1) This is what happens when you try playing without defensive MF like Gattuso: if level of fitness is not good and you can't keep ball possession you are bound to struggle..much more if the coach hasn't world-class DF at his disposal. 2) Friendlies scoreline are misleading: Germany lost 5-3 to Switzerland, Netherlands 2-1 to Bulgaria...we played against Russia, one of the 16 Euro finalists, a team which consists most of players from Russia League, far less stressful than Serie A, EPL or Liga.. 3) Might most of Italy players fear to be investigated so that they can't focus on playing? I'm not making excuses, it's only a question...
I think this is a very good point. In addition, France struggled badly against Iceland, Portugal drew with Macedonia and even the mighty Spain lost to us, England and Argentina in recent friendlies.
I'm sure in the next few weeks, this thread will live or fizzle out but I have a feeling it will live on. See you all in three four weeks!
I too think likewise, 3 games lost in a row !! and against USA at home, a 3-0 defeat to Russia !! Wake up those are telltale signs we have never seen before. Gone are the days of our stiff mean defences that even a goal scored against Italy in a single game was considered an achievement!! We had the same signs in 2010 under Lippi but everyone said just wait for the tournament, we waited and... I hate to make predictions but I see a group stage exit very likely Unless this defeat would gel the team together and better have it now rather than our first game as in 08, we will wait and see.
Where the hell are you now? Damn a lot of people were talking a lot of smack before only to look colossally idiotic right now.. I mean it would take light years to traverse all the stupidness!! If we would have listened to me and fired Prandelli after the embarrassing loss to the USA, the other embarrassing loss yesterday would have not have happened. *sigh* I suppose some of us more insight than others, but this is elementary, Watson.
Let's wait and see before all of the chest-thumping, shall we? Under Prandelli, Italy had its best ever qualifying campaign and has not lost a competitive match. Italy has also been playing a new attacking, possession-based style, for a change. It's been a rough 2012, true, and he's lost some players to injury or scandal (Rossi, Cassano, Criscito), but I think it's too early--and too easy--for you to say that he should be fired. Especially since you didn't even watch the Russia game. Keep your silence.
You can try and spin it the way you want but the results speak for themselves. Italy have not scored a goal in what, three games? Our attack has barely played together b/c of injury and indiscipline and what's worse is that a few days from now, we are playing the defending World Cup and Euro champs and we have no idea what formation or the starting squad that we are using. If Italy does good this tournament, it will be in spite of Prandelli, not b/c of him.
Statements like this simply demonstrate your poor understanding of cause and effect. Italy have lost players to injury and indiscipline, so Prandelli should be fired? You're merely associating the manager with events far beyond his control. It is also not Prandelli's fault, for instance, that "calcioscomesse" took Crisicito away from camp and unsettled the squad, or that an earthquake in Parma meant that one of Italy's pre-tournament friendlies was canceled. You need to stop with the chicken little act. Prandelli is not the cause of the state of Italian football or the recent setbacks with the national team. He may, in fact, be a progressive influence on the Azzurri. Let's give him some time before saying for certain.
Umm yeah, especially when you have Miccoli, who is better than Cassano anyway, but just not as hyped by the media. Other options are always good to explore. He did not even try Di Natale until recently. What unsettled the squad even more is him sending Criscito home but keeping Bonucci. If he wanted to create more divisions between Juve fans and the rest of Italy... good job! See.. Even God hates Prandelli's style. Not saying that he is. He is just a mouthpiece and puppet for a corrupt federation that is driving us at Ferrari speeds to the back pages of the 'Gothic Soccer' chapter of the encyclopedia along with Austria and Hungary. I wish he was brave enough to make his own decisions. He does have cool hair though..
It was only a matter of time before it got mentioned! I do wonder how many posts you can go through without mentioning Miccoli? Seriously, this obsession is unhealthy and you need to get over it. It's not good for you! Probably because of what happened to Rossi and Cassano.
Is wanting the best players on the team unhealthy? With that kind of mentality, it is no wonder it takes us twenty years to win anything, if that. I guess some people just want the team to have young players with pretty faces that look good in uniform. Stupid me for wanting to play our best players. That is more reason to give 'Plan B' a try. But exactly how much time did Giovinco and Di Natale play in the qualifiers? How much time together? Were there better options? What does Padre Pio have to say about all this? These are important questions!
Everyone has their own favourite players. Sometimes they don't get called up. We get over it. With the limited time that National Teams get together, getting 'Plan A' to work is hard enough.
This is not about one player not getting called up. This is about the federation blackballing a talented player who spoke the truth about the corruption that is evidently still a problem in Italy. Everyone involved in keeping our best trequartista from the national team, should burn in hell for all eternity along with their extended families and dogs and cats!
I'm not to thrilled with Prandelli but you are just being ridiculous he was never going to be fired in the run up to the tournament. He gets his tournament like all others and then if it's bad he gets fired or moves on of his own will. That's how it works.
France lost 1-0 to Senegal in the 2002 WC. Shit happens. I think it's far worse to draw 1-1 against New Zealand...that yesterday in a 2014 WC qualifier tied 1-1 vs Solomon Islands.
It may be time to begin thinking of Cesare Prandelli as one of the great managers of international football. Zonal Marking compares him to Arsene Wegner--an idealist and visionary--and here's a great profile in the Guardian, too. His approval rating among Italians still quite high at the moment. http://www.zonalmarking.net/2012/06/06/euro-2012-preview-italy/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jun/03/euro-2012-italy-cesare-prandelli
Approval ratings will nosedive as soon as we implode in this tournament. So thats not really saying much.
Napoli fans are complaining about russia result? WOW WE shouldve used TEAM NAPOLI instead maybe result woulda been 6-0 and then prandelli woulda been fired
? WHAT I have no idea what your post has to do with anything on this thread. What does Napoli have to do anything? You lack communication skills and reading comprehension
My fear coming into this tournament was that people were going to sorely overrate this squad, and use PRandelli as the scapegoat in the event that it crash and burns. Nice to see that I've been right so far.
Don't take my opinion -- take Michael Cox's. He writes the most respected soccer blog in the world. American Azzuri fans puzzle me. For YEARS you all complained about how Italy never made space for the young, technical players, always relying on the old guard and playing defensive, dull soccer. Now Prandelli gives us a good passing team and puts faith in youth (Balotelli, Borini, Abate, etc.) and all of you say: "Fire him, he doesn't get results." Leopards can't change their spots, I guess.
it is without doubt that you are guilty of some of the most idiotic posts on this site! my only real problem with prandelly is that he is a hypocrite, and he has proved this many times