Arrivederci, Deutschland.

pao,

I agree. That was ultimately my point to Zantheman, that stats are very often a poor way to judge things in football. He used the stats to bolster his argument that Italy beat Germany’s butts all over the field. You make a good point about not JUST comparing stats, because stats do not give you any sense of why those numbers ended up coming out that way.

I looked at stats in some other games in this World Cup, and ball possession was easily the least predictive number. Often, the team losing possession won the game.

Pao thanks for your post as you seem to have settled this ongoing debate.

You can win the ball possesion battle and do absolutely nothing in the game if you have no finishing and don’t hit the net with your shots. However, in soccer when you take the lead like france did and just sit back it makes that stats look deceiving (but accurate).

Italy and Germany had no early score and therefore the game was contested until the very end. But during the game The stats indicate that Italy tried vigorously to score and at the same time maintain ball possesion.

Maybe these stats indicate more a teams willingness to take chances and risks and go forward. But unless you FINISH and that’s where Portugal’s problems lay - you can hang on to the ball all you want and get nowhere. Pauleta is useless in big games and hardly received anycrosses to be effective.

The dominace of Portugal in the stats category indicates a hungry team that was desperately trying to score but came up against a strong defensive team that was protecting a 1 goal lead. I guess its the way you play ,Italy usually counterattacks that’s why they lose the ball control battle in most of their games.

That’s why (to me ) at least they were”dominant” in the sense they usually never play this much offensive football and are usually on the losing side of most offensive categories because of their CATENNACCIO style. To me this game was an offensive juggernaut of a display for a team that usually plays ultra defensive.

Regarding your diving remarks. Why aren’t you all over the portugal blog commenting on some of those dives(those were world class). By the way what’s your take on Rivaldo’s antics (definetely hall of fame material- so much for JOGO bonito. . All teams dive and some do it more cosistently than others: I won’t mention any names including some talented Brazilian players that you seem to love.

P.s how does portugal rank in your diving hall of Fame . or do they not rank because they are not Italian?

Anyways, enjoyed the debate and look forward to the game on Sunday. I’ll take an Italy win Preferably (the offensive Italy) and not the Cattennacio One- that i love to hate. But a win is a win and I’ll take it in any shape or form.

Posted from  Canada

@ John

Read this. I found it interesting .From LIPPI’s mouth not mine. If anyone should know how their team performed it’s their coach(I hope)

Enjoy

“If there was a team that was going to win this game, it was going to be us,” Lippi said.

“We dominated the match and we were tired at the end and risked a bit, but not too much.” he said.

Here is the link.

http://english.people.com.cn/200607/05/eng20060705_280176.html

Posted from  Canada

I find it interesting how so many people say that the Italian team is so good-looking. Grosso needs his teeth fixed and nose straightened out. Totti looks like he got his head squeezed in a vise and his nose pulled out like taffy. Mattuso looks like a troll. The only good-looking guy on the team is Camoranesi but he doesn’t even consider himself Italian but Argentine!!!!

Posted from  United States

Italy did deserve to win. They were better than Germany at the end. If I had money to bet, I’d put it on Italy to beat France after watching them play today. I just don’t like the diving. I absolutely love Catennacio. I wish Italy would stop the diving and play the game as beautifully as they do in all other respects.

By the way, I do not believe Grosso took a dive against the Aussies. He tripped over the guy’s body while in the box. Clearly, the ref made the correct call in awarding a PK.

Re: Brazil and diving, I’ve always called them on it. If you knew my friends, they’d give you an earful of how I go off on anyone diving in any game. Period.

I return to my first analysis of the Italy-Germany game. Italy deserved to win because they had the legs at the end, and Germany was clearly out of gas. But Italy did not beat Germany’s butts all over the field as you wrote earlier. They stepped it up in extra time, and Germany could not match them for the full 30 minutes. That’s all there was to it. No butt beating, no lopsided anything. The stats didn’t tell the tale at all, exactly as the France-Portugal stats told us nothing at all about the outcome there. You chose to use stats to bolster your assertions, and I swatted it down, bottom line.

I hope the game Sunday is a classic. It will be a much better game, regardless of who wins or how exciting it is, if Italy (and France) resolve not to dive even one time. Can we agree that diving detracts from the game? I hope so.

@ John

Maybe you should e-mail Lippi and ask him what his defintion of DOMINATE means? Maybe he’s confused and was watching the wrong game ?? Or maybe’s he’s just and IDIOT and doesn’t know anything about soccer ??

Maybe we can send him the definition :

1. to have or exert strong authority or mastery.
2. To be situated in or occupy a position that is more elevated or decidedly superior to others.

Maybe we need a new coach that know somethiong about soccer??

Anyways, cheers and good luck to the the Italians and French.

Posted from  Canada

I watched the game, same as millions of other people. The game I watched was not dominated by either side. Certainly neither team beat the other’s butts all over the field. So unless I decide at some point to ignore what my own eyes saw, I’ll continue to believe that it was a very close match that could well have gone either way until the last 3 minutes or so. If you wish to let others decide for you, go for it.

Being on this blog for some days, recognized some things.

1. Gauchos seem to be bad loosers

2. some italians are bad winners, cause it’s not enough for them to win, they have to disrespect their opponents, and insist on their dominance througout the game.

3. there are too many trolls on this board, getting a lot of food

Vive la France!

btw, beckenbauer said that both teams deserved to win and he’s as objective as Lippi (more or less zero), but what does he know,right?

John wrote: Italy did deserve to win. They were better than Germany at the end. If I had money to bet, I’d put it on Italy to beat France after watching them play today. I just don’t like the diving. I absolutely love Catennacio. I wish Italy would stop the diving and play the game as beautifully as they do in all other respects.

John is backpedaling everything thing he said early on…i think he wants a ride on the bandwagon like everyone else.
But john you cant hop on this train to victory…im sorry but you just don’t fit in.
john is a hater and always will be. He reminds me of one of those white guys that only dates latin women and tries to speak spanish. Brazil your team right? pftttt lmao I bet you don’t speak a lick of spanish and I bet you don’t know anything about their culture. Truth is John heard that Brazil was a good team and picked them to win and he heard Italians dive and he has been a nab ever since. Go post elsewhere John you are truly a n00b to this sport.
ITALIA World Cup Champions 2006

Posted from  United States

All I’m going to say is that the TRUE BLUES are going to win on Sunday. FORZA AZZURRI! SIETE MERAVIGLIOSI!

Ti amo, Gila.

Posted from  United States

@Alesteir Crowley
Sorry, but I am a woman, and I can assure our players are handsome men, even if they may not be perfect (beauty is an harmony among all parts, not an engineer’s study of perfection -and we Italians - it’s evident - can rightly be considered deeply competent in Aestethics - sorry…).
Alberto Gilardino, Pippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Nesta, Luca Toni, Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta e francesco Totti.
While I don’t like Camoranesi, for example, even if may be very hot (sexy).
For the foreighers i like Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Kakà, Schevchenko, David Beckham.
This is my female point of view.
But sure one cannot say our italian players are not hyandsome or charming or the hottest (sexiest) around!!!

Hi Mike,

Thanks for posting that attack on me. I mean it. You wrote two things that totally cracked me up, and for that I’m grateful.

First, you say I backpedaled. Um, could you post an example? Early on I posted that Italy deserved to win and that I was not upset that they won. I like when a better team wins. I just loathe the diving. I wrote in my first post here that luckily the diving in the Italy-Germany game had no bearing on the outcome. Unlike you, some people are capable of holding both opinions, because some people aren’t ruled by their emotions. Never mind, you probably don’t understand a word of this. But that just makes it funnier.

Second, I’ve been a Brazil fan for about 20 years now. I was sad they lost, but I’m still a fan. The funny part about what you wrote is this: “Brazil your team right? pftttt lmao I bet you don’t speak a lick of spanish and I bet you don’t know anything about their culture.” That’s so damn funny! Do you even know why that’s funny? Obviously you don’t, but many others who have read it laughed their asses off at you for being so ignorant. Um, Mikey boy, they speak PORTUGUESE in Brazil, not Spanish. D’oh! Go crawl back under a rock and leave the real football analysis to those of us who actually know a thing or two about it and who are capable of divorcing our emotions from our assessments. I didn’t backpedal and I am a fan of Brazilian football. And hey, I even know what language they speak there. Go figure.

lets hope so! AVANTI AZZURRI!!! well i got some french friends too, and for their respect.. hmpf,FORZA FRANCE!! eheh

my boyfriend made a bet, if we win he will dye his hair green white and red… ew…

@Fredi | July 5th, 2006 at 12:17 am
Here’s a question for all Italian football fans:
Why is the Italian National team known as the “Azzurri”?
________________________________
I just read your question now… and if you got no answer in the meanwhile, I can explain it to you.
Our flag is GREEN-WHITE-RED, while “Azzurro” (it means LIGHT BLUE) was the official colour of our ancient Royal House (The Savoia - Savoy -, our previous kings and nobles).
So we kept that colour for the sport competitions and we are called “Azzurri” - in the Italian plural form - for the mentioned reason.
Ciao e FORZA AZZURRI!!!
VIVA L’ITALIA… so smart, so cool!!!

Here’s a question for all Italian football fans:
Why is the Italian National team known as the “Azzurri”?
________________________________
P.S.: In the age of monarchy in Italy our flag was always GREEM-WHITE-RED but in the middle on the white central part there was the stemma, the symbol of the Savoy Royal House (our kings) and this was mainly coloured in “LIGHT BLUE”, that is “AZZURRO” in Italian language.
So we are the “AZZURRI” (plural Italian form).
Ciao

cause they play in blue shirts

they deserve to win. they are the best. sorry guys.

Posted from  United States

Wow what a great game! us here in south africa cant wait till 2010

What a great day to be italian. Bravo Italia!

You play with the heart of a lion.

Ciao

Posted from  Canada

omg… WE ARE THE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FORZA ITALIA FOR EVER!!!!

forza porno ….viva puffs
pasta sanwichy…..curiczio

Posted from  Canada

YEA ITALIA

Posted from  Canada

yo eu preçisava de ajuda para jogar no milan mas n posso a minha mae n deixa

Posted from  Portugal