[AMOROSO!]

Rule #1: NEVER EVER play your best and most creative player.ALWAYS leave him on the bench and play him at the last 20 minutes.

Rule #2: Play the exiting system of 9-1 with 9 defenders and one forward.

Rule #3: Scored a goal? dont allow your players to cross the midfield again unless the other team is too tired to return to defence.

Rule #4: Make sure you choose great players like the bald sleeping pill named Gianluca Pessotto and the moving midfield car named Di Biaggio.

Have a nice sleep and sweet dreams.

 

[real player]

Rule#5 To put a forward who is the most crappy and weak-kneed one but really know how to dive on the line!

 

[Guest]

I pressume your'e talking about the Semi-final, here's my review:-

Hagi ended his international career by picking up two yellow cards, he should have been sent off for trying to snap Conte's ankle with a murderous foul but escaped with a yellow. He earned his second yellow for diving in the box.
The Italians made two excellent goal saving blocks from Ganea and Ciobotariu.
Albertini picked out Inzaghi with a superb ball over the top, Inzaghi killed the ball and smashed a shot goalwards but Stelea made a fantastic save,
tipping the shot onto a post. The two combined again, Albertini with another superb ball over the top but this time Inzaghi shot hopelessly wide.

Man Of The Match - Albertini. I never thought I'd see the day Albertini gave a World Class performance.

 

[AMOROSO!]

Actually I dont think he tryed to snap Conote,he went for the ball but he missed it and found Conte's ankle.It was a yellow card but things like that happen all the time...as for his second yellow,it was AGAIN incredibly strict.Zambrotta pulled him,not hard enough to be a penalty,but hard enough to bring him down...Hagi didnt act,he didnt even try to act.

Holland would have get a penalty for the same pull...

 

[AMOROSO!]

On your m,atch review yopu forgot Hagi's shot in the post when he launched a curling shot from wide and the ball didnt go in but hit the inside of the post....

 

[flarg]

Hey real player give the guy a break. He may have missed a few chances, but scored a good goal under pressure against a great goalkeeper.

I understand why some people hate Filippo Inzaghi, but you could save him the bashing when he scores, and scores well. Especially of you are supporting Italy.

 

[Willem Sterk]

AMo, R. de boer's shirt was clearly pulled by nemec, Collina could give a penalty and he did, well i guess we where just lucky

Albertini and pESSOTTO RULED!!!(@#$&^%^&* CAPSLOCK)

 

[Primo]

Bashing Zoff is Italy's #1 pasttime, a sport I enjoy taking part in all the time. However, at this moment in time, I think we have to congratulate the man for a few things:
1) Maldini says he's never been on an Azzurri team that has better chemistry or gets along so well. He explains their victories in this light. A coach must get credit for that.
2) Zoff is clearly holding his cards close to his chest before Italia reaches the high octane teams. It is known that he has practiced w/ a combination of strikers all at once that included Totti AND del Piero. Their time will come, if need be.
3) Playing defensively is not necessarily bad in some cases, especially if you look at a few case scenarios of teams that didn't once they got ahead. (England-Romania comes to mind.)
4) Zoff is becoming more animated as the tournament wares on. He knows his players well it appears and has lead us to 4 straight victories.

 

[hala]

Primo's right, it's time to give some credit to a coach that "delivers".

 

[AMOROSO!]

I dont bash Zoff.He has been doing what Italian managers have been doing for years...I just explain what is the job of the Great Squadra Azzura coach,follow these orders and you cant miss.

Prior to the tournament,I thought Zoff chose the wrong players...now I can see I'm wrong.He chose the right players to play his boring uninspiring game.I,like most people,had a football team in mind,Zoff didnt want a football team,he wanted a defending team...

Italy in my opinion has not changed at all from the frendly game against Norway...They STILL play bad but now they also play effective.

 

[Primo]

I would say that the Azzurri have made some of the tournament's best goals. Think of Conte's bike kick, Fiore and Del Piero's bombs, and Totti's aggressive goals - all add up to amazing calcio. Italy, for sure, play the least open game of the final 4 teams, but we also do other things they can't - like goalkeep, play defense and counter. We're doing our best w/out Vieri, Baggio, Fuser, and Buffon, and we're doing alright. You want boring? Watch Norway play. Want frustrating? Watch the Yugoslavs try and play defense?

 

[cmdg3232]

Hey Primo I could not have said it better myself..
It is pretty amazing how the critics at the begining did not even give the italians half the chance and now that they have made some kind of surprise they are still not giving them a shot..
I would have to admit the italy has not played the most impressive calcio but they know how to win..
I will not predict the outcome v-holland but I assure you italy will give them a game..
If the italians stick to their game they should win..
I give coach ZOFF credit.. we all/including myself did not agree with some or if not most of his tactics but he really is not doing a bad job..
WE are winning right

 

[AMOROSO!]

Primo,I fail to see any difference between Norway and Italy in terms of great football...(not quality,Italy is miles ahead) they both just bore me to hell.Italy is more effective.

We all critisized Zoff and I'm still not convinced he does the right job.Every single Italy game could have gone the other way...it didnt.Zoff has set ups his team to play destroying football...if the sight of the famous Squadra Azzura defending with 11 players against Romania (without 4 starting members and without their natural leader and playmaker from 59') satisfies you I just dont feel the same.Ask every non Italy fan and he will tell you the same thing.I started the tournamet supporting Italy although I was sure they'll get kicked the England and Germany way,they didnt maybe because their group was extra weak.But when I realised how bad this team plays and saw other teams winning in style or even loosing by playing FOOTBALL my heart is just not with them anymore.

Italy doesnt deserve the trophee.Just my opinion.

 

[Primo]

Amo: I'm sorry we've lost your support. My support for the squadra Azzurri evidently runs a lot deeper - to the point of being dedicated. How could you say they don't deserve the trophy? They haven't even started to try and play yet. If they beat the Dutch and France/or Portugal, they damn deserve that trophy, and I'm gonna be one happy calcio fan!! Viva Italia! Forza Totti! Grande Albertini!

 

[real player]

If you wanna watch Total Football, to be a Holland fan as me. If you want some excitements, go find Portugal or Spain's games.

Actually Azzurri always has been too boring to watch...whether or not you Serie A/Italy fans concede, counter-attacking tactic never makes a game look good. What you expect a defence system will give you? I think most of the ppl whom still find Azzurri is attractive all because it's inspirational, which is brought by the great players.

So from what Zoff has done so far...we can't blame that he used 9-1 system or never seems wanting to make more goals or using physical midfielders...all of them are the foundation of counter-attack, and counter-attack is Azzurri's soul!
The only thing that we should blame him is the Rule#!, to leave the most creative and technical players out of pitch is really ridiculous...and it makes Azzurri looks uglier...

 

[Il Lupo]

I've actually had this conversation with some of my friends.
Here's my arguement:
The great thing about international tournaments is the appreciation of the different styles of play
France plays French football
Italy plays italian football,and why should we play Spanish and Portuguese football.
Each team brings something different to the table,
Being a hardcore italian fan,i sometimes question the style of play like against Romania,we were up a man and still didn't get much of the play.And Zoff even critized his players after the game that he wanted more possesion of the ball.If we look at the games and the 3 other teams their style of play is much more horizontal where a simple attack may take up to 5 min to produce by moving the ball around and essentially going nowhere,thus producing very little scoring chances against a team with a strong defence.If we look at the games that Italy played this holds true in all of Romania's possession they only produces one clear chance and that was on a counterattack by Hagi's crossbar.
Where Italy when they attack is a much more vertical game where three to four passes usually ends up with a solid chance ie. Both goals,Totti chip,Two Inzaghi misses and Fiore's shot over the goal.
I ask you this did you like Valencia's style of play??
Cause they were a counterattacking team and executed their chances to perfection up until the final.
So,for me i've accepted the italian game and appreciate the defending and counterattack game,
Forza Italia!!

 

[AMOROSO!]

Il Lupo,counter attacking is different than no attacking.Why do you think Valencia scored many goals? its not the same at all...

Where you get bored in Valencia's games?

 

[hala]

Amo, what you said before about "Every single Italy game could have gone the other way...it didnt." I think is very unfair and definitely NOT TRUE.

The Italians should have won the Turks with a score of 4-1 or 5-1, yeah, I know about Inzaghi's penalty, but the representative score of that game would be a clear victory for the Italians, they missed so many chances, while I don't remember the Turks creating another opportunity except for the goal (and Toldo bears big responsibility for it - well, anyway he's an Italian player).

Against Belgium it was also a clear victory as I saw it, the 2-0 score reflected reality 100%.

Against Sweden I agree with you, it could have been a draw or the Italians could have even lost it.

The QF now... the Romanians down with 10 men is a lame argument, considering the score was already 2-0 down for them! I really don't see any team that could reverse that kind of a score against Italy even with 11 in, and much less could the Romanians in my opinion.

You don't like Italy's game and that's your privilege, but this Italy for me is a lot better that the one in WC98, WC94 and Euro96.

 

[AMOROSO!]

I said COULD have gone not SHOULD have gone.

There is a big difference...

 

[hala]

Amo, what kind of a signature is that????????

...and you were on poor Ze's case...


P.S. What happened to Rui Costa? I see he's been replaced by Sergio Conceicao! Well, at least there's a Portugese representative...