The Official Azzurri thread

[Bagg10]

[RomaShield27]

[RomaShield27]

[Carlo Romano]

[RomaShield27]

Forza Ireland! Good result, very much deserved, never say die attitude and fighting spirit right to the end!



http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer ... 51054.html

http://www.setanta.com/uk/Articles/Foot ... nid-46778/

http://soccerrepublic.eircom.net/News/i ... nbari.aspx

[maro]

Well done, edzo. Ireland got what they deserved. They dominated start to finish to my mind and though the Italians will hide behind the red card that's just an excuse. Italy were poor because Ireland made them look poor and really if anything Ireland deserved to nick it. I thought it was an outstanding backs-to-the-wall away performance and showed great Irish grit and pride. The guinness will taste sweet in Dublin tonight.

[maro]

At least it'll shut Dino up for a few days.

[RomaShield27]

[Carlo Romano]

Ed, like I said, tonight Bari is green, white, and gold!




I stand by what I posted above though. We Azzurri may have metaphorically if not literally lost the battle and we certainly haven't lost the war! But when I say that I mean, given the strength of some of our young bloods coming through, Rossi, Motta, Giovinco, etc it's looking good for Euro 2012.

Don Marcello will get us to the last eight, maybe the last four in Sth Africa. Historically, European national sides don't win tournaments outside our continent and we'd need to be looking a lot better than we do now to change that...

I still also say a draw at Croke Park is the likely score!

[Bagg10]

[morra10]

[ricky2882]

[Lombardiamia]

[RomaShield27]

Lippi puts it down to 10 men for too long
– Thursday, April 2, 2009

WAS THERE anything Marcello Lippi did not like about last night’s game? Yes, there was – the referee, German Wolfgang Stark reports PADDY AGNEW, from Bari

The Italian coach had little doubt the decision to send off Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini after only three minutes of last night’s qualifier not only was wrong but cost Italy three points. “I feel a bit bitter about this game, because in my opinion we were victims of an injustice, because to make us play practically the entire 90 minutes without one player, at this level of football and because of a gesture that simply wasn’t violent – frankly that’s an injustice.

“People can say that Pazzini did a really stupid thing, but that’s not true. He jumped high for the ball but there was no violent elbow movement. Despite that my lads played really well for a full hour, running very few risks in that period. Then with tiredness, they lost a bit of lucidity and they got that equaliser.

“But, it seems pretty obvious to me that to play 90 minutes on a heavy, wet pitch and a man down, that’s a heavy order. That’s why I took off Pirlo at half-time because I could tell this would be a tremendous struggle as the game went on, and for that reason I wanted to play with two holding midfielders. It’s a hell of a thing to play with 10 for 90 minutes and, in the end, we just could not manage it.

“But even in inferiority we came very close to scoring a second goal through that chance that Dossena missed in the second half.â€

[red]

[Carlo Romano]

[quote]


[i] [size=84] Italy Coach Marcello Lippi has hinted that he regrets substituting Andrea Pirlo against the Republic of Ireland.

The Azzurri were reduced to 10 men when Giampaolo Pazzini was harshly sent off after just four minutes of their World Cup 2010 qualifier in Bari on Wednesday evening.

Lippi chose to take Milan midfielder Pirlo off at half-time and introduce Sampdoria's Angelo Palombo.

“A bad refereeing decision affected our performance, but I don't think we need to launch an official complaint,â€

[Bagg10]

[RomaShield27]

Lippi hints at Confederation squad
– Tuesday 14 April, 2009

Marcello Lippi says there will be no surprises in the Confederations Cup squad and slams the door on ‘a Nazionale of Oriundi.’ The Italy boss will prepare to defend his 2010 World Cup crown in the tournament in South Africa this coming June.

“I will take the group that has worked with me in the last few months to the Confederations Cup,â€

[Messinterista]

[quote="RomaShield27"]Lippi hints at Confederation squad
– Tuesday 14 April, 2009

Marcello Lippi says there will be no surprises in the Confederations Cup squad and slams the door on ‘a Nazionale of Oriundi.’ The Italy boss will prepare to defend his 2010 World Cup crown in the tournament in South Africa this coming June.

“I will take the group that has worked with me in the last few months to the Confederations Cup,â€

[morra10]