By Alessandro
Italy took care of business and knocked out France 2-0 to earn a spot in the quarters at Euro 2008. I hear Italy has decided to make the Netherlands a naturalized citizen of the Mediterranean gem.
With France gone, we can now all be spared of Raymond Domenech’s madness. You have to feel for the French though. Aside from Domenech’s absurd decision to leave several key players home – including David Trezeguet, his in-game substitutions left any reasonable soccer fan to giggle incessantly while scratching their heads.
Our thoughts go to the Ribery, Nasri and Benzema families by the way.
One key to being a successful coach is to be able to put your team in a position to win with available resources. This was Dum-Dum’s biggest weakness. For exmaple, Abidal had no business being a center-back and he was subsequently and summarily over-run by the deceptively agile Luca Toni – master of slithering into open spaces. Stephen Hawking should describe the physics of how this is possible for a player of Toni’s size.
Great miltary leaders in history riled up and led their men into battle. They respected their soldiers and when the best laid plans were blown to smithereens because of unseen bad weather or some chick slept with a high ranking officer to steal secrets, the master strategist adjusted. Unless, of course, you were the ancient Norse. Then all you needed were some magic mushrooms and decapitated bear heads worn as hats and you were set to go and overcome anything.
For his part, at least the controversial and somewhat clueless Roberto Donadoni is actually learning on the job. He has no time for Tarot cards. From game to game he has tinkered with the lineup attemtping to find the right balance for his side. Daniele de Rossi! Duh!
While he hasn’t found the right mix just yet, he certainly put Italy in a better position to win than Dum-Dum did with les bleus.
The Don ain’t no Lippi but, hey, who is?
Now the world is faced with the possibility of Italy, Germany or both making it to the finals. Nothing sends shivers down the backs of proponents of “attractive” soccer.
Moo-ha-ha! Insert Yosemite Sam here.
It is a strange thing how Italy have become the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots of soccer. Personally, I would compare them to Team Canada in hockey but that’s neither here or there.
Whatever.
Italy and Germany don’t play to look pretty or please soccer fans. Did they not form the part of the Axis Alliance?
Rather, they waste their time trying to actually win. When called upon they can dazzle with skill and when necessary they will approach the game with a lunch pail mentality predicated on teamwork not unlike the Green Bay Packers dynasty of the 1960s led by the legendary Vince Lombardi.
There’s a certain flair to Italian soccer that simply gets overlooked by the casual or even the knowledgeable fan. Let me explain as simply as I could: Italian soccer is where Macchiavelli meets Michaelangelo. Just enough cynicism and beauty to get the job done. And on days when one does not work, they rely on the other.
They remind of a classical piece of music (and we all know how popular this form of music is…not) as they carefully orchestrate and organize the movements of a game. There’s as subtle genius and deliberate subdued pace to Italian soccer. And when they can’t find the right notes BANG! They’ll play to run you over like a cheap, MAC truck.
Nowhere does it say in the rule book you have to look pretty to win and Italians and Germans understand this.
So fear if you must but there’s a reason why Germany and Italy seem to make every damn semi-final and final every couple of years.
I’ll leave you all with one final thought courtesy of Billy Joel.
“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
the Sinners are much more fun…” Only the good die young.
