Italy-Switzerland Live Blog

Team doesn’t need Totti.

Oh wait. yeah. it does.

Lippi has a fuck load of work to do.

Posted from  United States

Yeah, we need more aging perma-injured players on the team.

Posted from  United States

Pretty drab by all accounts. We should be using these friendlies to integrate Amauri and Cassano into the team, not wasting our time with Gila and Iaquinta. This team is a bad joke. I hate Lippi so much! We’re gonna be a laughing stock in 2010 with our best players left at home.

Posted from  United Kingdom

lippi needs to put in a trequartista… whoever that may be

Who thinks Lippi would have called Giovinco had he not been injured?

Posted from  United States

@ Chris
Amauri doesn’t have italian passport

Posted from  United States

man, our team are in such a bad place at the moment! will lippi ever wake up? his insistence on sticking with the old is clearly not working…2010 is going to be our worst world cup ever

Posted from  Australia

At this rate, even making past the group stage at the WC would be a bridge too far. God damn it, get Cassano on the NT.

Posted from  Germany

epic fail.

we need much more than just cassano in the team. we need a whole new re-think: tactics, formation…the works. Our team have looked shit for way too long now. Lippi has lost his way. His arrogance and stubbornness is ruining our beloved team, a team that’s meant to represent the hopes of an entire nation.

Posted from  Australia

Really I think what needs to change is Lippi.

Just a couple of thoughts from today’s match:

Criscito is now a fixture that mustn’t be changed on this team. He was the only player to provide any real flair. Cannavaro 127 games too many for my money. Let’s get him out of here already. How does a tactically defensive team like the Swiss get on SOOOO many break aways? Really we were not playing against the swagger of the Brazilians in this match. How did the swiss manage to counter attack so effectively?

Quick answer, we are very very slow. Quicker today yes, but slow in general. Cannavaro is not and does not have the legs that he used to. Pirlo has never had the legs, but today he lacked everything. The commentator made it seem like he had regained his youth or something but (time and time I say this) when you are so slow, that your getting the ball picked off of you from behind, your time is up. Pirlo is done. He had no vision and was playing too deep. Palombo, did he even touch the ball? The guy was running with his mouth open the whole match, a sure sign that he was exhausted.

Gilardino, ive said it before ill say it again, he CANNOT SCORE! you can give him the ball, and walk him into an empty net and he will still find a way to fuck it up and make it look like he just went through hell doing the simple task. He’s finished finished finished. Get him out of here.
Another useless tool is Pepe, goodness, he shaved his head and still looks like an idiot. He has NO ball control and is useless, please someone skin him and make a coat, I am tired of him.

Iaquinta, damn he tries, but trying is not going to win us the world cup. I am almost ready to say bye bye.

Who should be our strike force? It’s easy:
Pazzini, Cassano, Rossi, Aquafresca, and (if you want experience Totti or DP) and if you want youth (Giovinco or Balotelli – their not ready yet) i’d go the experienced route.

Who should be our midfield? Camro is obviously too fragile and too old. Pirlo is too fucking slow. Here’s my shot: Giovinco LM – D’Agostini CM – De Rossi CDM – Foggia RM: That would be far superior than the crap we have. on the bench should be Gattuso (heart and an animal), Montolivo, and whatever else.

Defense: we sucked back there, Zambrotta’s runs were EASILY countered by a lousy swiss team. We all know who should be there, its not worth repeating. But what you do is, you take out all the 30+ players and you youthen it up.

Make Buffon Captain, he can’t stop a penalty for shit, but if lippi listen’s to me he wont need to.

I’m tired of this crap team. It’s been since July 2006 that our team has been shit. I don’t know how we continue to allow ourselves to be rapped of the opportunity to watch our better, younger players win a second world cup. I am not happy with one world cup, are you? I don’t care if we’ve won 4. I have news for you, the world thinks we fixed and stole 3 of those 4. I have more news for you, the only legitamate win we have is 1982. It’s time for us Tifosi to get up off our asses and get this prick out of office. I call a mutiny. Those that want to continue to see the George Lucas version of the Azzurri with Jar Jar Binks playing Center back can watch Euro 2008 and the Confederations cup on Bluray DVD. I am sick of this crap, this story must change and we must at least try and make history by winning a second world cup. Forza Italia, Forza Azzurri,

Yeah fuck Lippi lets get Trappatoni back! Look what he’s doing with Ireland! And why aren’t we playing youth man, look at Arsenal. Practically drowning in trophies, good lord. And Gilardino? Don’t even let me get started! We need an ice killer like Acquafresca who takes his opportunities and wrings the life out of them.

Posted from  United States

ireland got hammered 3-0 by australia! let’s not start wishing to be with trap just yet

Posted from  Australia

Lippi is still smokin the crack cigar. It is so clear it’s almost funny everyone can see this pile of crap but he can’t. Italy need creativity and youth in a big way.

Cassano and Pazzini should be in this team. Foggia, Balotelli and maybe Totti too.

Please, Pepe and Palombo are NOT Azzurri quality and that’s that

lippi’s a mad man. lord knows what he’s up to. do you think this recent debacle will encourage him to see sense? absolutely not! prepare to see palombo and pepe in the line up for our next qualifiers. a whole bunch of draws and boring 1-0 losses are coming our way.

Posted from  Australia

the only players out there who looked good were Buffon, Rossi and maybe Grosso

Marchisio, Zambrotta and Cannavaro looked decent, but not up to National level.

Criscito made some serious mistakes and is not experienced enough to be wearing the blue.

Iaquinta and Fabiarella would have been much better if they hade been on the other end of Rossi’s ball distribution.

i have now been saying it for almost 2 years. ‘Lardino cannot score. glad to see someone else here picking up my torch.

this team really is disappointing and i agree that Lippi needs to go. Donadoni would have been better.

for all Cassano lovers here, please watch him closely this season … he is not nearly what you all believe him to be.

PAZZINI, FOGGIA and PELISSIER should be on this team before Gilardino, Palumbo and Camoranesi

Posted from  United States

Donadoni would be better? Ugh. He was the same as we are now.

Cassano not what we all think? You’re a nutter.

Posted from  United States

Yeah Alessio, Traptonni is shit. i hate him and hes bloody catenaccio football. AND LOOK AT WHAT THE MIGHTY AUSSIES DID TO HES MOB! Get Antonio Conte in for Lippi, hes past it!

We should have thrown a bunch of money at Prandelli or Capello

Donandoni was more experimental with younger players and, though i was very impressed with Lippi’s tactical abillities last cup, i hardly see a shadow of that in the new formations he is playing. not only is he selecting mediocre players, but he is playing them in positions and combinations that make no sense. to waste Rossi’s play-making skills with Gilardino up front is just not comprehensible.

we shall see how Donadoni does with Napoli this year. not the greatest tactitian, but i believe he has more vision than Lippi does now.

as much as SSpaletti is great for Roma, some day he would be a fantastic coach for the Nazionale, or possibly Prandelli.

Posted from  United States

Capello is a very god coach as well but i think he is such an ass

Posted from  United States

i think that the core of team (buffon, cannavaro, de rossi, gattuso) should be kept in the side. but the positions around them are up for grabs for the younger generation. now is the perfect opportunity to add some youngsters such as rossi, giovinco and santon to blend into the side while these more experienced players are still at a top level. rossi’s performance last night just goes to show what the youth can do when given the opportunity. check out http://www.football-italia.info for more discussions, the blogs are right on point with some of the points people are making in here.

Posted from  United Kingdom

Two driving forces behind the structure of the Nazionale.
1: The FIGC is strongly controlled by the big 3 (Juve, Inter, Milan). They lobby strongly for their players to be given top consideration for the nazionale as this parlays into more image rights, tv coverage and marketing opportunities for the clubs = money.
2: Marcello Lippi’s undying loyalty to his core older players.
___________________________________________________________________________
Politics plays a part of every national team however no where is it more followed and all consuming than in Italy. It destroyed great careers, hopes and dreams for players like Baggio, Zola, etc. and will continue to hurt our chances going into 2010 WC.

The Confederation Cup was the opportunity to bring new players and experiment. Lippi (due to his myopic viewpoint) wasted a great chance and now must recover valuable lost time to bring forward players on an accelerated (and perhaps unnatural) timeline. The only value the Conf Cup gave us was to openly show the world that time had passed the old guard. Hopefully he will get the message and right the ship quickly.

Lippi needs to have a strong attacker in his formation. History shows that is his most confortable approach (see old Juve & Inter formations to confirm for yourself). Based upon this, he has to hope that Amauri gets his paperwork soon (like yesterday!!). I would also bring along Super Mario Balotelli as a last player selection just so he gains the experience (like what Brazil did with Kaka in his 1st WC). Beside Amauri, he must compliment him with players that can make sublime passes and move into space created by Amauri. Only two names come to mind – Rossi & Cassano. Of course substitute strikers like Di Natale & Quaggs should come for bench strength (Iaquinta only if you have absolutely no confidence in any other big forward including Toni).

Midfield we must hope will be home to D’Agostino, DeRossi, Aquilani, Criscito, Foggia type players. Pirlo is too slow and lacks strength to fight in the middle of the park. We cannot expect every ball to be released through him. Other teams have quickly figured this out and embarrased him at the Conf Cup.

Defensively Cannavaro will come but hopefully only as a substitute to give good team chemistry and support in the dressing room (much like Peruzzi did last WC). We need another central defender that can support Chiellini. I would also bring along Marchisio, Santon, Zambro, Grosso.

As a keeper, this will possibly by Gigi’s last hurrah so he should be motivated by that alone. Beyond him Amelia (as long as he has a good campaign), Storari and Marchetti should be fine.

Beside the players that go to S Africa, we must have luck in our seeding and draw. With the players selected above (if all healthy and in form) I have to hope we can still reach the pinnacle of World Football. Teams to watch of course will be Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Holland, and you will defintely see at least one African team do very well (Nigeria? – Cameroon?).

Posted from  Belgium

i m from brasil i lives americana i m italiane person i m american italy i dont a racial mix brasilian i m italy persion true i likes soccer italy food italy several places