Official Azzurri WC2010 Thread (17 Viewers)

[X Æ A-12]

? Somebody was denying that?


Its not that bad of a team, it could be solid if Lippi had made some better choices with his squad.

 

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[Dragon]

? Somebody was denying that?

My thoughts exactly

 

[Bjerknes]

? Somebody was denying that?

Hey, just wanted to make sure. Glad you can admit it, unlike others.

 

[Ford Prefect]

So you admit Italy plays shit football?

Hey, just wanted to make sure. Glad you can admit it, unlike others.

I would pick the azzurri as a better team than 70% of the tourny but im not stupid enough to deny that spain, brazil, argentina, germany etc. have better players and play better football.

Football in general this year had gone a bit mad

 

[Lo-Pan]

we are notoriously slow starters. Paraguay was always going to be a tough game, and it was...to a degree. But we certainly were not outplayed by them. Just a case of not really playing until a goal down...You can say the same about the NZ game. But their goal could very easily have been ruled offside. And they hardly threatened at all for the rest of the game, whereas Italy DID threaten, DID deserve at least a draw, really the win, and it was our tactical errors, rather than a lack of talent or determination, which lost us the two points. A big pat on the back to the kiwis...they got a goal which was likely illegimate, then shut up shop and demanded 'come on then, italy..break us down'...break them down, we did, but not with enough cutting edge.

All this Lippi talk of Family, of Team Spirit...great for theory, but diluted and flimsy in substance.

I read in the Martinez thread several posts regarding his lack of inclusion in the uruguay outfit...well...If i knew nothing of cassano these last two seasons, and we signed him, i would perhaps be thinking the same thing...'why cant he even get in the national squad???'...but sometimes, the most talented players, are not picked, due to personal reasons..such as a Manager has gone berserk, got too intoxicated by his own success, and fails to see things objectively. This is Lippi.

Not only was his selection, at best...functional. But his complete failure to make a team, tactically and personnel wise, during qualification, has come back to haunt us now. The group games are not the time to be experimenting. they are not the time to be playing CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS as WINGERS. These are basic errors. For which Lippi shoulders all the blame.

If the players are confused, and dont have set roles, drilled into them, day after day, game after game, it makes it very hard for a coach to ask them to do anything at all...for they have no form, no rhythm, just what is asked of them on the day.

Its a shame...but not a surprise, that we are struggling. This Italy team, could be far better, but nowhere near the argies and brazilians.

All is not lost. we will likely scrape through, but i wont be staying up until 630am to watch more of this pointless 'lippi experiment'.

 

[Bjerknes]

I would pick the azzurri as a better team than 70% of the tourny but im not stupid enough to deny that spain, brazil, argentina, germany etc. have better players and play better football.

Football in general this year had gone a bit mad

Not really about the players, just about how they play. Bielsa's Chile comes to mind as well. Good attacking football.

 

[Ford Prefect]

Not really about the players, just about how they play. Bielsa's Chile comes to mind as well. Good attacking football.

the azzurri have always played slow defensive football, its just how italy and serie a is. When camo and di natale come on the pitch and the team get a bit of pace going its like watching a different team! Shame that lippi is too stuck in his ways to bother. Gilardino is a real dampner on the team as well.

 

[X Æ A-12]

Hey, just wanted to make sure. Glad you can admit it, unlike others.

I'm not saying Italy always played crap football but they have in a consistent manner ever since the end of the 2006 WC. Regardless of how you feel about the team it is undeniable.

Football in general this year had gone a bit mad

To true, hopefully Prandelli can bring back some sanity to the Italy coaching job. There is talent in Italian football it just needs to be used properly.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Don't worry, ragazzi. Italy just need to remain unbeaten and they would've won the WC

 

[Salvo]

we played badly, the team reminds me of juves this year...it doesnt seem as if we we will ever score, still not a goal from open play.

new zealand played 11 men behind the ball though, still no excuse.

italy simply play better against the better teams, second place awaits i guess we will vs holland?

we really need a del piero, a cassano, a totti someone like rossi was needed

we need to see major changes

same defense with bonucci and but replace criscito.

montolivo,pirlo and de rossi in the midfield and maybe a 3 prone attack with di natale and quag on the wings with one of pazzo or iaq as teh striker, quag isnt great but what more do we have?

 

[Christina]

I do not understand why Lippi chose to start the exact same team AND most of all Gilardino. He was useless in the first match, and even more usesless this time around.

 

[X Æ A-12]

Lippi is to old fashioned and his style doesn't seem to work anymore, he should retire completely from managing after the world cup is over.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

I don't think he's lost it. Maybe he's stubborn, and well I wouldn't blame him for leaving home someone he has personal problems with (Cassano and Miccoli). Anyone would do the same. The players available just suck now.

 

[Rabbit]

Haha, embarrassing.

 

[Dominic]

Lippi is to old fashioned and his style doesn't seem to work anymore, he should retire completely from managing after the world cup is over.

Coaching national teams and taking a two year vacation does that to coaches. Lippi's lost his edge for sure. Lippi's strength was always his guts, he could read a game very well and make a strange decision at first glance which would always turn out favourably. He cant do that anymore.
Come to think of it, he wasnt at his best in his last year with us all those years ago. WC06 was his swansong, he should have let it be as such.

That and the italy squad just isn't that good.

 

[icemaη]

Okay, he didn't take Cassano. Understandable. Why the hell did he then take Gattuso? The man's not going to see a minute on the pitch. An over weight Totti or an older Del Piero would have been better wasting that space on the bench than Gattuso.

 

[Seven]

Andries, did you see this?

"Sono sempre convinto delle mie scelte. E sono assolutamente convinto che non ce ne sono di fenomeni rimasti a casa che avrebbero potuto cambiare questa partita"

Lippi said it after the match

Yeah.. I could understand it when Lippi said that the stars didn't perform last season, but to say that there aren't fenomeni back home.. Lippi was brilliant four years ago, but a coach should always realise that it's the stars who make him win. Perhaps you don't get along with Cassano or you feel that Totti hasn't given it his all during the season, but you're still going to need people like that.

 

[Alen]

Yeah.. I could understand it when Lippi said that the stars didn't perform last season, but to say that there aren't fenomeni back home.. Lippi was brilliant four years ago, but a coach should always realise that it's the stars who make him win. Perhaps you don't get along with Cassano or you feel that Totti hasn't given it his all during the season, but you're still going to need people like that.

Technically he didn't say that there aren't fenomeni back in Italy, but that there aren't such players who could have changed the game against New Zealand. He is actually saying that players like Cassano (I think he means exactly Cassano when he made this statement), Totti or Del Piero wouldn't have changed the match and brought the win, while it was obvious that one touch, one great move, or a free kick well taken, would have easily brought the win to Italy and all three of Cassano, Totti and Del Piero could have done it.

 

[Juventino[RUS]]

This team is not good enough without Amauri

 

[Rabbit]

Don't worry, ragazzi. Italy just need to remain unbeaten and they would've won the WC

ROFL, nice signature..and don't forget the reason why Kaka left Serie A