Barclays PL: Robinho is back

Manchester City have grabbed the spotlight on the eve of the Premier League season, with Robinho named in their 25-man squad list on Friday and Mario Balotelli flying in for a medical.

Coach Roberto Mancini, who also looks like selling striker Craig Bellamy and midfielder Stephen Ireland in the next few days and buying James Milner from Aston Villa, was his usual calm self at a news conference despite all the comings and goings.

He said Robinho was in his 25-man squad and added he would sit down with the unsettled Brazil striker next week to thrash out his future.

Robinho has made no secret of the fact he wants to stay with Brazilian club Santos, where he has been on loan since January, after an unhappy spell at Eastlands.

This season the Premier League has imposed a 25-man limit on squads, with eight "home-grown" players included in that number. That is putting extra pressure on coaches who are being forced to let some players leave.

Even though Robinho favours a return to Santos, the Brazilians do not have the money for a permanent transfer and he could be used as a bargaining tool in the deal to bring Balotelli from Inter Milan.

Mancini said the Italian striker, who was 20 on Thursday, was heading to Manchester to undergo a medical while England midfielder Milner could also follow over the weekend.

Balotelli, who made his international debut against Ivory Coast in London on Tuesday, will cost City around 24 million pounds and Mancini said he expected the deal to be concluded within 24 hours.

"We are close," said the coach. "I think he could be a big success at this club."

One player heading out is Bellamy who said last week he had not spoken to Mancini for six months and knew he was not part of the Italian's plans.

The Wales striker will not play for City again, according to Mancini, and is free to find a new club with Celtic, Sunderland and Fulham heading the queue to sign him.

Eagerly looking forward to the beginning of this championship :-)

Italy renewal

This new Italy team needs to grow into itself. We knew that before the friendly against the Ivory Coast, and the match itself in London brought this fact home loud and clear. They need to mature in attack, and the long-awaited Amauri-Balotelli-Cassano trio needs a little tweaking. And they need to do it quickly , because Prandelli seems keen on pinning the team's hopes on them, especially on the talent of the Inter ace and Sampdoria star. They'll get a chance to improve after their first technical tests in Coverciano and Upton Park, when they'll have more fuel in their legs and more of a feeling for each other. But there's room for improvement in other departments as well, in this new Italy team. They struggled to take control on the wings at the top of the field and further back midfield, the kind of skill that the new coach has been asking for.

Full backs —
Zambrotta and Grosso are not part of this new Azzurro team on account of their age. They've given a lot to the Azzurro cause over the years. It's now time for some new blood that will do the same. But finding it is not easy, although Prandelli is trying. He played two new new entries: Motta on the right and Molinaro on the left. The Juventus player struggled in defence, but proved a serious threat when he moved forward: he made it closest to goal, hitting the post while Molinaro did his job. You couldn't really ask anymore from them on their first game as Azzurri. As for future games, there's not really many other alternatives: there's Criscito, currently injured, who played on the first team at the World Cup. He did himself proud but still needs to learn to assert himself: but he's got age on his side. Milan player Antonini, an alternative in this department, was included in the national squad for the first time, but ended up on the bench. De Ceglie may also be another option if he makes the most of his full-time post with Juventus. Just like Balzaretti. On the right there's Cassani, a reliable playmaker, and Maggio, who in some respects is similar to Motta: he's better at offending than defending. Not forgetting Santon too, who needs to get back to his best. To sum up, on the wings in defence, we're missing Maicon and Lahm, but in their place there are a couple of young players who could, or rather, must develop.

PIRLO'S Deputy — With no Pirlo the team is just not the same. The World Cup was clear proof of this where Montolivo was one of the few positive notes in the team. But the Milan playmaker is a one in a million: when he came on against Slovakia the team immediately gained in personality and in vertical passes towards the goal. Pirlo didn't play last night in London, he's still not in perfect shape, but he'll be back for September in Tallin, for the euro 2012 qualifier. But he won't be around for ever, and without him, Italy is really struggling in it's playmaking: De Rossi is the superstar centre back with a talent for playmaking too, just like Palombo, but the duo who quite capably putt up such a strong barrier in defence that Prandelli was able to field 4 players in attack - (Pepe, Cassano, Balotelli and Amauri) obviously don't have the same wizardry as a classic playmaker, which would be just what the strikers need. Prandelli knows Montolivo well, and he'll give him the space he deserves, although he doesn't really have that many other alternatives with the same kind of abilities. D’Agostino is a possible option, along with Marchisio who is a natural inside wing but is currently being fielded as midfielder in the the preseason matches, but could also act as playmaker while still providing some defensive cover. Or else there's the nationalized Ledesma. Prandelli - who could get round the problem by fielding a playmaker that has enough finishing skills as well if he keeps going with the 4-2-3-1 (Cassano at the moment and who know's in the future, maybe Giovinco?) - hopes that the season will offer him some new options. Because you can never have too many good players midfield: Spain showed us that at the World Cup.