The Official Azzurri thread

[maro]

Yes, Carlo you have to cut Montolivo a little bit of slack, I think. I should think most of us here have reservations about him - he can be light-weight and I should think had Aquilani had a better season he'd have been in there ahead of Montolivo. On the other hand, playing as a regista, calling the shots and dictating play requires real confidence and he's hardly got his feet properly under the table at national level yet. He would also benefit from playing with a bit more technical quality around him - De Rossi and Marchisio, say, rather than Rino and Palombo. He can grow into that role (if, say, he were given it for the three group games I'm sure he'd get better each game), though I do wonder if Lippi's not going to ask DDR to do a bit more of the playmaking (which I don't think he's quite good enough to do, to be honest).

Flagg, can you really see Lippi playing anything other than a 4-3-3? Surely it's going to be Gila/Pazzini through the middle and then Di Natale, Quags, Yakhunter, Pepe etc. down the wings, depending on form and fitness and the opposition. I thought Di Natale made a bit of a difference last night when he came on just because he's got a bit more pace and has a trick or two. I know he's never really done well for Italy, but I think he's a good player and is important to the balance of the team. I would play Di Natale-Pazzini-Quagliarella up top in the first game (don't we all know the headlines already: Para-guai).

[p_maldini_3]

[maro]

[p_maldini_3]

[San Paolo]

[Messinterista]

[juventino_italiano]

[p_maldini_3]

Azzurri Analysis - Italy 1-1 Switzerland - There is only Italy

By David Swan

For the players who had to sit and watch the disappointment that was the 2-1 defeat to Mexico, this was a perfect opportunity to show that they could do better. It was a genuine chance too - there are a couple of players who are in danger of losing the fight for a place in the starting XI after their display against the Mexicans, primarily those occupying the wide positions. Andrea Pirlo’s calf injury, which appears likely to keep him out of Italy’s opening game of the World Cup (at least), has opened the door too. Does Marcello Lippi replace him with someone similar like Riccardo Montolivo? Or does he increase defensive solidity by adding another defensive midfielder?








Against Switzerland, he attempted to do both. There was a slight system change from the Mexico game - 4-2-3-1 became 4-3-3. It seems pointless to mention and it is true that they are very similar. But anyone wanting a demonstration of the subtle difference the positioning of that one midfielder can make only needs to watch the Real Madrid-Milan match that took place at the Bernabéu earlier in the season, paying particular attention to the contrasting Milan performance between the first and second half. The 4-3-3 line-up is useful if you have a goalscoring central midfielder, but less effective when you are asking a creative midfielder to move up and down the pitch, because there will be moments when he is not in ideal position to allow his talents to benefit the striker. A creative player ‘arriving late’ does not have the same impact as a midfielder who can score goals.

Montolivo is not a goalscoring midfielder, but he was under instruction to break and join the forwards - a job he performed relatively well, crossing the ball from which Fabio Quagliarella eventually scored. Lippi did not want to lose the passing ability that Pirlo usually provides from deep positions, so the Fiorentina man was not quite given a position behind the striker, as Claudio Marchisio was against Mexico. Instead, he had to drop alongside Angelo Palombo and Gennaro Gattuso when the team was not in possession, thus allowing him to be in deeper positions to receive the ball from the defence (à la Pirlo), whilst Lippi could replace the injured Milan midfielder with a more defensive player in Gattuso. You would think Montolivo dropping back into midfield would help defensively, but his lazy marking contributed to Gökhan Inler’s opening goal. His presence means he is required to involve himself in this side of the game, and his two colleagues in the midfield are relying on him to do the job properly. If you move him forward slightly, his marking responsibilities diminish, and the two defensive midfielders know they have to rely on each other to defend.


He, along with Quagliarella (who moved to the right-hand side), seemed to be given more freedom in the second-half - the midfield was not as rigid and as a result Italy controlled large parts of the remainder of the match. On a regular basis, Montolivo roamed in positions behind the forwards, ready to receive the ball, rather than having to make his way there as soon as the team retrieved it from the opposition. It benefitted the team as a whole, and the performance clearly improved. The concern, however, is that precious few chances were created from the improvement. In fact, the better chances were in the first-half, when Italy looked more vulnerable to Swiss pressure. The reason for this can be found in how the ball was used. Simone Pepe, who replaced Andrea Cossu at half-time, is a willing runner but he does not create a great deal. The same can be applied to Quagliarella - lots of running but not a lot came from it. A player with his supposed talent, pace, and in a wide position, should be attacking full-backs and trying to beat them, yet there was practically nothing like this in the entire game from any wide player. Therefore, anything that looked like an attacking move had to come from Montolivo - and although he had a decent 90 minutes, he was not that impressive.

The game has probably not changed Lippi’s thinking too much (then again, it does not appear any game can cause the World Cup winner to waver from his plan) as to the starting-XI for the opener against Paraguay. The wide players did not play well enough to suggest they are capable of displacing Antonio Di Natale or Vincenzo Iaquinta from the team, and Montolivo has more than likely lost out to Gattuso (who was superb) in the race to replace Pirlo. It means we are left praying that it really is just fitness issues that stand between Italy and good performances.

Switzerland 1-1 Italy - Inler 10 - Quagliarella 14

Switzerland: Benaglio (Woelfli 46); Lichtsteiner, Senderos, Grichting, Ziegler (Magnin 81); Fernandes (Shaqiri 87), Inler, Huggel, Behrami (Barnetta 58); Frei (Hakan Yakin 75), Nkufo (Derdiyok 67)

Italy: Marchetti; Maggio, Bocchetti, Chiellini, Zambrotta (Criscito 81); Gattuso (Iaquinta 85), Palombo (De Rossi 88), Montolivo; Cossu (Pepe 46), Pazzini (Gilardino 76), Quagliarella (Di Natale 66)

[San Paolo]

in respone to vince SB shout

----------------Gigi,
Maggio,Bonucci,chiellini,criscito,
--------------de rossi,
--------marchisio, montolivo,
---------di natale,gila,pepe

[RomaShield27]

[San Paolo]

[RomaShield27]

Italy not too old to win, says Marcello Lippi
• Italy coach unhappy with criticism over squad's age
• 'We have the right mix of young and old players'

www.guardian.co.uk – Wednesday 9 June 2010 23.25 BST

Marcello Lippi has hit out at critics who have claimed his Italy team are too old to win the World Cup. The head coach is unhappy with the scepticism over his squad – even in Italy – and has asked for the team to be given a chance to prove themselves.

"Yes, we have old players but with age comes charisma and the experience of playing in big games. I think we have the right mix of young and old players," Lippi said. "We have nine players from 2006 – that's less than 50%. I've never seen any team that wins the World Cup show up four years later with 23 new players."

While Lippi has kept the 36-year-old Fabio Cannavaro and 33-year-olds Gianluca Zambrotta and Mauro Camoranesi, he has also brought along three 23-year-old defenders – Salvatore Bocchetti, Leonardo Bonucci and Domenico Criscito. The average age of the squad is 28 years and nine months.

"Whenever a World Cup comes around everyone wants to get in their say," said Lippi. "Last time everyone joined in as we moved along but this time we're not going to allow anyone to jump on the bandwagon."

With Andrea Pirlo likely to miss the entire group phase due to a left calf injury, Italy is without its most talented midfielder.

"Single players don't win World Cups. Let's be clear. There are no longer any superstars in Italy and it's not like anyone I left home would alter the skill aspect," said Lippi.

The 62-year-old coach also said that the squad could contain a "new" Paolo Rossi – the striker who scored six goals in the last three games at the 1982 World Cup. Giampaolo Pazzini, an unsung forward who scored 19 goals for Sampdoria this season, has already been compared to Rossi.

"Let's see," Lippi said. "Who knows, maybe we'll discover someone here who can really carry us on their shoulders."

[Carlo Romano]

[quote]

Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo is ready to step up and make the grade for Italy in Andrea Pirlo's absence. The 25-year-old is expected to start in Italy's first two World Cup games while Pirlo recovers from a muscle tear.

“For me, it's the most important chance of my career,â€

[juventino_italiano]

[quote="il miraggio"][quote]

Fiorentina midfielder Riccardo Montolivo is ready to step up and make the grade for Italy in Andrea Pirlo's absence. The 25-year-old is expected to start in Italy's first two World Cup games while Pirlo recovers from a muscle tear.

“For me, it's the most important chance of my career,â€

[p_maldini_3]

[RomaShield27]

[RomaShield27]

I just seen this now, what the feck is this all about? FIFA are such bleedin eijits:

"FIFA gaffe" snubbed Italy
Saturday 12 June, 2010

The Italian Federation complained of “FIFA’s gaffeâ€

[juventino_italiano]

Now the other worry Gianni brought up....if Italy gets their shit together, Fifa will try to break them back down

[RomaShield27]

World Cup 2010: Italy's case for the defence
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/footbal ... 715799.stm

By Sam Lyon & Caroline Cheese

Defending champions, four-time winners, unbeaten in qualifying - and yet outsiders to win the World Cup. Italy may be one of the most successful World Cup nations, but this time around they barely get a mention when there is talk of the favourites to win the tournament in South Africa.

An ageing squad, a growing list of injury problems, and their recent failure to beat either Switzerland or Mexico in their warm-up matches underline Italy's potential struggles. However, a relatively easy-looking passage through the group stages and a wealth of experience both on and off the field may yet enable Italy to surprise pundits and supporters alike. So do the numbers stack up as Italy attempt to create World Cup history in Africa?

Two...
...countries, only, have successfully defended their World Cup trophy. Brazil - and Italy.
In fact, Italy were the first nation to do so when they retained the trophy in 1938, having recorded their maiden World Cup victory in 1934. Victory in South Africa would mark Italy out as pioneers once again as the first team to successfully defend their world title twice.
Marcelo Lippi, too, would write his name into the history books, joining Italy's Vittorio Pozzo as the only coach to win it twice.

Three...
...countries have been eliminated at the first-round stage when defending the trophy. Brazil, France - and Italy.
In 1950, in the first World Cup in 12 years following World War Two, Italy crashed out of the competition at the first hurdle with a 2-0 defeat of Paraguay and 3-2 loss to Sweden.

Zero...
...European countries have ever won a World Cup title on a foreign continent.
By contrast, Brazil have won three titles outside of South America - in Sweden in 1958, the United States in 1994 and South Korea and Japan in 2002.

One...
...and only one, country has ever won and lost a World Cup final in a penalty shootout - Italy.
The Azzurri lost in 1994 against Brazil, the first time a World Cup had been decided on penalties, when Italy hero Roberto Baggio blasted his spot-kick over the bar, but they made amends in 2006 when they defeated France 5-3 in the shoot-out, David Trezeguet the man to miss for Les Bleus.

It was a final, of course, better remembered for Zinedine The Bald Algerian's headbutt on Marco Materazzi and subsequent dismissal in his last professional game.

Zero...
...players in Marcello Lippi's 23-man squad from Inter Milan.As Jose Mourinho's triumphant Inter team celebrated a historic treble of league, Cup and Champions League, national team coach Lippi declared: "I hope this is auspicious for Italian football in view of the World Cup in South Africa."
And yet the treble-winning Nerazzurri team contained no Italian regulars.

Thirty-six-year-old Marco Materazzi managed only nine appearances for his club, while gifted 19-year-old Mario Balotelli's troubled season included a fall-out with Mourinho and the striker being filmed wearing the shirt of Inter's hated city rivals AC Milan.
"To be picked to represent your country is the ultimate dream and honour for any player and your personal conduct needs to be at a certain level," said Lippi, perhaps referring to Balotelli's apparent inability to avoid controversy.
Inter will still have representation at the World Cup, though, with 10 of their players spread across other nations.

Six...
... Juventus players in the squad.
Juventus formed the backbone of Italy's 2006 squad, but that came after the Bianconeri finished top of Serie A (although they were to be relegated as punishment for their involvement in the Calciopoli scandal). This season, Juve stumbled to seventh in the league, went out of the Champions League in the group stage, and lost to Fulham in the Europa League.

And yet still Lippi has kept faith with the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Mauro Camoranesi and Vincenzo Iaquinta.
The Italy boss insisted recently he made his decisions based on more than form alone. "You can't judge the quality of a player only on age and technical ability," he said. "Enthusiasm, experience, charisma, wisdom, international experience... they all need to be considered."

Zero...
...squad players based outside of Serie A. As well as the six players from Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan boast three representatives, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Udinese two, and Bari, Cagliari and Roma one apiece.
England and Germany are the only other two squads to have picked solely from their own domestic leagues.

9...
...players from the 2006 World Cup-winning squad. Italy include 11 survivors from the 2006 squad, and six who started the final.
(Buffon, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Pirlo, Camoranesi, Gattuso all started the final. Gilardino, Iaquinta and De Rossi were in the 2006 squad.)

9...
...players over 30 in Italy's squad.
Joint favourites Spain pick only four, England have seven, while Brazil also have nine.And yet Italy are not the oldest squad at the World Cup. That title belongs to Australia, with an average age of 29 years and 89 days, followed by Brazil, England and Paraguay, with the Azzurri only fifth.

In any case, for Italy, age and experience has proved to be one of the cornerstones of their success - the oldest World Cup winners were Italy's 2006 squad (28 years, 291 days), closely followed by Italy's 1934 vintage.

69...
...World Cup caps among the Italy squad, making them the most experienced unit in South Africa. Those 69 World Cup caps are shared among nine players, beating England (with 62 matches between 12 players) into second.

Two of those players have 100 international caps or more, keeper Gianluigi Buffon bang on the 100 mark and Cannavaro the third most-capped player at the tournament with 133 - only Cameroon's Rigobert Song and Honduras's Amado Guevara (both with 136) have more.
When it comes to World Cup experience, though, only France striker Thierry Henry can match Cannavaro's total of 15 caps in World Cup matches.

Two...
...World Cup goals shared among Italy's five strikers. Only Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alberto Gilardino have scored in world football's premier Cup competition, alongside squad-mates Gianluca Zambrotta, a defender, and midfielder Andrea Pirlo.

In fact, Italy's quintet of frontmen share only 34 international goals between them - Gilardino with 16, Antonio di Natale 9, Iaquinta 5, Fabio Quagliarella 3 and Giampaolo Pazzini 1 - and they come into the tournament having scored 87 domestic goals between them this season.

In comparison, Argentina's front six scored 170 goals (Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Martin Palermo and Diego Milito), Spain's front four 96 (Fernando Torres, David Villa, Pedro and Fernando Llorente) and Uruguay's strike pair of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan hit 77.

Five...
...the record number of World Cup wins, held by Brazil, and Italy's target this time around.
Italy's first triumph was in 1934, followed by more glory in 1938, 1982 and 2006. Another win in South Africa would draw them alongside Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002) as the most successful World Cup nation.

Even now, with runner-up finishes in 1970 and 1994, a third-placed finish in 1990 and fourth in 1978, Italy are the second most successful World Cup nation, again behind Brazil. For the Azzurri, history awaits.

Statistics compiled in association with Infostrada Sports.

[Bagg10]

Probable line-up

-------------------------Buffon

Zambrotta----Cannavaro---Chiellini----Bocchetti


-------------De Rossi-----------Marchisio
-----------------------Montolivo

Pepe----------------------------------------Iaquinta

-----------------------Pazzini