I think Prandelli is a smart guy and a fairly decent coach. However coaching the national team is not like coaching a club team. You have much less time to work with players and try out concepts and ideas. Personally I believe he made a lot of mistakes, and due to his popularity with the press and him making the popular choices in regards to certain players he's been given a lot of slack. For me these are some of the things he screwed up: - For starters the formation change. We didn't lose against Spain, but we have yet to win a match. The entire lead to this tournament we used a 4-3-1-2 or a 4-3-3. To abandon it at the last minute in my opinion is a huge sign of weakness. Yes we lost badly to Russia, but perhaps it might have been smarter to try a little tinkering. Like dropping Montolivo and playing one of Nocerino/T. Motta next to Pirlo instead of both De Rossi and Marchisio. - With the formation change comes a huge problem with the selection of players. Right now we could really use a guy like Pepe. With this formation Borini could have stayed at home, and Destro could have been the young player there as he's much more adapt to it. - Not bringing a center forward. One of Matri, Osvaldo, and Pazzini should be here. Take Balotelli out and we have a team of midgets. Even if they weren't going to be starters we needed someone with those characteristics on the bench. - Never recovered from the loss of Giuseppe Rossi. I believe he probably had an idea of the attack he wanted to build and when that went up in flames he really lost sight of things. I feel like in the fall he squandered a lot of chances with players that were never going to feature in his final plans. Furthermore he hurt himself with his silly omission of Balotelli, for his code of ethics. I don't know how others saw it, but I was certain we would come here and have Balotelli as a starter. Squandered a lot of opportunity to build chemistry. Plus he made a big stink over his code of ethics and when it came to crunch time he threw it right out the window. Because he sent Criscito home, but kept Bonucci there. Please don't get me wrong I don't bring this up to imply guilt or anything, but I just see it that if you send one home you send both of them home. Or you keep both of them and screw what the press thinks. And then of course there is the Cassano press conference, which if you have your high code of ethics should be punished. I don't know what will happen in the next match, perhaps we will go through. Personally I think with all our problems we should be last to talk about Croatia and Spain drawing. Anyhow let's say for a second that we draw Ireland and go home. Do we fire Prandelli? Or give him another go. Vote in the poll and state yours.
I think you should give him one more tourney. If you start the bad habit of firing coaches after every cycle, in the future it will be harder and harder to recruit high caliber coaches in their prime. Instead you will only get mediocre coaches or great coaches past their prime with few other options
Prandelli should stay...he is making italy play attractive football...there are only a few weak links that need to be fixed. Italy should've had at least 4 points by now, if not, all 6 points...they were the better of two teams both games...its really unfortunate
If we go out Prandelli has to go. He was already talking before the tournament like he wanted to quit anyway. If he survives the group I'd probably give him another chance but he needs to learn from his mistakes.
I think he should have brought a player like Quagliarella. Quagliarella is probably the only logical replacement for Rossi. Quagliarella is enthusiastic and has a lot of spark. He is fast and care connect well with other players in the team. It doesn't look good when Prandelli blamed our tie to our fitness level. The players are athletic and they should maintain their fitness level.
Changing formation was not a sign of weakness. It's quite common with Italian coaches: - In WC02 Trap was going to play 3-5-2 (that is what he played in qualifying) but then switched to 4-4-2 so he could fit his boy Panucci in the team. - In Euro 04 played 4-2-3-1 throughout qualifying and then after the first game swtiched to 4-3-1-2. - In Euro 08 we played 4-3-3 throughout qualifying and then switched to 4-3-1-2 after the opening defeat to Holland. - Even in WC06 we started with a 4-3-1-2 (which we played in qualifying) and then switched to 4-4-4-1-1 after Lippi saw our midfield get overrun and our fullbacks get exposed against Ghana. I agree on the lack of CF. Pazzini was useful to us in qualifying. I know he had a bad season, but we still should have brought him as a sub. We've created quite alot of chances over the 2 matches but we havn't been clinical in front of goal. I think we are playing our best football since 06, but the results have not come with it. We lack that killer instinct in front of goal and our defence is incapable of holding on to a lead (which isn't really Prandelli's fault).
With 3 out of 4 examples resulting in failures I don't know how strong an argument you make. The way I see it if we wanted to play 3-5-2 we should have brought different players. There is nothing wrong in switching formations per say, but he threw out the game plan and finds himself without players. He's throwing Di Natale into a formation he's not really suited for. Also I don't the attacking set up really works. It's not about killer instinct but also how people are being used. Balotelli is not a center forward. He's much more comfortable being played near a true center forward. Which we neglected to bring with us. Cassano has never been a goal scorer, and you have a formation that requires him to be. You get situations like yesterday when he should have shot on goal but opted to try an impossible pass.
If we do not qualify, yes, Prandelli should not continue. Spain was a difficult opponent to be grouped with but this is the EUROs and our grouping could've been far worse. With respectable but beatable opponents in Croatia and Ireland, Italy should go through, at least, 2nd in the group. Finishing 3rd (or even 4th) would be an utter failure and dismissal would be deserved.
I think DDR nailed it on the head although I still don't know if I would fire him or not. To me, the biggest issue is the lack of prep. This team blows it's wad by the 60th minute.
So far I think Prandelli should stay, with all these coach changes I feel like Italy never got an actual team after WC06, at least with Prandelli we might end up with something decent for WC14 since he already has some sort of idea about what's going on, he's not a bad coach. It's not like Italy has world class amazing players that he's not introducing to the team because he's stubborn, most of the players forum members cry about here are average at best, the sad truth is that Italy doesn't have the individual talent it once had before and that will only come by time, look at 06, at the very least HALF of that team were amazing world class players.
I think he should stay even if Italy goes 3 and out. He's built the best team we've seen in years and I think he's injected a level of excitement into the national team that we haven't felt in a long time. That being said, I agree with the points being made where he's messed up. IMO, Italy will get out the group stages but will fall to one of the favorites. I think not bringing another center striker will come back and bite Prandelli in the a**. Someone said outside of Balo, we have midgets up front and this is true. I literally cringed when I saw Di Natale and Giovinco out there at the end of the match yesterday... that is one vertically challenged duo & knew it was doomed to fail against a taller Croatia defense. If Italy makes it out of the group alive, Prandelli can breath a sigh of relief. If not, he HAS to look at Euro as a complete failure. Italy are a bubble team right now, and I've heard a lot of respectable people in the game thinking they are capable of winning it all. That might be true, but I think we'll leave this tournament with a "Oh what could have been..." feeling. I hope I'm wrong.
I would keep him. We played some nice soccer under him, been a bit unlucky but he did make some mistakes, but it looks like he has a plan and we should stick with him.
That's what I don't agree with. He's played in certain ways in the build up to the tournament then all of a sudden we sport a 3-5-2 without the proper personnel. To me, it doesn't seem like he has a plan or, if it does, it seems rather sloppily put in place right before the tournament.
I see where your coming from but we dont have the right players to use as FB in 4 at the back formation or the right wingers to use in 5 in midfield. I would have given Abate a chance he adapted well at Milan in FB but hes still not naturally a FB and you can tell, plus his crossing isnt better then Maggio. Only guy that Prandelli hasnt played that he should is Balzaretti and hopefully he plays vs Ireland.
If he draws all 3 games can we really say that? He's done the same as Lippi. As for the level of excitement that's only because he made the popular decision, like calling Cassano. The results are clearly not there.
At least with Prandelli's team we saw 2 halves with excellent performances so far, if Italy could play like that for an entire game we really have nothing to complain about, Italy is in desperate need of world class strikers who can make the most out of their opportunities. IIRC the only time Italy played well during WC10 was the last 10 minutes in the final match, also that group was a freaking joke compared to the one Italy's in now, it was a disastrous tournament for Italy in every single way, IMO that's not the case so far in Euro 2012.
Are you guys freakin' kidding me? Another tournament?!? It was a mistake to give Prandelli THIS tournament! He is obviously not up to this level. Let's check his resume and see what he has won. Hmmmm... what's that? A big fat nothing! Even Di Matteo would be better! If we go three and out we need to build a time machine so that we can undo all the damage that Prandelli's reign has done to calcio! The man is a spineless jellyfish and a liar and needs to be erased from the record books for the good of every soccer loving Italian on this world!
I voted "no". The way I see it Prandelli hasn't had the benefit of having the same calibre of talent as his predecessors. The current talent pool is by no means "bad". In fact I think there's quite a bit of quality and potential there. At the same time though none of these guys really fall into the same category as names like Cannavaro, Nesta, Zambrotta, Totti, Del Piero, Vieri, Inzaghi, or even Panucci or Luca Toni. The late 90's and first decade of 2K saw a world class talent pool at our disposal that we might not see for some time. That being said I think Prandelli has done a good job at taking the NT into a direction that has been long over due. He's attempted to move away from traditional Italian football and tactics by following more of a "Spanish model" that hinges more on ball movement rather than long balls and sending him crosses from the wing. Has he been consistent in his methods? Not particularly. Should we believe in the project that he's put in place thouh? I think so. He may be too passive when it comes to discipline, but at the same time how many times have we blasted previous coaches for being too hard nosed when it comes to discipline? Personally, I see us getting out of the group stage next week, plain and simple. If we do he definitely deserves another shot, regardless of the outcome. If we don;t, then he still has my support. Keep in mind that the injuries this year to Cassano and Rossi didn't help matters much. Meanwhile Balo's antics and thin talent pool on the backline only made things all the more challenging heading into Euro. Give him one more shot to give us what he's got is what I say.
Lippi refused to make the popular decisions in 2010 and we didn't fair much better. Don't know about some of you, but I'm personally VERY happy that Cassano is on this team right now. Especially with Rossi injured.
It thrills me, especially when my friends point out his gut All kidding aside popular decision against unpopular decision. When the results are the same what's the difference.
+1 to Forzaabruzzo's post, we really have been spoiled with the huge talent pool we had during the past 2 decades and most fail to see that the Azzurri simply doesn't have such true world class players anymore and blame everything on the coach when we don't win it all. Can't wait to see the next golden age of players, hope will do so at least once more in this life time lol
Why? He was hurt for most of the season and was on the bench at Milan when he was fit. He said he would stay with Sampdoria for life, then gets drunk, misses an award ceremony in his honor and almost gets into a fist fight with the owner of the team before demanding a transfer. He did something so heinous during his time at Roma that Francesco Totti would not speak to him, this after they used to spend holidays together, before getting fat on the Real Madrid bench and then punched out Davide Lippi, Marcello's son, at a nightclub for some reason. The fans say that he has not had his chance on the national team, while totally ignoring the fact that he played in Euro 2004 and Euro 2008. Furthermore, his inclusion was probably at the expense of more fit players. Why are you so VERY happy that he is on the team?
I don't think the critics are strictly blaming the coach. We pose questions, most of which I don't see good answers to. Let me throw another out there? Did Prandelli select the best players available for 3-5-3 formation?
More fit players do not necessarily mean players of better quality. In spite of his fitness issues Cassano has looked pretty damn good in the first two matches. Granted it wouldn't hurt for him to at least TRY to finish some of his own chances, but at least he's done a great job of creating opportunities and I find he's clicking better and better with Balo up front. Of course....he's no Mr. Universe like Miccoli I suppose.