Campioni d'Europa! 🏆

Forza Sertu! 💙

📸  Jorge Guerrero

Annamaria Serturini 💧 🥤 📸  by Giuseppe Bellini

Giugliano, Serturini • Fiorentina vs AS Roma

Serturini 2', Thomas 88' • AS Roma vs Juventus

Annamaria Serturini has been summoned to the national team! 🙌🏽

La doppietta di Serturnini, and Manuela Coluccini's goal after returning back from injury ('40, '49, '80)

Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images

Serturini with the assist, Bonfantini with the goal

One last test before season starts - 🐺⚡️

Fischio Finale Italia 1 - 0 Georgia

Ooh boy, where do I start with this one? It was, how do you say in English, very disappointing. First off, the starting line-up was a portent of just how bad things were going to get. Despite Annamaria Serturini having had what was a really fantastic game against Israel, Milena Bertolini chooses to leave her on the bench... for Daniela Sabatino. Sabatino had a limp and lackluster first half (and to be fair, nearly everyone in the Azzurre did), but at least she was substituted in the second half for the person we all felt should have started: Annamaria Serturini. Sadly, Serturini alone couldn't save the game, as she would prove to be the only effective and logical substitution of this game. Another oddball curiosity: despite having Rosucci and Galli warm-up, Bertolini chose to effectively sideline them and persist with the majority of her starting line-up, that is, until the 88th minute of the game, when she finally decides to substitute Rosucci in. (And honestly, did you expect someone like Rosucci to do anything in the span of 4 minutes, despite the immense talent she has?) 

(And sidenote: She was substituted in for of all players, Alia Guagni, who actually didn’t have a bad game, at least compared to the rest. Still, it was an odd choice to take off one of Italy’s best defenders - especially since some of the others played so badly. But then again, Guagni seems to be frustrated and somewhat neutered in Bertolini’s current system, evident by the argument she got into with her the last game.)

And despite having the firepower of Agnese Bonfantini and Serie B capocannoniere Gloria Marinelli on the bench, Bertolini chose to sub in ... Stefania Tarenzi. Stefania did about as well as one would have expected her to play (which truth be told, wasn’t very well.) The game was effectively characterized by bad decision making. Bad touches, bad passing in the final third (because apparently, no one knows how to pass inside the box), bad shots taken by the players, and most of all, bad tactical decisions by the coach. The game can best be summed up by the Tale of Two Valentinas: Valentina Cernoia insisting on taking her shots from outside the box and missing the target by several miles (or meters, for those of you who don't use the Imperial System), and Valentina Bergamaschi, who, once again, fluffed her lines in front of goal when she had an easy shot on target and was practically handed a chance to score. So, in conclusion: This game was sadly, very, very disappointing, and we could have, and should have, done more. And no more excuses about humidity and bad weather; good players are physically fit, and play well no matter what. I would say it's too early to proclaim doom and gloom in Italy's qualifying campaign, as, if you're a fan of Italian football, then you know that this is how the the Italian national team plays. They always underwhelm in qualifiers and friendlies, and then do just enough to scrape by (and somehow top the group) and in the end, somehow manage to get it together by tournament time to produce a few shocking results. It’s true for the men, and it will be for the women as well. And if you're a newly converted Italy fan who fell in love with these women during their Spectacular World Cup, I will conclude this post by saying only one thing to you: Welcome to Calcio Italiano. Now enjoy your stay. (And the immense amount of suffering too.)

Annamaria Serturini had an absolutely excellent game for the Azzurre against Israel. Anna's substitution into the game was crucial, as she allowed Italy to regain control of the game, and she contributed much to it as well. Anna was instrumental in not only building up their offensive attacks (most notably with an assist to Bartoli), but also, solidifying their defense as well as she made a few key, and critical interventions. With this excellent performance, Anna has made a strong case to be featured in more games for Italy.

Valentina Giacinti securing the result with the third goal of the game

Il Capolavoro di Elisa Bartoli