Official Azzurri (Italy) Euro 2008 Thread (19 Viewers)

Status
Not open for further replies.

Marceℓℓo

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2007
7,242
You said that you didn't think Spain was SUPERIOR. Are you one of the fans that just looks at the score and doesn't watch the match?
No,not at all.But again,at the end of the day the score counts.Jesus Christ I feel like I say the same shit over and over again.Of course it's nice to watch when a team plays like Spain or the Netherlands in the Group stages but that's not all.
You're just living in some friggin biased world where Italy is always superior and Pippo Inzaghi is everyone's little house pet while Andrea Pirlo walks the street of Milan like Gianni Versace with Gnocchi in his hands while the Azzurri rack up 25 World Cups in one year because Sepp Blatter was lobbied by Italians to make 25 World Cups in each year and only have one team play in them.
I won't comment on that,it's not worth the trouble.
I'm enjoying seeing many Azzurri fans suffer, yes. But I don't like seeing our Juventini on the team suffer and true fans suffer because of expectations.

But one word is ironically ringing through my mind today. Italy was screwed over by one call and they still progressed, but today they got all the calls and still lost.

The word I'm thinking about is Karma.
I'm not suffering at all,so don't count me in.I'm still proud of being Italian and I'll wear my freaking Italy shirt with Del Piero at the back tomorrow.Life goes on,football is just a game and won't affect my life.
 

swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
84,795
Zambrotta - Piss Poor.

Aquilani - Same position he always plays, he choked.

Panucci - Sucked.

Perrotta - Below par performances for him, which is saying something. :shifty:

De Rossi - Choked.

Di Natale - Crap, overrated player.

Toni - Choked

And they all played their usual positions. So this right here is NOT Donadoni's fault.

Sure, his tactics were shit, but many Italians choked.
I'll join in...

Buffon - 6.5 - Soft-handed with the ball here, got beat once there -- but overall pretty solid.

Zambrotta - 6.5 - I actually thought he did fairly well. His defensive choices were good, and most of his crosses were decent. Did not give Spain the assists I expected.

Chiellini - 8 - I was really dismayed when the announcer would wax about Torres' great runs down the pitch, which Chiellini would absolutely destroy without even so much as an acknowledgment. He let nothing by him. Clean tackles. Threw his body in and extended himself in all the right places. A superb match and Italy's MOM.

Panucci - 5.5 - Not terrible, though not good either. One attack you'd see Torres' run in the box ripped apart by Chiellini on one end. The next run, Torres would send Panucci on his ass, rolling around on the ground with his legs flailing.

Grosso - 5.5 - A decent cross here and there and had a nice chance that Toni flicked away. But he was hazardous to Italy's health. A more eagle-eyed ref would have not tolerated his hacks in the box.

De Rossi - 5 - Added little, but gets negative points for doing very little to keep the ball and control it.

Aquilani - 5 - See De Rossi.

Perrotta - 5 - See Aquilani.

Ambrosini - 5.5 - Beat his midfield teammates only by the fact that he got himself to making more and better touches. But even then he squandered possession at most opportunities.

Cassano - 6 - Moderately constructive, but got no real help. Largely asked to do it all on his own out there.

Toni - 4.5 - It's scary when Portugal's pathetic center forwards were both far more prolific and productive than Luca Toni was in the quarterfinals. Clumsy touches. Never threatened Casillas.

Subs:

Camoranesi - 6.5- Gave Italy their best chance at a goal, even if it was slop it was at least heads-up play (Luca? Hello?). Improved the dynamics of the midfield.

Di Natale - 4.5 - Five minutes after he came on, and for the next 40 minutes of match time, I had forgotten he was on the pitch until he missed his PK.

Del Piero - NR - On too late.

Coach:

Donadoni - 5 - Lazy tactics. His subs were mixed, but mostly too little too late. Still failed to come up with a formation to get any productive use out of Toni for how many matches in a row now?
 

Marceℓℓo

Senior Member
Mar 16, 2007
7,242
Then why did Lehmann write those notes after watching film during the 06 WC and save more than the average amount of penalties against Argentina?
Because he was lucky that these players were dumb enough to shoot at the same direction.

Every single goalkeeper could do it the "Lehmann-way",even Casillas did it today.It's still a gamble though.
 

juventus1897

Senior Member
Sep 19, 2006
618
I personally don't feel Italy did too bad tonight. Neither team wanted to risk much, so neither side let their players shine. However I do feel Chiellini had an excellent game. I also feel Donadoni should have risked more towards the end, I liked Lippi's approach against Germany better (similar game, tho Italy had the upper hand in it), because going to PK's is like coin toss: win some lose some. Still, we won the right one so I can't really feel that bad about it :)
 

Joaco

the cronopio
Dec 11, 2005
5,213
I personally don't feel Italy did too bad tonight. Neither team wanted to risk much, so neither side let their players shine. However I do feel Chiellini had an excellent game. I also feel Donadoni should have risked more towards the end, I liked Lippi's approach against Germany better (similar game, tho Italy had the upper hand in it), because going to PK's is like coin toss: win some lose some. Still, we won the right one so I can't really feel that bad about it :)
You watched the game, right? I consider myself as an Azzurri fan and we did awful. We have good players to do something else that just defend and trow crosses to a striker who can't even score to the rainbow. We did bad and we deserved to lose.
 

Bjerknes

"Top Economist"
Mar 16, 2004
116,251
No,not at all.But again,at the end of the day the score counts.Jesus Christ I feel like I say the same shit over and over again.Of course it's nice to watch when a team plays like Spain or the Netherlands in the Group stages but that's not all.
So what the FUCK is your point? Yes the score is all that matters, and whomever won, won. Spain won.

What else are you trying to insinuate? Or are you not even trying to insinuate anything with this and you really don't understand what happened here?

I won't comment on that,it's not worth the trouble.
Well at least you did that. It was a joke.

I'm not suffering at all,so don't count me in.I'm still proud of being Italian and I'll wear my freaking Italy shirt with Del Piero at the back tomorrow.Life goes on,football is just a game and won't affect my life.
I never said YOU were suffering.
 

Bjerknes

"Top Economist"
Mar 16, 2004
116,251
Actually, along with Chiellini and Buffon they were the best italian players on the pitch today.
Indeed.

Because he took a guess and guessed right. You call that science? :disagree:
You obviously have no clue about what keepers judge regarding penalties. The reason why I was chosen to take the penalties for my college side was because our keepers thought I was the most decisive and difficult to judge where I would place the ball. Sure, everything is a guess, but if a keeper can judge body movements adeptly enough, they can have an advantage.

Just like some players are better at taking penalties than others. Placement, deceiving the opponent, and nerves go into penalties. Yes, sometimes it's luck, but Jesus, it's also a lot of skill.

Because he was lucky that these players were dumb enough to shoot at the same direction.

Every single goalkeeper could do it the "Lehmann-way",even Casillas did it today.It's still a gamble though.
Azzurri relying on luck. What a surprise that is.

I personally don't feel Italy did too bad tonight. Neither team wanted to risk much, so neither side let their players shine. However I do feel Chiellini had an excellent game. I also feel Donadoni should have risked more towards the end, I liked Lippi's approach against Germany better (similar game, tho Italy had the upper hand in it), because going to PK's is like coin toss: win some lose some. Still, we won the right one so I can't really feel that bad about it :)
:melayyanandmessi:

You watched the game, right? I consider myself as an Azzurri fan and we did awful. We have good players to do something else that just defend and trow crosses to a striker who can't even score to the rainbow. We did bad and we deserved to lose.
Thank you, Joaquin. If only some people could be as objective as you.

You should have Italian blood.
 

lavenderguy

Junior Member
Feb 28, 2005
298
The most boring quarters final of all..
either Italy or Spain deserves to go through.
When I saw Di Natale eyes I told my brothers he had no confidence at all and he's gonna missed/being saved and my brother said he look like Anelka taking PK for Chelsea in the champions league final, the anxiety look, the eyes expression, everything...
anyway, for the record, is there a team managed to defend the world cup title?
I do not believe Italy can make it, not under Dona stupid Doni anyway..
 

sateeh

Day Walker
Jul 28, 2003
8,020
i feel bad for gigi and more importantly Alex. This was probably his last tournament but he didn't make the impression he wanted to make and his team didn't bow out in style but quite the opposite. Gigi played his heart out in every game and he deserves something more, but i dont see any recognition going his way as casilas would probably get the best keeper prize.

Donadoni is proof that you need a decent coach to win a tournament, the guy just read the game horribly. The long ball tactics were atrocious and his subs are late and simply wrong. It was evident that the only player that making forward runs from the midfield was perrota and he took him off to leave that little boy aquilani for some reason. They needed more drive from the midfield but instead of having two players doing that to go strong on the counter he just makes a like for like substitution, thus the same predictable play stays. Di Natale was obviously overwhelmed with the occasion from day one but he still got the nod ahead of Alex. Then he still didn't introduce him until the 2nd extra time period! And it took him 5 mins or something to get himself into 2 good positions, something Di Natale didn't do for 35.

Its not all the coach but he has a lot to do with it, as some players choked like Andy said especially Toni.
 

Alfio_87

Senior Member
Nov 21, 2005
3,597
I think its a pressure thing with Di Natale. Playing for Udine the pressures are so far less intense that it is for the Azzuri. I saw the same problem with Quags.
 
Apr 12, 2004
77,165
Both are overrated players though.

Why hasn't Arshavin choked yet?
Well that does not necessarily speak to how good Arshavin is, as there is not as much pressure on Russia. Whereas Italy are expected to perform at the highest level and not only do well, but win most, if not all, of the time.

Not that I'm dissing Arsh, but I'm just saying that he doesn't have as much to deal with. Just an observation.
 

Bjerknes

"Top Economist"
Mar 16, 2004
116,251
Simple Hiddink. Desire, hunger, talent, a lot of words.

Hiddink is magic I saw Australians play in the World Cup 2 years ago like legends many have fallen down the well.
But the point is, these players are not as good as the Italian media and fans make them out to be.

Well that does not necessarily speak to how good Arshavin is, as there is not as much pressure on Russia. Whereas Italy are expected to perform at the highest level and not only do well, but win most, if not all, of the time.

Not that I'm dissing Arsh, but I'm just saying that he doesn't have as much to deal with. Just an observation.
I know that.

I was just making the point that talented players will usually perform better than the talented players who are vastly overhyped, like Di Natale. All we ever hear about in Italian football is how good Barzagli is, how good Di Natale is, but the fact of the matter is: they blow.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 19)