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.