Gennaro conquers Germany Sunday 2 July, 2006
Gennaro Gattuso has become the symbol of this World Cup for Italy and has urged Marcello Lippi to stay on the Azzurri bench for many more years.
The battling midfielder’s honesty, hard work and charisma have won over the media both on and off the field and he was the star in today’s Press Conference. Some of the local journalists even suggested he is the symbol of this tournament after Ronaldinho’s exit with Brazil.
“A comparison like that is an insult to football!” he joked. “With all due respect, I can play well and win back the ball, but the class and spectacle of Ronaldinho are things I can only dream about. As for Italy, there are real symbols like Luca Toni, Andrea Pirlo and Francesco Totti who make the difference. I’d like Alessandro Del Piero to be decisive, as he’s someone who emerges as time goes on and never gives in.”
The Milanista was FIFA’s Man of the Match following the 3-0 quarter-final victory over the Ukraine and the Germans see him as a key player in Tuesday’s clash in Dortmund. His tough tackling style could cause problems, however, as he is on a yellow card and another booking would rule him out of the Final.
“I will play with my usual style and it’ll be a test of maturity. In fact, I’d gladly sign away my chances of playing the Final if it meant Italy were there on July 9. Having said that, it’s not as if I’m looking for a card with a Rambo bandana round my head. If the referee waves a yellow at me, I might just have to eat it!”
Gattuso had perhaps not been Lippi’s first choice for the midfield, but Daniele De Rossi’s four-match ban opened up the door for him to put in a series of gritty performances. With talk that the Coach will leave his post after the World Cup, regardless of the result, he asked for this to be a starting point and not a finish line for the squad.
“Where does my grit come from? It’s like asking Totti where he gets his quality. I really can’t explain it. This team really reflects the figure of its Coach, all the way from the spirit to the style of play. You can see he’s the leader. He doesn’t set any rules for us, even though it may not seem that way from the outside, because his personality is so strong that you can’t help but respect him,” explained ‘Rino’.
“Lippi puts such desire into his everyday work that it’s only right he remain as our Coach, especially after all the success we’ve had in the last two years. There’s no point discussing it now, though, as we have to concentrate on this semi-final. At the end of the day, the only man who can make that decision is him.”
If Gattuso risks a ban, then Germany will be able to count on Torsten Frings for Tuesday’s clash. The player was caught on camera punching Julio Cruz during the melee that followed the quarter-final penalty shoot-out with Argentina, but FIFA have announced they won’t be taking disciplinary action against him.
"Two years ago the Danish cameras caught Totti spitting at Christian Poulsen and that footage was used to inflict a ban. This time our television spotted the punch, but I don't want to cause controversy," added the former Rangers star.
