Final Thoughts

I was fortunate enough to wath the Azzurri during Euro ‘96. Sacchi made the mistake of resting his best players for the second game, and paying the price for it in the last game of the group stage. They never seem to learn.

I just hope that later this evening the media are talking about Italy as real contenders for the title, and not laughing at a team who have conceded another late goal after defending for too long.

Will be watching with fingers crossed at the big screen in Bedford tonight. Won’t be able to relax until it’s over. Enjoy the game evetyone - and has anybody got spare ticktets for Saturday’s game!?!?

Posted from  United Kingdom

Gli Azzuri .. My greatest passion in life .. i won’t critisize .. i’m just gonna say Forza Italia .. Do us proud tonight ..

Posted from  Jordan

Please vote!

http://www.enazalkalmazott.freeblog.hu

Who win the match?
Italy
Ghana
Draw

Who win the match II. ?
USA
Czech Republic
Draw

Who win the match III. ?
Australia
Japan
Draw

Posted from  Hungary

Ok, lets try once again.
After portugal 04 and korea 02 its time to show our real value.

The only problem is in our mind, we must beat the scandals in Serie A. I hope that we can do.

Good WC to everybody

Posted from  Italy

I am hoping for the best today….however…i have no illusion that this team is not in form …yet!! I think we will see a magnificant effort..however..for whatever reason , our Azzurri train to be in peak condition for the LAST WEEK of the tournament!!!! Very smart to try to peak at the end of the tournament, however, we have been burned at the last two as we got bounced by teams that were at peak condition early. I am optimistic but not forgetting the reality of how we start tournaments. FORZA ITALIA . Enjoy the game everyone!!!

Posted from  Canada

Forza Azzurri!
Let’s pray for a clean match with no injuries or cards.

Damnit, I’m nervous.

Posted from  United States

Ahoooo!!!!!!!rega’!!!!!E-nnamo…
we have got the potential(as usuall)to give a big lesson to the others…
but I can’t understand why he dosen’t start with Pippo Inzaghi….
will see!!!!!!!!!!
Italia nel cuore sempre ed ovunque…
Beppe

Posted from  United Kingdom

Hello. Maybe you all can answer this question: is Inzaghi going to play much this world cup? Really need to know!

In front it should be Toni-Inzaghi and not toni-gilardino. Inzaghi is on-form and he’s still very difficult to mark.

del piero sucks, why in the hell lippi brought him? all goals from him in juve is always controversial (look at juve scandals…), and thats not gonna work in WC or Championleague.

de rossi should play, not gattuso. he’s as aggressive as gattuso or perrota but HE CAN SCORE, and good long pass skill too, as good as totti/pirlo. while gattuso/perrota/zanetti can only tackle. ambrosini can score but he’s not a creative player and not good in passing ability.

Posted from  Indonesia

No Inzaghi, I even heard rumours that Iaquinta may start. I think this is only nonsense put in to throw the other team off. Look for Totti behind Toni and Gilardino, with Del Piero subbing in the second half. 3 hours to showtime and I can’t wait. I really hope we dominate them and shut all the critics up. Go Italia!!

Posted from  Canada

Forzaaaaa ITALIA!!!

Well this could be the last chance saloon for quite a few of the experienced players.

In regards of today’s match i think that Italy should on paper win this match, with the likes of Pirlo, Toni and Gilardinho starting on paper Italy should win.

But Ghana won’t be walkovers and they have been waiting along time to get to a world cup and they boast a very impressive central midfield (although the italian midfield is of course brilliant) as i said there midfield is good with Essien and Appiah, and they’ve got good other experienced players such as Sami Kuffour in the defence to back them up.

They were quite impressive in their qualifying group and Italy will have to play well tonight to beat them.

As a neutral it would be nice to see Ghana give Italy a good game but i dont think that Italy can play as bad as they did in Euro 2004, and they will go out tonight, put on a good performance and win the game.

If you fancy a chat about the world cup and all general football message dafreakysportsguru@hotmail.com

My Prediction 2nyt:
Italy 3-1 Ghana

Posted from  United States

if Kurcsa predictions for today games were right now we can expect at least another team to score 3 !!!..this time around italy will not have the “usual” slow start….

Posted from  United States

Wow, are the Czechs that good or is the US that bad? What a nightmare start for the US. This of course is good for the Azzurri. That final match with the Czechs could be the match of the group phase.

Posted from  United States

why don’t u Itallians just take care of ur scandals in Serie A then come here and comment on ur team, that you always have an excuse for

When it comes to football, Italy are Europe’s American in this one sense: Overconfident, oversexed, underachieving. They’re supremely un-Italian in this respect: conservative, dull, tasteless but for the swarthy sweaty-hair look. Luckily for them they’re facing sacrificial-lamb Ghana. But don’t underestimate Italy’s magical ability to insist on 0-0 ties. (Not likely here).
More Pierre uncensored & TOTAL FOOTBALL… http://www.pierretristam.com

Posted from  United States

Good one Steve.

That was the WORST reffed game of the Cup so far. He let the game get way out of hand. I used to defend Essien in the EPL as just a hard nosed player, but I have never seen so many flying elbows from one player in one game. And they all went un-carded. I thought FIFA spoke to the refs about cracking down on elbows? Out of 8 fouls the Azzurri get 3 yellows and Ghana gets one out of 20? Those numbers don’t add up.

Posted from  United States

Italian fans should be embarassed by the win over Ghana. Laquita is the biggest pussy I’ve ever seen. To cry bloody murder and get carted off like he had been shot, then minutes later scoring. It discraces the game. Suck it up.

Posted from  Canada

Actually, i don’t understand why so many people i know fancy Italy for this world cup. Most of their players are really quite unproven
in the big international/european stages. Apart from the central defenders, Pirlo and Totti the rest is all unproven. Even Gilardino has
something to prove after only playing second fiddle to Schevchenko and Inzaghi. One thing Italy has is height. They’re probably the
tallest team in the tournament. Credit, therefore, to Cannavaro, who can manage to stay on the lineup as a midget compared to everybody
around him.
The positioning and organization were of course brilliant. Italy’s always is.
Personally, i wish they had managed a goal that did not come from a defensive mistake. Because Pirlo’s one also was. The defenders
fell asleep.
Shame about Totti’s injury. I am not sure it was intentional, though. More one of those things that happen, only rather not to you.
Most impressive player was Toni. Strong, quick, hardworking, skilled, deserved a goal. And deserved the ovation.
Another great thing about this Italian team is the decency in hair length. After championships where most players looked like girls, they
finally decided for a men’s team. Although Cammoranesi’s introduction did not improve the situation.

Although the game was not played in bad spirits, there were a lot of pretty bad fouls. We could, maybe should, have seen some red
cards.With Kuffour’s on Iaquinta as number one! And needless as well!

Posted from  Netherlands

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It turns out, that one who has more fans - he will win? Or those one - who has a lot of money? Let’s get join them!

Posted from  Ukraine

Hola Italia, the better team has won,

forza italia !!!!!!!

Posted from  United States

italy yawn they suck bigtime!!!

theyre fine while winning but dive like hell once under pressure

come on england

hahahahaha

Posted from  Germany

I am so disappointed with Italy’s mediocre play against the USA. One point is better than none, I suppose. But I don’t understand your puerile comments, Ferrari Cheats”italy yawn they suck bigtime!!!
theyre fine while winning but dive like hell once under pressure”. You are a sheep because you follow the sheep in the undeserved opinion that Italian players “dive like hell”. In the Australia-Japan game the Japanese fell like tenpins, but only the one-eyed like yourself made similar comments. So many people get so personal on these blog sites, they lose all perspective of the game, and that all teams play in a similar manner, that is, to sneak through the rules of the game. And you say “come one england”. I suppose after so much evidence that Crouch pulled the defender’s hair, you still consider it was a fair goal, right? What would you have said if an Italian player had committed the same offence? We’d never hear the end of your obscenities.

Posted from  Australia

USA Tied Italy!!!

Personally I believe that the referee ruined the game.

Mastroeni should not have received a red card for that offense a yellow card should have been suffiecent.

Pope getting sent off during the second half with two yellow I can understand.

The USA played excellent this game considering playing with nine men againest ten thats amazing.

My hopes are for USA to beat Ghana and Italy to beat the Czech

Posted from  United States