Italy has embarrassed itself immensely. While the performance on the field was bad, the match-fixing rhetoric made the country look even worse - a country of sore losers and gripers. Am really embarassed.
The team needs an overhaul. The big stars need to be retired. They are on their last legs and wont help in the 2006 WC. They are just the burdens of superstar egos that Italy is paying the price for having to accomodate. New ones should be brought in. The sacred cows are hopeless and should restrict themselves to club football.
The good ones like Cassano, Gilardino, Pirlo, Gattuso, Nesta, Buffon, Zambrotta, Miccoli, Matteo Ferrari should form the backbone of the team.
Italy, less soap opera please. Its getting a trite revolting. Football is not opera. Lets just lose with good grace.