Posts Tagged ‘Romania’

Azzurri & Les Bleus: Destinies Intertwined with Oranje… and Biscuits

Monday, June 16th, 2008

For all those of you who understand a bit of Italian (at least enough to scan through headlines of sports websites), the big boot’s topic of conversation these past few days gravitated around a Dutch-Romanian “biscotto”. Huh? Biscotto? Doesn’t that mean “biscuit”? Indeed it does, but in the language of Dante Alighieri it also has a secondary meaning.

The Fantagrumo blog has an excellent explanation, which I’ve translated below:

“Biscotto” is an Italian colloquialism often employed in soccer (or other sports), used to describe a result secretly agreed upon in advance by two athletes or teams. It is practically synonymous with the French word “combine”, which can be translated in English as “trick”, “scheme” or “fiddle”. A “combine” is a close pact made to fix the result of a match before it actually takes place, usually in exchange for money (essentially, we are talking about corruption). “Biscotto” is more specific in the sense there need not be an exchange of money, because the secretly-agreed-upon result is of mutual benefit to the agreeing parties.

Actions taken in result of a “combine” or “biscotto” may vary: from losing a game deliberately, allowing an opponent to tie the game, or intentionally failing to man-mark an opposing striker. The direct result of the secret agreement naturally damages a third party, which is usually a direct opponent of those involved in the scheme.

The word “biscotto” derives from the latin root bis-coctum, which litterally means “cooked twice”: effectively, two teams are gaining an advantage while damaging a third (or a fourth). One could even be using the expression “killing two birds with one stone”.

The Azzurri’s history in the Euro championships already bears witness to a “biscotto”. During Euro 2004, Italy had tied its first two matches against Denmark and Sweden, and was left with the obligation to beat Bulgaria on matchday 3, all the while hoping that Denmark vs. Sweden would not end in a tie (a result which would have sent both Scandinavian teams to the quarter-finals). What do you know? The match ended 2-2.

In the case of Netherlands vs. Romania, the term “biscotto” is being used because both teams would benefit from a Romanian victory: Romania would qualify to the quarter-finals as 2nd-ranked, Netherlands would simultaneously get rid of two title favorites Italy and France (which, in case you didn’t notice, could potentially play Holland again in the Semi-Finals).

That’s for the Italian etymology lesson. With that said, everyone in Italy (and in France I guess) can only hope that Netherlands will be good sports and play their last match to win (despite the fact they will undoubtedly field many reserve players).

Gazzetta tells us more about it:

MOEDLING (Austria), 14 June 2008 – And now it’s France-Italy. Rather, it’s Netherlands-Romania. Just like four years ago in Portugal, the scary shadow of a “biscotto” (an unspoken agreement) hangs over the fate of the Azzurri. And over that of their French neighbours. Michel Platini, UEFA President, will be sitting next to FIGC President Giancarlo Abete in the stands at Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich. It’s a common fate.

MARCO AND FATE – Hitting the nail right on the head… What will Holland do? What will be their starting line-up? Will they give Romania the green light? Those are all valid questions. William Gaillard, UEFA spokesman, stated that “no one can impose a specific line-up on a coach.” Especially when the team has already qualified for the next round. It’s a gargantuan dilemma in other words, but Roberto Donadoni doesn’t have doubts.

I know Marco Van Basten quite well” says the Italian coach. “He is an honest, fair and competent man and these qualities are already a guarantee.” The Don trusts his friend, whom he hasn’t seen in six months except for the sad circumstances on Monday in Bern. The Azzurro coach considers the Oranje’s so-called ‘second team’ to be very interested in proving their value, both to their coach and to the first team. And he gives an example: “In the group round of Euro 2000, we had already qualified but we beat Sweden 2-0 with many ‘reserves’” (indeed, Dino Zoff made eight changes for that game).

DIFFERENCE OF OPINIONS – The opinions run high in the Dutch camp. Giving away the match? “We always play to win“, reassures Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar. This opinion is shared by Arjen Robben, one of the Oranje’s stars against France: “It will be a game where we can have fun, but we are playing to win; I always play to win.” Ruud van Nistelrooy has a different opinion and honestly admits: “These matches are tackled differently when you don’t have to worry about qualifying.”

Euro 2008: Group C Qualification Scenarios (Italy, France, Romania)

Saturday, June 14th, 2008

Man don’t you just hate this? Being forced to ask the “what if” question repeatedly and make calculations, in order to find out your team’s chances of qualifying? And to think that all could be avoided simply by winning the first two group games.

Alas for the Azzurri, we already know that ship has sailed. Let’s see if they can catch up with Netherlands with a late flight or something…

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Matchday 2: Group C Standings

First let’s start with the group standings after matchday 2. Here’s the situation:

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Netherlands
6
2
2
0
0
7
1
+6
2
Romania
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
3
France
1
2
0
1
1
1
4
-3
4
Italy
1
2
0
1
1
1
4
-3

As you can tell from the table, Netherlands have already clinched their qualification and are mathematically guaranteed of ranking 1st. Romania, France, and Italy are therefore left to contend 2nd spot.
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Straight from the rulebook…

First, let’s make the rules & regulations clear for everyone. The following is straight from the “Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship” document, article 7.07:

Equality of points after the group matches

Article 7.07

If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of all the matches in their group, the following criteria will be used to determine the rankings in the order given:

a) number of points obtained in the matches among the teams in question;
b) goal difference in the matches among the teams in question;
c) numbers of goals scored in the matches among the teams in question (if more than two teams finish equal on points);
d) goal difference in all the group matches;
e) number of goals scored in all the group matches;
f) coefficient from the qualifying competitions for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and 2006/08 UEFA European Football Championship (points obtained divided by the number of matches played);
g) fair play conduct of the teams (final tournament);
h) drawing of lots;

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Group C Qualification Scenarios

Ok, so now that we’ve established tie-breaking criteria, let’s look at win/draw/loss scenarios for the last two group games:
.

Netherlands
vs.
Romania
France
vs.
Italy
2nd-ranked
……Tie-breaker
.
.

.
.
NETHERLANDS
FRANCE
FRANCE
(points)
.
.
NETHERLANDS
by 2 or less
scoreless draw
ROMANIA
d) Goal difference in all the group matches
.
.
NETHERLANDS
by 3-0 or more
scoreless draw
ITALY
f) FIFA/UEFA coefficient
.
.
NETHERLANDS
by 4-1, 5-2, etc.
scoreless draw
ROMANIA
e) Nº of goals scored in all group matches
.
.
NETHERLANDS
draw with goals
ITALY
c) Goals scored in ROM / ITA / FRA matches
.
.
NETHERLANDS
ITALY
ITALY
(points)
.
.
draw
FRANCE
FRANCE
(points)
.
.
draw
draw
ROMANIA
(points)
.
.
draw
ITALY
ITALY
(points)
.
.
ROMANIA
FRANCE
ROMANIA
(points)
.
.
ROMANIA
draw
ROMANIA
(points)
.
.
ROMANIA
ITALY
ROMANIA
(points)
.
.

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Scenarios 2, 3, 4, and 5 deserve some further explanation.

Netherlands beat Romania by 2 goals or less, Italy vs. France ends 0-0
In this scenario, Romania, Italy, and France end up with 2 points each and with identical goal differences and goals scored (when considering only the France vs. Romania, Italy vs. Romania, and France vs. Italy matches). Thus, the 4th tie-breaking criterion (d) applies and ROMANIA qualifies based on their better global goal differential.

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Netherlands
9
3
3
0
0
9
1
+8
2
Romania
2
3
0
2
1
1
3
-2
3
Italy
2
3
0
2
1
1
4
-3
4
France
2
3
0
2
1
1
4
-3

.

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Italy
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
1
Romania
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
3
France
2
2
0
2
0
0
0
0

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Netherlands beat Romania 3-0, Italy vs. France ends 0-0
Once again Romania, Italy, and France end up with 2 points each and with identical goal differences and goals scored (when considering only the France vs. Romania, Italy vs. Romania, and France vs. Italy matches) and also identical goal differences and goals scored globally in group C. Thus, the 5th tie-breaking criterion (f) applies (FIFA/UEFA coefficient from World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008 qualifying campaigns: points obtained divided by the number of matches played), which sees ITALY ranked higher than Romania and France.

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Netherlands
9
3
3
0
0
10
1
+9
2
Italy
2
3
0
2
1
1
4
-3
3
Romania
2
3
0
2
1
1
4
-3
4
France
2
3
0
2
1
1
4
-3

.

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Italy
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
1
Romania
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
3
France
2
2
0
2
0
0
0
0

.
Netherlands beat Romania by 4-1, 5-2, etc. (i.e. Romania lose by 3 goals but score at least one), Italy vs. France ends 0-0
In this scenario, Romania, Italy, and France end up with 2 points each and with identical goal differences and goals scored (when considering only the France vs. Romania, Italy vs. Romania, and France vs. Italy matches). Thus, the 5th tie-breaking criterion (e) applies and ROMANIA qualifies based on their higher global number of goals scored.

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Netherlands
9
3
3
0
0
11
2
+9
2
Romania
2
3
0
2
1
2
5
-3
3
Italy
2
3
0
2
1
1
4
-3
4
France
2
3
0
2
1
1
4
-3

.

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Italy
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
1
Romania
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
3
France
2
2
0
2
0
0
0
0

.

Netherlands beat Romania, Italy vs. France ends in a draw with goals
In this case, Romania, Italy, and France end up with 2 points each and with identical goal differences (when considering only the France vs. Romania, Italy vs. Romania, and France vs. Italy matches). However since Romania vs. France ended 0-0, and because of the goal they already scored vs. Romania (on matchday 2), any goal scored in the match vs. France (matchday 3) puts ITALY above the lot for the 3rd tie-breaking criterion (c).

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Netherlands
9
3
3
0
0
8
1
+7
2
Italy
2
3
0
2
1
1
2
-1
3
Romania
2
3
0
2
1
1
2
-1
4
France
2
3
0
2
1
2
5
-3

.

Rank
Team
PTS
GP
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
1
Italy
2
2
0
2
0
2
2
0
2
Romania
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
3
France
2
2
0
2
0
1
1
0

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Phew! That burnt a few brain cells…

I’d just like to say I spent a fair amount of time researching this, so technically I should have gotten everything right. However feel free to point out any mistakes and/or ask questions if you need further explanations.

Euro 2008: Italy 1-1 Romania – Azzurri Hopes Now Hanging by a Thread…

Friday, June 13th, 2008

Italy 1-1 Romania. The Azzurri ain’t out of Euro 2008 just yet, but there’s not much keeping them in. Their defence is still shaky, the midfield looked a little better but quickly ran out of ideas (especially Pirlo), and Luca Toni still cruelly remains goalless. Well… to be honest he did score today, but the refereeing team once again decided Italy should get the shaft.

So it all comes down to Italy vs. France on Tuesday. Or does it? Les Bleus just got trashed by Netherlands 4-1 in the second match today (probably time to start taking the Oranje seriously folks), which not only means that Holland are through to the next round, but that if Romania beat them on day 3 Italy and France can pack their bags. Who would have thought that out of the 4 teams present in the “Group of Death”, those on the brink of elimination would precisely be the two 2006 World Cup finalists.

The world is upside down, and anyone wearing a blue shirt isn’t smiling.

(From Gazzetta): Some people are miracle workers, Gigi Buffon is one of them. The Azzurri keeper is essentially the only reason Italy are still in this tournament, deflecting Mutu’s penalty kick in minute 80. The real miracle of the day however, which should have been the Euro Pass ball (which Adidas are so proud of) drilling into Bogdan Lobont’s goal, did not come true today. Italy drew 1-1 against Romania (goals from Mutu and Panucci) creating a lot of questions about their future in Euro 2008.

Tactically, Roberto Donadoni’s pre-announced changes began with Del Piero, Grosso, Chiellini, Perrotta and De Rossi in the starting eleven. A new strategy from the Italian coach (as common sense would have dictated after the catastrophic display vs. Netherlands) but seen as a contradiction by some (Gazzetta in particular). Indeed, the Don was taking a risk today by selecting two strikers and a trequartista (Camoranesi), which wasn’t exactly familiar territory for Italy. However, if there was a time for Donadoni to be daring that time was now.

The Azzurri started the game with nerve, determination and energy. 9 minutes into the game, Alessandro Del Piero (wearing the anticipated captain’s armband) found himself of the receiving end of a header in great position, but Romanian defender Dorin Goian was in the right place at the right time, deflecting behind the goal. On the left wing, where Fabio Grosso seemed to be looking in WC2006-form (and better!), danger was always lurking for Romania. One really has to wonder why Donadoni waited until game 2 to make old Fabio a starter.

Nevertheless as much things were looking better in the offensive zone, Fabio Cannavaro’s ghost was still lurking in the Italian defense. On their first real run forward, Romania almost opened the score but Adrian Mutu’s left-footed blast (after a slip by Panucci allowed the Fiorentina striker through on goal) found the ready hands of “Super Gigi” Buffon. In minute 18, Italy’s nº1 got to work again by deflecting Christian Tamas’s long-range free kick. 20 minutes into the half: no shots for Italy and two dangerous chances for Romania. Make that three actually, as Cristian Chivu’s free-kick found the head of David Niculae and the deflection of Panucci… straight onto the post. Zambrotta cleared the ball as everyone wearing a blue shirt held their breath.

Italy were not looking good. A wobbly defence, a midfield having a tough time containing Chivu and Radoi’s physical presence, and Luca Toni still unable to hit the target: 27 minutes in, the Bayern giant honed his aim and narrowly missed the post. Still very far from perfection. What made matters even worse, was the incredible ease with which Piturca’s men were given opportunity to take shots (Răzvan Raţ grazing the post in minute 29). With the pace of the game increasing, Romania were exhibiting an optimal organizational scheme while the Azzurri sometimes looked like they were improvising: no connection in midfield (crucially missing a reference point) and lots of lost balls.

In the 39th minute however, Italy finally created some real thrills. Straight from a corner kick, Toni’s header forced ex-Viola teammate Lobont to make a spectacular save. Finally some fighting spirit!. Pushing harder and managing to unhinge the organized Romanian defence, the Azzurri finally found the back of the net shortly before the half: a looping pass forward found Luca Toni unmarked and this time Lobont could not stop Luca’s header. Giving him a hand however was the linesman, disallowing the goal for an (inexistent) offside.

In the second period Italy immediately began pressing, but danger kept lurking close to Italy’s box in the name of Mutu: in minute 54, the Romania striker forced Buffon to put his skills to the test and save his low drive. A warning sign. Just a minute later, hara-kiri for Italy: trying to intercept a Romanian cross, Gianluca Zambrotta attempted a dangerous backpass header to Buffon, without noticing Adrian Mutu slipping behind him. Getting on the ball first, it was little trouble for the Fiorentina striker to beat Buffon and put his country in the lead. 1-0 Romania.

Fortunately for Italy just a minute later, Christian Panucci got to work and put his deadly “danger man of the box” skills to work: Pirlo corner, redirected header by Chiellini, winning tap-in by the Roma defender. Woo-ha. 1-1.

More importantly, the Azzurri now had a little momentum on their side: time for Donadoni to play the Antonio Cassano card (on for Perrotta). On his part, coah Victor Piturca ordered his Tricolorii to fall back, tighten the D line around the box, and operate on counters (something which Mutu & friends are starting to get really good at). A good strategy, especially when you have a in-form keeper like Bogdan Lobont, able to deny Daniele De Rossi a great diving header after a lay-up by Toni. It was minute 75.

A few minutes passed, a tired Del Piero left his place to Fabio Quagliarella (Mr. opportunity) but with little effect. Instead, it was once again Romania creating danger on the other end. Minute 80, short corner played by Mutu, receiving the return pass & instantaneous cross for Daniel Niculae. Battling for the ball with Panucci, the Romanian striker fell to the ground: Norwegian referee Tom Henning Ovrebo pointed to the spot. Adrian Mutu vs. Buffon… shot in the middle… SUPER GIGI!!!! Hand save, foot save in quick succession, and the ball was cleared! Heart-attack time for Azzurri fans, and ten more minutes left to play that resulted in nothing.

The final whistle gives Italy its first point at Euro 2008, leaving them no other choice than to beat France on Tuesday. Even that may yet not be enough though. One can only hope that after scoring 3 vs. the Azzurri and 4 vs. Les Bleus, Netherlands will do the same vs. Romania. But did I mention they are already through to the quarter-finals and will almost surely play their B team?

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 Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio ITALY-ROMANIA
1-1
[Match Highlights]
GOALSCORERS: 10’ Mutu (R), 56’ Panucci (I)
ITALY (4-3-1-2): Buffon – Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso – Pirlo, De Rossi, Perrotta (58’ Cassano) – Camoranesi (85’ Ambrosini) – Toni, Del Piero (77’ Quagliarella). (bench: Amelia, De Sanctis, Gamberini, Barzagli, Materazzi, Gattuso, Aquilani, Borriello, Di Natale). Coach: Donadoni
ROMANIA (4-4-1-1): Lobont – Contra, Tamas, Goian, Rat – Radoi (25’ Dica), Petre (60’ Nicolita), Codrea, Chivu – Mutu (88’ Cocis) – D.Niculae. (bench: Popa, Stancioiu, Marica, Sapunaru, Ghinea, Moti, M.Niculae, Cristea, Dica, Radu). Coach: Piturca.

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Highligts Rumänien-Italien – MyVideo
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Euro 2008 – Italy vs. Romania Preview: Time for the Azzurri to Bounce Back

Friday, June 13th, 2008

DUN-DUN-DUN-DUUUUN, the time has come.

Can you image the notes of Beethoven’s 5th in your head? Here I’ll help you. The choice of music is appropriate I think for Italy, who at 18:00 Central European Time Friday will play for their Euro 2008 future against Romania.

To quote RomaChris’s match preview:


One major tournament game into the soon to be finished Roberto Donadoni Era, we’re already watching the team enter the land of no return: at the absolute worst they have to take a point or else it’s curtains. Lose the game and this will be the worst performance in House of Savoy blue ever. Ever. Much less coming off a World Cup title. Never has an Azzurri team lost the first two games of a major tournament; the last time they lost twice in the group stages was 1966. We may all have short and unpleasant memories of Monday, but this game has potentially historic implications. Safe to say, not a single player on this team wants a part of that infamy. Will it translate? Wait and see.

(…) This squad will have to win for that little thing that they’re so privileged to be able to wear, that “little” logo you see over there to the left. The one adorned with four golden stars, marking four golden teams made of champions. Time to play, coach and compete like they deserve to wear such a historic shirt.

In common Italian vernacular: è l’ora di tirar fuori le palle. It’s “DO or DIE” time.

Pre-Match Statistics

8 years have passed since the first Italy vs. Romania encounter at a European Championship (Euro 2008 Quarter-Finals, June 24, Bruxelles). On that day, the Azzurri won 2-0 (goals by Totti and Inzaghi) to advance to the semi-finals. The remaining 13 other confrontations (4 Euro qualifiers, 2 World Cup qualifiers, 7 friendly matches) see Italy as clear favorites with a total of 10 wins, 2 draws, and only 2 losses. The goal difference in all those matches is 24-10 in favor of the Azzurri.
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Head-to-head: Italy vs. Romania

Played
Wins
Italy
Draws
Wins
Romania
All Venues
14
10
2
2
In Italy
7
6
1
0
In Romania
6
3
1
2
Neutral
1
1
0
0
Competitive Matches
7
5
1
1
Euro Championship
1
1
0
0

Date
Venue
Match
Result
First match
11 Jun 1939
Bucharest, ROU
Romania – Italy
0-1
Biggest win Italy
07 Oct 2000
Milan, ITA
Italy – Romania
3-0
Biggest win Romania
16 Apr 1983
Bucharest, ROU
Romania – Italy
1-0
29 Mar 1989
Sibiu, ROU
Romania – Italy
1-0
Most goals
17 Jun 1972
Bucharest, ROU
Romania – Italy
3-3
05 Jun 1976
Milan, ITA
Italy – Romania
4-2
Last match
16 Nov 2003
Ancona, ITA
Italy – Romania
1-0

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Italy

 Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio

(From La Gazzetta): ZURICH (Switzerland), 12 June 2008 – Alessandro Del Piero will go to sleep tonight relaxed and pumped up. Tomorrow he’ll be on the pitch as part of the starting eleven AND he’ll wearing the team captain’s armband.

It has really been a while since the Juventus forward had any kind of certainty with the Azzurri national team shirt, but Roberto Donadoni revealed it on Thursday. The Don’s words surprised everyone a little, especially after months of speculation, hints and line-up requests from the press that have almost always gone unanswered. However, the coach went all out Thursday afternoon and even added other names.

I will make three or four changes in regards to the line-up I chose against Netherlands. Ale and Giorgio [Chiellini] will be on the pitch,” said Donadoni. “I have to give those who played the most a break”, especially because Friday will be about facing a motivated team with an optimal line-up. “[Romania are] a technical and strong team that defends very well,” added Donadoni, looking to be ready to tackle the world. His eyes made his willingness to win tomorrow fairly evident, perhaps in order to dedicate the win to his critics. Unlike in Bern it will be critical to remain calm and to think straight. “We have ninety minutes to score. We must be patient, dominate the opponent and pace ourselves because a lot of running will be involved.”

As a good Bergamese, the Don plays his cards close to his heart: if an emotion explosion is to take place, he will do it at the right moment. For now, he just confirmed that three or four changes would take place: “I will make my final choice tomorrow morning,” he added, proceeding to explain that the 3-0 still hurts and because of this, the team is eager to win. According to La Repubblica, the formation “hinted” by the Don’s distribution of blue/yellow pinnies on Thursday, is the following:

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Buffon
Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini,Grosso
Camoranesi, Pirlo, De Rossi, Perrotta
Toni, Del Piero

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Going back to our opponents however, Romania is not just pace & fitness: the Don is also afraid of the team’s technical ability and this is the reason behind his strategy redesign. Starting from Del Piero: “I see Ale much farther back from the front and more to the middle. What do I expect from Ale? Tomorrow everyone will have to give his best.” In other words, ADP will have to provide the passing, ideas and creativity, players like Luca Toni will have to put the ball into the net.

Donadoni concluded that tomorrow, Italy must play with the will to show the rest of the world we are still the champions, even if the fear is setting in. Fear that, as per Donadoni’s words, is no reason to be ashamed. “Fear” he says, “is not always negative. Being afraid is human, otherwise we would all be robots. No one can be absolutely fearless in certain situations, but some of these feelings must be exploited to the best. A “healthy” fear is okay, but we must avoid the kind of fear that puts you in a slump or slaps cuffs on your wrists”.

However, Donadoni doesn’t charge ahead but doesn’t hang back either, showing a side of him never seen before. “My feeling? I see a vibrant, eager and energetic team. But let’s make one thing clear: this is not an absolute guarantee that we will get the 3 points, because I had the same feeling on the eve of the match against the Netherlands. There’s no mathematical certainty.” The only certainty the Azzurri have for tomorrow, is that a loss will mean it’s time to go gome and a draw will force them to starting packing their bags.

Romania

(From La Repubblica): It Italian there is a saying that goes “Il diavolo non è così brutto quanto come lo si dipinge“, meaning “The Devil isn’t as ugly as one describes it”.

Why on Earth are we talking about Satan for an Italy vs. Romania match preview? Well, “Satan-Piturca” is actually one of the nicknames that Romanian manager Victor Piturca has earned during his career, and not because he has a really creepy laugh or walks with a devil’s fork, but because of the way he dresses (usually always completely black). On top of that though, he’s not exactly an easy-going guy either: just ask the likes of Adrian Mutu, Gabriel Tamaş or Bogdan Lobonţ, who have suffered the coach’s wrath a few times over in the past, for their lack of commitment in certain national team matches. “Those who play with this shirt must stay fully concentrated from kick-off to full time” is one of the coach’s favorite mottos.

Despite this tiny bit creepy introduction, Romania isn’t a “phenomenal” team. Not to be understimated certainly, but not “phenomenal”. “Tough to play against” would perhaps describe the Tricolorii better, and the likes of Mutu, Chivu, Contra, and goalkeeprer Lobont are all testament to the fact experience and weight aren’t lacking in this team. Despite not commonly seen in the spotlight, the Romanians’ strongest capacity seems to being able to close down matches in which they are favorites, and cutting down their opponents’ play for when they are underdogs. For Friday’s match in particular, coach Piturca has a special plan in mind to tie down Alex Del Piero. “He is a very dangerous player” says the manager “and we will have a strategy to block him“.

Perhaps the same kind of strategy Romania used against France, unanimously voted as the most ugly Euro 2008 match so far. On that day, Piturca was ready to sacrifice offensive prowess to the benefit of denfensive solidity, switching his usual 4-3-3 formation to a 4-4-2 (much to the detriment of Adrian Mutu’s abilities).

Here’s how Romania played against France:

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Lobont
Contra, Tamas, Goian, Rat
Cocis, Radoi, Chivu
Nicolita, D.Niculae, Mutu

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Speaking of Mutu, the Fiorentina forward didn’t get to Euro 2008 in the best condition, despite an excellent season with La Viola. “He has had a big loss in the family and still has a few salary problems to sort out with Chelsea. He needs to play in order to find his best form“.

Mutu however, will the least of Italy’s problems for Friday’s match. Indeed, the biggest worry for Roberto Donadoni should come from the thick defensive lining exhibited by the Romanian team, who in the Euro qualifiers conceded only 7 goals in 12 matches. Piturca still maintains Italy are clear favorites for the match however. “They are the world champions and thus favorites. It’s normal that a lot is expected from them, but I do not believe they will simply attack with their heads down.”

Inter defender Cristian Chivu (who plays central midfield for his national team) agrees. “Everyone said Romania would rank last in their group, but you’ll see that it will be difficult beating us.” And unlike Italy, Romania have the luxury of being content with a draw. “A draw would suit us well” adds Chivu. “The Italians will be under the most pressure because they must absolutely win Friday’s match.”

Has anyone told Chivu that, due to their inexplicable tendency to make life complicated, Italy plays best with their back against the wall?
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Italy vs. Romania, kick-off time 18:00 CET
“In Donadoni We Trust”

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FORZA AZZURRI

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Waiting for Romania… Azzurri Changes on the Horizon

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

(From La Repubblica): From “Italia-Milan” to “Italia-Roma + ADP” seems the most likely change Azzurri coach Roberto Donadoni will make, as Italy step onto the Letzigrund stadium of Zurich for the team’s (already decisive) match vs. Romania. Indeed, the insertion of Daniele De Rossi and Alessandro Del Piero straight from the start seems almost a given for Friday, and could be coupled with 3 other new faces in the names of Giorgio Chiellini, Fabio Grosso, and Simone Perrotta/Alberto Aquilani.

Only 9 days have passed since Italy’s arrival in Austria and their first appearance at “Casa Azzurri” (the team’s traning ground facility at Südstad Stadion, Maria Enzersdorf). On that day the team was greeted by over 7,000 screaming fans as the Azzurri took part in their first and only practice session open to the public. Since that day however, it almost seems as if an eternity has gone by. When the team returned from their “Black Monday” match vs. the Netherlands, the World Champions found themselves rather lonely: only a few dozen people (crew, sponsor spokespersons and such) were there to provide some encouragement. Of course, the secrecy imposed around the training ground by the Azzurri staff doesn’t help to gather support (this morning, the press could witness only 15 minutes of the team’s practice session). But really, who can blame Roberto Donadoni for wanting to keep his squad isolated and fully concentrated over the next few days, as Italy prepare to bounce back from their shocking defeat vs. Holland.

The Don gathered his troops for one full hour on Wednesday morning, to further analyze want went wrong against the Oranje on Monday. The Azzurri’s overly defensive & cautious attitude while not in possession, and the resulting increase of the gap between Toni & colleagues were in the first order of business. Then, Fabio Cannavaro and Alex Del Piero underlined the importance of keeping a tight-knit group. “It is very important” they said, “not to restrict the responsibility of our loss to a few single individuals” (namely in this case Materazzi, Barzagli, and a few others). The key image to take away from the team’s morning session is that from now on, Italy’s Euro 2008 isn’t a group stage tournament anymore: the game vs. Romania will be played like a “Round of 32″ match and in case of a victory, France will become their “Round of 16″ opponent. In other words Starting from now, Italy must keep on winning. Period.

In order to achieve that, Donadoni will not hesitate at re-shuffling some key elements of his starting line-up, especially in order to facilitate recuperation from fatigue. There are two options available to the Italian coach: adapt the same tactics used in the second half vs. Netherlands (3 back midfielders, a trequartista -Camoranesi/Cassano- and two strikers -Toni & Del Piero), or copy the same formation as AS Roma (2 defensive midfielders, 3 offensive playmakers, and one striker). In either case, at least 4 or 5 players will change compared to the match vs. Holland.

To make a historical parallel: Roberto Donadoni was part of Italy’s roster (as a player) when coach Arrigo Sacchi switched no less than 5 starters between the first match (won) vs. Russia and the second match (lost) vs. Czech Republic at Euro 1996. That re-shuffling gamble cost the Azzurri their elimination from the tournament (the last match vs. Germany ended 0-0) but back then, motivations were completely different. This time unlike 1996 (where the objective was to give the starters a rest), Italy must change in order to WIN.

In the possible 4-2-3-1 formation for Friday, newcomers should include Giorgio Chiellini in the center (for Materazzi, who on top of his poor form is also struggling with a light calf strain) and Fabio Grosso on the left (resulting in the shifting of Gianluca Zambrotta to the right wing). Partnering Keyser Giorgio as central back should be either Andrea Barzagli or Christian Panucci (with the latter currently a clear favorite).

In midfield, the introduction of Daniele De Rossi is 99.9% certain, and it is very likely only one of the 3 Rossoneri (Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini) will remain to complete the midfield trio (Aquilani is also waiting for an opportunity). On the out wings, Mauro Camoranesi and Alessandro Del Piero should provide the creative outlet, while Simone Perrotta could occupy the space behind striker Luca Toni (Antonio Cassano could serve as a wild card, replacing either Del Piero or Camoranesi).
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Buffon
Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso
Pirlo, De Rossi
Camoranesi, Perrotta, Del Piero
Toni

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Alternatively, a 4-3-1-2 formation could see Mauro Camoranesi operate behind the two strikers ADP & Toni.
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Buffon
Zambrotta, Panucci, Chiellini, Grosso
Ambrosini, Pirlo, De Rossi
Camoranesi
Toni, Del Piero

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Either way, it is now “do or die” time for Italy. The Azzurri will transfer from Vienna to Zurich on Thursday morning, and have their first practice at Letzigrund stadium at 18:00 CET. On Friday at the same time, the team will play their decisive match vs. Romania: at the end of those 90 minutes Italy will know if their Euro 2008 adventure continues.