Best you have seen Italy play aswell as your most memorable?

Yea but you guys are also comparing his prime to his out of prime... No sh*t he had better tournaments in 1998 and 2002 (and likely would have in 2000, had he not been injured) than in his later years of 2004 and on. Most strikers are usually much better when 23-27 than 31-33, no? Seems a pretty easy observation to make.

 

Not players like Luca Toni and Di Natale... You forgot how messed up Italian football is Davey.

 

Depends also on the way they play upfront.Christian Vieri was a kind of physical player and with getting older , it will decrease that power...
Reminds me on Gabriel Batistuta who also was fading out and played one WC (2002) too much...
Pure goalgetters,like for example Romario and Inzaghi , don't have that problem so much..

 

He also seemed less sharp in front of goal since that injury he got against Valencia in 2003. In his peak years (98-03) he was very clinical in front of goal. From 2004 onwards he seemed to miss ALOT more chances, even though he was still getting in the right positions.

 

Sure, but they are the exception. Most strikers, or any footballers for that matter, are better in their mid 20s than early 30s.

 

I gotta agree with the above, depends on style. Technique vs. power/fitness. Fitness gets worse with age but if you a technique/mental player your fine.

 

Sure, you're fine but still not better or likely not even equal to your previous form. Would any of us really say that we would want Inzaghi at 32 over Inzaghi at 27? Even Pirlo circa 26-27 is better than Pirlo now at 30; and he is as technical as they come.

 

I'd still take Maldini at 40+, and Nesta right now over Nesta 2006 (who was a gimp)

 

^^^ ah man hell yea....sometimes i think its safer to take nesta world cup over cannavaro.....fabio seems to be out of it or something, he's not nearly as focused as he was in 2006

 

Cannavaro's game relies more on winning the ball when he steps to a player. If he misses and gets beat he's screwed. Nesta on the other hand seems to win the ball 80% and doesn't even look like he was trying, he looks at attackers and just smiles with a "Is that all you got" look.


I'd take both if I could though. They could both be useful.

 

On both accounts, Italy vs. Germany WC 2006.

I was SCARED before that match. That game had "Germany Wins: Nation Goes Wild" written all over it, and the Azzurri came in, played their hearts out, and BEAT them on their own soil. I was almost in tears I was so happy, and we hadn't even won the WC yet. Best game of the entire tournament, hands down. Felt great to be Italian (it always does... but that day was EXTRA special).

 

If you could call it a weakness, that's true. Cannavaro does challenge, and if he misses, he's out of position completely. But, he is good at what he does... hence, why he's Cannavaro

 

I'd rather have Maldini at 26 than Maldini at 40+. And, I would rather have Nesta in 2002-2003 than Nesta at 2006 or Nesta 2009.

 

I am not even Italian, and that game sent me into extacy, but the defeat of France in a WC Final ranks way higher than that...after all the suffering we had against the French, a win in a WC Final was the ultimate.

 

lol you must have been sitting pretty close to me?!!!!?!!where you part of the people helping to wave the gigantic flag in that area after we won? I was waving the flag in that group.