “Ascoli”.
Cuagliarella was born in the town of Castellammare di Stabia, just south of Naples, and in series A he made his debut as a 17-year-old. Until last season, he belonged to “Torino” and, as a rule, was leased to the teams of the lower leagues. So, the striker visited Fiorentina when she fell into the fourth division, and Chieti in the third grade. Before the previous season, Fabio moved from Toro to Udinese and was immediately leased to Ascoli for a year. And when it came time to return to Udine, “Sampdoria” showed agility - henceforth, she, together with the Friulians, owns the rights to the player.
Stefano Mauri (Lazio, 27 years old, midfielder)
One of the leading performers of the Roman club, sweeping away everyone and everything in the last rounds. Stefano was born in the provincial Monza, two tens of kilometers from Milan. About the same distance from there to Meda. In the fall of 1998, Mauri first tried on a T-shirt of the local team in the fifth division. From a young age he flaunted a goal-oriented approach, in the debut year he spent 9 goals, and the team made it to the C2 series. Two more seasons of Mauri crepe in "Honey". The breakthrough came in 2001, when he was noticed by Modena.
The first year went into adaptation, and then Stefano appeared in all its glory. In the spring of 2003, Modena retained a residence permit in the elite, after which the midfielder signed Brescia. There he was not lost among the recognized values (Roberto Baggio, Di Biaggio, Matuzalle) and 7 goals in 30 meetings interested “Udinese”.
Career advancement went without shocks, and in November 2004, Mauri received an invitation to the national team. Marcello Lippi checked the creative midfielder in a friendly match with the Finns - 1: 0. However, Stefano did not win a permanent place in the “Squadra” and is attracted there from time to time. In early 2006, Mauri left the Friulian club and joined the “Lazio”, which was incredibly happy. According to the football player, in Rome, the best prospects opened before him. Well, so far it is.
Tommaso Rocchi (Lazio, 29, forward)
It seems that this is the main hope and reliance “Lazio” for the next few seasons. Born in Venice, but he couldn’t play in the team of his hometown. The professional career of Rocky, who in the mid-90s fell into the youth units of Juventus, began in the fall of 1996 in Pro Patria (D4). 6 goals in 27 games was enough to go up - Tommaso spent the next three seasons in the C1 series. The first championship of the new century, the Venetian met a rank higher - in “Treviso”. And a year later, Rocky moved to Empoli, which played a prominent role in his fate.
In the year of his debut in high society, a short and agile footballer proved himself to be an excellent handler (in championship 2002/03 - 9 assists and 6 goals), and in the second season Tommazo showed the gift of a goalscorer (11 goals). However, his efforts went to dust, and the Empolians dropped out in the series of V. Rocky left for Lazio. Moving to Rome contributed to the progress: 13 goals in the 2004/05 championship and 16 (personal best) a year later. This season is developing no less successfully. On August 16, the striker first played for the national team, and scored 13 times in 26 championship games.
Antonio Di Natale (Udinese, 29, forward)
He made a name in Empoli. Having made his debut in Serie A in the fall of 2002, Antonio two months later received an invitation to Squadra Azzurra! Clearly, something extraordinary should have been created for this. In the case of Di Natale, the recipe for success is hidden in numbers: in his first 10 matches of the top division, he scored 12 (8 + 4) points in the “goal + pass” system. For a person from series B, the figure is fantastic!
However, there was no continuation, and Antonio became a rare guest in the team. He is a solid soccer player, but no more. Performance - within 10 goals per season.
In general, the composition of the half-updated line of attack compared to the 2006 World Cup is intriguing. One-year-olds Rocky and Di Natale once perfectly interacted in Empoli. Perhaps Donadoni will try to revive this bunch? After all, both in good shape, which can not be said about the regular team Gilardino.
Denis ORLOV