The ANNOTICO
Report
The
Aggressive Physicality of the USA seemed to bother Italy
in their match, even though USA
did not put the Ball in goal. Italy
did in EACH of the Goals, creating a 1-1 tie, a moral victory for USA, and a great disappointment to Italy, since Italy
beat the Czechs 2-0, and the Czechs beat the USA 3-0.
Will
Italy
play it's own game, or will it be drawn into a
physical game??
Unfortunately
it will depend on the Referees. IF they call contact close, the Roos may wind up a man short, but if the Refs call it
loose, the Roos may steamroller the Azzurri.
There
is Hope, since FIFA has indicated that it is encouraging technique over brawn.
There were 16 card calls in the Portugal
v Netherlands
contest tieing a Cup record.
There
are at least two side Issues.
(1)
Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink was coach of South
Korea when they knocked Italy out of the 2002 Cup, 2-1 in overtime.Trapattoni was incensed by
decisions that saw Francesco Totti sent off in
extra-time, and a goal by Damiano Tommasi
controversially ruled out for offside. Oh, Did I neglect to mention the
2002 Cup was HOSTED by South Korea.?
It was a bitter pill to swallow, since the second
round win emulated North Korea's
famous victory over Italy in
1966 - a result that still stands as one of the greatest World Cup UPSETS
of all time.
In 2002, Italy also had refereeing decisions go against
them in their 2-1 loss to Croatia when two
seemingly legitimate goals were disallowed, and another two goals were ruled
out in the following match against Mexico.
Italy is playing the 2006 World
Cup with the bitter taste of 2002 still on their tongue.
(2)
The Roos will badly miss the dynamism of the
suspended Brett Emerton.
The
Azzurri will be playing with Totti,
their best player at only 70%, still recovering from an ankle injury.
Alessandro Nesta has been ruled out for Italy after
failing to recover from a groin strain. Midfielder Daniele De Rossi will also
be absent for Italy as he serves the second of a four-match ban for elbowing
the USA's Brian McBride in the face.
Factoid:
Italy
play in blue shirts rather than the colours of their national flag in a custom dating back to
the country's pre-republican days. Blue was the official colour
of the Royal House of Savoy and the Azzurri tribute
to the Italian monarchy survives today.
ROOS WON'T BACK
DOWN
Border Mail - Albury,
New
South Wales,Australia
June 25, 2006
BERLIN: Let’s get
physical.
That could be the
theme song for Australias
World Cup eliminator against Italy
at Kaiserslautern
tomorrow morning.
The Socceroos enjoy a reputation as a fair but physically robust
team, and see no reason why they shouldnt
enhance that reputation tomorrow against a cultured team which could be
unsettled by an aggressive approach.
The Americans
tried similar tactics against three-times world
champion Italy
in their group match, and it paid dividends.
The US did not qualify for the round of 16, but did
succeed in scoring the only goal of the tournament against Italy so far,
coming away with a draw and taking the only point the Italians have dropped in
three games.
We will
adopt a high-pressure game against Italy,
said Lucas Neill, Australias
outstanding defender of the tournament to date.
The US performed very well in terms of the pressure
they put on Italy,
We have to
do the same.
Skipper Mark Viduka said: We are a very physical side.
We dont
pull out of tackles.
I dont
think we will change our game.
We wont
go out getting physical against Italy
on purpose, but we are not known for being scared of tackling.
Italian teams
over the years have hardly been angelic when it comes to cynical fouls, but
they like to play the game at their own pace.
For Australia,
getting physical tomorrow means not just challenging fiercely for every ball,
but denying Italian playmakers like Francesco Totti
the space to operate in.
To that end, the Socceroos will badly miss the dynamism of the suspended
Brett Emerton.
He is a
great athlete and he brings a lot of energy to the team, coach Guus Hiddink admitted today.
He is one of
the fittest players in the World Cup.
He is not
the most spectacular in terms of creativity, but he is very efficient in
causing trouble to opponents.
He is so
hard to stop.
He gives so
much not only at the start but also in the 85th minute of a tough game.
The Australians
rely on mental and physical strengths and Hiddink
said this had saved his team many times.