EURO 2012: ITALY v IRELAND

Venue: Municipal Stadium, Poznan Date: Monday, 18 June  Kick-off:19:45 BST or 2:45 PM EST

Once more onto the brink dear friends... The Azzurri face off against the Irish tomorrow in Poznan in what is hoped to be our great statement of EURO 2012. How often has it been that we have seen our squadra Azzurro reach the breaking point. Historically, when faced with a do or die situation; we have prevailed. However there is every reason to believe that tomorrow could hold the ultimate irony. Like EURO 04; our fate is held in the hands the formidable GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI. 

In 2004; Giovanni Trapattoni managed the Azzurri into his second major tournament. After infamously crashing out of WORLD CUP 2002 in the round of 16 at the hands of an Ecuadorian referee and his supporting cast of Koreans dressed in Red; Trapattoni was given the unanimous opportunity to redeem himself at EURO 04. After tying our first match against Denmark; ironically, the Azzurri put in what the "ENGLISH" media dubbed the greatest half of football at EURO 04. They were serene and brilliant, scoring a goal and taking the lead in the game. In the second half of that match; the Azzurri's composure was dramatically changed. In what I still find the oddest coaching decision of all time; Trapattoni removed all of the Azzurri's strikers - resulting in an über display of defensive football and ultimately a Swedish goal - courtesy of non-other than Ibrahimovic. 

Our third and final match was against Bulgaria. Trapattoni's seamless display of lunacy had put our fate into the hands of Sweden and Denmark. All we could do was win against Bulgaria to even give us a slight shot at advancing into the Quarter Finals.  Ironically, Denmark and Sweden only needed to draw 2-2 to seal the fate of an early expulsion for the Azzurri from EURO 04.

The final result as we're all aware of a victory for the Azzurri; courtesy of Antonio Cassano's memorable goal that began in euphoria and ended in tears as he and the Azzurri quickly realized Sweden and Denmark had played to a 2-2 result. Thus eliminating the Azzurri from EURO 04; sending Trapattoni into exile and beginning the reign of Marcello Lippi which would invariably lead to a WORLD CUP triumph in 2006.

Emperor Trapattoni Returns for the Battle of Poznan

Fast forward to 2012 and Trapattoni's resurrection as the saviour of another nation - Ireland. In charge of the Irish troops Trapattoni will be looking to mend the wounds of his team's early trip home of Poland and Ukraine with a defeat of the Azzurri. Surely he will be relishing this moment to add a victory to his personal vendetta of a team he once held the reigns to. 

Ironically enough; the original Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815. Although our troops will not be aligning in Belgium; we will be making our stand in Poznan, Poland on 18 June 2012.

The Azzurri

Speculation has been rempant as to the changes Prandelli will be making to the squad following our dismal second half performance against Croatia. As the eternal realist; I am fully expecting the return of Montolivo to the fray. However, we should also see the reassignments of Balzaretti and Di Natale to the Azzurri's starting lineup as Prandelli tries to rejig the squad and hope he can ignite a spark that could propel the Azzurri to Kiev on July 1st. 

Mario Balotelli in the meantime, will likely be sitting this one out. Based on incredible pressure from the media and tweaking his knee there is a chance Super Mario will likely not be starting in tomorrow's match. Instead, we're likely to rely on the micro-striker trio of Giovinco, Di Natale, and Cassano to try and muster some creativity and goals up front. 

Prandelli has been tight lipped about strategies for tomorrow's match; but I fully expect to see a continued 3-5-2 formation employed. We could also be in for the return of Barzagli to the fray as he has been deemed match fit. 

Here's what Fabio Capello's been saying of the 3-5-2 formation:
"The 3-5-2 formation is, as I have always said, a more defensive system to play because normally if you defend, then you defend with five defenders in one line,"

"In the past you played with a sweeper and two players whose job it is to mark; [they are] the two so-called stoppers. Now this sweeper plays on the same line as his teammates. So you've always got one player behind you to cover and you play with five men behind the ball which is a very defensive system.

"But at the same time you have the two wing-backs who can create a lot of danger down the flanks. I have to say that when I won the domestic title with Roma we played with this system, too. I had Cafu on the right and Vincent Candela on the left."

- if Capello is right; which I think he is; it seems to be the perfect formation for attaining a minimal result (a draw) - we likely need more from the Azzurri tomorrow.

Buffon on the general mentality going into tomorrow's match

"For two days people have exclusively been talking about a biscotto," Buffon said on his personal Facebook page, using the colloquial term which roughly translates to 'stitch-up'.

"A biscotto here, a biscotto there, a biscotto up, a biscotto down ... it’s as if we’d already beaten Ireland," he continued.

“As if we owned the culture of suspicion and were the only ones who could use it ... As if drawing a match is the same as getting a 2-2 result ... As if settling for a result (that satisfies both teams) in the last 20 minutes is the same as fixing a game ... As if the others were always the guilty parties ... As if in order to hide our insecurity and fragility we always need an alibi."

“Let us focus on ourselves and try to win the match. The rest is hot air, bar talk, the conjecture of mediocrity and thinking like losers.”

Italy v Ireland tomorrow will be a match unlike any other at Euro 2012. We will likely be focused intently on the match; while maintaining a watchful eye on Spain v Croatia. Here are some scenario's for tomorrow's matches:

1. "IF" Croatia wins or Spain wins and the Azzurri win against Ireland: ITALY will go to the Quarter Finals
2. "IF" Croatia and Spain Draw 1-1 and ITALY wins: ITALY will go through to the Quarter Finals
3. "IF" Croatia and Spain Draw 2-2 or 3-3 or more and ITALY wins: ITALY will be eliminated from EURO 2012
4. "IF" ITALY draws Ireland: ITALY will be eliminated from EURO 2012
5. "IF" ITALY loses to Ireland: ITALY will be eliminated from EURO 2012

*As a reminder we are currently on a 5 game winless streak. Which for a team like the Azzurri is horrible.

The Last Three ITALY v IRELAND Results:

• 2009-04-01: ITALY 1 - IRELAND 1 World Cup Qualification match
• 2009-10-10: ITALY 2 - IRELAND 2 World Cup Qualification match
• 2011-06-07: ITALY 0 - IRELAND 2 International Friendly Match

"Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlinings."

MatchDay (Cancelled): Italy v Luxembourg: Road to Euro 2012 and the Final 23!

**UPDATE** Due to an Earthquake in the Region of Emilia Romagna Italy v Luxembourg has been Cancelled. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones lost in this tragedy.  

Amidst a new wave of controversy sweeping Italian Football, the Azzurri commence their trek to Ukraine-Poland today at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma. Fate would have it that minnows Luxembourg will be our first test in what promises to be a month of facing progressively stronger adversaries.

More on the game in just a moment; but first - let's touch on the ugly side of Football - a New Match fixing scandal. 

Calciopoli pt. II or III or IV Depending how you look at it. 

There is no surprise here. The events of yesterday; with the detaining of Mauri and Criscito were always in front of us. I didn't fully expect anyone to be detained; however, we did expect another match fixing scandal to be in the works, especially with the announcements of various investigations (mostly centred around Siena) taking place. The timing could not be more practical. A day before Prandelli is due to report his final 23-man preferetti to UEFA two police vehicles show up to the Italian training camp and pay a three hour visit. 

Likely such a situation could throw any team into a little crisis mode. It isn't always the best of situations when you hear of the authorities raiding homes of various players and coaches. Yet, I somehow have come to appreciate the understanding that in Italy, we seem to thrive in situations of controversy. Look at past experiences; 1982 betting scandal - we pull off a World Cup Triumph; 2006 Calciopoli - player's squads are relegated to Serie B, coaches quitting, people detained, Pessotto attempts suicide - we win a World Cup. The best part of 2006's World Cup though was all or most of these events took place during the tournament; an achievement to this magnitude is simply unheard of and quite frankly isn't heralded enough. 

This time around; we do have a little cloud that is hanging over us. L. Bonucci, has been subjected to allegations of match fixing for several months; yet he still remains with the squad. Prandelli pointed to Criscito's dismissal yesterday as a necessity, as the allegations alone would have proven too stressful to the player throughout a major tournament like Euro 2012; thus impeding his performances. I completely agree. But what of Bonucci. Surely, he too is aware of the guillotine hovering over him. Could it only be a matter of time? Should Prandelli be so bold in dismissing the Juventus centre back today? (Please note that Bonucci is not under a formal investigation at this time)

The subject of match fixing is something that I reckon needs to be delved into more on a continental level. I don't think this is something native to only Italy and I'm sure it takes place in leagues around Europe (I'm talking the big leagues); I do believe though that after the events of 2006, Italy is taking it a little more serious then a few of the other leagues. Hopefully these proceedings don't have any further direct effect on the Azzurri camp. 

The Final 23. 

In addition to some legal wranglings yesterday, Prandelli also managed to alleviate a few people of their duties in the Italian camp.  Here are the final 23 for Euro 2012:

PORTIERI: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St. Germain)

DIFENSORI: Ignazio Abate (Milan), Federico Balzaretti (Palermo), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Angelo Obinze Ogbonna (Torino)

CENTROCAMPISTI: Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Alessandro Diamanti (Bologna), Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris St. Germain), Antonio Nocerino (Milan), Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

ATTACCANTI: Mario Barwuah Balotelli (Manchester City), Fabio Borini (Roma), Antonio Cassano (Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Sebastian Giovinco (Parma),

That means, Marco Verratti, Davide Astori, Savlatore Bocchetti, Luca Cigarini, Ezequiel Schelotto, Domenico Criscito; will not be getting an all expenses paid trip to Euro 2012. 

We will annex Luxembourg as we descend on Poland-Ukraine

Even with the events above taking place, we are now set to take part in our first official exhibition match this evening against Luxembourg. Our starting 11 is expected to be a little uncharacteristic as Prandelli tinkers with his Azzurri machine to see what cogs best fit in into our overall scheme. One thing apparent so far is that this Azzurri squad will be unlike the one that lined up for the 2012 FIFA WORLD CUP. Attack will be our focus and if the exhibition matches and qualification matches should be of any sign, this Azzurri team will be unafraid to control the play and dictate the outcome.

Luxembourg to their credit are one of the minnows of Europe. They have faced the Azzurri a total of 8 times in their history and have succumbed to defeat 8 times - having never scored a goal against the Italians. History should not be under threat today. It's expected the line-ups 

Today's should feature an indication to how the Azzurri are copping with the stresses of this new betting scandal. I fully expect the pressure of the off field scandal to melt off of them seconds into the match as the stresses of their long trek to the summit in Kyiv on July 1st 2012. The road begins today, regardless of any off field distractions. 

Despite DeRossi's talk about this being the "Worst Scandal" - I firmly believe that if something like this had to happen to any national team on earth; I'm happy to have it happen to us. It'll make us better and it'll make us play with more passion and determination. While other national teams would cripple under the pressure, we naturally thrive under the controversy. Scandal is in our blood and I'm excited for this tournament to begin in just over a weeks time. Forza Azzurri. 

On a side note, I will be missing today's match. If anyone would like to write up a quick synopsis email me at marcowcb@gmail.com 

More injuries and more certainties

Well we're off to a great start. While news of Chiellini's injury is still making it's rounds; another Azzurri star could be on the sidelines - Sebastian Giovinco. Reports indicate that the Parma attacker has been sidelined win a knee injury and will be out of action for the next 10 days. Since today's May 15th I'm not too troubled... This will at let give him time to rest up for the June 5th start. However, his injury does throw a wrench into Prandelli's selection process as Giovinco has no featured as a fixture in the mould of Cassano, Chiellini, or Pirlo for the Azzurri thus far.

In other injury news De Rossi has a fractured finger that may require a little surgery. This shouldn't impact his participation at Euro2012.

In other news Giancarlo Abete has confirmed that's Prandelli will likely stick around after Euro 2012 regardless of the teams performance.

"the outcome of the Euros is not a variable for Prandelli's confirmation." said the FIGC president.

I've had mixed feelings about Abete since the beginning of his reign. However, with this kind of backing it gives the entire Italy camp a very grounded feeling of continuity arriving into the euros. If you recall there was a circus even before the world cup with Lippi announcing he would be quitting after the world cup - then again that camp was a mess.

We have just over half a month until the commencement of this tournament and I have to admit I'm very excited to see every minute of it. There really is this sense of rejuvenation for the Azzurri. Aside from his record in exhibition matches, I've been very content with Prandelli so far. His selections for the most part have been justified and his tactics have been sound.

Let the countdown begin

The Euro 2012 32 Man List Has Arrived!!

Prandelli has finally released his short list of the 32 Players that have a shot of going to Euro 2012. Below is the list of players who will be called upon to test their metal and plead their case to head to Ukraine and Poland this June. 

Portieri: Buffon (Juventus), De Sanctis (Napoli), Sirigu (Paris St. Germain), Viviano (Palermo);
Difensori: Abate (Milan), Astori (Cagliari), Balzaretti (Palermo), Barzagli (Juventus), Bocchetti (Rubin Kazan), Bonucci (Juventus), Chiellini (Juventus), Criscito (Zenit San Pietroburgo), Maggio (Napoli), Ogbonna (Torino), Ranocchia (Inter);
Centrocampisti: Cigarini (Atalanta), De Rossi (Roma), Diamanti (Bologna), Giaccherini (Juventus), Marchisio (Juventus), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Thiago Motta (Paris St. Germain), Nocerino (Milan), Pirlo (Juventus),Schelotto (Atalanta), Verratti (Pescara);
Attaccanti: Balotelli (Manchester City), Borini (Roma), Cassano (Milan), Destro (Siena), Di Natale (Udinese), Giovinco (Parma).

My initial reaction to the 32 man squad is one of interest. While today signified the conclusion to two historic Azzurri figures: Inzaqhi at Milan and Del Piero at Juventus (although it's likely Del Piero will continue to play elsewhere); this Azzurri squad screams a freshness not seen on the National team since 1998. I'd even argue the Azzurri this time around is even more fresh. Look at some of the names here: Verratti, Schelotto, Borini, Destro, heck even Giaccherini; these guys have each played some great football this year, although some of them aren't spring chickens anymore, they do have this aura of freshness to them. 

I really like the Giaccherini call-up; as it really points to an added depth on the Azzurri. He's been a great workhorse for Juventus this year and would be great off the bench for the Azzurri. Two of my favourite callups though are in attack with Giovinco and Cassano. Both have played inspired football this year; Giovinco has gone from a Juventus outcast to a player on Barcelona's radar for 2012-2013. Cassano, lead the Azzurri through qualification; in October he suffered stroke like symptoms and had to go under the knife. The fact that he's even playing again, let alone regaining his form so quickly is simply inspiring. 

I'm quite content with this squad, I can understand why Pazzini and Matri are also not on this squad. Balotelli is likely to be used as a prima punta; with an incredible wealth of talent falling inline behind him.  Let's see how they come together over the next couple of weeks. For me, this is an inspiring start.  

Euro2012 Squad Update: Monday in Coverciano Prandelli Releases the List:

The FIGC has only a short while ago announced their plans to unveil Coach Cesare Prandelli's list of finalists to makeup the Azzurri's 23 man squad for Euro 2012. The press release is highlighted below.


Next Monday, May 14th, at 12:00 pm, at the Federal technical center in Coverciano, in the presence of the FIGC president, Abete and the president of Club Italia, Albertini, the list of players called by head coach Cesare Prandelli will be released for the preparation phase of the 2012 European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.
The players will go to Coverciano the following day for a series of tests that end on Tuesday afternoon. The players still involved in official activities with their respective clubs will be exempt from these tests.
According to the UEFA regulations, the official list of the 23 players chosen for the final phase of the European Championships must be communicated by the FIGC before 12:00 pm on May 29th.
Here, in detail, is the program for the National team:


Sunday, May 13, 2012
Names of players called released
Monday, 14 May 2012
h. 12.00 Players meet in Coverciano
h. 12.00 Press Conference with head coach
h. 13.30 ca Press conference (players + physician)
h. 15.00 Athletic Tests (closed doors)
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
h. 10.00 Athletic Tests (closed doors)
h. 15.00 Athletic Tests (closed doors)
Players return to their respective clubs


Who do you think will make the provisional 30 man list? I'll go out on a limb and predict the following:


Buffon, Viviano, De Sanctis, Chiellini, Barzagli, Rannochia, Bonucci, Abate, Maggio, Santon, Ogbonna, Criscito, Balzaretti, De Rossi, Marchisio, Montolivo, Nocerino, Motta, Pirlo, Pazzini, Matri, Giovinco, Cassano, Balotelli, Borini, Palombo, Astori, Quags, Borriello, Palombo