The Azzurri lost to Spain on penalty shootout after de Rossi, and later Di Natale missed their penalty. In this game against Spain, finally the Azzurri of the old is back. For the 1st time in this tournament, they looked comfortable defending in numbers. Yes! In numbers, as they no longer have a pair of world class center back.

Credit to Donadoni, he made the necessary tactics to counter Spain’s attacking flair. If they allow Spain the space to play the ball around (like against Romania), they will surely be out in normal time. This is porbably the Azzurri’s best performance in the tournament: composed, calm and tactical. I agree with Donadoni that there will be no shame in this defeat.

And now there has been rumours that Donadoni will be replaced with Lippi again. Not a bad choice, but can this team perform any better under Lippi? I would say no!

From the front to the back, this team lacked the quality that the 2006 World Cup Winning team possessed. Starting from the front, Luca Toni has not been himself  in this tournament, missing dozens of chances created by his teammates. In Donadoni insistence in playing him, I think he should have given the other strikers more chance to prove themselves. Who knows we might see another hero borned (just like Toni in 2006). Cassano has been proven a right choice ahaed of Inzaghi, as he provided more skills and support to Toni. No comments to the other strikers as they play negligible amount of time. Di Natale, I feel, has been positive in the 1st game, but after that did not contribute much.

In midfield, Perrota was a disappointment, and I don’t understand why he started against Spain. Aquilani proved himself to be a hard runner, covering a lot of spaces and doing a lot of defensive work, so good job. Whether he can contribute more to the attack is an open ended question. The same goes to de Rossi, who is a rock in front of the central defenders. Overall for this tournament, Pirlo has been the best midfielder for the Azzurri, his passes and crosses created a lot of chances to his teammates. The quality of the midfield has been maintained, though a certain inspiration (provided by Francesco Totti in 2006) would have been welcomed.

In defense, particularly the center of defense, is the main area of weakness that prompted the fall of the whole team. Cannavaro’s absence coupled with the lack of similar class defenders (like Alessandro Nesta) forced the team to defend in numbers. In the game against Spain, this caused de Rossi and Aquilani to work extra hard to cover up the tracks. Great defenders like Cannavaro and Nesta would have the anticipation to break off dangerous attacking moves created by the opponents, and make the defending looked easy and less threatening. In Chellini, Panucci, Barzagli and Materazzi, none of these are in the "World Class Defender" bracket, as they do not have the anticipation of the world class defender. But one positive is that, Chellini has improved during the game against Spain, and should be the new partner for Cannavaro when he returns. But the best way is still to develope a permanent young central defensive pairing.

In goalkeeper, Buffon has been in his best form for Italy, but unfortunately he is not to be involved in the latter stages of the competition. Overall, the team has done whatever they can to progress to the latter stages, but unfortunately the lacked of quality, coupled with the off form of Toni made the team unable to overcome a team of more superior quality.  

 

Will the Azzurri get pass Spain to reach the Semifinals tonight? After the previous 3 semifinals ties, the signs are that the Azzurri have the upperhand as the 1st Round top performer were dumped out. Holland, who crashed the Azzurri in the 1st game of the Euro 2008, played an ordinary game against Russia and was ousted as Snejder, van Persie and van der Waat can’t find the boot to score. Portugal performed better, but Germany as always a top performer in competition. Croatia, who beat Germany in the 1st round, were held by Turkey, but crashed out through penalty. 

Now Spain must be looking at their game in hand nervously. Italy, who have never lost to Spain in decades, must be feeling confident. But with the suspension of Andrea Pirlo, the Azzurri lacked the imaginative and visionary passing. His role, hopefully will be filled by the young lad Alberto Aquilani, though the more likely starter will be Simone Perotta. Perrota has been ineffectual in the previous few games.

Gianlugi Buffon will have to be at his top to put out the threat by the flamboyant Spanish attack of David Villa and Fernando Torres. In defense, the Azzurri will field the same backline of Zambrotta, Panucci, Chellini and Grosso. Zambrotta and Grosso have been instrumental in the Azzurri’s attack, while Chellini and Panucci have provide a sense of stability and continuity to the Italian defense, who will surely be attacked by the attacking minded Spanish.

In midfield, there will be de Rossi, Camoranesi, Ambrosini and Aquilani (if that is not to be, Perotta). de Rossi has been showing some touches of greatness, and the Azzurri will be counting on him(especially in the absence of Pirlo) to provide what a number 10 should provide. Ambrosini will be there to hassle the opponents, the role played by Gattuso. Camoranesi and Aquilani will run the midfield, as they are more comfortable with the ball.

In the forward line, there will be no doubt that Luca Toni will continue to start, but if he still can’t find the net, Donadoni should let the other strikers to replace him. Antonio Cassano will be there to provide the passing to Toni to convert.  

 

Today, Spain’s coach Luis Aragones made a scatching attack on Gattuso, saying that if Gattuso is a great player, he is a priest. Though the Spain’s coach said jokingly, some how I would like to highlight the importance and significance of Gattuso to the Azzurri, and that "he is a great player in his own way!"

Gattuso is not a player who will provide a touch of brilliance that Pirlo provided. Nor is he a player who can shoot from long range and score. To Gattuso, his main role is to hussle the opponents, make the tackle to win back ball possession, and mark out the players required by the coach. At his best, he can mark out Cristiano Ronaldo, during the 2007 UEFA Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg.

The definition of a great player, cannot just be limited to players with a touch of brilliance and incredible dribbling skills, instead great player should be a player who is best in his role. Of course, brilliant players are vital to the team scoring goals, but winning require more that just brilliant players. If a team can score a lot goals, but are susceptible to conceding as much, then the team will not win, vice versa.  Gattuso certainly is one of the best in his role, though at times he may not be as efficient due to his single-minded approach to the game.

A winning team needs a balance of every different types of players who played different role. A team with 11 Pirlo will surely lose, so is a team with 11 Torres or Toni. Gattuso may still have his last laugh against Aragones if Gattuso play a part in ousting Spain in the coming Quarterfinals tie.

This blog stay for another extra few days as the Azzurri made it to the Quaterfinals of the Euro 2008. I hope this blog can really made it until the Azzurri crowning moments!

In beating France 2-0, the Azzurri secured their place in quaterfinals, thanks to the Dutch victory against Romania. Even with a different team, the Romanians can’t match the Dutch’s might.

As for the Azzurri’s victory, luck played a big part in it. While Pirlo’s penalty was a touch of class and calmness, de Rossi’s goal was the creation of luck. If not for Thierry Henry’s role in deflecting the course of the ball, that shot is unlikely to be a goal. With Ribery injury plus Abidal’s sending off plus Nasri’s 16 minutes appearance, all these sums up France’s ill-fated night.

As for the Azzurri, one major concern remained: Toni still haven’t open his scoring. He had wasted a dozen of chances in this 3 matches, and looked increasingly frustrated. If Toni still unable to score against Spain in the first half, I hope the coach can substitute him, and give Marco Boriello a chance.

The 2nd major concern in the match against Spain is the suspension of Andrea Pirlo. Pirlo has been the inspiration in creating chances after chances for Toni, only for Toni to wasted them. His visionary passes will surely be missed, and we can only hope Daniele de Rossi can step up to create that bit of vision and classy passes to his teammates like Pirlo did.

The 3rd major concern is the defense. And I mean the defense in general, not just the defenders. I noticed that Italy play very deep. When they lose the ball, they will go back and defend in zone. This concept is fine, but they defend too deep that almost every players is in the box. If they for one moment are careless, they will be paying a huge price: a penalty to their opponent. If only they played a little more forward, they can surely get into tackle to win back the ball, without having to pay the ultimate price. 

As for the central defensive pairing, Panuuci and Chellini had done well for the last 2 matches, and should continue. Continuity is very vital to the central defensive partnership.  

 

The Azzurri still are still in contention for qualification, but things are getting more complicated as a victory against France alone will not be enough for them to qualify. With the Dutch again demolishing World Cup Runners-up France 4-1, they are ensured top spot in the group. For the Azzurri, or maybe the French to qualify from the group of death, they need the Dutch to at lease draw the game against Romania.

But the Azzurri can take comfort from the words of the Dutch coach Marco van Basten, who said that his team has the obligation to the players and fans, to play well against Romania, though he has not ruled out rotating the squad.

Based on the game against Romania, the Azzurri is capable of breaking the French defense, but whether their own defense can hold against Thierry Henry & Co. is a big doubt. For the game against Romania, the Romanians were given the license to run around freely. The Azzurri’s game plan did not include putting pressure on the Romanian’s play, instead let them run freely, which threatened the Italian defense on many occasions, but thanks to Buffon, the Azzurri can still hope.

On the attacking play, I believe this is one of the most attacking display the Azzurri has ever performed, though the result proved that all their nice approach plays prior to the last shot were wasted. The best players are certainly Fabio Grosso and Gianluca Zambrotta, who work tirelessly up  and down the flanks. The Azzurri should keep the pair against France.

As for the central defensive pairing, Giorgio Chellini Christian Panucci proved himself to be more alert than Marco Materazzi and Andrea Barzagli, though the defense still look uncertain at times. With no better options around, both players should also keep their places against France.

In midfield, the Azzurri played well, though Perotta could have been better when give the chance to score by Toni. The midfield need to change against France, and Gattuso should be there to cover some defensive jobs. So Perotta should be dropped, since he had not much an impact against Romania. Gattuso on the right, Pirlo at the center and De Rossi on the left.

On the attack, Toni, Del Piero and Camoranesi should start. Del Piero had failed to match the responsibilities to inspire the team, but nonetheless he still had a decent game. Let;s hope the Azzurri beat France! Forza Italia!

 

With tonight’s game a do or die, the Azzurri fans must be looking to it nervously, or some with anger. The 3-0 defeat is a bitter experience for the fans, and surely the team as Italy suffer the biggest defeat in years. But the reaction from the team has been positive. Coach Donadoni has announced that he will make changes to the starting line up against Holland, and handed the captaincy to Alessandro Del Piero, the Serie A top scorer this season. The effect of Del Piero’s receiving the captaincy is still an uncertainty, but he, being one of the Golden Boy of Italian football who failed to shine when playing for Azzurri, will certainly be determined to shine this time around. At the age of 33, certainly he is no more the Golden Boy, and this may well be the chance for him to save the Azzurri from another time of First Round exit. Buffon, being an exceptional goalkeeper, is never a leader on the pitch. In the game against the Dutch, the Azzurri, beside being sloppy in defense, lack the required leadership and purpose to chase back the game. Del Piero leadership on the team is a question mark, as the Azzurri often have a permanent Captain who’s always there during the big stage. Cannavaro, Maldini and Baresi was always there, until Cannavaro recent injury. So will we see a determined Azzurri team against Romania? Certainly, but to beat Romania, determination alone is not enough. At the current stage, Romania can defend much better than the Azzurri that is famous for their art of defending. To beat Romania, a moment of brilliance is very much needed, as France prove that Romania is no easy meet.

I was speechless after Italy suffer thrashing in the hands of the Dutch. Though I have a reason to be bitter (as I disagree with the referee decision that Ruud van Nistelrooy was not offside), I can only feel stunned. The Dutch played superbly, exactly the way to play when you have the lead. No, I’m not trying to find excuses for Italy to lose so badly, but in my opinion, at lease they try to turn the tie around by being more attacking.

When a team try to turn attacking, there can only be two outcome: either you lose by more goals, or you score more goals. Unfortunately for the Azzurri, they are the 1st case.

The cause of the defeat? I can only say that the defense is uncertain and weak, coupled by the lack of luck. Italy has been lucky to be blessed with a pair of world class central defender 8 years ago: the captain Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta. And for the 1st time in years, both are not there, and the crack is pretty obvious as the result.

A world class defender don’t just make himself look great, but also, he make his partner look great. Cannavaro make Materazzi look a decent defender during the world cup winning year, covering up the lost of Nesta, to the extent that the press criticised Nesta and doubt his importance to the national team. In the end, Nesta retire from the national team. But his performance for AC Milan is still undisputed, covering up the tracks of his team mates, and making Milan’s defense look more decent. Milan, when without him, is surely not a team that can defend well against strong opposition.

So Italy will now have to face the facts they are longer a great force in defending, because they lose 2 of their best defenders: one to injury, one to the media (or probably personal issues). The solution now, is to create new pair of central defenders: a pair that can make up for each other, a pair who knows each other weakness and strength well, and can cover up for each other. But for now, they can only hope for better luck. If they do not concede 1st, they are still a hard team to beat, because they can defend in numbers, and play on the counter-attack.

As for Marco Materazzi, I’m not disappointed, as I never think he is a great defender. Instead I would say his contribution come from the dead ball situation, with his height and free kick. I think he should not start the next game, as he is not a leader in the center of defense. Italy need a leader in there, to shore things up, to remind the others when they are caught dreaming (Materazzi was when the Dutch score the 2nd goal). If not, at lease an equal where they can remind each other, be it Chellini or Gamberini.

 

Few days ago, Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder believes Italy are ‘terrified’ of facing the Oranje in their
opening Group C game at Euro 2008 on Monday. The reasoning is that the differences between these sides are really small, and that many duels are decided on minor details, sometimes even only with a lot of luck.

‘You see that in the Champions League too. I think the top countries are very close. Everyone is tactical, technical and physically strong. We are one of the better teams, so we do have a chance.’

 

Meanwhile, Andrea Pirlo believes the current Italian squad is stronger in the head than during the 2006 World Cup Winning team. The instrumental Milan midfielder, who has been blowing hot and cold with his form, is adament that Italy will win this edition of European Championship.

‘Compared with two years ago we are stronger in the head and have a great awareness of our capabilities. Italy have not won the Euros for exactly 40 years, it is a great stimulus. It would be beautiful to take this title home after so much time," Pirlo said.

On the effect of Cannavaro’s absence, he added "We have good alternatives so we are here to do the double like the great German side of the 1970s or France, who first won the 1998 World Cup and then Euro 2000."

With his trademark freekicks and ability to pick out a team mate from 60 metres, Pirlo is among the most talented midfielders at the finals. And this time around, with Francesco Totti retired from international football, he will be burdened with the role to provide the necessary spark or moment of brilliance that can win a game for the Azzurri.

On media reports that he is being courted by Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona, he said ‘Personally I have not talked with anyone but my agent has received offers from Spain and Italy and that makes me happy. But at Milan I have everything I want."

After Fabio Cannavaro’s limped out of the Euro 2008 squad, another veteran Christian Panucci limped out of training on Friday after suffering what looked to be a right knee injury.

Panucci was expected to play at right back against the Dutch. He received treatment on the sidelines for some minutes before gingerly walking back to the dressing room. This is not the best of preparation for the Azzurri, who is in the group of Death consisting Holland, France and Romania.

If Panucci is unable to recover in time for the Dutch game, Gianluca Zambrotta may have to start at right back, with Fabio Grosso or Giorgio Chellini on the left.  

 

 

This news is disastrous! Azzurri captain Fabio Cannavaro twisted his ankle in training on Monday following a collision with team-mate Giorgi Chiellini. He underwent lengthy treatment on the pitch, and later extensive tests revealed he has torn ankle ligaments and will play no part Euro 2008!

This news come in the back of Italy’s 3-1 defeat of Belgium. With Cannavaro’s absence, the Italian defence may be weakened, but the other Italian defenders will still be capable of completing a job, just that the team may miss Cannavaro’s leadership on the pitch.

 

The ever reliable Gianluigi Buffon will still be there to protect the goal, while the central defender position vacated by Cannavaro will most likely go to Andrea Barzagli or Giorgio Chellini, partner by Marco Materazzi. When Marco Materazzi was injured at the start of the season, Barzagli became first-choice centre back for Italy’s remaining Euro qualifiers. He let no-one down with some top displays. Zambrotta will play either on the left or on the right side, depending on who the coach prefers between Christian Panucci and Fabio Grosso.

In midfield, the Milan trio of Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini will likely be joined by one of the Roma trio of Daniele de Rossi on the left side of midfield. The other 2 are Simone Perrota and Alberto Aquilani, one of the young bright star of Roma. If the coach prefers a more attacking style, Juve winger Mauro Camoranesi is there to provide some flair to the Azzurri’s play. Riccardo Montolivo made up the Italian midfield. A neat passer, he was key to Fiorentina’s run to fourth spot in Serie A and the UEFA Cup semi-finals this year.

In the forward position, the Azzurri certainly have a number of options. Luca Toni will surely be the one leading the attack, with Marco Boriello as his back-up. On form, Serie A Golden Boot winner Del Piero should be in the supporting role for Toni,  but Antonio Di Natale has been instrumental in Italy’s play, where he operates as a left winger/left attacker. If things do not go well, there are still the mercurial Antonio Cassano and Fabio Quagliarella

As for backup to Buffon, Marco Amelia and Morgan De Sanctis are capable personnel to complete their tasks. Amelia played a part in Livorno’s Serie A survival, while De Sanctis, a former Udinese keeper, played in Seville, though has not played much.