Italy managed to draw 1-1 against both Paraguay and New Zealand while failing to impress despite having seen a lot in terms of ball possession, in particular against the Kiwis when the Italians had just over 70% in terms of ball possession. Pundits and fans alike are debating what has gone wrong for the Azzurri in South Africa 2010 with some attributing it to the Italian tendency to start slow referencing Spain 1982, USA 1994 and even Germany 2006.

What some fail to acknowledge is the fact the Italian squads in previous editions of the World Cup in 1982, 1994 and 2006 were far superior to Italy’s current team in terms of the quality of defenders and talent in the attacking department. In USA 1994 the Azzurri could rely on some of the best defenders to every play the game such as Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi while four years ago Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta were at their best. Zambrotta has admittedly surprised in this tournament and has been consistent and playing his best football in 3 years albeit still short of his commanding performances in 2006. The main concern here is Cannavaro’s decline with the skipper at fault on both occasions when the Azzurri conceded to Paraguay and New Zealand.

On both occasions, Cannavaro was off in his positioning and could not jump higher than the opponent or control the ball. Against the Kiwis the ball took a deflection off the captain proving he was clueless in terms of his positioning while the Paraguayan goal scorer out jumped both Cannavaro and Daniele De Rossi to score the opener against Italy. Cannavaro has become a weak link in the Azzurri’s defensive line and he is by far the slowest and least impressive of the back four considering Giorgio Chiellini is powerful and tough tackling while Zambrotta is consistent and Domenico Criscito has shown promise on the left flank.

Another main issue is the lack of talent up front with none of the strikers, including Antonio Di Natale, known for their ability to create something spectacular out of nothing. Alberto Gilardino has been a massive disappointment and has barely shot the ball on or off target with the match against the Kiwis showing how ineffective he can be if there is insufficient supply inside the box. The problem with Gilardino is the fact he does not get involved in the build-up and he does not create for himself or teammates rendering him useless in both World Cup matches. The other striker who has started Vincenzo Iaquinta has been played out of position and has struggled to shoot on target due to the lack of supply from the midfielders yet he at least puts the effort and chases the ball. This leaves Antonio Di Natale as the only striker capable of making a difference for the Azzurri yet in both matches he was inserted in the match in the second-half giving him little time to get accustomed to the opponents and to get in the flow.

Di Natale can create and can score as shown by his impressive 29-goal tally in Serie A yet he does need the support of the midfielders. The other two strikers on the bench are Giampaolo Pazzini and Fabio Quagliarella with neither considered world class. Compare those to the attackers at Italy’s disposal in 1994 and one name will suffice to show the massive gap in quality: Roberto Baggio. The former Fiorentina and Juventus forward was the hero for Italy in USA ’94 yet the Italians also had other stars on the bench or starting such as Gianfranco Zola and Giuseppe Signori. In 2006, Italy could rely on Alessandro Del Piero coming off the bench to offer a spark and Francesco Totti starting despite his questionable fitness due to surgery. None of the current forwards compare or come close to Baggio or Totti in terms of talent or the ability to change the direction of the match from a set-piece or a magical move.

This raises the question about Marcello Lippi’s decision to overlook Giuseppe Rossi who was one of the very few bright spots in an otherwise disastrous campaign in the Confederations Cup last year. Everyone knew Lippi would not consider Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Fabrizio Miccoli for various reasons while Alessandro Del Piero is perhaps too old for consideration. Under such circumstances, why did not Lippi pick Totti despite his age? Instead Lippi argued Totti could not withstand the rigors of having to play 7 matches in a single month. One can easily counter that by saying why not use Totti or even Del Piero as substitutes or perhaps for 30 minutes during each match? They surely could provide more spark than Pazzini or Di Natale who is closing on 33 years (Totti is a year older and Del Piero is 2 years older).

Besides the deficiencies on the defensive end due to Cannavaro’s alarming drop in level and the blow following Gianluigi Buffon’s injury, the lack of a creative force will come back to haunt Lippi and the Azzurri if it has not already done so since the Italians could end their campaign prematurely if the Slovaks are not beaten. Below is a list of other key factors which have hurt the Azzurri:

- Set-Pieces: The Azzurri were a force defending against set-pieces and actually used them best to their advantage. In this tournament so far, the Italians have conceded twice as a result of free-kicks and have lacked in terms of positioning (particularly Cannavaro).

- Trailing: The Azzurri have trailed against both Paraguay and New Zealand which is a major disadvantage considering the lack of goals in this tournament and more importantly the Italian strategy which relies more on taking the lead, sitting back and bouncing on the mistakes of opponents to score more goals. The Azzurri needed to score first to force opponents to come out and let go of their defensive plot. Ironically, Italy lost 4 points because of teams successfully implementing the Italian strategy.

- Injuries: The injury to Gianluigi Buffon will not be felt at this stage but it is a massive blow and against the likes of the Netherlands, Argentina or Brazil, the Juventus goalkeeper could be a difference maker. The injuries to Andrea Pirlo, Mauro Camoranesi and Claudio Marchisio have hurt the Azzurri in one way or another. Missing Pirlo has forced Lippi to keep experimenting using formations which actually do not suit the Italian players. In addition, Camoranesi has been a marginal influence off the bench while Marchisio has struggled in both matches.

- Tactics & Positioning: The system used by Lippi was a complete failure and even when he shifted to a more suitable 4-4-2 it did not work properly because Marchisio was still being used out of position while the strikers were starved from service. Marchisio cannot be used as a left-winger or a playmaker behind the striker. He was an attacking midfielder way back in his youth career but he has been a central midfielder since breaking into the Juventus starting lineup. Lippi is wasting three players by using his system or the current team selection since Marchisio, Iaquinta and Gilardino are all struggling under this formation. The key is to either move Marchisio to a more central role or simply to bench him once Pirlo returns or perhaps even starting Camoranesi at his expense while moving Simone Pepe to the left flank.

- Shots on Target: Against the Kiwis,Italy had 15 corners, shot 23 times and had possession 71% of the time yet only shot 5 times on target including a penalty and the rest were  long-distance shots. Not one shot on target by Gilardino and Iaquinta, except for his converted penalty. Montolivo had one long range effort which hit the post while two other shots on target came courtesy of long distance strikes by De Rossi and Camoranesi. Thus, there was a single effort inside the penalty box which was on target and it came from substitute Di Natale. This is quite shocking and will not help the Azzurri cause considering in 2006 both goals against the Germans were from shots from inside the box. According to ESPN’s stats New Zealand’s goalkeeper Mark Paston touched the ball more than any other player from the Kiwis who cleared the ball more than 50 times (most of any team in South Africa 2010). Clearly all stats were to Italy’s advantage yet the Azzurri failed to defeat the Kiwis in another sign of the declining game of the Italians.

- Marcello Lippi: No one can argue Lippi’s ability to guide teams to glory as evidenced  on both club level (with Juventus) and with the Azzurri, yet his decisions have been poor in terms of excluding players such as Totti and failing to convince Alessandro Nesta to return for the World Cup (Nesta performed much better than Cannavaro this year). Even more troubling is the fact Lippi does not appear to have settled on a strategy to implement which can be attributed to the lack of a creative force capable of integrating the strikers and linking the midfield with the attack.

- Friendly Matches: Italy probably played the fewest matches of any team participating in the World Cup whether in terms of the friendly games before the event or even throughout the year. Lippi needed more matches to test his system instead of implementing it in a couple of games. This had an adverse effect on the team in terms of performances and familiarity with the system. The Mexicans beat the Azzurri in a friendly prior to the event and are now doing well in the tournament having played more matches than the Italians in preparation for the World Cup.

- Teams Using Italian Strategy: While some might give Jose Mourinho a lot of credit for winning the Champions League, he really did not invent the wheel and actually relied on a trusted system which evolved from the Italian strategy: defend well, pressure the ball and have talent up front to make the difference. This is what won the Champions League for Inter with Julio Cesar, Lucio and Maicon a key component of the Nerazzurri success and even Brazil’s Carlos Dunga admitted he will be relying on the trio to guide the Selecao to success. Thus, the top teams and even the weaker ones are using an Italian strategy to achieve success. Only the Dutch, Spain and Argentina do not implement the Italian method. Brazil is one of the teams depending on the system and many of the average and weaker teams have relied on the Italian strategy to earn a draw or even snatch a surprising win.

Simply put, all is not lost for the Azzurri but Lippi must give Di Natale a chance to start while Gilardino and Marchisio ought to be benched. One change would make the transition to the new-look Italy even smoother and that would be to bench Cannavaro which is obviously not going to happen under Lippi. Regardless, The key is to defeat Slovakia and then face either the Dutch (if Paraguay finish first) or take the easier route which will still see Italy face Spain in the quarter-final (If Spain can bounce back to win Group H) and then Argentina in the semi-final. Either way, Italy must focus on defeating the Slovaks first and then turn attention to the knockout stages. On a match by match basis anything can happen as long as the Italians play as one unit, defend better against set-pieces and the strikers begin to pose a threat and score goals.

For further comments and other discussions please feel free to contact  @RamiSoufi on Twitter.

Inter have succeeded in completing a historic treble and credit must be given to everyone at the club from president Massimo Moratti for his persistence in pursuing the dream of emulating his father by winning the Champions League to Jose Mourinho for his exemplary preparation ahead of keys matches and for his superior motivational skills. However, the Nerazzurri players deserve much of the credit for their solid performances with Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti, Lucio, Walter Samuel and Samuel Eto’o among others providing the driving force behind the successes this season. One player stands out above all the rest and it is not Wesley Sneijder who had a great season but Argentina striker Diego Milito who deserves much of the credit for his valuable contributions in the big games.

Mourinho deserves credit for guiding the squad, for making them believe and for his solid tactics, but none of this can be achieved without the proper players. The outspoken Portuguese craves the media and the fact he did not get along with the Italian press is one of the reasons behind his decision to leave the club which is not something that reflects positively on Mourinho. The former Chelsea manager expects the media to make a big deal out of his statements and create the attention he craves. In England, Mourinho was able to successfully manipulate the press to cater to him and give him the desired attention while in Italy he has failed to do so and was at odds with the Italian media early in the season.

Without taking away from Mourinho, the credit must also be shared with the squad with many of the starters providing solid contributions at different stages of the season such as full-back Maicon who broke down the resistance of Juventus with a great strike in a crucial win which helped the Nerazzurri to retain their Serie A title. Dutchman Sneijder has been very influential too but striker Milito has been phenomenal when it really matters considering the Argentina international has scored the winner against Roma in the Coppa Italia final then followed it with the winner against Siena in Serie A which secured the league title before his stunning brace against Bayern Munich helped Inter claim the Champions League trophy.

Mourinho prepared the Nerazzurri in the proper way and the squad provided a solid and professional display yet Milito was by far the star of the Champions League final. While Goran Pandev struggled to make much of an impact and flopped on every possible occasion, Eto’o sacrificed for the team and was running around the pitch like a man possessed, but above Milito was the difference maker. The former Genoa striker was a willing runner often taking on defenders and running from either flank but his well taken double against Bayern perhaps merits the highest of praise due to the level of skills involved in both goals. For the first one, Milito actually used his head to direct the ball to Sneijder before he ran to accept the Dutchman’s wonderful pass and finish it with style. Another striker might have rushed his shot and missed the goal or hit the goalkeeper but not Milito who faked an initial shot before finishing with style.

As for the second goal, words would not give it enough justice and cannot represent how great it was because Milito ran a reasonable distance before showing some great footwork and displaying great skill to perfectly place his shot to put the match beyond Bayern’s reach. Diego’s numbers with Inter have been quite good as he scored 30 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions divided into 22 strikes in 35 Serie A games, 6 goals in 11 Champions League matches and 2 strikes in 5 Coppa Italia appearances. Mourinho might be gone but the Nerazzurri have a winning foundation and this is evident by the Serie A titles won before the Portuguese arrived under Roberto Mancini who is a decent coach but not part of the elite coaching group. Mancini benefited from having a great squad as well as the demise of certain teams, in particular Juventus, due to Calciopoli which helped pave the way for Inter’s dominance.

All credit must go to the players as well as Mourinho for this great achievement and there is no doubt Inter are currently Europe’s best. The interesting question now is whether Mourinho will take with him to Real Madrid two key players in the shape of Maicon and Milito. If the Portuguese does indeed lure both players to Madrid then Inter might struggle next season. Regardless of who leaves, the current Nerazzurri squad is one of the best as a group and they could challenge again in Europe if the core players are kept and a decent coach is hired to guide the club.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho has indicated on more than one occasion his desire to take charge of an elite club in Spain, a hint most likely directed towards Real Madrid since he has quite a tense relationship with Barcelona. Only the two giants of Spanish football can afford Mourinho’s wage demands and can meet his ambitions to win trophies on a regular basis.

Mourinho appears to be frustrated with the Italian media and Calcio considering he has not been able to easily win them over unlike his spell in England when he was able to use, manipulate and employ the media to serve his objectives. The outspoken Portuguese must ranks as one of the best at not just motivating his players but also making use of the press to launch psychological warfare and mind games against his fellow tacticians and opposing teams. In England Mourinho was able to a large extent to use the media to vent his frustration and take on fellow coaches or opponents prior to some decisive games.

Mourinho has also come to blows with the Italian FA considering he has been fined and suspended on a number of occasions following some of his unacceptable actions during the course of the season. On the flip side, the Portuguese has succeeded in guiding Inter to the Champions League final and has a great opportunity to win a historic treble which could convince him to remain for at least another season in the peninsula. The Nerazzurri won the Coppa Italia by overcoming Roma 1-0 and will have a great opportunity to add the Serie A title considering they are on top of the league standings with one match to go. If the Nerazzurri win against lowly Siena then they will be crowned champions regardless of Roma’s result.

Finally, Mourinho’s greatest achievement will be winning the Champions League if his club can triumph in Madrid by beating the German champions Bayern Munich. Mourinho might decide his future following the match next weekend.

Milan were once again guilty of wasting an opportunity to close in on city rivals Inter after the Nerazzurri drew 2-2 in Florence a day prior to Milan’s match against Catania. The Rossoneri were determined enough to fight back to earn a 2-2 draw against visiting Catania but the club’s response came perhaps a little too late. Leonardo and his players were aware of Inter’s 2-2 draw with Fiorentina since the game was play a day earlier yet they appeared to tackle the challenge of beating Catania in a casual manner. They ultimately paid the price and are now behind Roma and Inter by four and three points respectively.

With five matches remaining in Serie A anything is possible and a four point difference can be overcome yet the recent performances of the Rossoneri have left a lot to be desired and their remaining fixtures will see them take on five clubs with European ambition. Sampdoria, Palermo and Juventus are fighting to win the coveted fourth spot which allows the club to play in the Champions League qualifying round while both Fiorentina and Genoa are aiming to play in the Europa League. Thus, considering the form of the Rossoneri (as well as key injuries to Alessandro Nesta and Alexandre Pato) and the quality of the opposing teams left on the calendar, Milan do appear to have blown their chances of fighting for the Scudetto.

This leaves new leaders Roma and current champions Inter as the main contenders for the Serie A title. The Giallorossi have a major advantage which is the fact they are focused on the league and do not have to play in Europe while the Nerazzurri are facing a major distraction in the shape of the extremely difficult semi-final tie against Barcelona in the Champions League. The two additional matches in Europe might seem like nothing but in reality Inter will have to expand a lot of energy in order to continue their course and try to advance to the final in Europe. The Nerazzurri have been desperate, in particular their president Massimo Moratti, to achieve European success and add it to their dominance on the domestic front.

Coach Jose Mourinho will have to focus much of his attention the next couple of weeks on containing Barca’s lethal hero Lionel Messi and midfield schemer Xavi Hernandez who was behind most of Barca’s attacks against Real Madrid in the 2-0 triumph in El Classico. Unfortunately for Mourinho the danger does not end with these two quality players because the Catalans have other weapons such as Andres Iniesta, former Inter star Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thierry Henry. Clearly this enticing match-up will consume a lot of time, energy and preparation from both Mourinho and his players.

In the midst of all this the Nerazzurri must still face the semi-final return leg in the Coppa Italia against Fiorentina and then take on fallen giants Juventus on Friday. Provided Mourinho rests many of his key players against la Viola, he will still have to put a strong team against the Bianconeri because a defeat or draw combined with a Roma victory could effectively hand over the title to the Giallorossi. Juventus might be struggling and look unlikely to head to Milan with the aim of beating Inter but if the Bianconeri have one last opportunity to redeem themselves then it would be by beating the Nerazzurri. The Calciopoli scandal, Inter’s recent dominance in Serie A and now the latest rounds of Calciopoli news have created an increasingly intense rivalry between Inter and the Old Lady. The Bianconeri players will try their utmost to upset Inter or at least snatch a draw in order to halt Inter’s progress in the league and also keep their hopes alive of making the Champions League.

While fatigue, exhaustion and European distraction might signal the downfall of the Nerazzurri, Roma will have to be careful not to let their one point lead slip away because nerves could be a decisive factor in the title race. The Giallorossi squad, except for Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi who won the World Cup with Italy, have little or no experience winning major trophies. The club’s coach Claudio Ranieri has often been labeled as soft and incapable of delivering on the big stage. Ranieri has never won the league title in Spain, England or Italy so this could serve as the perfect opportunity for him to earn his first major trophy.

Roma’s schedule appears easier on paper but they still must deal with Lazio in the Rome derby which could be a tricky prospect considering Lazio are still in danger of fighting for survival despite being outside the relegation zone. This round of matches will be crucial because Roma and Inter can drop points against Lazio and Juventus respectively. If they both lose and Milan win then the Rossoneri can jump right into the chase. However, in all likelihood the title race is going to boil down to Roma’s ability or lack off to win the remaining fixtures with the players not showing any signs of nervousness.

The Serie A season has perhaps been overshadowed by the struggles of Juventus which have culminated in the firing of Coach Ciro Ferrara. While it has been gloomy in Turin, the city of Milan has witnessed the revival of the Rossoneri but more importantly the continued dominance of the Nerazzurri on the domestic scene.

Coach Jose Mourinho has his Inter squad on the right path towards winning the Scudetto and potentially the Coppa Italia if he fields a strong side in the remaining rounds starting with the semi-final against Fiorentina. Mourinho has been a major force for the Nerazzurri and his contribution is particularly significant from the psychological perspective as he is a successful motivator who usually excels at getting the best out of his players while irritating the opponents. Mourinho has won in Portugal as well as England and has stuck to the winning trend since taking the helm at Inter. Former Inter Coach and current Manchester City Manager Roberto Mancini has paved the way for Mourinho’s success and it is now up to the Portuguese to take things a step further. Can Mourinho bring European glory back to the Nerazzurri?

He certainly has a strong foundation highlighted by a combination of experience and skill in the shape of players such as Javier Zanetti and Wesley Sneijder. Inter will in all likelihood retain the Serie A crown as Milan have stuttered in the two derby matches while Juventus are in an unenviable position outside the top four. The other teams are not equipped to challenge the Nerazzurri for the Italian league.

In the Coppa Italia Mourinho’s players succeeded in turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win thanks to a late winner scored by Mario Balotelli. The victory sealed the fate of Juventus Coach Ciro Ferrara who was sacked the following day and replaced by former Inter and Milan Coach Alberto Zaccheroni. Inter’s biggest challenge will come in the next round against a highly talented but inconsistent Fiorentina side. The Nerazzurri can overcome la Viola provided Mourinho relies on the core players for those fixtures.

As for Europe, Mourinho will be fired up for the emotional return to London to take on former club Chelsea. Ironically the Portuguese was let go because he supposedly failed to bring the European Cup to Stamford Bridge. To add a further twist to the much anticipated clash between the two sides, Chelsea is now managed by none other than former Milan Coach Carlo Ancelotti. Mourinho and Ancelotti are not exactly fond of each other and this should add another layer in what appears to be an intriguing and complex European tie. It will be quite difficult for Mourinho’s current club to beat the old one but if this occurs then who could bet against Inter winning the treble this season?

Eto'o tries to hold back the tears

What seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the lead in Group F turned out to be a moment of dawning for the Nerazzurri. It seemed like it was the perfect opportunity to overpower a weakened Barcelona, but now it seems plain that Inter is not in the top tier of European football.

The Nerazzurri had everything set up for them, Barcelona was missing large parts of their defense because of sickness, and their key strikers Messi and Ibrahimovic due to injury. Inter needed a simple win, and Barcelona could have been forced down to second, or even the Europa League, but Inter Milan couldn’t do it. Inter Milan met a hardworking Barcelona, determined to win through teamwork even if they were missing key components to the squad. This isn’t the first time we see Inter Milan fail to capitalize on the European stage, but why are Inter Milan so bleak when playing in the Champions League, when we have seen them be spectacular in Serie A? The answer is the mentality, Inter Milan are scared, they don’t want to try and pressure the opponent and play attacking football, they are too scared. Because of this they play a defensive, bland,  and uninviting style which rarely wins matches by the glamorous score-lines that other teams win by. Another problem with Inter’s mentality is the lack of humility, Rubin Kazan, Dinamo Kiev, and many other teams are humble, and therefore we see them prosper against reigning European Champions and Italian Champions.  Inter Milan went into the Barcelona match thinking that it was going to be a simple win, and they would breeze past the spanish giants. Barcelona instead went into the match with humility, playing a beautiful attacking game which caused Inter Milan to crumble to their feet.

Inter Milan have great talent in the squad, players that are worth millions that are not reaching their full potential, Inter Milan need to change their mentality, and if they don’t, they could easily be knocked out by Rubin Kazan next match. Mourinho was brought in to win the Champions League, and right now, it looks like we have no chance, maybe Jose Mourinho isn’t the man for the job.

What do you think? Comment below!

 Saturday November 22nd

Fiorentina 4 – 2 Udinese
Inter Milan 1 – 0 Juventus
 
Sunday  November 23rd 
 
 Chievo 0 – 2 Siena
 Lazio 1 – 1 Genoa
 Lecce 0 – 3 AS Roma
 Napoli 2 – 2 Cagliari
 Reggina 3 – 1 Atalanta
 Sampdoria 3 – 0 Catania
 Bologna 1 – 1 Palermo
 Torino 2 – 2 AC Milan

Answer to: Who Said that before the Inter vs Juventus derby?, #4 Ranieri, Cobolli-Gigli, Mourinho, Moratti

The annual Trofeo TIM pre-season tournament is today in Turin between Italy’s top three clubs. For more on this event see my article, Trofeo TIM In Turin

No Frank Lampard but Inter do have their new kit and doesn’t Javier Zanetti look stunning in his blue with white SWOOSH socks. Captain Zanetti contributed to a mini exhibition, providing ten shirts from his private collection, one for each year from 1998 at this morning’s presentation. 

Right off it looks like the biggest change is the away jersey which will be solid white. Absent is that wonderful red cross so many in England mistook for the cross of St. George.

I’ve noticed Matrix is front and centre during the photo op and other than Amantino Mancini one wonders if Mourinho will inject more new blood into the very talented lineup. 

If additional trades are to happen surely it will be very soon so stay tuned Inter faithful.

Finally, good to see Adriano back hopefully he can turn his career around this season I’m of the opinion if Mourinho can’t get the best out of him no one can.

Inter and Nike celebrated their ten-year partnership at today’s presentation.