Official Azzurri WC2010 Thread (4 Viewers)

[JuveJay]

Bah. Bullshit.


Italy, unlike Spain, England, Brazil, does not have the type of talent pool where they can leave players of the quality of Cassano and Miccoli at home. They simply don't, which brings up another point I've been screaming about for 7 years, but that's another story for another time.

No excuse for it. None whatsoever. Cassano and Miccoli have both been miles better than Gilardino and Iaquinta the last 2 seasons with their all-around play.

Nations with a shallower talent pool HAVE to take their best players, and the bottom line is he didn't.

England? England really doesn't have a deep talent pool. I see your point, one many are going to make in this situation. So you think that Lippi should have totally abandoned his qualification system and gone into the tournament with a completely new attack of Cassano and Pazzini? What national coach would possibly do that?

 

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[Fred]

Why didn't he call them up in the qualifiers?

 

[Azzurri7]

Just whan Cannavaro could'nt of become more of an idiot.

Cassano is Italys most talented attacking player by a million miles.

Not really.

 

[Fred]

Right now he is Rab. We're not counting Del Piero because he's past it, Totti to a lesser extent is past it too.

 

[JuveJay]

Why didn't he call them up in the qualifiers?

 

[KB824]

Sergio, don't you think at least one of Totti or Del Piero was needed? Someone with experience and a player that knows what to do in difficult times?

I don't know.

It lends itself to this dilemna.

Do you take even more players from the old guard who are now 4 years older, and not the players they were, at least athletically, who have lareday gotten the proverbial "monkey off of their backs" by winning the WC, or do you take two players who quite frankly, are just as deserving, and come in with the chip on their shoulder that they have something to prove, and are hungry for international glory?

I would take the latter, myself.

I don't think it was experience. This team had the experience, what they lacked was someone who could turn nothing into something, and Cassano and Miccoli would have been able to provide that. That bit of "fantasy", if you will.


Both of those players have class, and skill, both on and off the ball, and this team was severly lacking in that this year.

I honestly don't know how Lippi expected this team to score any goals in this tournament? you bring Pazzini, but you don't bring Cassano? You've wasted a roster spot with Pazzini then, because he and Cassano are joined at the hip.

 

[JuveJay]

I agree with the sentiment that at least one 'game changer' should have gone, but this Cassano love-in is too predictable.

 

[Fred]

No big achievement at all. All due respect to Ireland, but you don't have to be that good to finish ahead of them.

Plus, the qualifiers don't mean anything at all. Denmark and Serbia were both very good at the qualifiers but were shit in the WC.

 

[Fred]

I agree with the sentiment that at least one 'game changer' should have gone, but this Cassano love-in is too predictable.

Ok not Cassano. Who would it be then?

 

[Nicholas]

Not really.

One guess Del Piero is?

 

[JuveJay]

No big achievement at all. All due respect to Ireland, but you don't have to be that good to finish ahead of them.

Plus, the qualifiers don't mean anything at all. Denmark and Serbia were both very good at the qualifiers but were shit in the WC.

You can only judge them from the group! Is Lippi supposed to have a crystal ball?! Name me a team that qualified in first place in their group and then went to a tournament with a different attacking setup.

 

[Buck Fuddy]

I agree with the sentiment that at least one 'game changer' should have gone, but this Cassano love-in is too predictable.

Something was lacking in the team, and I don't even know who I would have selected in Lippi's place, but it sure as hell would not have been Cassano or Miccoli.

 

[KB824]

I agree with the sentiment that at least one 'game changer' should have gone, but this Cassano love-in is too predictable.

What other game changers were there?

Of course its predictable, because Lippi should have put aside his foolish pride and pettiness and included Cassano in the squad 2 years ago.

Christ, the writing was on the fucking wall last year at the Confederations Cup, and for some reason, no one bothered to read it.

 

[Fred]

You can only judge them from the group! Is Lippi supposed to have a crystal ball?! Name me a team that qualified in first place in their group and then went to a tournament with a different attacking setup.

But was it not obvious that Italy's attack was not good enough? was it not obvious even before the tournament that creativity was lacking?

I think everyone but Lippi agreed that Italy needed a talented player up there.

 

[KB824]

Something was lacking in the team, and I don't even know who I would have selected in Lippi's place, but it sure as hell would not have been Cassano or Miccoli.

And why not?

Or are you going to tell me that Iaquinta and Gilardino are actually better players than those 2

 

[Azzurri7]

Right now he is Rab. We're not counting Del Piero because he's past it, Totti to a lesser extent is past it too.

Forget talent because obviously Del Piero and Totti aren't young anymore. But they're still giving more than what he's giving. Cassano looks like a lazy player to me.

I just don't think he is the most talented. He's a good player but not extraordinary to say that he's by miles the most talented Italian player.


But yes I agree that he should be ahead of Iaquinta, Gila, Di Natale, Pepe combined.

 

[Alen]

So that could get interesting. Hopefully Northern Ireland are down and out by then, as Italy often struggle against the sides with a 'British' style and mentality.

Ex-Yu teams were a tricky opponent too (H is for home match, A is for away match, N is for neutral)

Against Serbia (as Serbia and Montenegro)... 3 matches - 0 wins- 3 draws- 0 defeats (3:3)
2005, Friendly, 1:1 (N)
2003, Euro qualification, 1:1 (A)
2002, Euro qualification, 1:1 (H)

Against Croatia...5 matches - 0 wins, 2 draws, 3 defeats (3:7)
2006, Friendly, 0:2 (H)
2002, World Cup, 1:2 (N)
1999, Friendly, 0:0 (A)
1995, Euro qualification, 1:1 (A)
1994, Euro qualification, 1:2 (H)

Against Slovenia...5 matches- 2 wins, 1 draw, 2 defeats (3:3 goal difference)
2005, WC qualification, 1:0 (H)
2004, WC qualification, 0:1 (A)
2002, Friendly, 0:1 (H)
1995, Euro qualifications, 1:0 (H)
1994, Euro qualifications, 1:1 (A)

Against Bosnia and Herzegovina...1 match - 0 wins, 0 draws, 1 defeat (1:2)
1996, Friendly, 1:2 (A)

Against Montenegro...2 matches - 2 wins, 0 draws, 0 defeats (4:1)
2008, WC qualification, 2:1 (H)
2009, WC qualification, 2:0 (A)

Against Macedonia: /

Total:
16 matches - 4 wins, 6 draws, 6 defeats (14:16)

 

[Fred]

Forget talent because obviously Del Piero and Totti aren't young anymore. But they're still giving more than what he's giving. Cassano looks like a lazy player to me.

I just don't think he is the most talented. He's a good player but not extraordinary to say that he's by miles the most talented Italian player.


But yes I agree that he should be ahead of Iaquinta, Gila, Di Natale, Pepe combined.

He might not be a world class player, but he is indeed the most talented player Italy has, and he is damn talented thats for sure. He might have attitude problems, he might not be a player that would run his lungs out ala Rooney. But he is still more talented than any Italian player out there.

 

[Nicholas]

He might not be a world class player, but he is indeed the most talented player Italy has, and he is damn talented thats for sure. He might have attitude problems, he might not be a player that would run his lungs out ala Rooney. But he is still more talented than any Italian player out there.

 

[king Ale]

If Italy had been eliminated against Holland in 1/8, we could have safely said that someone like Cassano or Miccoli could have made a difference, could have helped the Azzurri to have a better chance of standing against the Dutch. But it was only New Zealand and Slovakia. The squad Lippi had at disposal, as much as it was far inferior to all other big teams, MUST have beaten New Zealand. When it doesn't, it means that there is something wrong with the systems, with the formations and with the players' minds. Ironically enough, two of the worst Italian players yesterday were Chiellini and De Rossi. I don't think Cassano or Miccoli could have helped this team to advance from the group stage and Cannavaro is spot on.

From the BBC, the actual line, not the angled view with deceiving perspective.

It was exactly like the goal Mexico scored against France and the one Chile scored against Switzerland.