Comments on: Exorcising Aldo Donnelli

By: Alessandro

Alessandro — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 03:42:53 +0000

Forza Italia !

Czech 3 – 0 USA
Italia 6 – 0 USA

By: pao

pao — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:26:38 +0000

ehehehe yes Vin that’s what it is. I don’t know why.
I am really hoping we face Brazil in the round of 16, what a match it would be. I still remember the one in 1982…well unfortunately I remember the one in USA 94 as well…anyway Italy- Brazil, that’s what i want see. And if we lose well, no regrets in losing with them.

By: Vin

Vin — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:18:21 +0000

Right on all counts pao. Hopefully, gli Azzurri have learned their lesson(s).

It seems like Italy’s neighbors always give them the hardest time, doesn’t it?

By: pao

pao — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:18:18 +0000

they would be rather, we aren’t qualified yet, nor is Croatia

By: pao

pao — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:06:13 +0000

Vin you are completely right this is calcio you never know what it can happen. Well, being 30 y.o. this is my 7th world cup as a fan and I am not used to think as USA as a serious opponent (I know they are a decent team at the moment). If you say USA I think they are powerful in every given sport except football (soccer). That’s a arrogant typical attitude that comes with mother’s milk if you are Brazilian, Italian, German, Spanish and so on. Now the problem is: will our team get rid of this bad attitude? If the answer is not we are going to underrate USA (a decent team as i said before) and get punished. We underrated South Korea in 2002 and we lost, we underrated north korea in 1966 and we lost as well. I am sure USA is a better team than Korea so we’d better learn by our mistakes. Czech Republic is a great team maybe a bit old, they had their maximum a couple of years ago, now they are fading but still a great team. If I was brazilian I’d be not so happy to encounter them in the second round.
Croatia…Croatians feel a great rivalry towards Italians, when it comes to play us you can be sure they’ll put all theirselves in the match, they will be a very tough opponent.

By: Gino

Gino — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:04:07 +0000

Italy will have to be very serious about facing the US. Italy must come out to win and book their place into the round of sixteen.
I agree with Vin, I would rather have Italy face Brazil. Italy will come out to cautious against Croatia and they are very unpredictable. Italy know how to beat Brazil and lets face it Brazil is prime to fall this year. We’ll take it one game at a time. FORZA AZZURI!

By: Vin

Vin — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:43:52 +0000

Bingo, Lang. You hit the nail on the head regarding Ghana’s up-front antics.

Them vs. the US is going to be an interesting matchup

Is anybody else worried about the Czech Republic? If anything, playing them might be a good preview of what Croatia will show us, should we meet them.

(By the way, I would rather face Brazil in the Round of 16 than Croatia. Croatia is no joke. Neither is Brazil, but I think our guys will come out foaming at the mouth wanting to beat Brazil if they faced off. Did you see the look in Totti’s eyes? lol Multiply that intensity X5, and that’s where he’d probably be if we faced Ronaldinho and co.

By: Vin

Vin — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 07:35:10 +0000

Ghana was MODERATELY strong, but they couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn on that given day (thank God). Hence my near heart attacks at our defensive breakdowns in the corners of the box, when Pappa-E or whatever his name was and/or Essien and Appoeh were left completely unmarked.

Hopefully, the return of Zambrotta will go a long way toward helping stop these breakdowns on the wings (we already know the middle is in great hands…er… feet). That’s why I said our back 4 + Buffon SHOULD be able to handle the US.

Of course, this is calcio, and anything can happen, as we all know. Moreover, the US is going to come out wanting to redeem themselves from that disgrace vs. Czech Republic.
That said, the US will come out running like crazy, and hopefully, that big dude in the back (the guy they call “Gooch”) won’t be flagrant in the fouls he WILL commit.

Damnit, I think I might be more nervous about this one than I was with Ghana!

By: Lang

Lang — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 06:19:23 +0000

Mr. Italo-Americano, I think that giving another team two easy chances would qualify as poor play (on the field), and if you watched the Czech-USA game, you would know that the Czechs were merciless with the chances that the USA gave them. Don’t get me wrong, it might be a close game, but Ghana just didn’t seem like much of a threat up front. I’d like to see Ghana snipe a victory, but I can’t see it happening, even though the Czechs are without Koller. Also, I think that the USA are far better than you seem to estimate them. Let’s not forget that this is a team who went to the quarter-finals of WC 2002, and weren’t it for a poor refereeing decision could have gone further.

By: Italo-Americano

Italo-Americano — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 05:48:01 +0000

A lot of talk about how the US needs to beat italy to get the 3 points. Are we in a different world, we all know Italy, whether they are good or bad it will be no problem to take care of the MLS guys. No need to give this match any importantcy, because it will be a one sided affair I just hope it will not be a total inhilation, but everything says that it will be, of course in the eyes of a football educated person not an espn educated, oh my god.

As for Mr. Lang,
I don’t know what are you basing your assumption on. Ghana got beaten by Italy for the simple reason which is that they made the fatal mistake of giving them to easy chances not because they were the better team in the field and that’s by the admittance of Lippi himself. Don’t count Ghana out yet, they will beat the Czechs you will see and the USA will be blown by Italy by even a bigger margin than the Czechs game. Lets be realistic here not sentimental.