We robbed nobody, says Lippi Monday 26 June, 2006
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Marcello Lippi has dismissed any notion that his Italy side were lucky to have defeated Australia this evening.
The Azzurri heroically won the last 16 clash 1-0 thanks to a controversial Francesco Totti penalty, despite the second-half dismissal of Marco Materazzi.
And although there are some doubts over whether Fabio Grosso was actually fouled by Lucas Neill for the penalty, Lippi assures that his side deserved their place in the next round.
“I definitely wouldn’t say we were lucky today. We really feared and respected Australia, as we’d seen them run and take advantage of the spaces, so we didn’t give them any opportunity to go near our goal and managed to create several clear-cut chances of our own,” he said.
“With 10 men in the entire second half, we brought out the great heart of these boys and an organised system to make trouble every now and then upfront.
“At the 93rd minute, Grosso went forward and earned this penalty. It was a precise choice to allow Australia more of the ball, but less of the space to run into.”
Despite being a man down, Italy seemed to control the game thanks to their tactical awareness, even if Lippi refused to shoot down the Aussies.
“I don’t believe our opponents are inferior tactically. Perhaps in terms of experience or quality, but they spend more time together than most of the European giants,” he stated.
“For example, we have to squeeze get-togethers every few months into the full fixture list.”
Lippi changed the shape of the Azzurri side by dropping Totti from the starting line-up, even if the Roman had the last laugh with his cool conversion.
“For a moment I was afraid Totti would try to chip the penalty!” smiled Lippi.
“I decided not to put him in from the start because he was incredibly tired at the end of the last game and said he was afraid to shoot in case he damaged his muscles.
“With that in mind and the Australian stamina, I opted to put him in later.”
The enforced introduction of Palermo defender Andrea Barzagli means that Lippi has used every outfield player apart from right-back Massimo Oddo.
“I have always believed in the team as a collective,” he noted. “It’s a shame for those injured and Materazzi’s red card seemed very harsh, but I’m happy that everyone has had the chance to take part in this fantastic World Cup experience.
“Totti’s fracture, Nesta’s recurring injury, then Zambrotta and Gattuso all piled up, but when you have this great character in a group of players, you can overcome these obstacles.”
Lippi concluded his first post-match interview in controversial style after yesterday’s row with the media in the Press conference.
“I was referring to the Press Conference when I said there wasn’t much left to go, not my experience at the helm of this team,” he assured.
However, when asked if he would stay on after the World Cup, Lippi stood up and left.
