Italians hoping red-hot ‘Rooster’ rules
MILAN, Italy — Italy sensation Andrea Belotti is known as the ‘Rooster’ and has an insatiable appetite for goals.
But Albania coach Gianni Di Biasi hopes Belotti goes hungry on Friday.
“I would prefer it if there was a foreign striker on top of the Serie A scoring charts right now,” De Biasi told La Stampa earlier this week.
“That’s a full year Belotti’s been on top of his game, but the tragedy for us is that it’s not just him we have to worry about up front.”
Nine months removed from its quarterfinal exit on penalties to Germany at Euro 2016, Italy looks to take another step toward the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia when it hosts a heavily supported Albania side in Palermo on Friday.
Italy is currently tied with Spain atop qualifying Group G, but only the group winner advances automatically.
The Azzurri drew 1-1 with La Roja in Turin last year, so they are tentatively looking towards a possible group decider away to Spain on September 2.
A slip-up against Albania is almost unthinkable for the Italians.
“There’s no fear, but the result against Albania is extremely important ahead of playing Spain in September,” Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura said at the team’s base in Coverciano, near Florence.
Yet if Belotti can reproduce the form that has shot him to the Serie A summit with 22 goals, Ventura can rest assured.
In his second full season with Torino — and a fledgling international career that has brought three goals in five games — his tally, featuring two hat-tricks, has put the 23-year-old on the radar of Barcelona, Chelsea and Real Madrid.
He may be only one ahead of Roma’s Edin Dzeko, but Belotti is the only homegrown striker in Europe to top the league scoring charts.
Not bad for a player who, having began his career in midfield, was once rated “mediocre” by former AC Milan supremo Arrigo Sacchi.
“He’s a great example for younger players because God didn’t bless him with huge talent,” Sacchi said recently.
“He has greater attributes like generosity, enthusiasm and passion.”
Adept with both feet, in the air, inside the area and out, what Belotti lacks in finesse he makes up for with bustling energy and clinical finishing.
Wearing the Torino captain’s armband for the first time earlier this month, Belotti notched a hat-trick in eight second-half minutes in a 3-1 home win over former club Palermo — the fastest in Italy since Andriy Schevchenko scored three times in seven minutes and 15 seconds in 2000.
Belotti — who celebrates his goals by holding an open hand to his forehead to imitate ‘Il Gallo’ (The Rooster) — should lead the Italian charge with Ciro Immobile.
The Lazio star, who won the league’s top scorer award with Torino in 2014 with 22 goals, is the next Italian on the Serie A scoring list, with 17 goals. Cracker in Croatia
“We have a great understanding, we’ve done pretty well together so far,” said Immobile.
Burly Atalanta striker Andrea Petagna — called up as cover for injured Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini — is also a fan of the Rooster.
“Belotti is the top striker in Italy, he’s even better than (Gonzalo) Higuain,” said Petagna.
“It’s crazy what he’s doing. Beware the Greeks What astonishes me is how clinical and determined he is in training. He’s a force of nature. I’m learning a lot from him.”
Ventura could opt for a 4-2-4 formation that would see Belotti and Immobile flanked by Napoli winger Lorenzo Insigne and Inter Milan midfielder Antonio Candreva, whose crossing could trouble Albania.
want to do it the hard way. On Friday, Italy will fully expect to brush aside Albania. The same evening, Spain will need to be wary of Israel. It may be the underdog, but Israel boss Elisha Levy said his side will go on the attack in Gijon.
The top two clash in Group I when leader Croatia entertains Ukraine on Friday in Zagreb — and something needs to give. Both are unbeaten after four games and victory for Croatia would give it a comfortable buffer in a group that also includes Euro 2016 surprise package Iceland and Turkey, third and fourth respectively. Turkey’s campaign has been terrible so far and it must beat Finland at home to keep any hope of Russia alive. Iceland travels to the bottom side Kosovo.
Belgium, under former Everton coach Roberto Martinez and with France great Thierry Henry by his side, has been flying. It has a 100 percent record from four games and has scored 21 goals while conceding just one. It will do well, though, to keep up that five-per-game scoring rate when it hosts an obstinate Greece on Saturday as top takes on second in Group H. The Greeks have conceded only twice in its four games. However, in Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, Belgium has one of the hottest strikers in Europe. Good news though for Greece: Eden Hazard is out injured.
England can already start thinking about what hotel to book in Russia, topping a weak Group F despite managerial upheaval. But world soccer’s great underachiever often provides compelling scrutiny — if only to see the national handwringing each time it fails to produce the high standards the English public demands. But even without the injured Wayne Rooney, the Three Lions should easily send fourth-place Lithuania packing on Sunday at Wembley in what will be Gareth Southgate’s first qualifier since being named permanent head coach following the firing of Sam Allardyce.
England’s expectations