Bad tactics, poor refereeing, and shameless opposition 'bite' Italy out

World Cup football 2014
Group stage: Italy lost to Uruguay, 0-1

It was clear - Italy had to secure a draw to advance to the second round, but Uruguay had to win. Italy had the advantage because only 'loss' from the three possibilities - win, loss, and draw - could have knocked them out of the tournament. Italy went into the game with good planning. They selected three centre-halves in Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Andrea Barzagli and two forwards in Mario Balotelli and Ciro Immobile. Such a decision was taken by manager Cesare Prandelli for the first time in the tournament. It was a clear indication that Italy would be ready for attacking the opposition goal, but that they were ready to settle for a draw if that did not work. Apart from this, they had two wing backs in Mattia De Sciglio and Matteo Darmian and three in the midfield in Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, and Marco Verratti. Gigi Buffon stood at the goal, making it an all-four Juventus back line.

The match opened to a very dull first half. There were minimal attacks from either side and the ball was mostly in the midfield with Italy dominating possession. Buffon showed why he is still amongst the best in Europe through back-to-back saves to deny the opposition twice, which eventually earned him the Man of the Match award. The second half saw some good moves from Uruguay, but Italy ably defended them. Just then came an unexpected passage in the play, with Marchisio leaving the field with an undeserved red card. By definition, a red card is to be shown to a player who poses some kind of danger or threat. Marchisio committed a foul which looked unintentional and non-dangerous. But the referee was quick to take out and flash the red card to show him the exit door, while a yellow card would have been sporting. This shaked up Italy, a mental state from which they never recovered. When they were down to 10 men, with just two regular central midfielders, Italy resorted to complete defence. With just 10 minutes to play for, Uruguay captain Diego Godin converted a set piece to a brilliant goal. After that Italy planned some swift moves, but none of them could be converted. It was saddening to see even Buffon coming up to the penalty area of the opposition in an attempt to find that one goal which could secure them a place in the pre-quarter finals. But it wasn't to be, and the Italians were knocked out for the second successive time in the first round of the world cup finals.

It is true that Italy struggled in the midfield and failed to reach the ball to the forwards. Bad refereeing also affected their plans. They were down to 10 men and they had to change their game to make up for the loss in midfield. Just then Luis Suarez bit Chiellini in the Italian penalty area, something which the referee completely overlooked. If Uruguay were also down to 10 men, the match would have become more interesting. One can only wish that FIFA will make use of technology to give instant penalties to players who make such hard moves on the pitch. It is a shame and disgrace to the game.

Italy will not take any further part in this world cup, but they had their moments in the opening match against England. They were clueless against a defensive Costa Rica, and their bad tactics and bad refereeing were pivotal in the last match against Uruguay. Prandelli had another two years of contract period to bring confidence back to the team and to make them ready for the Euro Cup in 2016, but he resigned following their first round exit. With the likes of Buffon, Pirlo, De Rossi, and Cassano leaving the game soon, one can expect to see more young blood in the team in the near future.

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Italy down, but not out

World Cup football 2014

Group stage: Italy lost to Costa Rica, 0-1

Italy may have gone into their second group match against Costa Rica with the intention to win, but their starting XI did not look promising. While it was good to see Gigi Buffon back in the side, it was surprising to see Thiago Motta getting an early appearance. Maybe the manager Cesare Prandelli wanted Italy to play the holding game in the midfield. The back line was just the same as I predicted in my last post. Ignazio Abate came in on the right wing, Matteo Darmian moved to the left, and Giorgio Chiellini came to the centre. I would have given Marco Verratti another chance, but it was Motta instead who went to the pitch.

The first half saw some dull football, with Mario Balotelli wasting a few opportunities as he usually does. Balotelli seldom moved and gave the impression that he wanted the ball to find him rather than the other way. He did not have the speed or accuracy and that cost Italy dearly. Motta did not make any impact although Darmian made some advances. Pirlo was his usual self. In the dying minutes of the first half, Costa Rica scored an impressive goal to take the lead. Buffon could not do much as the ball hit the cross bar and then went past the goal line.

The second half saw Italy going in with Antonio Cassano instead of Motta. Italy played good attacking football in this half, but could not score goals. Cassano missed direction from a curvy corner kick from Alessio Cerci. The substitutions were hard to understand as well. Antonio Candreva and Claudio Marchisio were replaced with two strikers Lorenzo Insigne and Cerci, but there was no sight of Ciro Immobile, their best bet who was warming the bench. I don't remember any match in which Italy played four regular forwards all at once. Balotelli played the entire 90 minutes without making any impact other than getting a yellow card for himself. Costa Rica played very good holding game in the second half to keep their lead intact, a group attempt in which they succeeded. They also deployed the off-side trap very effectively against Italy forwards in the second half. They have qualified now to the second stage of the competition, knocking out England.

With England out, the group of death is really turning into one. Either Italy or Uruguay will also see the exit door from this group, which nobody expected at the start of the tournament. Although they lost today, Italy has a strong chance of advancing to the next level. They can qualify if they get at least a draw in their last group match against Uruguay. But for Uruguay, a win is a must. So in all likelihood, the last match of the group will be a real thriller. I would like to see the coach making some adjustments in the team for the last match. He should bring in either Alberto Aquilani or Marco Parolo to the midfield and drop Motta. If there is only one striker up front, it should be Immobile and not Balotelli. If Mattia De Sciglio comes back, Darmian should go to the right wing instead of Abate. They may also think about playing two forwards Immobile and Insigne together. In that case, I would like to see Candreva deployed on the right wing instead of Abate. 

Update

There is bad news for Italy that they may miss Daniele De Rossi for the final group match against Uruguay. De Rossi is a main stay at the back of the midfield and has very strong defensive skills. If he misses out, I think Prandelli might deploy Thiago Motta in this role. So this is the team I predict:

Buffon - De Sciglio, Chiellini, Barzagli, Bonucci - Marchisio, Motta, Pirlo, Aquilani, Candreva - Immobile

De Sciglio moves forward along the left flank and Candreva on the right. This will allow the all Juventus back three to guard the goal. Midifled will be very strong, with Candreva charging along the right flank with assistance from Aquilani. If the opposition defence heavily marks the lone striker, both Marchisio and Aquilani can try long rangers too. Possible substitutions are Insigne for Marchisio and Marco Parolo for Candreva.

Photo: FIFA

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Italy beats England and Manaus heat to start world cup campaign

Italy vs England was to be one of the classics of this world cup, and it really became one. Both teams played with a lot of zeal and enthusiasm and in the end, the side that was better on the day turned out to be the winner. 

Italy fielded just one forward in Mario Balotelli and had three changes from the side I detailed in my last post. The change meant more work for Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Candreva in the midfield. Italy lost Gigi Buffon and Mattia De Sciglio with injuries and that gave opportunities to Salvatore Sirigu and Matteo Darmian. Darmian had to take care of the right wing, which meant the regular centre-back Giorgio Chiellini had to move left and along the flank. 

Both teams started well and Italy scored first thanks to some brilliant deception technique by stand-in captain Andrea Pirlo. Pirlo jumped over a ball to deceive the Englishmen, which gave enough time to Marchisio to plan his long ranger effectively. In less than three minutes, England drew level thanks to a brilliant cross from Wayne Rooney targeting Daniel Sturridge. Balotelli tried a great slow lofted ball from almost 180 degrees, which beat the goalkeeper but was headed away to safety by English centre-back Gary Cahill.

The second half started with Italy moves and the fast Candreva created opportunity for a perfect close-in header for Balotelli. This put the Azzurri in front, a lead they maintained till the end of the game with some perfect defensive tactics. Pirlo almost scored from a curvy free kick, that deflected off the English post, much to the astonishment of a bewildered Joe Hart at the goal.

Sirigu demonstrated his talent in the absence of Italy's regular shot stopper and he saved some long rangers with great skill and concentration. Darmian was quick on the right wing and crafted several swift moves. But the make shift left back Chiellini was not fast and most of his moves were very slow. This left Italy with attacks from one wing alone. Raheem Sterling was the star for England. He played the whole 90 minutes and justified his place in the starting lineup with some fantastic fast moves and some fearless long rangers at times. Aside from the cross that helped Sturridge score the equaliser, Rooney was nowhere near his best. He even wasted one corner kick by lobbing it behind the net.

Italy did well to score goals and defend their goal line. This would allow them to face Costa Rica and Uruguay with more confidence. They would really fancy their chances against Costa Rica and ensure their place in the pre-quarters. Even if they lost, England has a better chance of qualifying ahead of Uruguay because they have a match left against Costa Rica. England should plan well and beat Costa Rica to pile up pressure on Uruguay to win their last match against Italy.

Italy takes many positives from this match. Sirigu, who had a good outing against Ireland in one of the friendlies leading to the world cup, had an impressive game on his world cup debut. In the next match, I would like the manager Cesare Prandelli to move Chiellini back to the centre, drop Gabriel Paletta, and include De Scilio if he is fit. Else, they should bring Ignazio Abate on the right and move Darmian to the left. Marco Verratti wasn't given enough room to work and he couldn't make an impact in his first world cup outing. But I would like Prandelli to give him another opportunity in the next match.

Italy faces Costa Rica next, and hopefully a win will help them ensure a place in the round of 16. Go Azzurri!

Photo: FIFA

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Italy kickstarts World Cup campaign today

The Italy football team completed their world cup friendlies with two draws and a win. Though the results aren't really favourable, they should offer the supporters relief for several reasons. One, Italy does not do well in warm-up matches traditionally. Two, the win is the latest result. Three, the impressive form and gelling of Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne when the strikers have been finding it difficult to find the opposition net. Four, the full strength Italy team played only for very few minutes in these matches, and almost all the time, manager Cesare Prandelli was experimenting different players and combinations.

The draws came in matches where Italy had several opportunities to beat the rival defence, but somehow they managed to miss the target every time. Mario Balotelli surely misses the net on more occasions than he finds it, and that was not a welcome sight for a side that was dearth of making any good impact of late. It also depended on how the oppositions (Republic of Ireland and Luxembourg) lined up their back line. Every time, you could see more than six players covering the goal. 

Although Italy fielded mostly newcomers in their own back line, their second goal keeper Salvatore Sirigu was in superb touch in the match against Ireland which helped them hold on to the 0-0 result. The second line of Italy team (from the main squad) does not look very promising in defence and midfield. So if any of the obvious regulars becomes unfit, Italy will have some serious worries. The likes of Immobile and Insigne are originally expected to warm the bench and play in the second half as substitutions, but after the match against Fluminense, Prandelli may reconsider those plans. The two gelled really well and had their signatures in the goals scored. Although Balotelli assisted Claudio Marchisio in netting a goal in the match against Luxembourg, he remained mostly lacklustre. But I still feel Prandelli will give him a starting position in the group opener against England.

The following would be my starting line-up for that match in Manaus:

Formation: 4-3-1-2

• Goal Keeper: Gigi Buffon
• Defenders: Mattia De Sciglio, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Bargazli, Ignazio Abate
• Midfielders: Marco Verratti, Daniele De Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio
• Forwards: Ciro Immobile, Mario Balotelli

Substitutions

• Substitution 1: Alessio Cerci for Verratti. This will move Marchisio back to Verratti's place in central midfield and Cerci will take the position of 1 in the 1-2 formation upfront.
• Substitution 2: Insigne for Balotelli. 
• Substitution 3: Antonio Cassano for Immobile.

Update

Owing to an injury, De Sciglio will not be available. There is doubt on Buffon too. If the former is not available, I would move Chiellini to the left and bring Leonardo Bonucci to the left side of central defence. While I do not expect Chiellini to charge down the flank, I would have Antonio Candreva for Marchisio in the midfield, who will work as a winger. This will effectively change the formation to 4-4-2. In such case, I will replace Verratti with Marchisio in the last 30 minutes. Cerci will not play. If Buffon is not available, I will have Salvatore Sirigu in the side. 

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Review: Italy squad for World Cup 2014 Brazil

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli declared the final 23-man squad that represents them in the World Cup in Brazil, just before the last date to give the list to FIFA officially. While the squad selected is noted for the omission of the star striker Giuseppe Rossi, it does not contain too many big surprises. 

I had predicted an Italian squad for the World Cup finals, last week. The final squad selected by the coach contains six changes including a forced one. I am reviewing the changes here and trying to see whether those changes make more sense.

Gigi Buffon will lead Italy in Brazil

In the defence, the changes are the inclusions of Matteo Darmian and Gabriel Paletta for Manual Pasqual and Andrea Ranocchia. The inclusion of Darmian is agreeable, but Paletta has been totally off-colour in the friendly match against the Republic of Ireland. He did not have the pace and made too many mistakes including losing ball possession and giving away free passes to the opposition. It will be interesting to see how he makes up for the mistakes if he is called for duty in Brazil. Looks like Prandelli has plans with Matttia Di Sciglio and Giorgio Chiellini as left backs, and possibly Darmian too if need be, and that could be the reason for leaving out Pasqual. But Ranocchia has been named as the 24th man who will be called up to Brazil if Andrea Barzagli is not fit.

In the midfield, the changes are the inclusions of Thiago Motta and Marco Parolo for Christian Maggio and Riccardo Montolivo. I thought the services of Maggio as a right back or a right winger would come into good effect in the World Cup, but may be his injury was a cause of worry for Prandelli. Parolo did okay in the friendly match, and Thiago Motta was in his usual self. He is nothing more than a box to box midfielder and I thought he lacked variety in the midfield. The exclusion of Montolivo was expected as he suffered an injury during the friendly which would keep him out of play for at least two months.

In the strike, the changes are the inclusions of Antonio Cassano and Alessio Cerci for Rossi and Mattia Destro. Cerci is a very good option, but it is to be seen how Cassano plays in Brazil. He wasn't much impressive in the friendly outing against Ireland. The injury and lack of match practice could be the reason why Prandelli left out Rossi at home. He wasn't impressive in the outing against Ireland too.

It is clear that the coach had decided on the squad even before the friendly against Ireland was played. Maybe he was confused about one or two positions only. Apart from Paletta, I think the squad is in good shape, but if Paletta takes out his brilliant form he carried from club football, Prandelli and Italy would be really pleased. Wish Italy all the best!

Photo: FIFA

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