Lippi talks tournament tactics
By Phil Jackson - Created on 27 Oct 2006
Italy's World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi believes teams must be able to adopt several different systems if they are to be successful.
The 58-year-old Tuscan is the only manager in the world to have led teams to both the UEFA Champions League title and to the world crown at international level.
His achievements with the Azzurri this summer were made even more remarkable by the match-fixing scandal which dogged the team domestically and their prosaic performances at the last two major tournaments: Euro 2004 and the 2002 World Cup.
Lippi's team faced hotly-tipped hosts Germany in the semi-finals at this year's tournament and he has now revealed the savvy behind the tactics adopted in order to secure the epic 2-0 victory.
"What happened in the Germany game was just a tactical interpretation of a particular situation," Lippi told The Independent.
"In extra time, I realised that the game was no longer being played in midfield. It was a case of Italy attacking, then Germany attacking, then Italy attacking - with Italy probably attacking a bit more than Germany.
"The forwards and defenders in each team were those doing all the work. Seeing as we have a very strong defence - far, far stronger than Germany's - I said to myself 'Let's put on four attackers and go for it'. It meant we were also ready with the right players to take penalties, if necessary."
Their 2-0 Group E victory over Czech Republic, prior to that, allowed Italy to avoid some of the more feared teams in the journey to the latter stages and Lippi says his team adopted a different set of tactics for that game too.
"The Czechs play with one striker and lots of midfield players. So I went with one striker and lots of midfield players," he continued.
"Why give them the advantage in such a vital game? We knew if we beat them we would top the group and avoid Brazil, whom everyone in the world feared.
"We could also see we might then come up against Australia and Ukraine in successive rounds and, with all due respect to those teams, we felt that we had a great opportunity to get through to the semi-final."
Italy's adaptability ultimately brought them success, although has also dissected Sven Goran Eriksson's failings, which he attributes to a lack of flexibility despite an advanced knowledge of the main system.
"Once you've selected the players, you have to learn to play in two or three different ways, which means working hard on the training ground," Lippi explained.
"In Italy, that requires effort because every club plays with a different approach. Juventus play with one formation, Palermo another, Milan another again.
"In some countries like England, every club plays the same way, which makes things easier for the national team coach."
SKY Sports - http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=424841&CPID=219&clid=119&lid=8&title=Lippi+talks+tournament+tactics
By Phil Jackson - Created on 27 Oct 2006
Italy's World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi believes teams must be able to adopt several different systems if they are to be successful.
The 58-year-old Tuscan is the only manager in the world to have led teams to both the UEFA Champions League title and to the world crown at international level.
His achievements with the Azzurri this summer were made even more remarkable by the match-fixing scandal which dogged the team domestically and their prosaic performances at the last two major tournaments: Euro 2004 and the 2002 World Cup.
Lippi's team faced hotly-tipped hosts Germany in the semi-finals at this year's tournament and he has now revealed the savvy behind the tactics adopted in order to secure the epic 2-0 victory.
"What happened in the Germany game was just a tactical interpretation of a particular situation," Lippi told The Independent.
"In extra time, I realised that the game was no longer being played in midfield. It was a case of Italy attacking, then Germany attacking, then Italy attacking - with Italy probably attacking a bit more than Germany.
"The forwards and defenders in each team were those doing all the work. Seeing as we have a very strong defence - far, far stronger than Germany's - I said to myself 'Let's put on four attackers and go for it'. It meant we were also ready with the right players to take penalties, if necessary."
Their 2-0 Group E victory over Czech Republic, prior to that, allowed Italy to avoid some of the more feared teams in the journey to the latter stages and Lippi says his team adopted a different set of tactics for that game too.
"The Czechs play with one striker and lots of midfield players. So I went with one striker and lots of midfield players," he continued.
"Why give them the advantage in such a vital game? We knew if we beat them we would top the group and avoid Brazil, whom everyone in the world feared.
"We could also see we might then come up against Australia and Ukraine in successive rounds and, with all due respect to those teams, we felt that we had a great opportunity to get through to the semi-final."
Italy's adaptability ultimately brought them success, although has also dissected Sven Goran Eriksson's failings, which he attributes to a lack of flexibility despite an advanced knowledge of the main system.
"Once you've selected the players, you have to learn to play in two or three different ways, which means working hard on the training ground," Lippi explained.
"In Italy, that requires effort because every club plays with a different approach. Juventus play with one formation, Palermo another, Milan another again.
"In some countries like England, every club plays the same way, which makes things easier for the national team coach."
SKY Sports - http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=424841&CPID=219&clid=119&lid=8&title=Lippi+talks+tournament+tactics
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