Friday, June 04, 2010 Italy: World Cup 2010; Experimenting with 4-2-3-1 Formation Coach Marcello
Lippi has two Friendlies vs Mexico and Switzerland before the start of
the Cup. Mexico offers a good test for Lippi's new formation because
El Tri's style of play is similar to that of Paraguay, the team that Italy
will face when it opens defense of its World Cup title June 14.
With Italy's Cup opener looming, Coach Marcello Lippi is experimenting with a 4-2-3-1 formation Los Angeles Times; By Kevin Baxter; June 2, 2010 Reporting from Brussels — It might seem a little late in the game for Italy to be experimenting, what with its World Cup opener less than two weeks away. But then Marcello Lippi didn't get to be one of the most successful coaches in history by taking the easy way out. So when the Azzurri step down from
the Italian Alps to take on Mexico on Thursday in Brussels in a World Cup
tuneup, they will be bringing a new look with them. And we're not just
talking about the lineup, which will be missing winger Mauro Camoranesi
and New Jersey-born striker Giuseppe Rossi.
Italy has been trying out a 4-2-3-1 lineup in training, and Lippi said it's very much a work in progress. "One of the two friendlies will be crucial for helping me to clarify my ideas: the one tomorrow against Mexico," Lippi told an Italian sports daily Wednesday. "We'll try the lineup we've been working with … [plus] a few variations in terms of players," Mexico offers a good test for Lippi's
new formation because El Tri's style of play is similar to that of Paraguay,
the team that Italy will face when it opens defense of its World Cup title
June 14.
Mexico, on the other hand, has played a grueling schedule leading up to the World Cup. Thursday's game will be its fourth during a 10-day tour of Europe. And the trip follows eight matches in Mexico and the U.S. since late February. Yet Mexico's midfielder Israel Castro said each new game offers a challenge. Mexico's last game, for example, was played on a poor field made more treacherous by heavy rain. Yet El Tri managed to dominate Gambia, 5-1. So if Mexico encounters poor weather in South Africa, Castro said, they will know they are ready for it. "We have to take advantage of every game," he said. "Of aspects such as the field conditions, the stout competition, situations we're going to face. Against Italy we have the chance to fix mistakes from the previous games because the start of the World Cup is just around the corner.".... kevin.baxter@latimes.com latimes.com/sports/la-sp-mexico-italy-20100603,0,7790628.story
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