Posts Tagged ‘Fabio Cannavaro’
Friday, June 26th, 2009

Five days have passed since Italy’s whopping 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil, a match which put an an end to Lippi’s South African countryside scouting (one year before the big tournament) and sent the Azzurri home among general shrugs of indifference, frowned eyebrows, and sincere worries in the ranks of Italian supporters.
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Confederations Cup… Confederations schmuck
Something should be established right from the get-go in this article, and that is one has to take the FIFA Confederations Cup for its true value: a tournament of prestige, played to fill the gap between Euro and World Cup Summers and to make a certain FIFA mogul (whose name starts with S and ends with …epp Blatter) happy. Happy at proclaiming his love for the beautiful game, the continued globalization of football, the athletic clashing of cultures, and blah blah blah. All that is great for sports unity, but in terms of true football competition no one (certainly not the big teams) takes this tournament seriously. Certainly not to the extent of a Euro tournament, a Copa America, or the master of them all: the FIFA World Cup.
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Tags: Alberto Gilardino, Azzurri, Brazil, Fabio Cannavaro, FIFA Confederations Cup, Gianluca Zambrotta, Italy, Luca Toni, Marcello Lippi, South Africa, South Africa 2010, World Cup 2010
Posted in Azzurri, World Cup 2010 | 6 Comments »
Sunday, January 4th, 2009

Fabio Cannavaro, Carlos Tevez, Michael Ballack, Michael Owen, Mark Van Bommel, Fred… these are but a few of the players whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season. And with the january transfer window practically at our doorstep, it is time to give these “old timers” a chance to prove they still are champion material. Time to make that zero-cost buy to win you that elusive trophy, cup, or championship title (or in the worst cases, save you from relegation).
In other words: it’s “Bosman Bonanza” time, with some real bargains to be made…
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Tags: Alberto Fontana, Bosman Rule, Boudewijn Zenden, Bundesliga, Carlos Tevez, Christian Panucci, England, English Premiership, Eugenio Corini, Fabio Cannavaro, Fernando Morientes, France, Francesco Toldo, Fred, Free Transfers, Gary Neville, Gazzetta dello Sport, Germany, Giuseppe Favalli, Hernan Crespo, Italy, Iván De la Peña, January Transfer Window, Jens Lehmann, Jerzy Dudek, Joan Verdú, Jon Obi Mikel, Juanito, Julio Cruz, La Liga, Leandro Cufré, Leo Franco, Ligue 1, Maniche, Marco Di Vaio, Mark Van Bommel, Martin Jorgensen, Michael Owen, Modeste M'Bami, Nicola Ventola, Olivier Dacourt, Omar Milanetto, Paolo Maldini, Pavel Nedved, Per Kroldrup, Robert Kovac, Robert Pirès, Roberto Stellone, Ryan Giggs, Serie A, Simone Inzaghi, Soccer, Spain, Sylvain Wiltord, Zé Roberto
Posted in English Premiership, German Bundesliga, Player Profiles, Serie A, Spanish Liga, Transfer News & Rumours | 11 Comments »
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
Ladies & gentlemen, the “We just won the World Cup” logo is born. For the first time in football history, a national side will be able to display a logo (a world cup on a white background, with the words “FIFA World Champions”) on their shirts to reflect they are the current title holders. And Italy will be the first nation to proudly wear it.

“It has never happened before and this shows how much FIFA cares about Italy“, said FIGC president Giancarlo Abete. Yeah, not exactly the impression *I* had… you know, after that whole Blatter-disappearance act at the WC 2006 ceremony? Guess it’s all water under the bridge now…

“The champions deserve special recognition” said Blatter. “The Italian side are the first ones to have it; the logo will be on their blue shirts at least until 2010. The players who have that logo on their shirts will have extra motivation.”

The Italian squad and the coaching staff were also present at the ceremony. In a moment of pure brilliance, Fabio Cannavaro decided to right the wrongs of that July 9, 2006 night: “The experience in Germany changed all our lives. We believed in a dream and made it come true: winning a magical cup. However, we also have another opportunity now, the chance to silence everyone: this is why I invite president Blatter to hand over the cup to me. He can do that now.”
After which Blatter (who on the night of the Berlin final had left his place to UEFA president Lennart Johansson), stood up embarassed, walked towards Cannavaro and handed the World Cup over to the Italian captain: “It’s never too late to do well“, he said later.
Genius Fabio… genius.




Tags: Fabio Cannavaro, Italy, Sepp Blatter
Posted in Azzurri, World Cup 2010 | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008

Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport rated the Azzurri players at the end of their European adventure. Along with Gigi Buffon, positive scores were obtained by Chiellini and Grosso. All the strikers flunked the test, while some midfielders could have done better. The overall form however, was never great.
VIENNA (Austria), 24 June 2008 – The best? Gigi Buffon. Our European campaign won’t leave any great memories, but once again everyone’s talking about the Azzurri keeper. On Sunday evening at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna, there was a heated debate in the press over whose skills were better: the Azzurri captain’s or Iker Casillas‘. A duel right down to the last save, but even though the Real Madrid keeper managed a miracle on Camoranesi’s close-range effort and saved two of the Azzurri shots from the spot, the Juventus nº1 still seems have the edge as World’s best. When accounts are settled, Buffon remains the guiding thread of the Italian national side, and a certain starting point for the next World Cup in 2010.
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Gianluigi BUFFON |
8.0 |
Riddled with shots by Holland, not even Superman himself could have held out with no protection in front of him. Then came the Mutu penalty save, other fabulous interventions, and the hope he gave Italy fans by saving Guiza’s spot-kick during the shootout. What more could he have done? |
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Marco AMELIA |
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An understudy, as he knew he would be. Impeccable in training, he provided Donadoni’s cement to unite the group. |
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Morgan DE SANCTIS |
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Like Amelia he had no hopes of playing, but he kept his concentration up; a professional. |
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Gianluca ZAMBROTTA |
6.0 |
It wasn’t the Championship he was dreaming of. After an inadequate start against Holland on the left, the new AC Milan recruit became productive on the right side. Then there was that error against Romania which led to Mutu’s goal. Against Spain he couldn’t fully display his abilities. |
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Christian PANUCCI |
6.5 |
Four games out of four; the message to Spalletti is loud and clear. He gave his best playing in the centre. |
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Giorgio CHIELLINI |
8.0 |
Exceptional against Spain, he played a true veteran’s game. At the end of the Championship the youngster can be certain of his starting place in the national team. At the heart of the defence, he was relentless. A Cannavaro nº2. |
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Alessandro GAMBERINI |
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He had no chance to show off his qualities; important in training at Casa Azzurri. |
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Andrea BARZAGLI |
5.0 |
Unlucky; a jinxed European Championship, like Cannavaro. Only one performance against Holland to his name, and one he will want to forget very soon. |
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Marco MATERAZZI |
5.0 |
Overwhelmed by the orange tide, he paid the price for a mediocre season with Inter, one which started too late. |
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Fabio GROSSO |
7.0 |
As ever, he tracked along the wing for the Azzurri. With him the national side relived moments of World Cup glory, and against Spain he once again showed a cool head for penalties. |
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Alberto AQUILANI |
5.5 |
He was thrown into the mix against Spain too hastily. Out of his element, almost lost, he couldn’t achieve his potential. |
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Andrea PIRLO |
6.5 |
Curse that stupid yellow card against France. A bad start against Holland, then continuous improvement. Without him, the team lost its direction and its decisive touch. Irreplaceable. |
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Gennaro GATTUSO |
6.0 |
Out of form (and it showed) but he never held back. The absence of his weight in midfield was felt in Vienna. |
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Daniele DE ROSSI |
6.5 |
Among the best players of the championship, though he had some problems against Spain. Unfortunate to miss his penalty, but the Roma player, who is always willing to take a spot kick, was suffering a muscle problem. |
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Mauro CAMORANESI |
6.5 |
Once he came on, the match against Spain took a new turn; perhaps if he’d played from the start things would have been different. Improved throughout the tournament, with a great goalscoring chance and a perfect penalty. |
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Simone PERROTTA |
5.5 |
Out of form, and against Spain it really showed. On the other hand there wasn’t much more he could do, lacking support from Toni and Cassano. |
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Massimo AMBROSINI |
6.5 |
His usual combative self in midfield, providing the spirit and pressure of the team, and creating depth of play. |
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Luca TONI |
5.0 |
The mystery of the tournament. Heavy and ungainly, he never achieved acceptable form. Though he did win the penalty against France and Abidal’s resulting red card, not enough by LucaBomber standards. |
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Marco BORRIELLO |
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With Toni so out of sorts, he might have provided the added edge that was needed; a real shame. |
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Antonio DI NATALE |
6.0 |
Coming on against Spain, he revitalised play as only he knows how, making up for his poor start against the Dutch with several crosses and going close to goal. Shame about the penalty. |
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Fabio QUAGLIARELLA |
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Only played a few minutes; he deserved more of a chance too. |
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Antonio CASSANO |
5.5 |
At the end of the day, another disappointment after much promise. Only the good performance against France remains to his credit, but in Vienna a more practical and less flashy Cassano was needed. |
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Alessandro DEL PIERO |
5.0 |
He had a great chance against Romania and messed it up. Absent. |
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Do you agree with Gazzetta’s ratings? Let us know in the comments.
I’ll get you started: I would give Camoranesi and Ambrosini 6.0 (not 6.5). Ambro did his job but made a few mistakes too many, and Camoranesi had a fairly okay game vs. Spain (and good penalty) but really not much else before that. In his defense, Donadoni was playing him as center attacking midfielder, not exactly his ideal position.
Finally, too generous on Di Natale (5.5 for me) since the Udinese striker was absent vs. Netherlands and seemed too psychologically affected by the boos vs. Spain. And too harsh on Cassano and Del Piero (an extra 0.5 for me), even though I will agree that a lot more was expected from them.
Have your say below.
Tags: Alberto Aquilani, Alessandro Del Piero, Andrea Barzagli, Andrea Pirlo, Antonio Cassano, Antonio Di Natale, Christian Panucci, Daniele De Rossi, Euro 2008, Fabio Cannavaro, Fabio Grosso, Fabio Quagliarella, Gazzetta dello Sport, Gennaro Gattuso, Gianluca Zambrotta, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Italy, Luca Toni, Marco Amelia, Marco Borriello, Marco Materazzi, Massimo Ambrosini, Mauro Camoranesi, Morgan De Sanctis, Simone Perrotta
Posted in Azzurri, Euro 2008 | 9 Comments »