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[RomaShield27]

Italy's scoring crisis continues despite win in Georgia
Italians believe the national team needs Antonio Cassano to get the goals flowing. Marcello Lippi doesn't agree

– Monday 7 September 2009 14.32 BST – By Paolo Bandini

And so Italy's drought came to an end. Sort of. Just 34 minutes remained in what would have been the world champions' fourth game without a goal when the Georgia captain, Kakha Kaladze, diverted an Angelo Palombo strike past his own goalkeeper. Eleven minutes later he repeated the trick, this time slotting the ball in at the near post off a cross from Domenico Criscito. It finished 2-0, and though the first goal was officially attributed to Palombo, there was little doubt that Kaladze's intervention had been crucial. "One and a half own goals", was how Gazzetta dello Sport delicately put it. The goals had eventually arrived but whether they would have done without Kaladze's accidental assistance is open to debate. Italy were far from convincing going forward and had not even managed a shot on target until early in the second half.

The fact it was Kaladze, a Milan player, who made such a decisive contribution has inevitably caused eyebrows to be raised. In the wake of Calciopoli some observers feel Italian football has lost the right to be presumed innocent. That is a pretty unfair situation for Kaladze – who was playing his first game back after a seven-month injury lay-off and is hardly the first player to put past his keeper twice in a match. The Georgian press, while not levelling any accusations, were hardly sympathetic. "In truth, Kaladze has never been an idol in Georgia," wrote one columnist in Msoklio Sport. "He has not been that impressive for the national team." But if it was a bad day at the office for Kaladze then it was just the latest in a series of them for Italy going forward. Before Palombo's goal they had gone 327 minutes without a goal – taking in defeats to Egypt and Brazil at the Confederations Cup and a goalless draw with Switzerland in a friendly last month. On paper the problem would appear to lie with the team's frontmen. Although Italy have scored 11 goals in seven qualifiers so far, only four of those have come from the men playing up front.

That is a poor return for a group with plenty of goalscoring pedigree. Luca Toni has 38 goals in 56 league games for Bayern Munich and before that hit 47 in 67 for Fiorentina; Alberto Gilardino managed 19 in 33 for Fiorentina last year and Giampaolo Pazzini 11 in 19 after moving to Sampdoria in January. The other four strikers used in qualifying – Giuseppe Rossi, Fabio Quagliarella, Antonio Di Natale and Vincenzo Iaquinta can point to similarly impressive figures throughout their club careers. Indeed, Marcello Lippi's problems may stem in part from the fact he is spoilt for choice. By using seven different strikers in as many games, Lippi has denied his team the opportunity to develop any sort of consistency and understanding – though it must be said his hand has often been forced by injuries. In reality, though, the greater problems may lie further back with a midfield that no longer boasts the creativity to provide the front line with opportunities.

Against Georgia Lippi abandoned 4-3-3 in favour of a 4-4-2 but while the new formation helped to shore up a defence that had been badly exposed down the flanks in South Africa, it was no more effective going forward. Mauro Camoranesi (and perhaps the injured Claudio Marchisio) aside, Italy lack natural wingers and the supply of balls from wide was sporadic. Inside, both Palombo and Andrea Pirlo struggled to retain possession against opponents with far greater energy.

Pirlo's increasingly lethargic performances on the national stage have not gone unnoticed. Lippi's claim that the midfielder is short of full fitness might have sounded more convincing had the player not been similarly subdued in so many other games for Italy over the past 12 months. A refusal to be hurried when in possession that was once viewed as admirable is threatening to make him a liability against any team willing to close down rapidly and apply pressure in the middle of the park. Lippi's immediate solution to this – if today's reports are to be believed – has been to move Pirlo away from his deep-lying role and into a position behind the attack for Wednesday's game against Bulgaria. Certainly Italy could do with someone linking play in that part of the field. Asked after the game how he could persist with a team lacking a fantasista, Lippi insisted his team already had one – the goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

The question had been a loaded one, of course – a great portion of the Italian media have been campaigning for months now to have Antonio Cassano called up. Polls conducted by national papers suggest the majority of Italian fans want the same thing, though it is clear at this stage that Lippi has no intention of heeding them. Fabio Cannavaro was quick to dismiss criticisms, claiming Italy have always played scrappy football but won on the basis of a strong defence. Lippi pointed to the fact that during the qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup, his side had scraped past Moldova 1-0 away from home only with the help of Buffon – who made a stunning save to keep out one header on Saturday – and had lost in Slovenia.

Neither point is without justification, but neither paints a full picture. The results mentioned by Lippi were more than offset by impressive showings in a 4-1 friendly win over Germany and a 3-1 triumph over Holland in Amsterdam. Even the 2-1 win over Ireland in Dublin was achieved with a degree of confidence that has been lacking so far in the current campaign. Lippi pointed out that other big teams – such as Argentina, France and Portugal – are enduring far greater struggles. That much is true, and a home win over Bulgaria on Wednesday would leave Italy four points clear at the top of Group Eight with two games to play. To get that, though, someone is probably going to have to work out how to score more than half a goal.

[tonykart]

[tonykart]

You also forgot to add how Marchisio has been called up to the team as well.

[morra10]

Italy 2-0 Bulgaria: Grosso & Iaquinta On The Scoresheet As ItalJuve Shine - Goal.com

[Messinterista]

[Lombardiamia]

[Bagg10]

[Lombardiamia]

[RomaShield27]

[Lombardiamia]

[RomaShield27]

Burdisso was a sub last night and has been part of the Maradona's Argentina all along i believe, but not calling up Samuel or Cambiasso is just petty (a bit like Lippi you could say). I can't see Diego lasting too much longer.

[RomaShield27]

Victory puts Italy firmly in control
– Thursday, September 10, 2009 – PADDY AGNEW

SOCCER WORLD CUP QUALIFYING GROUP EIGHT/Italy 2 Bulgaria 0: WITHIN SECONDS of the final whistle after Italy’s convincing 2-0 win over Bulgaria in Turin last night, Italian coach Marcello Lippi made no attempt to hide his satisfaction with a performance which, in all likelihood, will see Italy run out winners of Group Eight.

Although he refused to count all his unhatched chickens, the Italian coach clearly believed that it was a case of a job well done in Turin last night – Italy now travel to Dublin for their clash with Ireland with a comfortable four-point cushion.

“I’m very happy for my players. People were trying to suggest that they were no good but, in reality, this is a side that has a lot of quality, mental and physical. They scored two splendid goals in a very good first half when we might have had five and then, after that, we contained the game in the second half.

“You’ve got to remember that is a time of year when we (Italian sides) are never at our best, the players from the other leagues start earlier than us and they are fitter than us. On top of that we made a number of changes tonight and they worked out well.â€

[tonykart]

Great job by Lippi to put Pirlo in the hole and use three box-to-box CMs behind him. Pirlo could make us all forget about Cassano if he continues to play in this role. Pirlo as a CM is too restricted and isn't a good enough defender. I would still pick Cassano for the squad, but he we don't need him as badly if we run our formation like this.

[RomaShield27]

They still need Cassano. Bulgaria were a mess last night defensively and Gila and Iaquinta couldn't hit the net if it were 100 feet wide aside from the first goal when the Bulgarians stood and watched them play football tennis. Against tighter and better organised oppositions Italy will struggle to open them up with those two upfront, and the likes of Cassano is needed.

[Lombardiamia]

[tonykart]

[Lombardiamia]

[tonykart]

[marco]

[tonykart]