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Thin Defense

June 28th, 2006 | By: Jay | 55 Comments »

Every match seems to bring a new twist. The Pessotto news today is unnerving, and one can’t help but wonder if it will affect everyone, especially Zambrotta, Alex and others that played with him. All that aside, there is still the very real issue that gli Azzurri have only five available defenders for the Ukraine match. My guess is Barzagli starts and Zaccardo is the odd man out. If Italy wins this match then they ought to wear the pink Palermo jerseys for the semi-final as a tribute (kidding!). The key, in my mind, will be to win that midfield battle “early and often” and press their occasionally shaky defense. I don’t want to see Italy playing deep and trying to counter attack. That will have me headed for the scotch and the antacids quickly.

Tags: Azzurri, Italy, Ukraine

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Displaying the most recent 25 comments from a total of 55 comments.

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By marco | June 28th, 2006 at 12:57 pm

Observer .. i totally agree .. the the dumb australians are saying he took a dive .. (and they wonder why is alwasy tell them that they know nothiong about football) contact was made .. grosso triped over niel .. could he hav jumped over .. mayve .. but the fact is this .. its not a danm dive .. even on ESPN (which thoes guys hate italian teams) said that it was a soft penalty .. meaning that it is a penalty!!!!!!! just a soft one

Posted from Australia

By NAPOLI | June 28th, 2006 at 1:01 pm

play inzaghi and toni up front with totti just behind them, with the back bone of gattuso im midfield and cannavarro and buffon in goal, it could really look good for us azzurri,

Posted from United Kingdom

By Sunny | June 28th, 2006 at 1:17 pm

Yes Napoli spot on, we need the partnership of Inzaghi and Toni upfront with Totti or piero behind them, we really can win this world cup but only if Lippi plays Inzaghi! He is our key to scoring goals.

Posted from United Kingdom

By tito | June 28th, 2006 at 4:00 pm

Not sure about pippo starting - he’s a super sub. Gila & Toni need to be given a chance to find their missing mojo. If they do, we’re a dangerous team. I’m worried about our card situation. I’d gamble a bit by relying heavily on our bench for Ukraine to ensure the guys with yellows will be available for the following game(!). Not sure about which positions the guys in back would best suit, but I’d be happy to see something like this…

Gilardino Toni

Totti

Perrotta Pirlo Camorenese

Zaccardo Cannavaro Barzagli Oddo

Buffon

Posted from United States

By Angelo Abruzzese | June 28th, 2006 at 4:09 pm

Wouldn’t it be something if France knocked out Brazil?

Would it change much probably not as I feel we will most likely face Germany and probably Portugal in in the Final match.

Of course all this has a big IF we win the next match.

Toni must get that first goal or he may well loose his nerve infront of that net and commit a serious foul out of frustration.

Forza Azzuri

Posted from United States

By nicolaricola | June 28th, 2006 at 4:13 pm

After this game count on this lineup for the semis.

Buffon
Zamb-Nesta-Cannavarro-Grosso
Camoranesi-Gattuso-Pirlo-Perotta
Totti-Inzaghi.

Pippo will score in this game and camo will sub and have a great game.

To the aussie haters who still have the balls to post on here.
Keep complaining, but, don’t wear urselves out, because you will have about 20 more years of it b4 you next qualify.

Here’s hoping they don’t get the WC 2018…what a disaster that would be…the games would be on at atrocious times and no one wants to fly out to the other universe to watch these games.

God pick anyother country besides australia to host the world cup…try and keep it on earth would be nice.

Posted from Canada

By Angelo Abruzzese | June 28th, 2006 at 4:50 pm

You have to like what Gattuso had say after the match

“Gennaro GATTUSO (ITA)
They didn’t have a single shot on goal and the feeling was that they’d never score. It’s very satisfying to be one of the best eight teams in the world after everything that’s happened in our country. I’d rather meet Ukraine than Switzerland (in the next round) because the Swiss are better.”

Shows the team is mentaly ready and feel confident, hopefully not confident to the point of underestimating the Ukraine team.

Forza Azzurri

Posted from United States

By Dieter | June 28th, 2006 at 7:59 pm

It’s a sad fact of football: the losers will always blame it on the refs (honestly, I’m no better. Still bitter about Korea in ‘02). The penalty on which Spain scored v. France was at least as marginal a call as the Grosso (at least Grosso was in position to score, not 16 yards away with his back to the goal). The free kick on which France went up 2-1 was a blatant dive by the supposedly honorable Henry, who had absolutely no advantage on the defender. Even Ghana, at 0-3, is blaming their loss on poor officiating. Really? I’m not for Brazil, but clearly if Ghana had anyone who knew how to put the ball *in* the goal instead of yards over it, they would have been in the match. Can’t fault the official for that.

Posted from United States

By zico | June 28th, 2006 at 11:09 pm

Hey Joel,

Italy had to take their lumps against Korea in 2002 and several tournaments before that now you have to take yours. Neill made a stupid challenge, what the hell was he trying to do? He couldn’t get the ball so he tried to impede Grosso’s forward progress. Maybe the ref gave the penalty because the defender was stupid enough to make that challenge. Very amateur, that’s why Australia are eliminated. Complaining is not going bring Australia back so give it a rest. Australia stumbles into the second round after a 30 year absence from the World Cup and all of sudden they all have dillusions of grandeur. Before you can win you must be prepared to accept defeat no matter if it is just or unjust. Take your complaints about the officiating to FIFA and stop bothering the Azzuri fans with your BS because frankly we don’t give a shit.

Posted from Canada

By anto | June 29th, 2006 at 3:19 am

hey zico, beautiful said!

Posted from Australia

By zico | June 29th, 2006 at 5:25 am

You know what Azzuri fans, I think Italy should win this cup. We’re already cheaters in the eyes of many so why not go down as champions. It seems we are always in the wrong regardless. I swear, even if we did score against Australia in regular time they would still call us cheaters for some other reason. I think this is how it had to happen and now the game will go down in football lore along with the famous “hand of god” incident and England’s phantom goal in the 1966 final, oh I’m sure the English would kill me for bringing that one up. All the negative publicity may just light a fire under the Azzuri’s ass. We may just see some beautiful football yet.

Forza Azzuri!

Posted from Canada

By Kevin | June 29th, 2006 at 5:39 am

I’m an Australian - hope the Azzuri can win too! And they will if the referees keep letting them dive in goal.

Posted from Australia

By Caesar Julius | June 29th, 2006 at 7:37 am

Good morning,
All right this night for Pessotto.
NExt press conference from hospital, this morning at 10.30 (ROMA time).

Posted from Italy

By Caesar Julius | June 29th, 2006 at 11:57 am

PESSOTTO:
Alla conferenza stampa di questa mattina nessuna nuova notizia.
Resta tutto appeso ad un filo, almeno per le prossime 72 ore.
Pessotto dovrà fare altre 3 operazioni, alcune con durata di 4/5 ore, e per ora sono state rinviate per non rischiare troppo.
Questo è il quadro clinico dei danni riportati:
http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmssezioni/infografica/200606images/pessotto_clinico.jpg

Posted from Italy

By BARBAR | June 29th, 2006 at 2:12 pm

Please, Italy, make it against Sheva-Ukraine, even if you are so bad players! I wish it so much!

Why? First the fans of this team really EARN to get bored one more 90 minutes by their team against Ukraine. You will get one more demonstration that Italy can’t play football. Second because the Italian team is proposed to be humiliated by Germany, the coming World Cup Winner, later on.

Italy! The whole world has seen how you betrayed Australia.

Italy! You were ashamed by Oz even after the game the way, the great Aussies accepted their loss against Italy. “Well, we didn’t shot a goal”, was the comment goalie Schwarzer, a true sportsman.

Italy! The whole world knows about Juve, Milan etc. We know your football know. We know why you are “successful”. Because of the referees at home and because of foreign players in the foreign.

Poor Italy Fans! You have to watch one more 90 minutes of your team against Ukraine. Please, Sheva, please be lil duce Berlusconi’s friend for one more 90 minutes and make it possible:

SHEVA PLEASE LET ITALY STAY IN THE WORLD CUP! GERMANY IS WAITING!

AUSSIES - WE WILL TAKE REVENGE FOR YOU! ;-)

Posted from United States

By BARBAR | June 29th, 2006 at 2:19 pm

P.S. Pessotto. Poor guy! Best wishes to regain health soon!

Italy needs every man with a true heart!

2. P.S. Italian women are soooo great! Most beautiful in the world!

Posted from United States

By pao | June 29th, 2006 at 2:34 pm

hey barbar how is it going? nice post, i hope to se you soon in here, can’t wait for some more brilliant post of yours. Your post was one of the most profound I have ever seen, rally! I miss you already. I want some more posts, pleaseeeeeeee

Posted from Italy

By BARBAR | June 29th, 2006 at 3:19 pm

pao,

no problem. friends?

cheers

Posted from United States

By pao | June 29th, 2006 at 5:49 pm

cheers mate

Posted from Italy

By dev | June 29th, 2006 at 7:09 pm

very sad 2 hear d pessoto news really really hurting for d old lady of turin . well now d turn towards match well nesta n matterarzi out n barzagli 2 depend on its difficult against sheva who had gr8 memories against him in d palermo - milan match , well gattusso should step in as the central defender 4 this time as he has done 4 milan in the serie a . the line up should b zam - can - gat - gro camo - totti - pirlo - perotta inzaghi - gila

Posted from India

By Catherine | June 29th, 2006 at 10:43 pm

To zico | June 29th, 2006 at 5:25 am

You said it!!! Thank you!

Go Italy!!!!

Posted from Canada

By Corleone | June 30th, 2006 at 10:43 am

Catherine you cow! Don’t you wish you were born Italian? Do you know how to make pasta with your bare hands and speak the language of love? Too bad you are not Italian, and all you can do is maple syrup on toast. Forza Azzurri!

Posted from Australia

By Scandal will erase progress | July 1st, 2006 at 7:26 am

Lets celebrate now before the scandal is announced and all this progress is overshadowed. Time to drink beer and forget we are Italian.

Posted from Canada

By dibbles | July 4th, 2006 at 12:29 am

my family is from italy the southeren part salerno and i am hoping that italy will win the world cup so i can shout at my english friend and prove him wrong (Boyz ur in the semi-final and you can do it put the germans on there arses)

Posted from United States

By ? | September 1st, 2006 at 11:39 pm

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Posted from United States

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