That is just nonsense. Forget about 2004, what about the 2014 World Cup? They made the Round of 16, and then in qualifying you are seeing Greece lose twice to the Faroe Islands? They had an extremely easy group, and they could qualify automatically in first or second place, and go to playoffs in third, and yet they finished last place? Unacceptable. Northern Ireland were seriously the only team in the group that could be argued to be better than them and even them only by a margin if they are. Greece only won one game in the whole qualifying campaign and that was against a Hungary side who already secured a playoff place and could not qualify automatically with a win. Get real, Greece finishing last place in a group with Northern Ireland, Romania, Hungary, Finland, and Faroe Islands? Is that acceptable with the talent Greece has? At least Greece should have made playoffs if not second place. Also I think by the time Greece started drawing Romania, and Hungary, and beating them later, Ranieri was already sacked. And what do you mean by 2 weeks altogether? He was appointed in August and sacked in November. He should have beaten Romania, Finland, and the Faroe Islands, and maybe at least drawn with Northern Ireland at home.
He had two lousy weeks with the Greek players and that was very well documented! How can you mold any squad but especially a national team in two weeks time? Talk about being serious! Faroe Islands Notwithstanding, his Greek experience wasn’t and shouldn’t even be thought about. As far as juventus winning the scudetto in 2007-2009, there was virtually no chance they would or could have won it in those years. Even Nedved the year before stated while in Serie B that they would be in 4th place if they were in Serie A. Making it to third place in 08 was an accomplishment in itself! Ranieri won’t and shouldn’t be appointed coach of the national team because I don’t think he is the right guy but it’s not because he failed with Greece or Juventus.
Gigi DiBiagio is a garbage manager. At the U21 level, he routinely is outcoached and outschemed. The 2015 U21 Tournament was a dumpster fire of mismanagement. It's too easy to blame Sturaro, but the team itself was listless, disorganized, and badly underachieved. At the U21, this loser wins his first game, and then decides to bench Benassi, Gagliardini, and Caldara for some sort of crazy turnover. Reminded me of that idiot Sacchi in 1996 (also against the Czechs). I would take Ventura over Gigi...that's how bad I think he is. I don't love Mancini, but I could live with it. I have no clue what Ancelotti is waiting for. How old does he want to be when he coaches Gli Azzurri...80?
Bayern is paying Ancelotti until summer. The FIGC doesn't want to pay Carletto the money he is getting so why would he leave 6 months of salary on the table? There is still 5-6 months to find a national team coach. Its not like Italy has anything to play for now.....
OK Now you are exaggerating. Do you really think Di Biagio would bench the 3 players like he did vs Czechs in a senior tournament? I doubt it.
Yes he would.. he's a dumbass he does nothing for me tactically.. im still waiting for you to share why you think hes a suitable option without saying the team had a "fighting spirit' when they looked and played like a bunch of finocchi
He is one of the three finalists among Conte and Mancini. Considering the other two have current gigs, he is the favorite at this point.
Rainieri is having a fantastic year at Nantes. 2 of his last 3 seasons have been top class managing. Even in the season where he got sacked from Leicester he made it to the knockout stages of UCL. I would not be opposed to Raineri, but he is not my first choice.
You would take a ridiculously stubborn manage who puts his own ego ahead of his players and his country, over someone who actually bled and cares for the shirt?
Zeman just got fired. I know the game has passed him by but I always wanted to see his style on the national team. With Zeman's system, Italy would conceed a lot of goals but they would also score many more. Who wouldn't want to see Italy score many goals?
Or they can win 5-4. It can't be worse than being eliminated from the World Cup by Sweden without scoring a single goal in two games. I don't mind losing and getting eliminated if you score. At least it would be more exciting than 0-0 & 0-1.... I don't anyone who wants to see Italy or any team for that matter, play and lose like that. la miglior difesa è l'attacco!
Tell that to Baresi, Facchetti, Scirea, Maldini, Gentile, Vierchowod, and the rest of the cast of defenders that don't exist anymore. The best attack is to attack, the best defense is to defend. Let's find our balance again.
I remember Baresi and Vierchowod scoring goals. Even Maldini once or twice but they didn’t need to go up because Italy always had great goal scorers. Heck even if our forwards scored One goal, Italy will have been at the WC this summer...
The '82 final, it was Scirea, Gentile and Cabrini leading the counter that lead to Tardelli's goal. But there was always a balance. No such thing ever existed under Zeman.
Different game , rules , place and time. Gentile also got away with brutal fouls that wouldn’t fly in todays game. I wish the game could still be played that way! How I miss Gentile, Scirea, Vierchowod and Baresi!
Maradona did not get away from his ********ing dives. Gentile marked him tight. He clawed & pushed. Big deal. Was he guilty of going after Maradona at full speed from 20 yards out and slicing through him? That is the difference between today and back then.
Falvo, do you think Zeeman would have made Belotti hit that open target he missed, or Candreva all his misses? Gentile's marking of Maradona was masterful
Such good friends. Do you think there was something more to their relationship? One thing about Maradona, I do not recall him ever making a big fuss about how Gentile marked him. I think there was mutual respect between the two.
Gentile: 'Di Biagio failed' By Football Italia staff World Cup winner Claudio Gentile claims Gigi Di Biagio “failed” with the Under-21 side and “doesn’t have the credentials” to be the interim Italy Coach. Gentile was in charge the last time Italy won the European Under-21 Championship in 2004. “Di Biagio failed with the Under-21s, and yet he said his squad was the best in the last 20 years,” Gentile told Radio Sportiva. “I don’t think he deserves to be where is right now, as he doesn’t have the credentials. Anyone who goes from the Under-21 side to the senior Nazionale has to achieve great results and that is not true in his case. “Di Biagio can do well as an interim Coach, but that’s it.” In charge of the Azzurrini, Di Biagio went out in the group phase of the 2015 European Under-21 Championships, then reached the semi-final in 2017, beaten 3-1 by Spain. Member of the 1982 World Cup winning team Gentile also lambasted the call-ups for Italy’s friendlies against Argentina and England. “If we have to rely on those who failed to earn qualification for the 2018 World Cup, then we’re in trouble. Many of those players don’t deserve to wear the Azzurri jersey. “Gigi Buffon is a legend, but we ought to rebuild based on young players, otherwise they’ll never gain the right international experience.”
Gentile is 100% right Di Biagio is a useless delusional coach. If he somehow gets confirmed as manager (likely not but still a possibility with a caretaker manager), then we can kiss our Euro 2020 chances good bye. Sure we will probably make it since lots of teams qualify, but prob not contenders with that idiot.