Italy and Spain, Flashbacks

everybody needs to relax…what someone feels the need to say over a message board is their business…don’t make blanket comments about groups of people being racist.

I can’t speak for the folk who are throwing out the racist remarks…it’s your prerogative to be offended by them…this IS the internet. everybody goes for shock while hiding behind a computer screen. grow up people.

Posted from  Italy

what im trying to say is, people are trying to get a reaction from others who are offended by some phantom post that is MEANT to create a stir. i choose to ignore it…the rest of you who “are deeply offended” should do the same.

Posted from  Italy

Hopefully tomorrow the Red Fury sends you diving dolphins back to sea where you belong!!!!!

Forget about the Dutch we knew they would collapse and with WC 02 we all know it was fixed, ok….Now does anyone know the starters for tomm.? i hear Donadoni has tipped Aqualiani?

I’m down with a Roman midfield, if he insists on 4-3-3.

Optimally, this is what I’d go with.

Buffon
Zambrotta Chiellini Panucci Grosso
Camoranesi De Rossi Aquilani Perrotta
Cassano Toni

Posted from  United States

Blah, blah, blah, John. No, Spain doesn’t dive. Sure. It is to laugh.

Guys, you’re all free to write what you want but I see no need to be prejudiced or racist. Korea is a great nation – it’s just that in 2002 that was a pure joke. FIFA has that stench on their books – not that that’s the only one.

That video was simply disgusting. The world was busy looking at a “small” nation take the world by storm. Please. I could NOT BELIEVE the calls and non-calls in both games. It HAD to be fixed in some way, somewhere. Man were Italy and Spain robbed BIG TIME. Korea had no business being in the semis. That’s why I laugh whenever I hear Hiddink complain. Dude, always discount 2002 in your comments.

2002 World Cup does not exist for me. With all due respect to Brazil and Germany of course. None of this was their fault.

Posted from  Canada

Alessio I agree with ur line up and the players. I think we will need Perrotta out there running his ass off as well as Cam to keep up with the spanish then we need De Rossi to have a De Rossi game and Aquilani to have Pirlo-esk game. If we win I think we will win the same way the Germans won on set plays and free kicks we have the height advantage and we should make the most of it. I see Panucci and Toni both scoring and maybe screamer from out far by Aquilani. I have a feeling Italy might finds it stride and run away with this. But as im always pessimistic I dont think i will be able to sleep tonight in fear that we will lose.

WC 2002 was a joke, the fix was in from the beginning to let the underdogs, especially the hosts, go as far as possible. Not to mention they insisted on using as much “diversity” as they could for the refereeing regardless of the actual talent pool available.

Thierry, I would add that Blatter was/is so determined to to turn the WC into a politically correct/populist pet project that it comes at the expense of the game in my opinion.

I still can’t believe he screwed Bolivia over for being a high altitude country. Like it’s their fault.

Posted from  Canada

@Marco: I understand and agree with the inaccuracy of labeling human races, but the point is that this is wrong. I welcome the deletion of my comment as well as the comments made that were clearly out of line. In fact the only reason I posted was to draw attention so that deletion could be made. I am after justice here not ego. By all means delete away, please. I understand that this is and make allowances for the internet but I don’t stand that sort of thing against me, and I will not tolerate it against others, ESPECIALLY not on anything that says ITALY on it.

@Alessio: “… he’s probably an immature pissant.” This is a rare occurrence, I agree with you.

@Marco: P.S. The first amendment is to keep the government from censoring and oppressing people. That isn’t happening here. Hate Speech is clearly not protected by the first Amendment.

**Even if** Hate Speech is clearly not protected by the first Amendment ** this website can and should have a policy about this**

*sorry, hit the button at the wrong time*

If this site had one of those ‘report’ buttons or ‘offensive’ buttons some people would have selected it. (I would have) Under the circumstances, I just chose to ignore the offensive posts.

To return to tomorrow’s game, signs are pointing to Aquilani getting a start. Of course that means Donadoni won’t do this (like not starting De Rossi in the first game and saying the media got their lineup wrong)

I hope the trend of group winners going out holds true and I’m happy to see problems in the Spanish camp.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow!

Why was the video from 02 posted? I worked hard to repress all of those horrible non-calls! I will never forget how awful the officiating was for the entire tourney. It makes the officiating in this tourney look good!

I don’t believe Italy has ever lost to Spain in competitions, either Euro or World Cup. However, this seems to be Spain’s year to defeat Italy. Italy was not impressive even against an aging, slow, over-rated side like France where they gave the French several opportunities to score 1 or 2 goals while Italy missed several great chances to score 1 or 2 more goals of their own. Between the atrocious officiating and Italy’s lack of finishing and suspect defence, unless Italy suddenly play like they did in 2006, don’t expect them to go through. But then, Italy was not expected to win in 2006.

Posted from  Canada

I didn’t see the Spain Russia game (work!), but wondered how this side got trashed by Spain so badly. Are the Russians just peaking at the right time or were Spain so good?

Even if Italy get past Spain, the way this young Russian team played today vs Netherlands I could see them outpacing Italy’s older group.

Lupa,Two of Russia’s best players didn’t play when they lost 4-1 to spain.

Posted from  Canada

Frank — thanks, I knew Arshavin was out (looks like that was a smart move by Hiddink naming him to the team in spite of that), but he’s the offensive creativity which doesn’t explain the 4 goals. Who was the other guy missing? This is the first game I really saw Russia and I must say I was surprised and it’s a bit worrying for other countries that Hiddink says that 2010 will actually be their year. :_

iam really laughing at some posts..especially calling spain as clean team..Torres is a known cheater , a diver..latest instance?against Inter in the CL, he dove and got matterrazzi sent off..against Arsenal in the EPL, he dove a full 16 seconds of the non existant tackle to beg for a penalty..watch out for the cheat sergio ramos who elbows and pushes opposite defenders to clear the path for his team on set pieces..
bury the perennial underachievers

Posted from  Spain

marco Stuccazzo, i take a HUGE excepotion at u deleting the comments and posts of rEAL Italians..i mean u allow stoopid spanish and French supporters to deride my team..i guess u r biased because u urself arent a true Italian..i guess like a majority of posters here,u r definately a descendent of sicilians living in USA/Canada/Australia whatsoever..now go ahead and erase this post…i have not posted any raially vilifieng things, i have posted the truth..we dont need glory hunting sicilians like u and we dont consider 3rd generation sicilians as real Fratelli!!

Posted from  Spain

WC 2002…evil….simply evil. It was like watching pro wrestling where one guy loses because the ref totally misses how the other hit him with a chair….only this wasn’t fake or scripted.

Terrible, terrible tournament. Korea were carried into the semis. What a scandlous, scandlous tournament.

Even Korea vs. the USA in group play was a joke. Such biased, lopsided refereeing. Korea could have won the cup with a little more effort from the efforts. Ridiculous. Simply a pathetic, pathetic, pathetic tournament.

To all you cocky Italians up there:
In your faces.
Go home.
Viva Espana.

Shyroman…rossi? is that you?

spain played a better match, possession was theirs, italians did what they do best, wait and break but luca toni is a joke (proof: the only sole striker in the team did not take one penalty shot) and pirlo was missed. Donadoni is doing a good job though, his side looks more offensive and he’s bringing out new talents, its time to search for new players and leave inzaghi and co in the past.

Posted from  Spain