Italy - Ukraine (Quarter-final)

Fabio

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Hamburg on Friday, another game where we should easily win - but I don't want Shevchenko to curse another one of my teams, hopefully they will be exhausted after tonights game too.

Fabio :star:
 

shahz_nerazzurri

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Fratelli d'Italia said:
another game where we should easily win

ERRRR, did we win easily today???? And Sheva is a quality striker, if anyone can break Cannavaro, its got to be him. Hope Nesta is fit for this game.

If Nesta isnt fit, then I hope we will appeal against Materrazzi's red card, I would still trust Matrix more than Barzagli. But then again, this is Sheva, that Matrix is going to play against, and ofcourse Matrix loves Sheva, he'll probaby end up getting another red card in this game, and this time it will be fully deserved
 

Fabio

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Errrr Mr.Indio we should have won against USA.

Fabio :)
 

Marcello

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Cant wait for this one
Nesta should be back for the game and totti will probly still not start
FORZA ITALIA
 

J zanetti

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Just as we have seen England crawl their way through the QFs – Italy have had their problems also. Surely among the so called big nations they have got the easiest route to the SFs. I though Australia could cause them a bit of a problem and they surely did. Yet, I can’t somehow see a lacklustre Ukraine team causing much problem for the Italians.
 

Adriano@10

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Forza Italia let s beat the shit out of the ucrains.

But i realy hope to finally see a good game of Italy i m realy worried if we keep on playing like this we ll have big troubles also against the ucraine.
Ohhh and please Lippi no more dellpiero he was poor crap till now and we played better when totti came in
 

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Well I really, really hope we see a better performance, and a better lineup from Lippi, he's making a lot of mistakes!

The defense is good as it was, Zambo-Canna-Nesta/Barzagli/Matrix-Grosso is excellent.
Midfield: FFS Totti should start, Alex got his chance and blew it. Perrotta hasn't been producing anything either, not a decent cross or shot or whatever, give Camoranesi a chance.
Upfront: I seriously don't know what's keeping Gila in the starting lineup apart from the fact that Milan splashed out a lot of cash for him... Keep Toni as his physical presence is very useful in the box, and at least he gets into scoring positions (which cannot be said about Gila), and hopefully will start scoring. As for his partner, I'd go for Iaquinta cuz he adapted well to the support striker role, but I could also imagine Pippo playing. The guy can't play football, but somehow he always scores. :D
 

Frisko

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If Italy don't win this one easy, then they won't deserve to go through.

We only need the first goal, then it's mission accomplished, Nesta or not Nesta.
 

shahz_nerazzurri

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Zamat said:
The defense is good as it was, Zambo-Canna-Nesta/Barzagli/Matrix-Grosso is excellent.
Midfield: FFS Totti should start, Alex got his chance and blew it. Perrotta hasn't been producing anything either, not a decent cross or shot or whatever, give Camoranesi a chance.
Upfront: I seriously don't know what's keeping Gila in the starting lineup apart from the fact that Milan splashed out a lot of cash for him... Keep Toni as his physical presence is very useful in the box, and at least he gets into scoring positions (which cannot be said about Gila), and hopefully will start scoring. As for his partner, I'd go for Iaquinta cuz he adapted well to the support striker role, but I could also imagine Pippo playing. The guy can't play football, but somehow he always scores. :D

Agreed with everything you say, except for the Iaquinta part. Iaquinta is a moron, and shouldnt play at all. Toni should start with Pippo. Totti and Camo should both play to induce pace
 

Alex de Large

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Anybody know if Nesta is fit for this 2 next games?
 

scutzon

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We should win this one easily unless we decide to screw ourselves, like what happened against the USA, or unless the referee decides to screw us, like against Australia.

Maybe Totti can start with Del Piero, and we could play a 4-3-2-1 formation with Toni alone upfront.
 

Wittmann

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Fratelli d'Italia said:
Hamburg on Friday, another game where we should easily win - but I don't want Shevchenko to curse another one of my teams, hopefully they will be exhausted after tonights game too.
:D

Italy is much better than Ukraine, but have problems scoring..I predict this match goes to penalties once again..this time Sheva won't miss..;)

However, I would like to see Italy-Argentina/Germany semifinal, so Forza Italia..

Toni better than Gila?? No way..they both suck at the moment..
 

Alex de Large

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oh nooooooo...... nesta will be fit in the semis.... :cry:
 

J zanetti

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James talks about Italy’s WC so far, briefly touches on the Moggi-gate scandal and the Pessotto incident. He then wraps it up with few nice words about our own Matrix.


Italy still searching for cheer

The Azzurri may be through to the quarter-finals, but Gianluca Pessotto's apparent suicide attempt has cast a shadow over a side still struggling to find form, writes James Richardson

Wednesday June 28, 2006

Just when Italian football couldn't get any stranger, along comes the Pessotto affair.
The former Italy and Juve defender's apparent attempt to take his life on Tuesday by jumping from Juventus headquarters has caused shock across Italy and among the Azzurri in Germany, where Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Del Piero and manager's assistant Ciro Ferrara immediately left on a private plane to visit their former team-mate in hospital.
Pessotto - who hung up his boots just this May - had recently been made team manager at Juventus in the wake of the Moggi-gate scandal at the club. Why he jumped, if he jumped, is a question only he can answer, but certainly his fall casts yet another shadow across this most difficult of summers. Last Thursday brought confirmation of the charges facing four of Serie A's biggest clubs in the match-fixing enquiry. If the press is to be believed, the "maxi-trial" which starts this week will end with Juve stripped of two titles and sent down a division, with Fiorentina and Lazio suffering lesser points penalties.

Milan - whose alleged attempts to produce a bargain rival to Juve's refs network by leaning on linesmen have provoked widespread ridicule - are tipped to get off lightest of all, as they'll pin it all on a rogue director. More trials, involving further clubs, may follow.

Meanwhile, in Germany, the Azzurri's attempts to take Italian fans' minds off all the doom and gloom have stuttered. After a fine start against Ghana, Italy failed to beat USA despite a man advantage, then looked sluggish against the Czechs in similar circumstances.
They won the group, but Monday's second-round showing against the Australians - going through on a penalty that was the last kick of the game - has only increased the pressure on manager Marcello Lippi to sort out the side.
"If that penalty had been given against us, we'd all be here talking about international conspiracies", one Italian paper was frank enough to comment about Monday's decisive spot kick.
The last-minute Fabio Grosso tumble wasn't strictly speaking a dive, as Lucas Neill's ill-advised sliding tackle provided a barrier between Grosso and the ball, and having already shaken off one illegal challenge on his way into the area the Italian was perfectly entitled to feel impeded by the second. Still, few in Italy deny that the pendulum of World Cup fortune had for once swung healthily in the Azzurri's favour.
They surely can't count on that happening too often. To unlock their potential Italy now need Marcello Lippi to settle on a formation. A popular conversational gambit right now among Italians is the "just like in '82". Italy, of course, won their qualifying group this time with a game to spare, "just like in '82". Italy also drew a pre-tournament friendly with Switzerland "just like in '82". And domestically, Italy are coming off a major match-fixing scandal, "just like in '82". It all bodes well.
However, one thing that's not "just like in '82" is the constant changing of line-up; if Italy's then-manager Enzo Bearzot hadn't stuck by Paolo Rossi despite his poor group form it's fair to say Italy would never have won that third World Cup.
The lesson for Lippi is: stick with Luca Toni. Sooner or later the big man must score, and until he does he still provides an outstanding outlet up front. Twice now we've seen his trademark move: receiving the ball with back to goal, spinning past his marker and firing off a shot. The first against Ghana hit the crossbar. On Monday it forced one of the saves of the tournament from Mark Schwarzer. The next one might just break his duck.

As for Francecso Totti, that magnificent final 15 minutes and masterful penalty against Australia ("I was just praying he wouldn't try that bloody chip again," said Lippi post-game) must have bought him another crack at the starting role against Ukraine, behind Toni and Alberto Gilardino. If it all clicks this time, look out world. If it doesn't, Italy will surely be found out in the semis, if not before. We'll see on Friday.

Allow me to finish though with a special mention for Marco Materazzi. Hailed by this column as a harbinger of doom should he so much as set foot on the pitch in Germany, "Matrix" instead came on for the injured Alessandro Nesta against the Czechs and gave the performance of his career. He looked like he was channelling Franz Beckenbauer back there, and was rightly rewarded with the man-of-the-match award. Italy will miss him in their quarter-final - and who'd have thought we'd end up saying that?
In this strangest of summers, it truly does seem that anything is possible.
 

minterke

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C'mon Azzurri do this one for Pessotto. I see us destroying Ukraine, a goal-fest to be honest. Let's hope Lippi keeps DP on the bench and Iaquinta back at the hotel.
 

Choppin Onions

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Mike said:
Let's hope Lippi keeps DP on the bench and Iaquinta back at the hotel.

Or in a dark alley somewhere in Hamburg. :yuck:

Del Piero isn't a surprise as he fails at every major competition but Iaquinta.... well he just sucks. If Lippi we're smart he'd go back to the Totti-Gilardino-Toni trio and watch them wreak havoc in the Ukraine defense.
 

pablito

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meh, i over my psyco anti-italian football mood now.:rolleyes:

i hope u guys can beat ukrane, and win the world cup, just to prove Australia can play with the very best:D

totti played great, you really must play him, to dominate the midfield, and get toni into goal scoring postions.

italy v argie, semi final :star:
 

Neon

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In this one I say we play a five man mid and just have Gila up front, honestly, this game shouldn't be too difficult.

As for Iaquinta, I don't hate him as much as you guys, he hasn't played much and hasn't started. Where as Del Piero started and did nothing with his time.

Getting infront of Gila or Toni is always gonna be hard, but if he ever gets the chance to start I assure you he won't do as terrible as Del Piero.
 

minterke

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Neon said:
In this one I say we play a five man mid and just have Gila up front.

Okay Trapattoni :D

Seriously though, I'm with B-Rad on the 4-3-3 or the 4-3-1-2 with Totti behind Gila and Toni who were hooking up well vs. Australia.
 

forzaitalia44

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Yeh hopefully lippi does not start that iaquinta im not a big fan of him. I dont think id like the 4-5-1 either leaving gila isolated with no support. Hopefully totti is alright to start and lippi goes for a 4-3-1-2. I still think its the best formation for italy when totti is up and running. My formation for the game would be this providing totti is fit and nesta is not:

----gila--------toni----

-----totti------

-----perrotta/camoranesi----gattuso-----pirlo-----

----grosso----cannavaro----barzagli----zambrotta---

Hopefully lippi makes the right subs at the right time because he surely didnt do that against Australia. Maybe bring pippo on late or del piero but please dont start him. He is nice to come on and score a late winner thats probably all at his age. Well anyway big match forza italia, hopefully 2-0 Luca scores and totti from a free kick.;)
 
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