Lippi determined to finish the job
5 July 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com
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Speaking in the wake of Italy’s FIFA World Cup™ semi-final win against Germany, Marcello Lippi was clearly delighted to have taken his side through to Sunday’s showpiece Final.
The Azzurri coach is already looking ahead to the match against France, knowing all too well that a win will see him go down in history as one of the finest Italian coaches ever. FIFAworldcup.com was on hand to hear his reflections to the press the day after the drama of Dortmund.
How are you feeling?
I am a bit tired, because I watched the match all over again, including extra time. I always like to watch the games again straight afterwards. The only trouble is that I finished watching it at five in the morning and my alarm clock went off as usual at 7.30am. So here I am.
Germany 0-2 Italy report
Where would you place this match in the history of Italian football?
I don’t know where it belongs in history, but it is without doubt the most important match of my entire career. It has spread a wave of excitement throughout Italy and throughout the entire world. It was a beautiful game, which we won on their home turf. It is very satisfying but now we must take the final step.
What was the first thing you said when you got back to the dressing room?
I didn’t say anything - I was screaming with joy, just like everyone else! Actually, the first thing I said was for everyone to stay focused on the job at hand because the best and hardest part is yet to come. It was a shame that I was too busy doing interviews to see Prime Minister Romano Prodi sing O Sole Mio.
You started off by fielding just one out-and-out striker (Luca Toni) and one man just behind him (Francisco Totti). By the end though, you had no fewer than four attackers on the pitch.
Italy played the only way we know how. I tried to send out as balanced a formation as possible. Towards the end tactics counted for nothing. By that point the sides were divided into two big groups at either end of the pitch, with no midfield to speak of. I needed quality players with the ability to deliver a knockout blow and, if need be, capable of scoring penalties.
What sort of shape will the team be in for the Final?
The boys will definitely have enough fuel in the tank. Last night we played very well for spells and I think you can see with your own eyes that we are improving all the time. The players have grown as the tournament has progressed, both mentally and physically. This is a superb squad. We have an incredible team spirit and that can give you a decisive edge at this level. It can often prove to be the difference between two highly technically-gifted sides that are evenly-matched in every other area.
In order to make it all the way through to the FIFA World Cup Final your decision-making needs to be spot on. Do you think you made the right choice by playing Francesco Totti?
Totti’s selection was all about consistency. It was vital to keep faith in him, we needed to give him playing time last night and we still do. Totti is a unique player, a one-off, which is why he has only been left out once, when I could see that he was really too tired to play.
There are no Italy players suspended for the Final, so clearly there is no shortage of discipline within the squad.
Absolutely. We avoided getting any silly bookings. France and Portugal between them have 11 players on yellow cards. That could well cause them a few problems tonight.
Is there anyone you would like to dedicate the victory to?
I’d like to dedicate it to Fabio Cannavaro, who will win his 100th international cap in Berlin: he is having a fantastic tournament. I rate him as the number-one defender in the world. And I’d also like to dedicate it to those squad players who perhaps haven’t played too much but who are behaving like the consummate professionals they are. This Final is theirs as well and it’s vital that they really believe that. Being in the squad of 23 is very important.
What would you say have been the key moments in Italy’s tournament thus far?
Beating the Czech Republic was very important. You could say that was perhaps more like a quarter-final to us. We realised that we could end up playing France (in the Round of 16) so we told ourselves that beating the Czechs was decisive. Thankfully, we did it.
You have been at great pains to praise the quality of your squad, but the players are pretty much the same that played at UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal two years ago. What is your secret and how much has your knowledge of the Juventus contingent influenced matters?
Certainly players like (Gianluigi) Buffon, (Gianluca) Zambrotta and (Mauro) Camoranesi, who I coached at Napoli in 1993, have been important to the cause. But the squad is a blend of established players and new faces, there’s no particular secret.
The one thing that appears to be missing is a world-beater. Ten different players have scored for Italy here in Germany and only Toni has been able to find the net twice.
I think that is a hallmark of all of my sides, I’ve always preferred not to overly depend on certain individuals. I’m confident that the same rule will apply in Berlin.
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