Ok, lets not get into players that aren't eligible for the Cup. Nesta, FAR superior to Materazzi, but he retired from Int'l play. Cannavaro, injured. Christian Maggio is a right back. Even though he lit it up this year, its hard to beat out Panucci AND Oddo. If he keeps form, he should have a spot on the Italian squad for the WC. So for the sake of this argument, that leaves Chiellini and Barzagli. Check my previous post in this thread. I wanted Barzagli and Materazzi to start after Cannavaro went down. I too believe Barzagli to be the better player. However, I personally would rather have Materazzi over Chiellini. Materazzi may not be the better athlete, but he brings experience, size and a certain toughness to our defense, not to mention how valuable of an asset he is on set pieces on both sides of the ball. All those other players you mentioned are youngsters. With the exception of Maldini and a few others like old timers such as Baresi etc, Italy rarely calls our future stars, it has never been our way. And to be quite honest with you, I don't want to see a YOUNG (emphasis on young) backfield. We've been dominant back there for years because we have enough depth to field experienced vets who have defended top notch strikers for 4-5 years. Let them develop, and then they can wear the shirt. Ultimately, its all a matter of opinion, and I would like Materazzi to start if he can keep his cool and not take stupid fouls. If he is undisciplined, I'll have no problems accepting Barzagli and Chiellini in the middle.
Ronaldo gets one chance and hits the woodwork (after a fingernail tip by Vulcan). It looks like just a matter of time before Portugal gets one.
I don't think Materazzi is Rubbish or bad....even though he was awful for inter this season (hasn't been the same since the leg injury). Materazzi has proven in the past to be a very good defender. He's a yellow and red card waiting to happen though, and his form is terrible right now, so starting him is a huge mistake IMO. Chiellini on the other hand has been super for Juve the second half of the season in the central defense. He has the mean streak to go along with it and he's only 23 so he should be able to last the whole tournament. I think he's the next staple in the Italian defense for 7-10 years to come. Now should be his coming out to the world as one of the Serie A's top defenders.
Game time! WooHoo! If Croatia doesn't get a result against Austria today this is the last time I'll post in this thread....LOL!
Sorry I haven't been posting in here like i promised. I've been watching the games with the dad. Croatia is disappointing me because they're not attacking a weak Austria team. Modric has disappeared. The Swiss played vs Czech well yesterday. I'm not sure if thats a good sign for the Swiss or a bad sign for the Czech.
Yeah they didn't play that well. Espically after the PK, Aus had many chances to put the ball into the back of the net.
It is possible but Germany have started strongly. I still think Spain will win it outright. Perennial under achievers I know, but still a good side on paper.
Italy brings a 30-year unbeaten streak http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8223310/Italy-brings-a-30-year-unbeaten-streak
They were awful today. Very unorganized in the 2nd half especially and they had no possession. They miss Eduardo da Silva so much, there is no finish up front and it showed today. Olic can run all day and is relentless but can't do anything with it in range to score. Modric got the goal on the penalty but was quiet all day. They need to get organized quickly to make it out of the group, which I still think they will but if they don't find some finish they will be done quickly. BTW, Sebastian Prödl, the defender for Austria was very good today. He has a bright, bright future ahead of him.
Notable Injuries for Holland - Italy Match: Holland: Arjen Robben Ryan Babel Robin Van Persie Italy: Fabio Cannavaro Christian Panucci Other Notes: Alessandro Del Piero expected to play left wing. Materazzi-Barzagli defensive pairing likely http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8223150/Materazzi-Barzagli-defensive-pairing-likely
Forza Azzurri! Good game tomorrow, unfortunately I don't know if I'm gonna be able to watch it because of work, we have a TV on my boss' office and sometimes he let us watch some games especially the Barcelona games because he's a big Barca fan, but I don't know yet
He knows that I'm an Italy fan so i would be in trouble because we've been very busy these days, but maybe i'll do that.
Heard an echo. Well said. Don't stop posting in this thread Uni ! In other news, Poland was as awful as borscht. The Austrians, Turks, Swiss and Czechs were a fair bit better, but frankly, I'd be stunned if any of them make it past the quarters considering the overall quality. The Croats flattered to deceive. And Germany is too well organized and solid as a group to be threatened by a slightly discombobulated side in the form of Portugal. Only first impressions, but in this tournament, when a winner will be crowned in less than a month, they're crucial. Big games tomorrow. Henry and Viera are out. I expect a 0-0 draw or a late marker in a 1-0 in favor of France. Italy and Ned should be a bit more open considering the attacking emphasis of the latter. A very tepid 2-1 in favor of Italy.
I dunno. We started strong and I'm not worried about the midfield or our strikers but the central defense concerns me. Metzelder only played a handful of games for Real due to injuries and he continues to look slow and sluggish. Mertesacker is a stud but against the better teams (especially against quick strikers) Metzelder might be our downfall. It's quite ironic that Germany of all teams would have troubles in their central defense. Podolski obviously had a great game yesterday but I still think the player to watch on the German side is Mario Gomez. He's absurdly talented but sadly not in his best shape right now. If he can pull it together he might emerge as one of the star players of this tourney. Dunno again. Cannavaro's injury really hurts Italy, especially against a team like the Neds who are bound to exploit it. I'm thinking 1-0 in favor of the Neds here. As an aside, I'm inclined to think that we won't see great games in this group. Italy, France and Ned are probably looking to draw against each other (one loss and you're pretty much out here) and win against Romania. That could backfire though as I think the Romanians are way underrated. They lack the star players but they are a pretty good team as a group and they really impressed me in the qualifiers. Contrary to common belief, I give them a not too bad shot at making the quarters.
Gio, you can't miss the game. Netherlands got a strong offense, a ok midfield with a below average defense. I'm interested to see how Materazzi will play considering that is not at 100% and Cannavaro is out. Italy should win.....pretty easy.
