No-No-Northern Ireland

The word is officially out that Lippi has turned down Northern Ireland’s appeal for a friendly prior to the World Cup.

Lippi has yet to announce the formal plan in the run up to the WC, but he’s been fairly vocal on one matter: if you aren’t currently in the WC field of 32, you won’t be playing Italy until after the World Cup.

Its an interesting stance, as I believe a lot of coaches would intentionally avoid potential WC dates in their Friendly program. Suffice to say, with the advent of scouting, the internet, and just about everything an athlete does being broadcast by satellite, there is no element of surprise.

The flip side, of course, is that there is no better substitute for analyzing potential opponents than to see them at full pace, in front a packed house. What is my point in all this? Uhh. Oh yeah! With the Euro 2008 draw on the horizon, I’m guessing Lippi will use the same psychology. The Azzurri’s Euro pool includes: Germany, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Spain, Romania. Don’t be surprised if another one of those pool teams (Germany is already confirmed) end up being on the Friendly list. All of them are WC bound, save Romania, and easy to reach from Fiumincino Airport.