No, the Olympic Games in Athens will not be as highly regarded as world cups or Euros, but it will be the last chance in a while for Italy to regain some respect in the international football world. Thus, I want Trap fired before the games in August. Now, who could be his replacement? I don't care if it's not much time for a new manager to take over...we can't afford to have Trap disgrace us any longer.
i say fire him Right now !! , but that's not possible i think my friend said that Juventus's coach may be the next Italy coach .
TRAP is NOT in charge of the Olympic team where U 23 players + 2 over 23 players get to play. (Baggio and Pippo might play in Athens) Coach Claudio Gentile is incharge of that team, his U21 team just won the U21 Euro Championship. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/u21finals.html
Opinion: This Trap’s learnt nothing Two years on but nothing’s changed - Giovanni Trapattoni has again jeopardised Italy’s safe passage into the knock-out stages of a major tournament. Having selected the correct team to start the Sweden clash, he made three substitutions in the game that will now probably see the Azzurri fail to qualify for the last eight. http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/euro2004/opitaswe.html
Woops, forgot about that. In any case, I think a switch should still be made before the Olympics as a gesture that Italy will not put up with this crap any longer.
His possible replacements: Lippi Tardelli Mancini (won't happen but he would be the bright young offensive mind that they could use!)
I've read that Lippi is odds on favorite. However, he has been endorsed by Trap which may not be a good thing.
That's just what we need, another coach with affiliation to a big club. Hey Lippi, player so and so on Juve is having a horrible season and has had a string of injuries, but put him on the squad anyway so we can add a couple million $ to his value. If you don't think this happens, then ask yourself, would Cammoranesi be on the squad if he played for Bologna or Udinese or Lecce or anyone but Juve? Time to go back to what happened for years until the late 90's, promote a federation coach who has no experience coaching a big club. Time to promote Gentile to the big time. He has a championship pedigree as a player (with both nat'l and club sides) and has been extremely succsessful with the U21's. This is the coaching mentality that brought us Bearzot and Vicini who between them finished 1st, 3rd and 4th at 4 WC's and 3rd twice at Euro's. That's an unbelievable record in a 12 year period for any nat'l team. The big name coach mentality has been a total failure. Sacchi got us to the WC finals but only by finishing 3rd in a group in a tournament that allowed some 3rd place finishers to advance. He failed to advance to the 2nd round of Euro 96 due to extremely horrible roster and in-game player management (sound familiar?). Cesare Maldini was a step back to the fed route but was castigated for "only" bringing home side and eventual WC champs to the brink of elimination in PK in the QF's. France will tell you that Italy was their most dangerous game in that tourney!