Archive: Italy
To Get Your Blood Pumping ...
The anthems we'll hear at about 2 pm ET Sunday: France Italy...
By Jon DeNunzio | July 7, 2006; 02:43 PM ET | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
Italy-France -- Who Ya Got?
Ok, folks, last prediction of the blog ... who will win the final, and what will the final score be? (If you want to predict the third-place game, too, feel free. Did you see that our old friend MSOK is starting for Germany?) Another question -- if I do live updates during the final, will you all be there to read 'em? I seek guidance here. My prediction: Italy wins, 1-0. Luca Toni scores, and Buffon keeps making great saves....
By Jon DeNunzio | July 7, 2006; 01:16 PM ET | Comments (29) | TrackBack (0)
Overnight Group E Prediction Thread
Ok, who do you like and by what score Thursday? I have been saying the U.S.-Italy parlay has a 60-40 chance of coming in. Winners in each game will score twice. U.S. 2, Ghana 1 Italy 2, Czechs 0...
By Jon DeNunzio | June 21, 2006; 08:41 PM ET | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
Injuries and Fantasy
Ok, business first: If you haven't seen it yet, soccer fan Frank T. at Post.com has designed a cool fantasy game for the World Cup. Enter and enjoy. Camille, Jason and I are all planning to play; see how much better you can do than me. I assume you have seen the big news of the day: Germany F Michael Ballack will miss the opener....
By Jon DeNunzio | June 8, 2006; 03:30 PM ET | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Lunchtime Kick-About
First, more bad news for Italy: MF Gennaro Gattuso is hurt, and may miss two games. He's a guy I really enjoy watching, and think many of you would, too (if you haven't seen him play for AC Milan or Italy already). Just a bulldog out there, fearless. To wit: Gattuso said: "I'm disappointed, missing two games is a lot for me. I'm not superstitious but I think someone has put a curse on me. I'm going to the World Cup even if I have to tie myself to the team bus." - Germany GK Jens Lehmann talks some trash about England. "They know how to play well but they do not know how to go through a whole tournament. We have been there and done it. They haven't." Two points: 1) Sure, Germany has "done it," way back in 1990! Well, I guess 1996, if you count Euro championships....
By Jon DeNunzio | June 7, 2006; 02:15 PM ET | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
Morning Kick-About
I like stats (good stats, not junk like this), and FIFAWorldCup.com has a good stat-driven piece up today. They crunched the numbers on the average age of World Cup players thru history, and discovered that no winning side in the last 40 years has had an average age of 28 or more. In Chile 1962 [Brazil] weighed in at an average of 30 years and 1 month, a staggering 17 months older on average than the next oldest squad. Since then the average age of the winning squads has been: England (27/01); Brazil (25/02); Germany (27/03); Argentina (26/03); Italy (27/04); Argentina (26/10); Germany (27/09); Brazil (27/11); France (27/04) and Brazil (26/09). ... The average age of every player taking part in the Germany showpiece is 27/05. Remarkably that figure has scarcely changed over recent competitions. Four years ago it was 27/06 as it was in 1998. In 1994 it had...
By Jon DeNunzio | June 6, 2006; 09:20 AM ET | Comments (22) | TrackBack (0)
Morning Kick-About
There are four days till the first game, and it's time to kick it into a higher gear ... we'll start the day with the kick-about: - Friendlies that made news: Brazil 4, New Zealand 0: Saw some highlights on Sky (thanks to Fox Soccer Channel); Adriano's goal was quite nice. Kaka scored late on a long run that made you wonder how hard New Zealand was trying at that point. Australia 1, Netherlands 1: Again, saw some highlights. Good for Australia: GK Mark Schwarzer made some gigantic saves, and hey, it's a very respectable result. Bad for Holland: three Dutch players were hurt in the game; MF Wesley Sneijder seems to be worst off. "It's like an episode of M.A.S.H.," said Holland Coach Marco van Basten said. "It was some sight in the dressing room. But I don't regret the match because it is good to play physical football."...
By Jon DeNunzio | June 5, 2006; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
The Azzurri Reader
I was reading these stories, so you may as well, too. - Someone from FIFAWorldCup.com sat down with Francesco Totti. Not the most enlightening interview, but hey, it's Totti. (He's expected to start in a warmup match this week, btw). - The Guardian looks at the stress the calcio scandal has caused at Italy training HQ. Asked if the players talk about the scandals, Alessandro Nesta says: "We talk about little else. The whole business is a betrayal of those who love football. I want to turn back and smell the air of football as it was when I was little." - Player data from Football Italia. Kind of a cheesy site, but it does the job when you need a calcio fix ......
By Jon DeNunzio | May 30, 2006; 04:30 PM ET | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
The Stretch Run
Ok, after a nice holiday weekend off, it's time to get geared up for the Cup. If you're curious what's going on inside The Post's Soccer Central (aka "at my desk"), today most of the stories for the World Cup preview section are due. I'll be editing those over the next couple days, as well as planning some other stories you'll see in the paper over the next 10 days. Steve Goff leaves for Germany on Thursday, and Camille Powell and Jason LaCanfora leave Sunday. It's really hitting all of us that the big event is upon us ... Enough about us. Here are a couple newsy items I've spotted recently: - Injuries: Spain's Xabi Alonso, Italy's Gianluca Zambrotta, England's Michael Owen (!!), Holland's Rafael Van der Vaart, - Good news on the injury front for the Czechs (bad for the U.S., I suppose). Also good news for Tunisia's Hamed...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 30, 2006; 12:55 PM ET | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
Midnight Kick-About
Hey there ... I was away from my computer most of Thursday, so I have not had a chance to post. Here's one for you guys who might drop by late at night ... - Bad U.S. news: Cory Gibbs is out of the World Cup. It's not like Gibbs and Frankie Hedjuk are quote-unquote players you can't afford to lose, but two injuries at defense already? Yeesh. Gregg "Two Gs" Berhalter replaces Gibbs ... - We'll get Wayne Rooney MRI news Friday. BTW, how wild is the news that Man United fired the doc who was overseeing Rooney's recovery? He seemed to be giving the national team physio positive reports, and many figure Sir Alex Ferguson did not like that. In the spirit of fairness: United insist the departure of Dr Mike Stone, the physician who was in charge of Rooney's recovery, is not connected with the England star....
By Jon DeNunzio | May 25, 2006; 11:55 PM ET | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
Italian Scandal
I hadn't posted much about the Italian match-fixing scandal because it seemed like it was an issue for the Italian league, but not the national team. But today I read that national team GK Gianluigi Buffon may be involved: Among the names of players cited in Italian news reports Friday about the betting probe was that of Buffon, the Juventus and Italy goalkeeper. Any involvement could cost Buffon a spot on Italy's World Cup team, which is to be finalized by Monday. Turin newspaper La Stampa reported that Buffon was alleged to have bet hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars). Players are banned from any kind of betting on Italian soccer league matches. I may need to revise my predictions ......
By Jon DeNunzio | May 12, 2006; 05:08 PM ET | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
Who Do You Like in Group E?
Today's the big prediction day -- the Americans' group. Although I'm sure most of you don't need a primer, here are the basics: - Steve Goff's group analysis (written the day of the draw) - The Post's team profiles (also written in December). BBC.com on - The Czechs - Ghana - Italy - The U.S. Ok, so what happens here? What I want to see happen is Italy and the U.S. finish 1-2, accomplished by: - The U.S. surprising the Czechs with a tie, while Italy crusies past Ghana. - The U.S. keeps it close with Italy but loses; Czechs beat Ghana. - The U.S. blows out already-eliminated Ghana and Italy beats the Czechs ... allowing the U.S. to get through on goal differential. That would be sweet. I'm not saying it's likely, but a guy can dream, right? More probable: Italy and the Czechs tie at 7 points, the...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 12, 2006; 11:15 AM ET | Comments (79) | TrackBack (0)
Late Lunchtime Roundup
Hmmmm, where to start? I need to catch up ... - Germany F Michael Ballack sounds less than supremely confident. "Everyone must be aware that a surprise is possible with this young team - but also an early exit," Ballack said in SportBild magazine. - Australia, Sweden and Ecuador choose their teams. - Two players getting teased with "Hey, you still might make the team" talk: Holland MF Edgar Davids and England D Ledley King. - Reported in a comment yesterday -- Italy F Christian Vieri is out. Is it possible his last touch in a World Cup match was putting an exceedingly easy chance over the bar vs. South Korea? Or maybe I'm remembering it wrong....
By Jon DeNunzio | May 10, 2006; 01:45 PM ET | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
Lunchtime Kick-About
Around the world in 40 keystrokes (give or take) ... - Wayne Rooney will sleep in an oxygen tent in an effort to recover more quickly. Reading The Sun online has gotten a Billy Bragg song stuck in my head, btw ... - Other Rooney items of note: Sven-Goran Eriksson could replace him up to 24 hours before England's first match, a second examination is scheduled for Thursday , and the FA is denying a rift between Eriksson and Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson. Ferguson: Sven is going on saying he will take the lad and then in six weeks' time he will have another two weeks to get fitter to play in the quarter-final of a World Cup. That is a wild dream. Really it is folly to suggest that the boy could be out of the game for six weeks, then two weeks later go and play in...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 2, 2006; 01:35 PM ET | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Lunchtime Kick-About
What else is going on? - Angola is trying to get FIFA to allow two former Portuguese U-21/junior level players to play for its team in June. Interestingly, Angola's first World Cup opponent ... Portugal. - Spain MF Xavi returned to action over the weekend. - SuperPippo edges closer to a spot on Italy's roster. He had both goals for AC Milan vs. Livorn over the weekend ... - Oliver Kahn will retire from Bayern Munich after 2008. - Der Kaiser says Michael Ballack has already left Bayern Munich for Chelsea, mentally. I could do this whole blog off prounouncements from Beckenbauer, Mattaeus and Blatter, btw ... - In fairness, I should put out Nike's claim that they had nothing to do with Rooney's injury. Actually, I would find it hard to believe that a new-style cleat is really at the root of this injury, or others like it. That...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 1, 2006; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Two Group E Stars Getting Better
Here's the condensed version: the Czech Republic's Jan Koller and Italy's Francesco Totti are recovering, and both look pretty good to make it back for the World Cup. I suppose this may bum out some American fans ... I'll be happy to see two more stars in the big events. And hey, I think you know where I stand on the Italians ......
By Jon DeNunzio | April 28, 2006; 09:47 AM ET | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
Cassano Getting the Picture
Italy F Antonio Cassano -- an immensely talented but hotheaded 23-year-old -- said he thinks he won't be in the Italian side in Germany. What gave him that idea? The fact that he has played all of two games for the national team since Euro 2004? The fact that he doesn't play much at Real Madrid after burning bridges at Roma? The 23-year-old was given a rare start with Ronaldo out injured on Sunday, but was guilty of squandering some of his side's best chances as they laboured to overhaul a 1-0 deficit against the Primera Division's bottom club....
By Jon DeNunzio | April 24, 2006; 05:11 PM ET | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Lunchtime Kick-About
No story jumps out at me right now (other than Alecko Eskandarian possibly being in trouble for his antics vs. the Red Bulls -- and that doesn't really fit here), so here are some headlines: - At Arsenal, Sol Campbell will play, Philippe Senderos will not in the second leg of the Champions League semi on Tuesday. England fans can see how Solly's doing; Swiss fans can sweat it out -- would be a blow to lose Senderos for the World Cup. - I tire of being England-heavy in these news updates, but I have to point out that former England coach Bryan Robson took a shot at Beckham this weekend. "Becks would not have been my choice as captain. Gerrard and Terry are more natural leaders and have the aggression most managers like in a captain. ... Beckham is not a leader on the pitch." - Australia GK Mark...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 24, 2006; 01:45 PM ET | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
Francesco Totti, Michael Stipe and Akwa
If you've been paying attention so far, you're probably not surprised that I am starting here: Italy Coach Marcelo Lippi checks up on Francesco Totti, who seems to be well on the road to recovery. Doctor Pierpaolo Mariani, who operated on Totti, said he was confident the Roma captain would be ready for the FIFA World Cup. "For me, Francesco's injury has fully healed. We are amazed by his speedy recovery. He is about 15 days ahead of schedule." Meanwhile ... - I told you that Lothar Mattaeus's endorsement would not help Memhet Scholl: Klinsmann is not interested in the 35-year-old. Speaking of Scholl, listen to "Letter Never Sent" off R.E.M.'s Reckoning some time -- when Michael Stipe gets to the first words of the chorus, doesn't it sound like he is singing "Memhet Scholl" ... just a little? I mean, I know he's not actually singing that, but, well,...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 21, 2006; 12:50 PM ET | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
The Definitive Injury Post
Well, maybe that's too strong. But FIFAWorldCup.com does a nice job in this piece of getting us up to date on the major injury worries as June 9* (not to mention May 15**) approaches. Will they or won't they? XI on the fitness trail Oleksander Shovkovsky, Ukraine goalkeeper Gabriel Heinze, Argentina defender Sol Campbell, England defender Ledley King, England defender Ashley Cole, England defender Xavi, Spain midfielder Pablo Aimar, Argentina midfielder Lionel Messi, Argentina midfielder Francesco Totti, Italy forward Jan Koller, Czech Republic forward Michael Owen, England forward Did they miss anyone? Am I right in thinking the U.S. is fortunate not to have a major injury concern right now? * - Matchday 1 of the 2006 World Cup, as if you didn't know. ** -- FIFA's deadline for final roster submission....
By Jon DeNunzio | April 19, 2006; 11:04 AM ET | Comments (21) | TrackBack (0)
Morning Kick-About
- Rooney libel case settled. That's one distraction out of the way. The 700,000-pound gorilla lingers: The scale and voracity of Rooney's betting has shocked many observers. Although the player is paid nearly £3 million a year by United and earns about the same in endorsements, the debt represents a substantial slice of his annual income. It is more than a third of his salary after tax. - Sol Campbell hurt again. Is a spot in the English side realistic? (Please note my savvy use of prepositions) Well, Rio Ferdinand is on Sol's side. "Sol's been unfortunate, along with Jonathan Woodgate, with injuries in the last season. Maybe that will play against him or maybe he'll come back fresher, and the manager could see that as a good ingredient to add to the squad." - Trinidad & Tobago names its squad (provisionally). Players you might know thanks to their previous...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 13, 2006; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Morning Kick-About
A few headlines of note this morning: - The Guardian says Sven-Goran Eriksson has told Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole they are in his plans. - Match of the weekend? Arsenal-Manchester United. - FIFAWorldCup.com runs through Argentina's striking options. After Brazil, who looks better up top (on paper, at least) than these guys? - How often do you get to type this: Q&A with Cha-Bum Kun! Interesting to note that one of South Korea's best strikers, Lee Dong-Gook, did not play in 2002, but is expected to be there this time around. - Player wins injunction vs. German far-right party. The pamphlet pictured a white player wearing Owomoyela's jersey below the words: "White, not just a jersey color! For a real national team!" - Finally, I can't read much Italian, but I know what this quote from Carlos Alberto Parreira on Pippo Inzaghi means: E' come Paolo Rossi (He's like...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 7, 2006; 08:05 AM ET | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
SuperPippo
Ok, I swore to myself I would not overload readers with Italy news ... but I need to post this item as an update to my Inzaghi note below ... Scoreless in Turin, late in the first half ......
By Jon DeNunzio | April 5, 2006; 03:27 PM ET | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
ESPN2, today, 2:30 pm
Apologies to Barcelona and Benfica, but I'd have to say the Juventus-Arsenal Champions League quarterfinal is the game of the day today. Juve is in a big hole, having lost 2-0 at Highbury in the first of this two-legged quarter. And lots of players will miss this game. I love the Italian teams (see my last name), but they ain't known for offensive outburts, so I have a hard time imagining Juventus coming back. BTW, a year ago about this time, I was in Turin for the Juve-Liverpool game ... a 0-0 tie that allowed Liverpool to get to the semis. While we're talking Italy and Champions League, I could not help but notice that Filippo Inzaghi scored twice for AC Milan yesterday vs. Lyon. Last I read, "SuperPippo" seems to have very little shot at making the Italy team -- but he has been on fire for Milan since...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 5, 2006; 12:10 PM ET | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
