Will Italy Regret Not Giving Verona Striker Luca Toni a World Cup Berth?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 1, 2014

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Luca Toni is not going to the World Cup this summer. The Verona striker acknowledged as much on Sunday, reminding reporters that he had not even been invited to take part in Italy’s recent two-day training camp at Coverciano.

Given that 42 other players were called up, and that manager Cesare Prandelli can only include 23 in his final squad for the tournament, Toni knows that it would require something quite extraordinary for him to find a way in now (quotes in Italian).

Verona’s supporters, though, are not so easily dissuaded. They made their feelings clear throughout Sunday’s 4-0 victory over Catania, singing along to the tune of "Yellow Submarine":

We all want Luca Toni in the national team/

Toni in the national team/

Toni in the national team…

It is easy to see why. Toni scored his 19th goal of the season on Sunday and appeared to grab his 20th, too. Sadly the latter strike was taken off him after the end of the game, when league officials ruled that it had deflected into the net off the body of Catania keeper Alberto Frison.

Regardless, Toni still finished the weekend joint-second in Serie A’s scoring charts­­. He has five more league goals this season than Mario Balotelli, the man who will almost certainly lead the line for Italy in Brazil. He has 16 more than Dani Osvaldo, who remains in contention for a place in Prandelli’s squad despite an anonymous season with Southampton and Juventus. 

Nor should Toni’s impact for Verona be measured only in goals. He has contributed seven assists for this season—the second-most of any player on the team. As the central striker in Andrea Mandorlini’s 4-3-3, Toni serves as the focal point for most of Verona’s attacks—winning headers, knocking the ball down for his team-mates or holding it up to bring them into play.

It is far more t...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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