Andrea Pirlo has been Italy’s best offensive player over the past 5 years at least.  Forget Totti or Del Piero, and especially forget the host of pretenders who have made up Italy’s frontline since the 2006 World Cup.  While “Er Pupone” and Alex Del Piero are champions and some of Italy’s finest, they had their hour and peaked before the 2006 glory in Germany.

Italy’s offense, from 2006 up till now, has belonged to Pirlo.  Unless gli Azzurri coach Cesare Prandelli introduces some new players into the set up, Italy’s ability to create chances will fall entirely on Pirlo for the foreseeable future.  And as he ages, I doubt this will be a boon to Italy.

This is no exaggeration either.  All one has to do is point to the final match Italy played in the 2010 World Cup.  Gli Azzurri were losing to Slovakia.  Pirlo entered after half-time and the team scored two goals (and still lost), but those statistics don’t tell the whole story.  The first-half Italy looked dull, devoid of ideas and positively unable to locate the opponent’s goal.  When Pirlo entered, the side moved positively, looked to create chances on goal, etc.  Without Pirlo, Italy were dreadful.  With him, they were able to almost launch a heroic comeback.  Do Italy really want to be the team of two halves until Pirlo announces his retirement?

As a recent article points out, Prandelli’s recent experiment to bring aboard new talent failed against Romania.  But that does not mean he should give up.  No other national team can remain a top force in international football and rely on one player for their offensive productivity.  Spain is unusually blessed with creative midfielders, being able to call on at least four world class playmakers (Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Xabi Alonso).  Holland can use van der Vaart and Sneijder.  Germany have Oezil and Schweinsteiger.

The point is that Italy’s starting line-up regularly features only one player expected to create from the midfield, and when fit, that player is Pirlo.  The rest of the time a back-up with little international experience, especially at major tournaments, is expected to fill in this role until Pirlo becomes healthy again.

Part of the problem is that, in the national set-up, Italy hasn’t groomed another creator who can work alongside him.  Xavi regularly plays with Xabi Alonso or Iniesta in the midfield for Spain; Italy should be trying to find a second playmaker to work with their own Maestro consistently, not just when he’s injured.

It’s not as if La Nazionale are lacking for midfield quality either, it’s just that the national team coach has, at least since 2006, preferred to protect Pirlo with less offensively gifted players.  Normally two hardworking but unimaginative players are placed in the midfield to win the ball and give it to Pirlo, who then distributes.  But perhaps a midfield trio of Pirlo, De Rossi and either Fiorentina’s Gaetano D’Agostino/Ricardo Montolivo, or Juventus’ Alberto Aquilani might do the trick.  It would certainly take some of the burden off of Pirlo (and also alleviate the risk and obvious nature of Italy’s game).

True, none of these mentioned players are household names or synonymous with world class midfield talent, but that’s part of the point.  Either through injury or through being overlooked for selection in meaningful international games, these players haven’t really been given a chance to shine.  Montolivo was taken to South Africa, true, and did not impress, but the disaster of that campaign is not indicative of his influence and quality he regularly has for Fiorentina.

Aquilani has been wonderful for Juventus this season, and though his first call up in nearly two years was not a rousing success, his form, should it continue on its current upward trajectory, deserves reward.

In any case, Prandelli needs to look towards integration, not just replacement.  The current system holds Italy to the fitness and form of one player.  This cannot happen for any longer.  The inclusion of previously in-the-cold strikers like Balotelli and Cassano is a great step forward for Italy.  The next move is fixing the midfield.

After watching the Italian national team’s disastrous exit from the World Cup, I could not help but think that such a flaccid performance was required not just once, but twice.  Why?  The myth of the 2006 champions has punished la Nazionale for far too long, and such a powerful story like being ‘i campioni del mondo’ needed to be really shaken out of everyone’s minds.  

What is this myth?  It is the continued idea that the 2006 team was perfect and the same formula would produce similar, if not victorious results.

I am not saying the great players of the winning campaign four years ago were not great.  They were, and their lifting of the trophy was deserved.  However, the players of Germany 2006, and more importantly, the near identical tactics to go with them, were so apocalyptically bad in the following tournaments that they needed to be unequivocally humiliated.

But to shatter the  continued reliance on essentially the same team, this ridiculous humbling had to happen twice.  What are the twin catastrophes?

The first requisite effort was the 2008 European championship where gli Azzurri whimpered out of the penalty shoot out with Spain and scarcely made an impact on anybody’s mind, and the second was the three winless games of South Africa 2010.

Why suffer the pain of two defeats?  Why not learn from 2008 and rebuild to be competitive in two years time?  They probably should and would have, but for one reason: In 2008, the exit was a tragic.  

Italy had a team of then world class players: Luca Toni couldn’t stop scoring for Bayern, Pirlo could still dictate a game from the midfield like nobody else (except for Xavi), Buffon was superman, the creative attacker Cassano had been recalled, De Rossi could run and tackle his way through a small army, etc.

Italy had an excuse, and it wasn’t their average players (as it was most recently).  It was a penalty shoot out that had them eliminated after all, a bit of luck — tragedy.  Not that Spain didn’t fully and overwhelmingly deserve their victory, but Italy weren’t consistently outplayed by mediocre teams as in 2010.  

1 win, 2 draws and a loss against France, Spain, Romania and Holland in 2008 is surely better than 2 draws and a loss against Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia in 2010.

But in 2010 the exit was tragicomic.  Why?  The same core that failed in 2008 was given the green light to fail again.  The starting XI of Thursday’s match contained 5 non-2006 players, and had Buffon and Pirlo been healthy, that number would have been only 3.  

The result of the reliance on them was summed up midway through the first half when Lippi was seen giving instructions to a panting Gattuso.  This is the same player who ran away Cristiano Ronaldo’s threat in the 2007 champions league, now huffing for breath a third of the way through a game — tragicomic.

Pirlo was the only 2006 player who looked like he could still make a game his own, as Italy only came alive for the thirty minutes (in three games) he ran the show from the midfield.  

But let’s not take Pirlo’s inspiring play and lament, “Oh, if only Pirlo had been healthy, surely Italy would have reached the semis at least.”  Absolutely not.  This is the exact same interpretation of 2008, and here one cannot view Italy’s loss as a tragedy.

But far more importantly, the tactics of 2006 were used massively inappropriately, and hopeful the disastrous performances will prevent this from happening again with immediate effect.  While Grosso, Materazzi, Cannavaro, Zambrotta and Buffon in 2006 will go down as one of the best defense units in World Cup history, attempting to use the same “defense first” idea with a outrageously weaker back line leads to 5 goals in three games against average sides.

It is as if Lippi took the stereotype of Italy being defense-minded seriously, even when it clearly hurt their chances. Similarly, the continued traditional reliance on Juventus players, even in a year where they cannot even qualify for the Champions League, was similarly appalling.

While I do not wish to join the chorus of “Balotelli + Cassano in Nazionale” voices, I will say there were numerous teams with Italian players on them that produced better results all season than the Juve group, and they at least merited a chance with gli Azzurri.

This is not to say the entire 2006 class minus Pirlo must leave before Euro 2012.  De Rossi and Buffon especially will still be crucial players.

But this is a moment of catharsis for Italy.  The ridiculous tactical and defensive choices, the anti-creative attacking selection, the reliance on 2006 veterans, the belief that Juventus = Italy — all of this can now end without dissent from the media, fans or the team itself.  

This is why the catastrophe had to happen twice.  Once was not enough to arouse the recognition of the problems in near everything from players to coaching.  Two times surely will awaken everyone to how the myths of 2006 preemptively ruined the two successive chances for major honors for La Nazionale.

The group stages have concluded and now we can all look forward to good old fashioned knockout Football. What this World Cup has provided us so far has been, well, a bit baffling really, it has provided little in the way of genuine thrills and excitement but a huge amount of intrigue. It has been engrossing and most importantly it has provided some genuine surprises.

Group A was the setting for the demise of the French, no heart, no passion, no cohesion, spats, rows and fallouts equalled one point for Les Bleus and a shameful early flight home. Henry should’vedone the world a favour and kept his hand by his side. Uruguay and Mexico qualified from the group with relative ease, both sides have shown through some assured displays that they are more than capable of having a successful run in this World Cup. It was such a disappointment not to see the South Africans get through, maybe naivety, nerves and a little bit of expectation got the better of them, particularly against the Uruguayans, yet their performances either side of that game were impressive and it was a shame not to see the host nation progress. The South African squad, unlike the French, can hold their heads high.

Argentina somewhat strolled through Group B, winning all three games, as impressive as that looks on paper there do appear to be a few cracks in the Argentinean side, particularly at the back. As yet you couldn’t really put them down as nailed on finalists. South Korea qualified as runners up, they are a well organised outfit and create plenty of openings going forward, they make for a tricky opposition. Elsewhere in Group B Greece were Greece and Nigeria were bitterly disappointing, their campaign will only be remembered for Yakubu’s astonishing miss against the Koreans.

The USA claimed top spot in Group C with virtually the last kick of the group, securing a berth in arguably the easier side of the draw. It was no less than the Americans deserved, particularly after clawing their way back from two nil down in their previous match to claim a vital point. England finished runners up, after being vilified for their part in two drab draws they secured qualification with a One nil victory over Slovenia, England may live to regret not converting more of their chances, they now face a tricky route through the knockouts. Far from being spectacular Algeria and Slovenia ensured that qualification for the US and England was not as comfortable as many imagined it would be.

The ever efficient Germans got their World Cup off to a flying start, breezing past an awful Australian side in a four nil rout. That German efficiency went missing in game two when they fell to a one nil defeat at the hands of Serbia. Group D   like most groups was wide open going into the final round of matches. A one goal victory against the Ghanaians clinched top spot for Joachim Low’s men. Ghana finished second, salvaging some pride for what has been a poor World Cup for the African nations. To be fair there wasn’t much between the three sides that finished below the Germans, the Australians were vastly improved after their first display and the Serbs looked well organised and difficult to beat. It was Ghana’s win in their first game which proved how crucial it is to get points on the board as early as possible.

The Dutch waltzed to 9 points in Group E without even having to get out of second gear. Japan finished a thoroughly deserving second. Denmark and Cameroon were quite frankly awful in what was possibly the dullest group of the tournament. The Indomitable Lions, for me, have been the let down of 2010 so far.

Group F was home to the shock of the Tournament, Italy not only failed to qualify but finished bottom of their group. On the back of two lacklustre draws no one expected the Italians to fall short again in their last match. You have to credit the Slovakians for playing with such belief, it has to be the game of the tournament so far, and in contrast to the French, despite their shocking start the Italians fought all the way in their final game and very nearly pulled off a great escape in the dying seconds. Special mention must go to New Zealand, to finish undefeated in a group containing the Azzurri, Paraguay and Slovakia is some achievement for the All Whites and it is a shame three sides could not progress from Group F because no one would begrudge them 90 more minutes of World Cup Football.

Brazil finished top of the pile in Group G with Portugal qualifying as runners up. The Ivory Coast were another African disappointment and the North Koreans went from terrific to terrible in three games. Brazil look strong, their two defensive midfielders play a priceless role and have so far been fantastic, if their more creative colleagues hit form then the boys from Brazil will be the team to beat.

In the final group Chile continued to wave the South American flag proudly. They played with the freedom and expression expected from Group favourites Spain. The Spanish did not buck the trend of struggling European sides, leaving qualification to the last game after a less than convincing start, but they did manage to turn things around and claim top spot. Switzerland were their normal no nonsense selves, set up not to lose and not to be pleasing on the eye. I would like to say the Hondurans did more than just make up the numbers, sadly I can’t.

As the World Cup heads into stage two a lot of teams will try to forget their struggles in the group stages. This is the business end of the tournament and it’s game one as far as they are concerned, if you slip up now you don’t get another chance to set things right. There is still no real favourite, results wise it has been one of the most unpredictable World Cups so far, one thing we know is that every side is beatable. The form book was thrown out of the window during the group stages, and there’s no indication that will change in the knockouts.

“Goodbye in Italian.” How do you say that in the native tongue of Italy? After today’s disastrous end to Italy’s 2010 World Cup campaign, you may want to remember the word “addio” as in goodbye World Cup 2010.

To think that the two finalists for the 2006 World Cup Final are both out in the first round of the 2010 World Cup is unbelievable. But judging by the way these two teams played throughout the tournament, they didn’t deserve to advance. Italy looked like they slept through the tournament. France looked as if they didn’t care.

Despite Italy’s lack of enthusiasm, they did finally put up a good fight in the second half of the game against Slovakia. But it was too little too late. Slovakia, on the other hand, looks to be a force to be reckoned with and I believe Netherlands will have a difficult time against the team in the second round.

What are your thoughts about Italy’s exit from the 2010 World Cup? Where did they go wrong and where do they need to go from here? Addio Italia.

I was going to do a live blog for the USA game against Slovenia, and in retrospect I wish I had done, because instead I went early to watch England’s dire performance against an organised Algeria side. There was also the fact that the USA game was hugely entertaining and I’m expecting their last match with Algeria to be much the same. Instead, I’m taking this game which involves the current world champions Italy against massive outsiders New Zealand. It’s been a slow start to this World Cup, but it’s not been short of talking points, drama and great football. In my opinion, it’s already a memorable World Cup and the best is yet to come. I’ll be watching from England on ITV1 (*sigh*) and as ever you can follow me on Twitter @Clusks and comments are welcome!

- I’ve said before on this website I’ve always had a soft spot for Italy, last season I think Serie A was the most exciting league out of the  top four (EPL, Bundesliga and La Liga being the other three). I don’t understand the people that claim Italy are ‘too old’, sure Cannavaro is not the player he once was, but from my perspective it’s the same as us with Beckham, I love Beckham and think he is still a great player, so I’m sure due to the fact Cannavaro is an Italian legend, they want to honour that much like we honour Beckham. There is also the fact that Italy should start today with 5 or 6 players that could still be considered ‘young’ so most of these comments are unfounded. I do agree it will be hard for them to retain the cup, because it isn’t the same team that won it and a lot of these players don’t have the international experience the likes of Toni, Totti and Del Piero had.

- As for New Zealand, I once had Rory Fallon on Championship manager 2001/02 when I started a game as Barnsley. I apologise – that is as far as my knowledge stretches of New Zealand football.

- Would like to know if it is the same in every country but every single advert has jumped on the World Cup bandwagon, trying to link their adverts in any way possible to football. Any advert you could think of has been altered to fit football in there and to be honest it’s getting quite annoying. We have a supermarket in England called ASDA (owned by Wal-Mart) and they’ve put on pretty much every product a sticker that says “love the game”. So they are suggesting that while I watch the match, I enhance my enjoyment by digging into a potato salad or whatever. Advertising fascinates me, I have a degree in Psychology and I took a module that looked at advertising Psychology, the overall module was poor however if you wanted theories with some foundation to them.

- ITV have some nerve, doing a piece that points out Italy look a poor outfit. The difference has been pointed out, Italy drew their first game and their fans accepted it and felt they could build from it. On the other hand, England fans jumped on their team’s back and hit the panic button, in the never ending quest to prove we are somehow the greatest footballing nation in the world. From what I gather, Italian fans are somewhat happy for their team to put in as good a performance as they can and build upon it and in any case, no one has ever retained the World Cup since 1962, as you often have generations of great players, I can only think of Brazil that have had a constant stream of brilliant sides for however long. Italy have been blessed for the past two decades or so with amazing players, they need to rebuild. I never thought they’d win it, but it’s stupid to underestimate the Italian team

- Key Man Watch: For Italy, De Rossi is their key man now, I know often plays a more defensive role for his country, but I’d like to see him given more freedom, although with Montilivo and Marchisio in the side, he will probably have to sit back again, but he is still a ball winner. As for New Zealand, their top player is obviously Ryan Nielsen and I think he has the ability to handle Gilardino up front, who I’ve never quite fancied as a top level player.

- Oh, now the ITV commentators have spoke that the Italian press has been ‘worse than the English press’ when reporting on their side. Confusing, especially when I saw news that they were happy with the draw against Paraguay.

Kick Off!

2 Mins: Italy have started well, they look determined and Iaquinta has won a corner for his side.

4 Mins: Italy have dropped their formation that was slated by many, they’ve gone for a 442 here and when they adopted the formation after around 60 mins against Paraguay, they started to show their teeth.

7 Mins: GOAL! SMELTZ! NOW the press in Italy will be going mental, although it should have been called offside. It’s a deep free kick that is flicked on Winston Reid, and Smeltz get’s onto the end of it, but he was a mile off, how has the linesman missed that one. Italy need a quick response, but New Zealand are in dream land here. Italy 0-1 New Zealand.

9 Mins: A free kick whipped in by the Italian’s and it goes through everyone, Cannavaro almost gets a flick on it but Paston in goal is forced to punch it out.

10 Mins: Italy look really angry here, spreading the play out, as Pepe cuts inside but his shot is blocked. If they want to silence the critics, now is the time to do it.

13 Mins: If Italy, England and France all go out in the group stage, all hell will break loose in Europe. Fancy three established teams struggling like this.

16 Mins: Italy are constantly trying a long diagonal ball to the right wing, to their credit it has worked a number of times and on this occasion they get the corner. The corner is decent and it falls to Chiellini, but the centre back isn’t composed enough and shot is poor.

20 Mins: Quite a few elbows being thrown about by New Zealand, one has just caught Cannavaro in the ribs. I’m sure it’s part of their tactic to rough the Italian’s up.

22 Mins: Fallon hasn’t followed Zambrotta and the experienced right back is allowed to run forward and get a shot in on goal. I wonder what the likes of Toni, Totti, Del Piero, Balotelli and Cassano are thinking back in Italy right now?

24 Mins: Another elbow, although I’m sure Fallon was just trying to jumped as opposed to being malicious, but Chiellini has been caught. Last warning for the big Kiwi who has already been booked.

25 Mins: Patient play by Italy, and Motolivo whips a ball in to Iaquinta at the far post, but the keeper again manages to get a hand to it and has done well.

26 Mins: This time it’s Criscito who whips the ball in, but it seems to fall in between the three Italian’s in the box and New Zealand can get it clear.

27 Mins: For all his good work, Paston has his moments where he just doesn’t bother to move, I saw in the first game he was rooted to the spot. Montolivo strikes a lovely shot after New Zealand refuse to close the Fiorentina man down, and his low shot seems to take an age as it hits the inside of the post and goes out. Italy have them on the ropes here.

28 Mins: PEN! ITALY! Oh no, Tommy Smith can’t handle De Rossi’s movement so he handles his shirt and the referee gives the penalty. Yellow card and Iaquinta steps up to take this one.

29 Mins: GOAL! IAQUINTA! It was coming and that will be a relief to the Italian’s as if this had gone on any longer Italy would have become unbelievably frustrated. Penalty sends the keeper the wrong way and there are mass celebrations from the Italian players and fans. It may not have looked brilliant on paper, but we have another great World Cup game here!

32 Mins: The aren’t going to take their foot of the accelerator just yet Italy, a corner from Pepe that was stupidly given away by New Zealand goes straight through everyone but it falls to Criscito who turns his man, but on his right foot, he can’t direct it.

33 Mins: Lippi didn’t react to Iaquinta’s goal, but I’m sure that was more because it was a relief to get the goal back. Some of the coaches behind him went a bit mental though.

36 Mins: I hope you got that where ever you were, showed a fan blowing a vuvuzela, but the person next to them decided that they wanted to get some air time, so absolutely took them out to get in the picture. That’ll shut their vuvuzela up.

39 Mins: A freekick for Italy saw ITV co-commentator screaming ‘YOU GOT TO GET OUT THERE NEW ZEALAND! YOU’RE TOO DEEP!’ They can’t hear you Chris…

43 Mins: Clive Tyldsley you mupppet, he’s just claimed Pepe might be on his way to Juventus next season. He’s already signed on loan. Good research.

44 Mins: I’m aware there isn’t much update on the football here, it has died down a bit, it’s just been Italy showing their class and returning to their patient play. A lot more confident now from them and New Zealand are nervous.

45 Mins: Zambrotta almost made my heart melt, he flicked the ball over one defender and caught it on the volley, but his shot was cleared by Ryan Nielsen who needed to put his foot through the ball because Pepe was lurking at the far post.

45 Mins: De Rossi has a long range effort that the keeper gets behind but it goes back out into the centre of the box and it is cleared for a corner. From the resulting corner, half the ground thinks it is 2-1 as the ball is headed into the side netting for another corner. A good ball from the second attempt and Paston is under pressure and tries to punch the ball before getting underneath it at the second time of asking.

Half Time!

- It was a start that seemed to back up all the negative claims around the Italian squad, but that goal from New Zealand was almost like a slap across the face to wake them up, as since then they’ve looked a lot more confident and they’ve put New Zealand on the back foot. Zambrotta is rolling back the years here, I think he’s touched the ball more times in the New Zealand half than his own. New Zealand can still frustrate Italy, and the anonymous Gilardino may come off for Di Natale at some point if it stays 1-1.

- Also, for all the problems England and Italy both have, let’s all look on the bright side. We’re not French. French team has today refused to train, and this is one of the most bizarre stories from any World Cup I can remember. A lot of upheaval for all three sides after this World Cup!

- Reynaldo has made a good point on the comments, the New Zealand coach has been constantly claiming that the Italian players are diving from the elbows that are flying in, I’m not sure how can claim that, at the start of this game you wouldn’t be wrong to think that this was a rugby tie between these two nations. Also I haven’t seen any of ITV’s half time analysis (not that I’m missing anything) because my brother decided to turn the channel over the Rocky V for a bit. It’s not like he’s seen it 50 times before…

Second Half Kick Off!

- Two changes for Italy, Di Natale on for Gilardino (1 point for me) and surprisingly, Camoranesi has came on for Pepe. Lippi wants to keep them guessing.

48 Mins: Dodgy back pass to Paston and he’s forced to put it out as there is heavy Italian pressure.

49 Mins: Italy are attempting first time balls over the top of the defence, and one falls to Di Natale who isn’t afraid to get away his first shot of the game, but Paston palms it away. Di Natale could be a difference maker.

51 Mins: As this game has gone on, New Zealand are losing confidence, they can put their passes together and are over hitting everything. Saying that, with the first few passes Camoranesi has played in this second half, he’d fit in well with the Kiwi line up.

52 Mins: Interesting haircut Mr. Di Natale, from the back it appears his has a bit of fluff on the top, although i’m sure it’s more of a Mohawk from the front.

53 Mins: Chris Coleman “Italy don’t have a Roberto Baggio to open the back door here”. Didn’t in 2006 either, Chris.

55 Mins: New Zealand manage to get their first passing movement together for a long time, but I think they’re quite worried about the likes of De Rossi, when he comes charging forward towards them to try take the ball. To be fair, he looks like he’s going to run straight through them.

59 Mins: Leo Bertos has been gaining praise from the ITV commentators because he used to play in the English conference and now he’s playing Italy in the World Cup. In terms of real reasons to praise him, he’s just slid the ball past Criscito and got his side up the pitch and it’s nice to see a Kiwi take on the Italian’s.

61 Mins: Beautiful pass from De Rossi, almost in his own half, he picks out Iaquinta, who attempts to turn and shoot but it goes wide. Chris Coleman first calls it “pass of the game” then going on to call it “best pass we’ve seen so far” before finally rounding it off with “best pass we’ll probably see this tournament”. Something tells me he enjoyed that one

62 Mins: Lippi has enough, Marchisio is off and Sampdoria’s Pazzini comes on to join the Italian front line. New Zealand also make a sub, highly rated West Brom youngster comes on for Rory Fallon, only 18 Wood so he’ll relish this.

63 Mins: Crushing shot from Vicelich has Marchetti scrambling but it goes wide. That came out of nowhere.

66 Mins: Chiellini gets his head on a cross which agonisingly goes wide. I’m sorry I can’t got more in depth with that one, my computer decided to delete half of what I previously wrote, meaning I had to write some of it out again. It’s all happening at this World Cup!

68 Mins: Only 18, but Wood has the mouth of a 41 year old facist London cabbie, the sort that starts his claims with “if I was Prime Minister of this country…”. A freekick given against the youngster has him screaming at the linesman.

70 Mins: Montolivo may be no Pirlo in terms of passing, but he has some shot on him, another screamer from outside of the box has Paston making a brilliant save, this time the goal keeper managed to palm it out wide and Di Natale is unable to get onto it before it is cleared. Twenty minutes to go now, and no doubt it will be twenty minutes of Italian attack, although New Zealand could have a chance to catch them on the break.

73 Mins: Reid is down in the Italian box, but it doesn’t stop Iaquinta breaking on the counter attack, the ball in is great and Pazzini attempts to lay it back to Motolivo, but it is cleared only as far as Di Natale on the left wing and he attempts to smash the ball in, but New Zealand can clear it. If the New Zealand coach thought the Italian’s were diving from New Zealand stray arms, he should see the replay of Reid, nowhere near him – get up.

76 Mins: Just under 15 minutes to go and there isn’t one New Zealand player in the Italian half, the full backs need to get forward.

78 Mins: For the first time Camoranesi does something decent, with a great ball over the top to Iaquinta, but the striker wants the ball to come down and Tommy Smith is able to clear for a corner. From the corner Iaquinta has another bite at it but his header is headed over by Reid for another corner. The second corner is taken short and New Zealand are slow to react, but Criscito is even slower and just stops with the ball, the move ends with a poor shot from Camoranesi.

80 Mins: A shot similar to Camoranesi’s previously, Di Natale doesn’t connect well with the ball and Paston watches it go wide. Vicelich is coming off for Jeremy Christie here, taking his time coming off as us lovely viewers are treated to a number of Kiwi fans taking their shirts off.

81 Mins: Chris Coleman actually made a good point before, he said you can’t count out the Italian boys, more often than not they can pull something out the bag. Very true.

82 Mins: Another corner from Italy and Chiellini has a good chance but decides to go to the near post with his header rather than far post and it’s wide.

83 Mins: I’m sure Italian fans just felt their heart miss a beat, as Chris Wood get’s past Cannavaro and has a good shot that flashes across the goal and just goes wide. Camera pans to an Italian fan who looks drained, but we have been reminded that in 2006 Italy drew all three group games and ended up winning the whole thing.

86 Mins: Di Natale with another ball in, but once again Paston claims it easily. Time is running out here for Italy, Reynaldo says this reminds him of watching England. The Italian fans in the crowd resemble England fans against Algeria.

87 Mins: Ryan Nielsen has been on the floor with cramp and when he gets to his feet the referee books him. Time wasting? First time I’ve seen that.

88 Mins: Another long range shot, this time from Camoranesi and Paston makes another save and is looking a sure fire hit to be man of the match.

89 Mins: But ITV viewers have voted for Ryan Nielsen. Fine.

90 Mins: So close for Italy, great ball over the top for Zambrotta and his first touch sets him up perfectly but Ryan Nielsen throws himself in front of the ball to get it out.

91 Mins: Another cross into the box and another claim by Paston. Four minutes of added time.

92 Mins: A chance for New Zealand to run the clock down, Killen off for Barron. Apparently Andy Barron is on his holidays from his usually job of working at bank. A real kick in the teeth for Italy that.

Full Time!

- The world champions are held by New Zealand in another shock result at this World Cup. The most memorable moment in New Zealand football and there are more question marks over the Italian side. I think the footballing powers need to wake up a bit and realise that these supposed “less nations” aren’t just here to make up the numbers. North Korea battled against Brazil, Algeria frustrated England, New Zealand have held the reigning champions and God knows what is happening to the French team. Slovakia left for an Italian side that hasn’t won in 2010 and you’d a brave person to make a bold prediction on that game, like I said, in 2006 they drew every group game and won the cup. We’re getting “bizarre” scores at this World Cup, but should we really be surprised that these teams maybe got into the finals for a reason? They’re all very organised and aren’t afraid of anyone. Switzerland against Spain is an example, I think the problem is that a lot of the big teams are underestimating these teams that aren’t expected to challenge and now they pay the price. Anyone can win this World Cup from here – anyone! Thanks for reading.

Final score Italy 1-1 New Zealand.

Triesman's Claims Were Unfounded

Amidst the battle for the right to host the 2018 World Cup, England’s bid was dealt a severe blow as British paper, The Mail On Sunday decided to run a story which stated that Lord Triesman (who at the time was the head of the English F.A and the England World Cup bid) suggested that Spain and Russia had an agreement, in which Russia’s bid would be supported by Spain if Russia helped bribe referees in Spain’s favour at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. FIFA investigated this claim and found no evidence of any wrong doing by either the Spanish F.A or the Russian F.A. Triesman’s comments appear to be somewhat unfounded, and you have to believe that if he truly believed that this corruption was occurring he would have spoke out about it sooner or at least informed FIFA in a silent matter. But the question in the title of this blog stems from a conversation I had with one of my housemates a few months ago, and we both believed that there was a fair amount of bribery and dodgy dealings in not only football but sport in general. Another one of my housemates joined the conversation about half way through and laughed off such an idea; but the fact is that you don’t know that these things are happening until the people involved are caught.

In 2002, it was suggested that South Korea’s wonderful run in the 2002 World Cup was of some convienience to FIFA, as a number of bad referee decisions saw cries of match fixing from the likes of Italy and Spain. I recently saw an interview with James Richardson, who is the oracle of Italian football in England, in which he some what suggested that he agreed with them claims, but in the end there was no investigation and instead Sepp Blatter put it down to ‘poor standard of refereeing’. This season, Southampton great Matt Le Tissier revealed that he was involved in a betting scam in which he was asked to kick the ball of play so he could see a big return. This was something Le Tissier had on his concince for about 14 years before the public knew about it, although it doesn’t seem like a significant alteration to the match, it does make you wonder how many times this happens, because if it was done correctly – like Le Tissier’s fix – no one will ever know.

There is also the huge Italian football scam revelation that rocked the Italian F.A and saw punishments brought upon a number of clubs that thought they were some what untouchable. And then there was an investigation from FIFA into a number of Eastern European sides that were attempting a big pay out from European competitions, a scam which involved a lot of games in some of the biggest competitions in the world. I won’t even go into Messers, Redknapp and Souness who have had their own dodgy dealings come under the spotlight, but these isolated incidents don’t necessarily suggest that the governing body’s caught every incident.

I’m not sugggesting that football has turned into WWE, where it is pre-determined what the outcome will be in every case. But anyone who has played a video game will know how fallable people are to exploiting the system in order for their own gain. I’m a big fan of the FIFA game series, and in particular the Ultimate Team add on, but lately on the Xbox 360, people are using a cheat in which they control the players of your team, making the game unplayable. I’m more interested in what other people think and what their feelings on the subject are and think it is an interesting disscussion point. Do you think that Match fixing and bribery is common? Do you think that FIFA had a say in South Korea’s 2002 World Cup run? Is it possible to cause corruption at the biggest tournament in football?

Being from England, I’ve never been keen on our own national anthem. Sure, God Save the Queen will still get me excited, but I’d prefer it if Land Of Hope And Glory was our personal national anthem, and this mainly stems from the fact some countries have great national anthems. You may find national anthems boring, but no doubt you will not be able to deny that in an important game for your country, they can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I’m no expert on national anthems, I don’t even know the words to my own countries one, but I decided to have a little review of all the national anthems at this summer’s World Cup and come up with my five favourite. I would love to hear what your favourite national anthem at this World Cup is – it’s very important you know!

5. Germany:

A football team with more fierce rivals than any other nation in the world most likely, yet they win me over with their great anthem. It just sounds noble and epic, I’d definitely be proud to see my players singing this one. On another note, short and sweet. Recently England took on Sri Lanka in a game of cricket at the World Cup and Sri Lanka’s anthem went on for about five minutes whereas England’s lasted 30 seconds. We sang God Save the Queen and got one with it, good to see the Germans not over doing it.

4. Chile:

Listening to this makes me want to go to Chile, or at least meet some people from there; it sounds vibrant. What an intro that is! Then at the half way point it mixes things up and keeps up the liveliness, it’s a great tune that really represents the country well.

3. France:

I’m surprised how many people don’t realise this song is the official national anthem of France. I don’t know about you, but I hear quite a lot of people recognise the song when it’s played and admit they didn’t know it was the country’s song. It’s a famous tune and deserves to be in there, and is synonymous with the French nation. They may be one of the most frustrating footballing nations to watch, but their anthem certainly provides a bit of entertainment.

2. Brazil:

We hear it all the time at every World Cup, and if you haven’t heard it before get ready to be familiarised with it. The world’s greatest footballing nation backed by a great and vibrant anthem, this song must really fire up the Brazilians before they start the match. Although I usually love Brazil, their great anthem will not stop my 2010 World Cup boycott of them, as Dunga has broke my (and probably yours) heart by dropping Ronaldinho for the South African tournament. Give the people what they want Dunga, I want to hear some of Ronaldinho’s fantastic singing on that anthem.

1. Italy:

I’ve always been a big fan of Italian football, it used to be shown on Channel four when I was young, and as I didn’t have Sky it was my only outlet for football. I still follow Italian football a lot, and most of my favourite players are the big names that graced Serie A in the 90′s and early 00′s. So I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for the Italian national team (although Totti, Toni and Del Piero will tell you when they’re not worthy of a call up, Lippi – not the other way around!) and I just love their anthem. If you ever get a chance to read the lyrics to the song as well, they’re going on about making someone Rome’s slave or something and dominating the world. Got to love those Italians.

Capello makes his decision

The past few days has seen a number of provisional and even final squads announced for the World Cup, but today two of the most anticipated provisional squads were revealed. England has delivered their 30 provisional players amidst controversy regarding manager Fabio Capello’s involvement in a bizarre form rating website which sports his name. Italy’s squad was well anticipated as many were wondering whether Lippi would go with the old guard or bring in some fresh faces.

England Provisional Squad:

GK: David James, Joe Hart & Rob Green

No surprise in the goal keeper department, although a number of people will be delighted to see Joe Hart in the England squad. Which goalkeeper will take the number one shirt will probably be determined from the warm-up games, although all three of these keepers are now guaranteed to go to South Africa as long as injury does not set in.

DEF: Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock

Jamie Carragher’s odd’s on making the squad dropped to 1/25 last night and he is a somewhat surprising call-up considering his determination to stay in international retirement. Although I don’t doubt Carragher’s credentials, this season has been the first time he is starting to show his age a bit, particularly in the FA cup 3rd round replay against Reading where he struggled big time. Dawson will definitely be starting in the warm-up games and will be hopeful his good league form will transfer to the international side. For Stephen Warnock and Leighton Baines, there is a direct battle to be on the plane and become England’s second choice left back (what an opportunity!)

MID: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips

Gareth Barry is in the squad, but news is awaited as to whether or not he will actually go to the tournament, and if he doesn’t then Scott Parker and Tom Huddlestone have an ideal opportunity to get themselves on the plane. There’s a lot of competition for the wide places, and Adam Johnson, who started the season out in the Championship with Middlesbrough, now finds himself with a chance to represent his country on the biggest stage of them all. Joe Cole will also be glad to see his name on the team sheet after the season he has had, but he will be closely watched by Capello to see whether he is capable of showing his old form. Owen Hargreaves misses out and it seems like a sensible option with all fairness, mostly due to the fact that he’s only played 30 seconds of football! Paul Scholes is also not included, and it is most likely that he has once again declined the chance to represent.

FWD: Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney

Sunderland fans have their calls answered, as in form striker Darren Bent is taken into consideration, but his work is far from over, and you’d feel he would have to produce goals in the warm-up games to stand a chance of getting on the plane. Also, surprise surprise! Wayne Rooney is on the team sheet! Who would have seen that coming? The other four strikers are the ones that were expected to go, but if Bent does get the goals, will Capello drop Defoe or take the five strikers in place of a midfielder or defender? Also, Bobby Zamora appears to have mised out, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in Wednesday’s Europa league final. If he smashes in a few goals, what are we to think then?

Italy Provisional Squad (at the time of writing this, it is a strongly rumoured team sheet that has apparently fallen in the hands of Sky Sports Italia):

Lippi suprises some

GK: Gianluigi Buffon, Federico Marchetti, Morgan De Sanctis, Salvatore Sirigu

Gianluigi Bufffon will guard the goal of his country once again, but the two goalkeepers that will join him appears to be up for grabs, and the young Salvatore Sirigu who Buffon has tipped to be his replacement could get a chance to not only represent his country in the World Cup, but also make his debut should Buffon succumb to injury.

DEF: Salvatore Bocchetti, Leonardo Bonucci, Fabio Cannavaro, Mattia Cassani, Giorgio Chiellini, Domenico Criscito, Fabio Grosso, Christian Maggio, Gianluca Zambrotta.

First thoughts – Wow! Look at how many youngsters will be involved in Italy’s defence this year. Quite surprising to see so many players with less than five caps being considered for the World Cup squad, and although the likes of Zambrotta, Grosso and of course Cannavaro remain, there are a number of youngsters who will be able to get invaluable experience. Whether this tactic will back-fire on Lippi remains to be seen, but it is quite brave to call up so many youngsters, what is even more suprising is the fact that most of them don’t play for Italy’s big guns. Watch out for Giorgio Chiellini if you haven’t seen him play before, a solid defender that could make a huge name for himself this summer.

MID: Mauro Camoranesi, Antonio Candreva, Andrea Cossu, Daniele De Rossi, Gennaro Gattuso, Claudio Marchisio, Ricardo Montolivo, Angelo Palombo, Simone Pepe, Andrea Pirlo.

Another mix of new and old, and this could be the last World Cup for Camoranesi, Pirlo and Gattuso. A number of players have missed out such as Ambrosini, Aquilani, Perrotta and Barone and there a more players who have less than five caps in the side. The battle here would appear to be for central midfield places, and although De Rossi and Pirlo are probably certain to be on the plane, the others seem less certain and Lippi will be keen to see how certain players work together in the middle of the park before making a final decision.

FWD: Marco Borriello, Antonio Di Natale, Alberto Gilardino, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Giampaolo Pazzini, Giuseppe Rossi, Fabio Quagliarella.

Di Natale was in much of the same situation that Darren Bent found himself in, and after missing out on the Confederations cup squad, his good goal scoring form has fired the 32 year old back into the Italian fold. Giuseppe Rossi also has been given the nod  after an impressive season in Spain, but the forward berths in the Italian side were certainly the most competitive, and there are a number of players that have missed out. Francesco Totti will not be coming out of international retirement to represent his country, Del Piero’s international time appears to be over, Antonio Cassano remains in exile and Luca Toni’s move to Roma doesn’t appear to have done him many favours in terms of his international hopes. Mario Balotelli also misses out, a decision that was no doubt based on the player’s current problems and drop to the bench.

A Lot To Mull Over For Marcelo

Italians are commonly referred to as feisty and passionate people, and if the past two decades of Serie A is anything to go by, where footballing matters are regularly debated in the Italian Parliament, then it’s clear that these labels are justified. Italy are a strange entity though and they’re never short of controversy – if you’re an England fan and you think there’s drama in your side try being an Italian. Let us not forget, the reigning champions were at the centre of one of the most controversial World Cup moments in history, as in 2006 as Marco Materazzi forced Zinedine Zidane, arguably the greatest player of his generation, into a bizarre head butt to the chest in what was supposed to be Zizu’s swansong. A team that often just ‘gets the job done’ so many have said, this particular World Cup is one that is somewhat unpredictable for the team and the nation.

Italy are after all looking for the next generation of players to come through and Lippi, who will soon be relinquished of his duties after serving his nation well, has attempted to address this situation but it appears a difficult one to instantly solve instantly, as the prestige of the country demands a constant stream of success. Fabio Cannavaro, considered by many to be the greatest defender that ever played the game, has been brought into question as to whether he can still play at a top level and the likes of Francesco Totti are being urged to come out of international retirement to give Italy the best possible chance, showing the Azzurri are struggling to let go of their golden generation. Then there’s a brilliant, but seemingly unmanageable Antonio Cassano, whose outspoken nature has spoke him out of a place in the side. A player that could have been a world beater and a proven magician on the pitch, he has been wasted talent as Lippi appears rightly too stubborn to put up with his disruptive behaviour. Could you imagine how frustrating that must be if it happened to your nation?

This twilight period for the National team is showing, as the current champions currently sit 5th in the FIFA rankings, something that doesn’t seem all too impressive for a team who is supposed to be, in theory, the champions of the world. But the players are there, it’s just how to implement them in a correct manner and get the right team together. Mario Balotelli is a prime example of this, a player who has all the abilities, but is suffering his own personal problems currently, a situation that isn’t helping the potential of another great Italian side being formed to take on the world. But when you do consider a potential side for Italy, you have to admit they have unbelievable depth as they always have, they just lack the experience. Roma’s Daniele De Rossi could have a massive tournament for his country and in my opinion, if Italy can pull the performances together, will be a contender for player of the tournament as he just keeps on getting better. I will be writing a future article about De Rossi and the impact he can have on this World Cup.

Injuries will be a problem for the side as well. Whereas it’s OK to take a few knocks, a number of Italian players have suffered bad injuries this season, meaning a lack of match practice leading up to the tournament and the potential for these injuries to reoccur in the middle of the tournament. Players like Chiellini, Giovonco, Zambrotta, Buffon and Santon have all had injuries that have kept them out for months this season and these are all players that could arguably be in the starting line up of the side. Put on top of that Liverpool’s Alberto Aquilani lack of game time this season and their squad is somewhat depleted before the tournament has even begun. But despite all this, they will still take a strong and capable squad, and anyone that doubts this team shouldn’t be considered a football fan.

I’ve always had a bit of love for the Italian national team, as Sky’s dominance in England made it somewhat difficult to watch English football if you didn’t have one of their dish’s on your house, so the first football I ever watched was Italian and I always will love the league and their team. I hope Lippi uses this tournament to rebuild the side and give the new generation the chance to shine as the face of Italian football. I have a feeling the old brigade will still get the call up, as Lippi has a lot of faith in them, but it would be nice for the likes of Grosso, Camoranesi and Cannavaro to step aside and for Italy to move on. A new side may not be favoured to win it, but they can learn from the experience and become a better squad. I’d never count out Italy though, they seem to be in the shadow of the likes of Spain, England, Germany, Brazil and Argentina as favourites, but when you put their squad on paper, it is mightily impressive. Hopefully Lippi will take advantage of the depth at his disposal and take the responsibility away from the older generation and let the likes of Daniele De Rossi, Giuseppe Rossi and Giorgio Chiellini lead the line and have their chance to pose around in their underwear (if you’re not aware of this, get on Google images).

What is on paper a strong team could end up being a weak one when tested by a tricky opponent. How the players gel and work together, how effective the coach is in bringing the best out of players, the strength of the defensive line and often the rise of  a relative unknown to help carry the team can all influence who ends up winning. Other factors which must be considered include the lack of key injuries and having some luck in order for a team to advance far in this highly anticipated tournament.

Luck does not necessarily imply winning the whole tournament due to fortunate circumstances but as often the case some tough teams get eliminated on a particular nation’s side of the draw which can pave the way for that specific country to advance further in the tournament. Other lucky incidents can come in the shape of referee calls such as penalties given,  a red-card missed or overlooked, the woodwork coming to the rescue on more than one occasion or even scoring against the run of play.

In 2006 Italy was not expected to win but with a strong defensive unit, a great goalkeeper, a clever coach, some luck and the team working together as one cohesive unit the Azzurri were able to triumph in Berlin. If the World Cup started today, then Brazil would be one of the main picks because of the talented players who can change the course of a match in a single move or a split-second. The Brazilians have talent all over the pitch.

Other contenders would include Argentina largely due to the presence of one of the most gifted players of his generation who happens to be Lionel Messi. He is simply a genius and while he does not perform as well with the national team, Messi can still turnaround matches with one creative move. The main reason the Argentines have not been performing up to their potential is a result of having Diego  Maradona as the national team coach. Maradona was a great player but he is simply out of depth in terms of managing a talented country and his  inexperience shows whenever his players step on the pitch. He is an incapable coach who must rely on Messi to change games by himself if Argentina has any chance of advancing through the tournament. Maradona ought to surround Messi with the right players because it is a shame to see such a  talent go to waste on the international stage.

It could be argued Messi is even a better player at this stage of his career than Maradona was. Again the stress is on comparing the two talented players at the same age and period of their career. At 22-years-old Messi has accomplished more than Maradona and if he can lead Argentina to a World Cup triumph then few can doubt Messi has the better record as a player and whether he is the more talented of the two legends.

Another dangerous team would be England because of Manager Fabio Capello and what he brings to the table.  Capello is a great and highly skilled Manager when it comes to motivating players, creating harmony, suppressing egos, building team spirit and exploiting weaknesses in other teams. The main issue at this point is the injury crisis which has affected the national team in recent weeks. Ashley Cole and David Beckham will miss out unless left-back Cole makes a late comeback while others such as Rio Ferdinand have spent most of the season injured or recovering from an injury.

One other factor which could cause distraction is the behaviour of certain players with John Terry on top of the list of players being carefully followed due to his much-publicised affair. The media is now trying to keep an eye on his actions and any simple mistake made by Terry will be aggressively covered by the British Press.  To their advantage the English have Wayne Rooney to rely on and at this stage of the season the striker can do no wrong as he continues to score at a torrid pace.

The Spanairds cannot be underestimated because by winning Euro 2008 they showed they deserve to be respected. The Spaniards have Fernando Torres and David Villa as well as Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas and David Silva. Those are all talented and experienced players. In addition, who can forget the midfield duo of Xavi and Andres Iniesta who often pull the strings for the might Barcelona? Barca does depend on Messi but he is surrounded by great players and some of them hail from Spain as evidened by a few of the names mentioned above.

The Azzurri have the smallest chance from amongst the favourites because of the struggles faced by Juventus this season, the aging of the team and the fact three key players are no longer as effective: Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo. Gattuso is actually spending considerable time on the Milan bench while Cannavaro has been one of the weak links in Juve’s defensive line this season. Only Giorgio Chiellini is to be given credit in the Juve and Azzurri back-line.

Anything can happen though and World Champions usually do not give up easily. The onus will be on having a healthy Gianluigi Buffon who is as good as anyone in goal when healthy enough but once again Cannavaro is too old and slow to compete over a month even if Marcello Lippi says it is only four weeks and not a season. This is a shocking excuse from a coach of Lippi’s stature who is now resorting to various forms of alibis to justify his choices. This shows the extent of the pressure on his shoulders and this could easily backfire as Lippi was one of the main architects of the Azzurri triumph in Germany 2006.

Finally, France cannot and will not win when one considers the national team is coached by someone like Raymond Domenech who is still clinging to the job despite his obvious ineptitude. As for the Germans, they are rarely the type of team which is flashy but they tend to play solid football during the World Cup as shown in the 2002 and 2006 editions. Their strength is in the group and the effort, hard-work and commitment displayed by the players who often rely on their physical prowess and methodical approach to win matches. Perhaps waiting till end of May will give a better idea as to the teams which can be considered as the clear favourites but at this stage it would be a surprise if any other team can be regarded as a serious contender.