Calcio Debate: Cannavaro - How Can Italy’s Best Be Spain’s Worst?
Former German World Cup legend Paul Breitner is the latest member of the football community to criticise Fabio Cannavaro’s performances at Real Madrid. Carlo Garganese asks how Italy’s finest can possibly be regarded in such low esteem in La Liga…
zoom - galleria Almost exactly 11 years ago I travelled to Wembley Stadium with my father and two friends to watch Italy face England in a crucial World Cup qualifier.
Injuries meant a virtually unknown 23-year-old named Fabio Cannavaro was handed his competitive debut at centre back in one of the world’s most intense pressure-cooker arenas.
The build-up to the game in the English press was all about how Alan Shearer, supposedly the best striker in the world after his exploits at Euro 96’ the previous summer, was going to eat the young Cannavaro alive.
My friend, Adriano, turned to me and said: “Don’t worry, Cannavaro is from Naples. No one messes about with Neapolitan defenders.”
He was right. Cannavaro was arguably the man-of-the-match, Shearer didn’t get a kick all game, and Italy recorded a famous 1-0 victory thanks to Gianfranco Zola.
That night, although it has never been reported in this way, a true phenomenon was born.
In over a decade since that celebrated match, Cannavaro has been consistently world class, and some would argue that he has been the best defender, certainly the best centre-back, of his generation.
Now at the age of 34, it is clear that Cannavaro is not the all-conquering Berlin Wall that led Italy to World Cup glory in Germany in 2006, however he is still a top class defender.
His form in Spain since joining Real Madrid after the Calciopoli crisis has been very poor though, especially for his sky-high standards.
On Saturday night he made another two errors that resulted in both of Almeria’s goals in their shock 2-0 La Liga win.
"I do not like Cannavaro," ex-Germany and Real Madrid star Paul Breitner blasted earlier today.
"He adds nothing to the play, does not involve himself and he makes mistakes.
"He may be a Ballon d'Or and World Cup winner, but Madrid need to strengthen that position. Schuster knows that already and will be looking at those things."
So why is Cannavaro playing so badly for Madrid?
Well football fans who only watch La Liga will say to you that Cannavaro is "too old" and that he is a “has-been”.
Supporters who have been following the Italy national team during their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign will laugh at the statement above.
Cannavaro has continued to be a rock for the Azzurri, and his performance last September in the 0-0 draw against France in Milan was simply perfect.
The truth is that Fabio Cannavaro is not the problem, the problem is the Spanish league.
“Here in Spain, people think defenders aren't proper football players. Spaniards like strikers like Ronaldinho, who are capable of giving a spectacle," said Cannavaro earlier in the season when faced by similar criticism to that of Breitner.
"That's why people didn't like me getting so many awards last year; Spaniards don't think a defender should win the Ballon d'Or. Italy is different; defenders and goalkeepers can be more important than strikers there.”
In Spain there just isn’t a mentality of defence. Teams are set-up to attack, and the tactical side of the game is non-existent. This leaves defenders like Cannavaro hopelessly exposed and liable to mistakes.
The reason Cannavaro has continued to be top-class for Italy is because they are tactically set-up in the correct way. Every player is drilled and knows exactly what role they have to carry out for the team. In this situation Cannavaro is simply number one.
In Spain, and at Real Madrid, players just haven’t been schooled with this line of thinking. Midfielders all attack at will, and don’t carry out their tactical and defensive duties in a way that defenders such as Cannavaro are used to.
The result of this is that Cannavaro is made to look like a bad defender, when in truth he is just taking all the blame for the defensive inadequacies of the team around him.
"It is harder to defend in Spain because we have to cover our men in the box, also keeping an eye on midfielders who approach in the attack," Cannavaro noted.
"I'm always telling them [our midfielders and forwards] to help out in defence. The important thing is for the team to show balance, and for everyone to help each other out.”
It has often been stated how Spain have not won a major international trophy since 1964 (or even come close apart from Euro 84) despite consistently boasting star-studded squads.
The reason for this once again comes down to defensive, tactical and mental inadequacies.
"Whenever people asked me who I thought was going to win the World Cup before the competition started I always said Spain would. I swear. They had it all: technique, speed... But they always seem to lose when things get difficult,” explained Cannavaro.
"We [Italy], on the other hand, grow stronger with adversity.
"It is only possible for niggled or tired players to perform well when the entire team is united. Italy won the World Cup with hardly any strikers because Totti and Luca Toni weren't in good shape"
Spain will go into this summer’s European Championships with a host of top-class and technically-gifted players such as Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Fernando Torres and so on.
They will most likely blitz through the opposition in the group stages before again coming unstuck in the knockout rounds when tactical, mental and defensive qualities become just as important to a team’s chances of success.
These three attributes are perhaps Fabio Cannavaro’s greatest strengths so it is no surprise whatsoever that he is unsuccessful and unappreciated in Spain.
Goal.com
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Is he really that bad recently?Btw Breitner is a prick anyway.
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