Italy 3 – 0 Northern Ireland: Unbeaten Baby!

October 11th, 2011 | by: samcalcio | Comments Off

Andrea Pirlo collects the ball on the outside of the box, and plays a lofted ball into the heart of the Irish box, perfectly landing in the vicinity of Frederico Balzaretti, who flicked it across the six yard box, only to find the despairing feet of Gareth McAuley, securing the third goal and the victory for Italy.

In truth, however, the game was over long before that.

Whereas previously,  we would see an Azzurri side struggle to forge a result when motivation is minimal, Prandelli has instilled a level of fight and natural competitiveness that sees our boys get all three points when it is not vital to do so.

I would have liked to have seen more fringe players get the minutes against a very poor side in Pescara tonight, the likes of Nocerino, Astori and maybe even a full game for Osvaldo(God Forbid) would have been welcome,  but after a dominating performance like that I feel I have no right to complain.

La Nazionale controlled possession from the offset, taking advantage of Nigel Worthington’s side’s unwillingness to press and harry, allowing the likes of Pirlo and Aquilani to find space in danger areas, as well as the duo of Giovinco and Cassano to drop deep and create chances.

Cassano in particular was wonderful. The Milan man controlled the ball with superlative ease, feeding off the like minded Giovinco with frightening levels of telekinesis at times, and when he simultaneously controlled and finished Daniele De Rossi’s long ball for the first goal, no one would have begrudged him the honour of netting his eighth goal in as many matches.

After the first, Irish heads dropped very low, once again allowing Italy to retain and recycle possession, supplying wave after wave of attacks, choking the Irish of control, and generally looking pretty good with it too. Keeping the ball, spreading the play and appearing for all the world like the Euro 2012 favourites was a rare joy to behold, especially given the frustration of Serbia.

Not much was expected of Northern Ireland, given the chaos going on behind the scenes. Already eliminated from qualifying, and managed by a man who had announced his departure in advance never really set the tone for a shock result, and luckily for us, the predictable happened and the land just North of the Emerald Isle left the qualification stage with a whimper rather than a roar. There were chances for the underdogs, but Superman seemed intent on keeping a clean sheet given the formalities that went before it, and the Irish couldn’t break the wall.

Anyway, sympathy over. You can only beat what is put in front of you and we certainly did that.  The result is always what matters most, but in a situation like this, sometimes the performance can speak more truths than the scoreline, and it was relatively flawless. No shocking errors, no lucky escapes. A solid defensive performance counteracted by smooth possession play topped off by a couple of wonderful finishes by Mr Nutella himself. Sweet like Chocolate. (sorry.)

Pagelle:

Buffon: Superman was rarely tested today, but when he called upon, he dealt with business coolly, calmly and professionally. rarely leaving his post in the middle of the goal, but the save from Ryan McGivern’s header was proof enough that Gigi is well and truly back. And haven’t we missed him. 7

Cassani: Once again, rarely tested defensively, but going forward looked confident and bright, connecting with midfield and majing that right side that little bit more dangerous. Would still prefer Abate though. 7

Chiellini: Comfortable. Very little to say about Giorgio, if it wasn’t for the own goal the Juventus man would have netted a rare one. Otherwise, an easy game for the Bianconero. 6

Barzagli: Looked very secure next to his club colleague Chiellini, and mopped up very effectively. I was very impressed by his call up today, I would have preferred Astori, but was pleased nevertheless. 7

Balzaretti: Another great performance from the pink shirted Qui Gon Jin lookalike, bombing forwarrd excellently and looking a threat at the back. His flick on was responsible for the third. 7

Pirlo: Another masterclass from this sublime individual. Controlled, graceful passing from Il Metronomo was too much for the Irish, and like for Juve, when Pirlo plays, so does Italy. 8

De Rossi: An energetic, experienced performance from Daniele today, reminding us all that beneath the tatoos and contractual hissy fits, there’s a very good player hidden in there somewhere. 7

Aquilani: None too shabby from the Milan man. Not spectacular, but sprayed the ball around well, looking really good linking up with Cassano and Montolivo, and generally being a nuisance in the final third. 6.

Montolivo: The former Atalanta playmaker looked impressive in Azzurri blue, and looked more comfortable when surounded by like minded individuals. Like Aquaman, never expect him to carry an attack,  but looked like a good link between DDR’s + Pirlo’s deep play and Giovinco’s drop backs. 7

Cassano: Sublime. Looked like the man we all hoped he’d turn into, was the main focal point of the offence, connected excellently and was rewarded with two wonderful goals. 9.

Giovinco: The Atomic Ant should have scored, but he and Prandelli will be heartened by a performance that was full of spark and impish goodness. 7

Subs:

Osvaldo: Fairly anonymous debut from the new stranieri, but accentuated his performance with the odd touch that made you sit up and pay attention. Will probably see very little time when Rossi, Balotelli and Pazzini return, but it’s reassuring to know we have options. 6

Nocerino: Like usual, full of running and endeavour,  and was the perfect tonic to keep the flame going in the latter end of the match. Like to have seen more from the new Milanista, and was a welcome site upon arrival. 7

De Sanctis: Had little, if anything to do, simply provided the moment for for Gigi to recieve his applause. Good ‘keeper, though, I would have trusted him to do well. 5.

There we are then! Unbeaten, only two goals conceded, and a steong finish in the group against a side that would usually have caused us troubles. Roll on the Euros! Spain who?