[WC] Italia vs Ghana [12-06-2006] (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter Elvin
- Start date
On a serious note, Appiah can really hurt the Italian team a lot. He can do a lot of damage in his natural position since he can do a lot of things, like running, shooting and take free kicks. He does a very good job in playing behind the strikers. While the Italian squad may have seen him during his time in Italy, he has been played out of position all the time, limiting his strengths. I think Appiah may know how to exploit Italy's defence. Furthermore, Appiah is viewed as a hero in his homeland, so attention must be paid to him.
Alex demands winning start Saturday 10 June, 2006
Alessandro Del Piero insists Italy need to win rather than impress in their opening World Cup tie against Ghana.
The Azzurri kick off their campaign on Monday evening in a game which the Juventus icon has labelled as vital.
“We are not going out there to entertain or leave a good impression, but to win the match,” he said on Saturday.
“We are two days away from our first encounter and we need to focus on the Africans because that is our most difficult game.”
The Azzurri will start the tie as favourites against the World Cup debutants, but Del Piero is showing them great respect.
“We’ve studied them and we will continue to study them. I know Appiah well, but they also have Essien, Muntari and Kuffour,” he noted.
“They are an expert side with international experience.
“We hope to be more German like rather than Costa Rican like, but it isn’t important to score loads of goals. We just need to get more than our opponents.”
Whispers around the Italy camp insist that Del Piero is likely to start on the bench at the expense of Francesco Totti who is making his comeback after injury.
“Totti is at 70 per cent? I’m at 100 per cent, but there is no duel,” underlined the Bianconeri captain.
“There is no dispute with Francesco, we are both at the disposal of Lippi and the Coach will do what he feels is right for the team.”
Del Piero was also inevitably asked to comment on the Calciopoli scandal which has hit his club after his month of silence.
“I haven’t spoken because I like to go into the hills in order to evaluate the situation and to find some focus,” he explained.
“A bit like what Achilles used to do when he isolated himself to study his strategies.
“From the mountains my evaluations were different, but my idea of attack can’t be revealed.
“A lot of things have happened since then and I await news. Everyone at Juventus is patiently waiting with hope. However, there is still need for clarity as the situation is complex.
“Luciano Moggi? There is no need to be surprised if myself and my teammates have offered support and affection to Moggi.
“However, this is separated from the facts. We want to know how things are going to turn out.”
Juventus, due to a number of intercepted phone calls made by their former director Moggi, are facing the threat of relegation for sporting fraud.
Alessandro Del Piero insists Italy need to win rather than impress in their opening World Cup tie against Ghana.
The Azzurri kick off their campaign on Monday evening in a game which the Juventus icon has labelled as vital.
“We are not going out there to entertain or leave a good impression, but to win the match,” he said on Saturday.
“We are two days away from our first encounter and we need to focus on the Africans because that is our most difficult game.”
The Azzurri will start the tie as favourites against the World Cup debutants, but Del Piero is showing them great respect.
“We’ve studied them and we will continue to study them. I know Appiah well, but they also have Essien, Muntari and Kuffour,” he noted.
“They are an expert side with international experience.
“We hope to be more German like rather than Costa Rican like, but it isn’t important to score loads of goals. We just need to get more than our opponents.”
Whispers around the Italy camp insist that Del Piero is likely to start on the bench at the expense of Francesco Totti who is making his comeback after injury.
“Totti is at 70 per cent? I’m at 100 per cent, but there is no duel,” underlined the Bianconeri captain.
“There is no dispute with Francesco, we are both at the disposal of Lippi and the Coach will do what he feels is right for the team.”
Del Piero was also inevitably asked to comment on the Calciopoli scandal which has hit his club after his month of silence.
“I haven’t spoken because I like to go into the hills in order to evaluate the situation and to find some focus,” he explained.
“A bit like what Achilles used to do when he isolated himself to study his strategies.
“From the mountains my evaluations were different, but my idea of attack can’t be revealed.
“A lot of things have happened since then and I await news. Everyone at Juventus is patiently waiting with hope. However, there is still need for clarity as the situation is complex.
“Luciano Moggi? There is no need to be surprised if myself and my teammates have offered support and affection to Moggi.
“However, this is separated from the facts. We want to know how things are going to turn out.”
Juventus, due to a number of intercepted phone calls made by their former director Moggi, are facing the threat of relegation for sporting fraud.
Kuffour confident of winning bet with Totti
WUERZBURG, Germany - Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffour is confident AS Roma team mate Francesco Totti will be paying up on a wager between the duo after Monday's World Cup match against Italy.
Kuffour will try to thwart Totti-led attacks in Hanover and he said on Saturday there was more at stake than the three points, with the two players having had a bet on the outcome.
"After the game I will take the money from him," Kuffour told a news conference at the team's hotel in central Germany.
Kuffour's hopeful tone was reflected by the coach and other players, with Ghana saying the pressure was on the triple former champions.
While the Africans are World Cup newcomers, a number of their faces will be familiar to the Italians, with Kuffour at Roma, midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari at Udinese and striker Asamoah Gyan on loan at Modena.
Ghana captain Stephen Appiah is likely to come face-to-face with his former mentor, Italy coach Marcello Lippi.
Appiah, now at Fenerbahce, spent two seasons with Lippi's old club Juventus.
"It's going to be a special game for me. We all know Italian soccer is among the best in the world," said Appiah.
"What I learned from Italy, I will have to prove. I'm happy to be able to see a coach like Marcello Lippi again."
Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic was keeping his cards close to his chest.
"All 23 are ready to play," Dujkovic said. "They (Italy) have some injuries, thankfully we have none."
Ghana also face Czech Republic and the United States in Group E.
Source:
Reuters
---
so are we gona see more betting scandals
WUERZBURG, Germany - Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffour is confident AS Roma team mate Francesco Totti will be paying up on a wager between the duo after Monday's World Cup match against Italy.
Kuffour will try to thwart Totti-led attacks in Hanover and he said on Saturday there was more at stake than the three points, with the two players having had a bet on the outcome.
"After the game I will take the money from him," Kuffour told a news conference at the team's hotel in central Germany.
Kuffour's hopeful tone was reflected by the coach and other players, with Ghana saying the pressure was on the triple former champions.
While the Africans are World Cup newcomers, a number of their faces will be familiar to the Italians, with Kuffour at Roma, midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari at Udinese and striker Asamoah Gyan on loan at Modena.
Ghana captain Stephen Appiah is likely to come face-to-face with his former mentor, Italy coach Marcello Lippi.
Appiah, now at Fenerbahce, spent two seasons with Lippi's old club Juventus.
"It's going to be a special game for me. We all know Italian soccer is among the best in the world," said Appiah.
"What I learned from Italy, I will have to prove. I'm happy to be able to see a coach like Marcello Lippi again."
Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic was keeping his cards close to his chest.
"All 23 are ready to play," Dujkovic said. "They (Italy) have some injuries, thankfully we have none."
Ghana also face Czech Republic and the United States in Group E.
Source:
Reuters
---
so are we gona see more betting scandals
Stephan said:
Kuffour confident of winning bet with Totti
WUERZBURG, Germany - Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffour is confident AS Roma team mate Francesco Totti will be paying up on a wager between the duo after Monday's World Cup match against Italy.
Kuffour will try to thwart Totti-led attacks in Hanover and he said on Saturday there was more at stake than the three points, with the two players having had a bet on the outcome.
"After the game I will take the money from him," Kuffour told a news conference at the team's hotel in central Germany.
Kuffour's hopeful tone was reflected by the coach and other players, with Ghana saying the pressure was on the triple former champions.
While the Africans are World Cup newcomers, a number of their faces will be familiar to the Italians, with Kuffour at Roma, midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari at Udinese and striker Asamoah Gyan on loan at Modena.
Ghana captain Stephen Appiah is likely to come face-to-face with his former mentor, Italy coach Marcello Lippi.
Appiah, now at Fenerbahce, spent two seasons with Lippi's old club Juventus.
"It's going to be a special game for me. We all know Italian soccer is among the best in the world," said Appiah.
"What I learned from Italy, I will have to prove. I'm happy to be able to see a coach like Marcello Lippi again."
Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic was keeping his cards close to his chest.
"All 23 are ready to play," Dujkovic said. "They (Italy) have some injuries, thankfully we have none."
Ghana also face Czech Republic and the United States in Group E.
Source:
Reuters
---
so are we gona see more betting scandals
WUERZBURG, Germany - Ghana defender Samuel Osei Kuffour is confident AS Roma team mate Francesco Totti will be paying up on a wager between the duo after Monday's World Cup match against Italy.
Kuffour will try to thwart Totti-led attacks in Hanover and he said on Saturday there was more at stake than the three points, with the two players having had a bet on the outcome.
"After the game I will take the money from him," Kuffour told a news conference at the team's hotel in central Germany.
Kuffour's hopeful tone was reflected by the coach and other players, with Ghana saying the pressure was on the triple former champions.
While the Africans are World Cup newcomers, a number of their faces will be familiar to the Italians, with Kuffour at Roma, midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari at Udinese and striker Asamoah Gyan on loan at Modena.
Ghana captain Stephen Appiah is likely to come face-to-face with his former mentor, Italy coach Marcello Lippi.
Appiah, now at Fenerbahce, spent two seasons with Lippi's old club Juventus.
"It's going to be a special game for me. We all know Italian soccer is among the best in the world," said Appiah.
"What I learned from Italy, I will have to prove. I'm happy to be able to see a coach like Marcello Lippi again."
Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic was keeping his cards close to his chest.
"All 23 are ready to play," Dujkovic said. "They (Italy) have some injuries, thankfully we have none."
Ghana also face Czech Republic and the United States in Group E.
Source:
Reuters
---
so are we gona see more betting scandals
Totti: I'm unfit, but ready to play
9 June 2006
by Reuters
Italy forward Francesco Totti said on Friday that he was not yet fully fit but was still ready to start against Ghana in the Azzurri's opening FIFA World Cup™ Group E game.
"I am at around 60-70 per cent of my condition," Totti said after playing the second half of a training match on Friday.
"Like everyone, I'm here to play and I feel ready to play. But it is down to the coach to make his decision and if he chooses not to play me I will accept that."
The Roma playmaker, viewed as key to Italy's hopes at the finals, has only recently returned from a three months' absence following a broken ankle.
"I am happy to have got those 45 minutes in because the only way to get back to full form is through playing," said Totti, who has only once managed to play a full 90 minutes since his injury in February.
Coach Marcello Lippi was upbeat about Totti's performance in the 5-1 win over MSV Duisburg's youth team, played in front of an enthusiastic crowd of around 20,000, many of them local-based Italians.
"Totti is getting his confidence back step by step. Every day I evaluate the players and I saw a more lively performance from him than before," said the Italy coach.
The Duisburg youngsters were careful not to be too aggressive but Totti said he was not worried about receiving crunching tackles against Ghana.
"Sooner or later I'm going to get fouled but I'm ready, I'm ready for the battle," he said.
Lippi, who will be without injured pair Gianluca Zambrotta and Gennaro Gattuso in Hanover on Monday, also sounded a positive note about the fitness of central defender Alessandro Nesta.
Nesta did not take part in Friday's session but Lippi said: "Hopefully we will only have two absentees and not three. There is an improvement in Nesta's condition, a consistent improvement".
However, the Italy coach refused to be drawn on his selection plans for the Ghana game.
"We have two more days of training and then we will make the decision. It was a good session for us today and it feels good to be getting closer to Monday," he said, adding that his message to Italy fans was: "Be calm, Italy is ready".
fifa.com
i dont know why lippi would start totti for this game when he says he isn't 100%. this is an important game to italy and should we start a 60% totti?
9 June 2006
by Reuters
Italy forward Francesco Totti said on Friday that he was not yet fully fit but was still ready to start against Ghana in the Azzurri's opening FIFA World Cup™ Group E game.
"I am at around 60-70 per cent of my condition," Totti said after playing the second half of a training match on Friday.
"Like everyone, I'm here to play and I feel ready to play. But it is down to the coach to make his decision and if he chooses not to play me I will accept that."
The Roma playmaker, viewed as key to Italy's hopes at the finals, has only recently returned from a three months' absence following a broken ankle.
"I am happy to have got those 45 minutes in because the only way to get back to full form is through playing," said Totti, who has only once managed to play a full 90 minutes since his injury in February.
Coach Marcello Lippi was upbeat about Totti's performance in the 5-1 win over MSV Duisburg's youth team, played in front of an enthusiastic crowd of around 20,000, many of them local-based Italians.
"Totti is getting his confidence back step by step. Every day I evaluate the players and I saw a more lively performance from him than before," said the Italy coach.
The Duisburg youngsters were careful not to be too aggressive but Totti said he was not worried about receiving crunching tackles against Ghana.
"Sooner or later I'm going to get fouled but I'm ready, I'm ready for the battle," he said.
Lippi, who will be without injured pair Gianluca Zambrotta and Gennaro Gattuso in Hanover on Monday, also sounded a positive note about the fitness of central defender Alessandro Nesta.
Nesta did not take part in Friday's session but Lippi said: "Hopefully we will only have two absentees and not three. There is an improvement in Nesta's condition, a consistent improvement".
However, the Italy coach refused to be drawn on his selection plans for the Ghana game.
"We have two more days of training and then we will make the decision. It was a good session for us today and it feels good to be getting closer to Monday," he said, adding that his message to Italy fans was: "Be calm, Italy is ready".
fifa.com
i dont know why lippi would start totti for this game when he says he isn't 100%. this is an important game to italy and should we start a 60% totti?