Do you want to know what the definition of true love is? Someone who believes that Italy will repeat as World Cup Champions this year. Notwithstanding the skills of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, why coach Marcello Lippi, who exhibited such skillful tactics in the last World Cup, including putting three attackers in during extra time in the semi-final against Germany, would feel so determined to include Fabio Cannavaro, Mauro Camaronesi, and Gianluca Zambrotta on his squad, especially given the dreadful year their club, Juventus had is beyond me. They finished 7th barely qualifying for the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
So who will he put in central defense? Cannavaro probably paired with his teammate, Giorgio Chiellini, with Gianluca Zambrotta and Salvatore Bocchetti in the fullback roles. If I were an Azzurri fan, I would want him to pair Chiellini with Domenico Criscito, but I really don’t who he would pair with Bocchetti instead of Zambrotta.
While I wouldn’t question Gennaro (the Snarling Hound) Gattuso’s determination, drive and heart, as a midfield stopper, he’s not a kid any more. Daniele de Rossi may very well bear much of the heavy weight in central defense. So with questions about Mauro Camaronesi’s fitness and playmaker Andrea Pirlo likely to miss much of the first round, I’m at somewhat of a loss as to who will be leading the midfield offense. Claudio Marchisio with Camaronesi assuming he’s fit?
For the record, I really don’t understand why Giuseppe Rossi was dropped, especially given the paucity of goals scored by some of the others who were kept, e.g., Simone Pepe, (who has scored no goals with 13 caps vs. Rossi’s three goals with 14 caps) and Vincenzo Iaquinta (35 caps and 5 goals). I agree with his decisions to leave off Francesco Totti and Luca Toni, but he should have found a place for Rossi. In the attack he should slot Alberto Gilardino in along with Antonio DiNatale, Serie A’s top scorer at 32 for a team (Udinese) that finished barely above the relegation zone.
Paraguay is in my opinion, an underrated team from South America. They have a good keeper in Justo Villar, who has the misfortune of playing on a weak club team (Valladolid in Spain) and who is eager to redeem himself after leaving the 2006 World Cup with an injury seven minutes into his first game. I like Julio Caceres as one of the center backs (notwithstanding the fact that he plays for the loathsome Atletico Mineiro :-) and Paulo da Silva as the other. I’m not sure who will be the full backs, but I’m going to bet on Dario Veron and Claudio Morel. The underrated Victor Caceres should anchor the defensive midfield with Nestor Ortigoza and Enrique Vera and Cristian Riveros supplying the midfield attacking component.
Here’s where it gets a little tricky. Will coach Gerardo Martino go for the popular, talented, but oft-injured Roque Santa Cruz, or will he use the newly naturalized Lucas Barrios along with OScar Cardozo? He’s also got decent options on the bench with Edgar Benitez and the fleet Rodolfo Gamarra.
I am not as familiar as I’d like to be with Slovakia. Jan Mucha is their number one goalkeeper and is due to become Tim Howard’s backup at Everton. Their center backs are probably their best players, Martin Skrtel and Jan Durica, along with attacking midfielders, Marek Hamsik and Miroslav Stoch. I don’t know who will feature as forwards, but I would pick Filip Holosko and Stanislav Sestak.
I mean no disrespect to any of the Kiwi fans, but there are two primary reasons why New Zealand is in the World Cup and the first is that Australia moved to the Asian Confederation, the second being that they beat Bahrain by an aggregate score of 1-0 in two games. Notwithstanding, their recent 1-0 victory over Serbia, I believe that they will be more grateful for the experience than anything else.
So here’s where I go out on a limb; an exceptionally long limb. I’m going to pick Slovakia and Paraguay to go through. I think Italy may be undone by Paraguay’s speed in their opening game.
Here are my comments on Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D and Group E.
Cross-posted at Beautiful Horizons
wobbly
You spend some of your precious minutes of life caring about this crap?
[Next comment like that will be deleted – Randinho]
PeakVT
Stay classy, wobbly.
MikeJ
Only marginally on topic, does SA have summer time? Their usual time is GMT +2. I’m on PDT, GMT-7, which means live games are going to be very inconvenient.
Randinho
@MikeJ: games here in New York will be at 7:30, 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Still better than 2002 when I spent a month bleary-eyed.
Honus
Harry Crews defined true love many years ago in A Feast of Snakes.
KRK
Go Slovensko!
Mark S.
Wow, you don’t think Italy will get through? I’ll take them and Paraguay (who will win it).
Violet
I’m cheering for New Zealand in this group. How are they even in the World Cup? Love that they’re there. Plus, I’m an All Blacks fan, so I feel a slight tug of loyalty.
But back in reality, I like Paraguay’s chances here. I’m looking forward to seeing what Caceres and Villar can do on the national team. And what about their teammate Salvador Cabanas being shot? That’s the kind of thing that could propel them farther in the tournament.
Randinho
@Mark S.: If they don’t beat Paraguay in the first game, they could be in trouble. I did say I was going out on a limb :-)
burnspbesq
@MikeJ:
Be glad you don’t live in Sydney. I think all of Australia’s group stage games are at 4:30 a.m. AET.
We at least get USA – England during daylight everywhere in the US.
r€nato
Wobbly, what’s more of a waste of time: caring about the World Cup or taking the time to post a comment like yours? This is far, far from the only blog on the intertrons, you know. Besides, over 90% of the world outside US borders would strongly disagree with you.
Now why don’t you run along and go play with a loaded gun.
r€nato
Randinho, I take to heart your opening lines about gli azzurri… I am rooting mightily for them but in my heart I expect no better than the quarterfinals. If they don’t even make it out of F this place is going to riot (not kidding about that, either).
I’ve watched their lackluster play since 2006 and the only move of Lippi’s of which I can wholeheartedly approve, is dropping that worthless Toni from the squad. For the most part, the nazionale had not aged well since 2006. As usual with everything else in Italy, I think other considerations besides merit have been in play WRT Lippi’s decisions.
Can you explain why Balotelli is not on the squad? I hope it’s not race…
Randinho
@r€nato: That’s a good point on Balotelli. I really don’t know. The Rossi thing has me utterly mystified. I wonder if he wishes he’d gone with the US now. He certainly would have made it to the World Cup then.
Randinho
Renato,
Who do you pull for in Serie A?
anonymous
I cheered when Rossi got shitcanned. Serves him right.
r€nato
Sure, Rossi wishes now he’d gone with the USA, but that’s hindsight. Hard to blame him for choosing to play for one of the perennial elite teams, given the chance.
I am just as mystified about Rossi, as I am about Balotelli (and it’s awfully hard for me to dismiss the race angle, as much as I wish I could). In case you didn’t pick up on it, I’m here in Italy and for the duration of the tournament. Maybe I can ask around and get some answers from locals who follow the ins-and-outs of the nazionale more than I do…
r€nato
R- I Viola, because I am half-florentine. Sadly, rooting for them is about as futile as rooting for my other favorite team, the Phoenix Suns.
r€nato
(and now you understand why I’m so bitter about Luca Toni!!!)
Randinho
Forza Viola! I’ve pulled for them since Batistuta played there.
Randinho
I’m glad to see that Toni got his comeuppance at Bayern given that I’m a Kaiserslautern fan.
r€nato
Ale ale ale!!!!
Keep pulling, they need all the support they can get…
Ailuridae
Radinho and others:
Not WC related but if you haven’t seen the NYT piece by Sokolove on the AJAX academy system it is really great. (It is also very long.)
Funkhauser
May I just say that I’m glad that we’re oh-so-close to Randy’s take on the Seleção? Good night from somewhere west of Sampa.
Brandon
@r€nato: Balotelli didn’t go because he’s batshit insane and the entire squad hates his guts. As if Italy had enough problems without that cancer. Considering the last thing he will ever do again in an Inter shirt is give his own fans (if you can call those mouth breathing Ultras “fans”) the finger after they dismantled Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final at the San Siro. Following that he reportedly got assaulted by Matterazzi in the the tunnel. He’s a gifted player for sure, but his head is all messed up and if he ever gains some sanity and considers his life, he’ll realize what he’s wasted and be wistful about what might have been.
El Cruzado
I dunno. Italy always seems to somehow manage to suck all the way to (at least) the semifinals.
I think footie fans everywhere (including probably in Italy itself) would appreciate if they finally got kicked out ASAP to see if they finally decide to play something that doesn’t make the viewers cringe.
r€nato
I agree El, Italy seems to need to have its back against
the wall before they pull together and play up to their potential. It would not surprise me at all if they lose to Paraguay and barely squeak out of group play anyhow. Just once I’d like to see them play with the consistency and brilliance they’re capable of.
db
Exactly the picks I have coming out of this group… thank goodness; you obviously have some phenom soccer knowledge so I think I got to be at least a quarter of a soccer genius if my picks line up with yours.
andy in nz
Go New Zealand, last and only other time we have been to the World Cup was 1982. It was big then, and I was 10. 2010 is huge, its been a long time between drinks
I suspect we will come bottom of the group though.
Splitting Image
Not exactly World Cup related, but I’d just like to mention that I still think allowing extra teams from the elite countries into the Champions League and eliminating the Cup Winner’s Cup were the two worst decisions in all of professional sports history.
To me, the great thing about UEFA was that it managed to balance league play and a knockout tournament in each country and with an international competition between the winners every year. The UEFA Cup was like the “best of the rest” tournament but sometimes had the strongest field as you got deep into the tournament, and it often gave you the best picture of how strong the leagues were relative to each other.
Now you don’t really have to win your league to get in the Champions League (so it isn’t really a Champions League anymore) and the UEFA Cup is firmly established as the Loser’s Tournament, because the Champions League also-rans get berths in that tournament as well.
I find it a lot tougher to care about the whole thing than I used to.
Comrade Kevin
I’m really looking forward to these games. Thanks, Randy!
My biggest hope, after the USA winning the whole thing (yeah, I know), is that they beat England, especially after the British tabloids have said that the group is E-A-S-Y (England, Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks).
I want to see another picture of the England coach’s head replaced with a turnip.
Phoenician in a time of Romans
I mean no disrespect to any of the Kiwi fans, but there are two primary reasons why New Zealand is in the World Cup and the first is that Australia moved to the Asian Confederation, the second being that they beat Bahrain by an aggregate score of 1-0 in two games. Notwithstanding, their recent 1-0 victory over Serbia, I believe that they will be more grateful for the experience than anything else.
Trust me, saying we’re crap at international soccer is not going to come as a huge shock or disappointment to us.
Tattoosydney
Yay! Group G next – Portugal and Brazil!
wengler
Yeah, no reason to be ripping on the Kiwis. I think they are the only team in the tournament to have players that aren’t professional footballers. They ARE happy to be there and deserve full accolades no matter what their performance.
As far as Italy goes I think it is easy to see that this team is way too old. They drew an easy group so advancement out isn’t going to be a problem, but if this team was in the group it was four years ago there would be major doubts. I get that Rossi wasn’t in form and Balotelli is tough to love, but come on the next generation needs to get their opportunities.
I don’t have a doubt in my mind that Balotelli should’ve been awarded a spot. His talent is a game changer as he proved many time on Inter this season. He might need a strong personality to guide him(a Mourinho more than a Lippi), but his representation on this team is important not only for him but all of Italy. It’s about time they figure out Italians can be black too.
Maybe I just have a chip on my shoulder because that US-Italy game from 2006 was pretty damn dirty, but here’s to the Azzuri going out of the cup finals early. My prediction is for Paraguay to win the group with Italy finishing second. Slovakia will perform admirably and fall short, while the All Whites will do their home fans proud by getting at least one goal in cup competition.
SRW1
Interesting. I have France on my watch list as the big team most likely to deflate mightily at the group stage (as they did in 2002). But you could be right, Italy might just take that role this time.
I am not so familiar with Italian football at the club level, but doesn’t the amazing number of players at or close to their mid thirties indicates that there is a generational gap developing that’s not boding well for the future of the squadra azzurra?
Some immigrant guy
That’s a huge call that Italy won’t make it through.
A bit like Germany, Italy always seem to make it to the later rounds of the major competitions and I don’t see them messing up here.
I am not totally sold on Paraguay. South American qualifying this time was not box-office… Brazil were good, and Chile punched above their weight, but there was a lot of pretty ordinary football.
Slovakia, likewise, came through a patchy European qualifying group, whereas Italy were unbeaten.
I don’t see Italy winning the whole thing, but their experience will see them through the group stage, and then I’ll say Paraguay to join them, just because.
Phoenician in a time of Romans
Yeah, no reason to be ripping on the Kiwis. I think they are the only team in the tournament to have players that aren’t professional footballers. They ARE happy to be there and deserve full accolades no matter what their performance.
Wonderful. We’re the lovable Down Syndrome kid of international soccer.
Blue Neponset
Thanks for these posts Randy.
I would love to see Italy sent home after the group stage. Hard to see it happening though. I can’t imagine Italy losing to both Slovakia and Paraguay.
Did anyone catch the Spain/Poland friendly yesterday? Spain looked like they were playing Bunker Hill Community College. I was also amazed at the depth of their bench. Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas came off the bench. Scary! They looked like world beaters.
Bootlegger
@wengler:
Not to mention the penalty-earning dive against the Aussies. The Eyeties are a bunch of pussies and good riddance.
Bootlegger
@Some immigrant guy: If both UEFA and CONMEBOL are down this year, then which region has the most depth? You can always count on one Euro and one South American minnow making a quarterfinal. Personally I like Uruguay to beat the Franks on opening day but the other Incas could pull an upset too against the Romans. For Eurominnow I like the Danes or Serbs but again wouldn’t be surprised if it was Slavs (but please Soccergods, not Slovenia!).
Our Mutts will beat the Angles on Saturday!
Randy Paul
If Paraguay beats Italy in the frst group game, then Italy is in big trouble. Here’s a conceivable scenario: Paraguay beats or ties Italy, Slovakia beats New Zealand, Italy beats New Zealand, Slovakia and Paraguay tie, Slovakia beats or ties Italy and Paraguay beats New Zealand. Who goes through would then depend on the goal differential against New Zealand.
@Ailuridae: I read it. It was a great artticle.
Brandon
@Bootlegger: You have to blame ref for that as much as Grosso. To give that PK in injury time no less, despicable. I have no love for Italian football, from catenaccio to calciopoly, it can all go to hell as far as I’m concerned.
Tracy
@Bootlegger:
That was just a makeup call for them getting screwed in 2002.
ThresherK
Anyone notice how some players have voiced concerns about the ball for this tournament? And using their own names, IIRC.
I don’t know why FIFA does this. I don’t recall the most important item in a championship being rolled, brand-new, out of boxes for the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA finals, Stanley Cup, Olympics, Wimbledon, or other big title tilt.
(And I do recall the stuff about the new NBA ball lately. It was done at the start of the season. Imagine the fun if it was done at the start of the playoffs.)
Leinad
NZ are not happy to be there.
Their fans might be, but NZ teams don’t do “happy to be here”. “Here” for them is where Australia were in 2006 and if treated with disdain they can pack a sharp punch. Shane Smeltz doesn’t play in the Champions league but he’s a natural finisher and if given the slightest bit of slack he will score.
Paradoxically, I think they will give the Azzuri more trouble than Slovakia and Paraguay as Italy always start slowly and are the most prone to arrogance of the three.
Some immigrant guy
@Bootlegger: I like Uruguay’s chances of coming out of Group A more than Paraguay’s here, and I think Uruguay have a shot at doing some damage beyond because with Forlan and Suarez they have a very dangerous strike force.
But generally, I think Europe is in the best shape, though I admit it’s because Spain skews the overall picture. This is their tournament to lose.
Mike Lamb
@Brandon:
I’ve heard more than a few comments that Balotelli is nuts, but getting assaulted by Materrazi doesn’t necessarily qualify.
I was also glad that Rossi got dumped. He didn’t need to play for Italy to make his name.
Calouste
@ThresherK:
They always have a new ball every World Cup and players are always bitching about it. I’m pretty sure part of it is to generate free publicity for Adidas.
ThresherK
Calouste:I’m pretty sure part of it is to generate free publicity for Adidas.
I’d be fine with that if it wasn’t such a qualm with the players.
Another way: How often do new Adidas football cleats generate free publicity for Dr. Scholls’?
Calouste
One thing to note is that Italy have a rather favorable draw. They play their first match at sealevel, and, if they win the group, they will play all the other matches except the semi final at altitude.
Stroszek
@wobbly: Yeah, he obviously should be trolling internet comments instead. Go outside and kick a ball around. You might feel better about yourself.
Bill Murray
ESPN Classic is showing classic world cup matches. Currently England v. Argentina from 1986
Royston Vasey
Ah, go you good Kiwi things!
All Whites to score a goal!
Yay!
RV in NZ
Steeplejack
@MikeJ:
Just checked today for my own viewing schedule. South Africa is Zulu +2. I’m at Zulu –4 in EDT. Six hours’ difference. I pity soccer fans on the West Coast.
(Zulu = GMT but sounds cooler.}
Royston Vasey
@Violet:
NZ were winners of the Oceania conference, then played Bahrain (Asian xth place). Australia also play in the Asian conference now.
International rugby season starts this weekend.
All Blacks play Ireland in New Plymouth
Go the ABs!
RV in NZ
tori
i lovee italy (:
i’m italian and even though it would be very hard for them to win the world cup twice in a row, i’m keeping my fingers crossedddd