LOL u r right...we have a good chance of facing them in the round of 16 i believe. The end reslut will likely be the same..and Lippi will likely try to push the game to PKs. Im also less cnfident about PKs this time out. What with Pirlo possibly missing and before we had D.P. who was a guarantee as a penalty taker
Italy was the better team and outplayed Paraguay, although we fell short in the goal department and i think that was due to the fact that it was pouring buckets.Was really impressed with Pepe and Criscito,they played a great game. Looks like Italy is heading into the right direction after watching this game.
Solid opening game, the minimum objective was to get a point and play sound defense and I believe both were acheived. The defense was solid Cannavaro definately has an extra something left for this WC, Zambs as well. De Rossi held the midfield down. Montolivo played well without the ball but he's is the most timid player I've ever seen. I am sure in practice he will smash a ball from 30 yards out in the top corner 9 times out of 10 but in a game he will send a two hopper right into the goalies' chest. Pepe played great, showed some good skill on the ball and he might of ran 15KM today, he might even have the best cross on the team . Marchisio was gassed and was a little timid as well. Criscito offered plenty of width down the left and played solid game defensively when needed. Gila was useless as was Iaquinta. Gila at least has the excuse he had no service, but he didn't win one battle for the ball all game and was never able to hold possesion nor was he able to break free of his marker. Iaquinta just doesn't have the quickness to play on the wing, he made a nice play to out muscle the defender and get a good cross in but he had plenty o opportunities to make something happen but did nothing with it. I thought Di Natale was ok, not much time to have a major impact but he made several smart runs and did more than Gila did in his 15 minutes of action. This team looks cohesive and with the talent available that's all we could ask for. Paraguya are solid team and we dominated them aside from the last 10 minutes of the 1st half IMO.
"Great game"? I'd say "solid game". Btw: The guy was on German tv after the match (together with Jürgen Klinsmann) and demonstrated his knowledge of the German language (apparently, his mom is German). Yep. I was really surprised to see him start as a forward winger in a 4:3:3, IMO he should be a central striker in a 4:4:2 or 4:5:1. No idea what Marcello Lippi thought by fielding him together with Gilardino & Pepe...
Frustrating game. You can see how lady luck is already not with Italy this year. Between Pirlo's injury, having to play in a driving rain storm, Buffon getting hurt. (How? did he even have to move in the first half?). Italy was the far better team and only got a point. Hate that. Not the end of the world by any means because they *should* still win their next two games. On the positive side, I liked the grit they showed to get the point. A loss would have been bad. They have to come out and destroy NZ. That's the game they canNOT afford to ******** up.
It seems that this isn't Gigi's season/year. He's more often injured than fit, isn't he? Really mysterious injury tonight... Yep, Italy was better (not far better, though) ... but simply not good enough to get the win. It's more than obvious that Lippi's team lacked creativity tonight! Buona notte. Btw: It's no shame to draw against Paraguay (a very solid team that played a great WC quali and has some top strikers like Santa Cruz, Cardozo, Barrios & Valdez).
While I agree he ran his balls off, he constantly misplaced passes, failed to pull the trigger on many counters and stuffed up a lot of of counter attacks. Can't really decide on who I believe is my man of the match...perhaps De Rossi.
We actually played pretty well imo. Paraguay basically really threatened only once later in the game and had that goal on the set piece/phantom foul in the 1st half. The midfield could be better (though did better than I expected), but the forwards are too scared to finish. Basically all the problems we were worried about hurt Italy today. Gilardino and DiNatale are of the same mold, put them in some nothing situation and they shine. Put some pressure on their performance and they shrivel up. Personally, I think Iaquinta did and does good work. He's versatile, and though I don't like him as a winger, I think him and Pazzini up front would be the best option from what we have. I heard a lot of praise for Montolivo on RAI, I saw none of that, had some flashes, but uninspiring. Should do a lot more for the hype, for his position, for the chances he had, for the caliber of a team like Italy, etc. Pepe was great. People hate Pepe because they see a guy like Cassano home, but that's not Pepe's fault. Defense was also better than I expected. Even Zambrotta, who I think brings nothing special to the table, and because of that and his age, should never play in a meaningful NT game again. Too bad about Buffon, but honestly, that didn't worry me that much. I'll probably be in the minority, but Buffon of 2010 scares the hell out of me. Maybe I'm spoiled, but I think he's lost it a bit. I see him put himself in risky positions, and also react all frightened to balls that aren't even close, makes me question his reads and reactions.
I thought we played well, we controlled the game and had msot of the possession. Paraguay only had a few chances at goal and none were any good except for that fluke goal that came from out of nowhere. We will beat New Zealand this weekend and grow confident for our last game going into the 2nd round as group winners. BELIEVE! FORZA ITALIA !
We have a lot of changes to make for the next game. Pepe surprised me so he gets to start again. Gila really seems to be struggling with his movement. I'd put Pazzini up top. Iaquinta obviously needs to go out and DiNatale goes in. I know some people were down on Di Natale's performance, but it's tough for him to come on as a sub with garbage like Iaquinta up top and a driving rain. I think he should get a fair shot to start after his huge year.
Couple points on some players: 1. Marchisio really seems athletically limited out there. At Juve, he seems better than that. Obviously he was out of position, but still. 2. Criscito is also someone who is limited athletically. However, he had a couple good runs forward today. Still, I'd love to see Maggio on the flank. 3. Montolivo is an enigma. He stood around a lot. He didn't seem aggressive at times. Then all of a sudden he wakes up and makes some brilliant passes and almost scores. I wish we could see more consistency with him.
A far better game from Italy than the shambles I'd feared. A couple of lessons we learned: Criscito and Montolivo were positive, Gilardino is not in form, and the 4-4-2 formation is more fitting for this team than the 4-1-3-2. Too bad about Marchisio. He will probably not get another run out. Next game Lippi should look at Pazzini, and Di Natale, as a partnership. And of course let's hope and pray Buffon and Pirlo are able to play for us soon.
Good point. Actually, the first thing I thought about when they said Buffon was injured was how great Francesco Toldo performed when thrown into goal unexpectedly for Euro 2000. Of course, Toldo was already pretty experienced.
I think we played well today. Especially considering this squad has only played in practice sessions and a couple of friendlies. I was impressed with the chemistry of the midfield. Nice crisp passing. The finishing left a bad taste in my mouth at times but overall it was a decent showing. We should have easily won 2-0 after a couple of questionable calls, especially the free kick that gave Paraguay the lead. It pains me to admit it but Pepe ran his a$$ off today. Now his finishing thats another story. A little tweaking in the next couple of games plus getting Pirlo our creative source back and we will be in decent shape.
I have been saying it all along, Marchisio can't play inside... he doesn't understand the inside attack.... he's a winger...