Sky Sports writes about which players are likely to feature against Empoli.
Mancini will bring captain Andrea Ranocchia and midfield fulcrum Mateo Kovacic back into the starting lineup after being suspended against Genoa. There is good news for Rodrigo Palacio as well, who has avoided needing surgery and is training with the group fully.
Since Juan Jesus will still be sitting out three more games, Mancio will have to choose who will partner Ranocchia in central defense. Nemanja Vidic and Marco Andreolli are the two choices he will have to decide between. Tomorrow there will be two training sessions where the first clues will be seen as to the answer of that question. In between these sessions will be Xherdan Shaqiri’s presentation press conference.
Source: Sky Sports
Who do you think will partner the captain against Empoli? Who do you wish the two starting center backs were? Comment below.
I honestly get the feeling that Vidic doesnt trust Rannochia as his partner, you get the feeling he is always waiting for him to screw up. That might be why he has made so many uncharacteristic positioning errors this season, trying to do to much to carry Rannochia.
Andreolli can play in the left, and D’Ambrosio in the right. Since JJ is suspended, Mancio should partner Rano with Vidic. Campagnaro does not deserve to play in the right back. My starting XI against Empoli:
HANDANOVIC
D’AMBROSIO – RANOCCHIA – VIDIC – ANDREOLLI
MEDEL – GUARIN
SHAQIRI – KOVACIC – PODOLSKI
ICARDI
Surely it has to be vidic, and when JJ come rano should be in the bench
Personally i think it’s too soon to count on vidic… so partner ranocchia with andreoli… and if one of them is awful (hopefully rano) sub them with vidic… but subbing defence is kinda stupid.
Counting on Andreolli hides more risk.
If he was faster than Vidic i’d agree, but he isn’t, so Vidic has to play, and hope Ranocchia can be better along with him.
HE SHALL PARTNER WITH THE BENCH…
LOL
I’d actually leave the “captain” on the bench. But that’s just me… and everyone else 😛
Better to try Vidic-Andreolli once again 🙂
Guarin agrees :))
…………..Handanovic………….
D’ambrosio Vidic Ranocchia Dodo
……….Medel Hernanes…………….
….Shaqiri Kovacic Podolski……
……………Icardi…………..
Handanovic
D’ambrosio Vidic Ranocchia Dodo
Medel Guarin
Shaqiri Kovacic Podolski
Icardi
That lineup though!!!
I hope for this lineup yeah, but I think that D’Ambrosio will start on left and Campagnaro will play as a RB.
im pretty sure it will be vidic. after his performance against genoa he deserves to be there.
rest rano. for some time
can’t mancini just bench rano? where’s the rule saying the captain must be in the starting xi every game he’s available?
we cant benched our beloved captain 😀
He’s our best CB, of course he won’t bench him. Mancini is not a moron.
For me it is possible that Ranocchia can learn from Vidic. He can teach him positioning and not to run like an antilope when counter attacked.
And the fact that they’re both slow can be replaced by smart positioning and decision making.
What do u say???
ps. Andreolli is still too “small” to bench Vidic.
vidic
Vidic for sure