Azzurri, We Love You

Balotelli embraces Cassano as Pirlo looks on

It seemed already decided before a ball was kicked in anger at Euro2012: Germany and Spain, the two best teams in Europe, would play the Final.  On the one hand, you had a German team that had been honed for the occasion, a redoubtable unit that was the apotheosis of speed and precision.  On the other, you had a Spanish team that was destined to keep the ball from everyone by virtue of a biological imperative.  These were two teams with a distinct identity, built and burnished over years of hard work. Even UEFA president Michel Platini couldn't stop from gushing over the prospect, unreservedly admitting that he would like to see Germany and Spain in the Final.  

Italy, though, had other ideas.  On the eve of the tournament, when asked about yet another scandal extending its fingers into an Italian squad--and grabbing his stand-out left-back Domenico Criscito in the process--Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, perhaps exasperated at how people had trained their attention on extracurricular matters, responded disarmingly: "If it suits everyone, we are ready to withdraw from the tournament." 

It was the candour of the response that was notable, incisive.  A tactful man like Prandelli had been pushed and pushed, and the strain was beginning to peek out from under him.  Italy's preparations for the tournament had been chaotic not just because of the scandal, but also because of preparations that exposed, at the time, how ill-prepared Italy were.  Their first friendly against Luxembourg scheduled to be played in Parma was cancelled because of an earthquake, and their second against Russia, a 3-0 defeat, was a humbling insight into what needed to be done.

I, and many Azzurri devotees will agree, am thrilled that Prandelli and Italy are still here, and that no one took Prandelli's suggestion too seriously.  Italy took on Spain on June 10 and Germany on June 28.  Both games should have confirmed that Italy were still outside the very elite, a notch below the two competitors that were to battle in the Final in Kiev, on July 1st. They didn't.  The 1-1 draw with Spain in Group C's opener, and the resounding 2-1 semi-final win over Germany have instead pushed Italy into the Final on Kiev against Spain.  The predictions were only half-right.

Thursday's win in particular stands out as one of the proudest moments in Italian football.  Quite apart from the fact that Italy dismantled Germany (I won't be covering how, here--you all probably saw it) the game definitively established one signal thing: it made Italians, and even some neutrals, fall in love with this Italian side.

Prandelli  during the semi-final

The question has been asked on more than one occasion now, and the answer from many is that this Italy is almost as loveable as the ones from 1982 and 2006.  Up front you have the combustible duo of Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli.  The former is here even after a stroke he suffered this past season, and every time he breathes heavily, I get nervous.  But the way he swivelled past the German defenders to set up Balotelli's first goal shows that there is blood pumping unabated.

Balotelli, the unmistakeably real sociocultural response to  Lega Nord and those "fans" who think that a black man can never be Italian, is Balotelli:  the perfectly poised reflexive property that needs no other qualification.  Balotelli is indeed Balotelli, and he is also Italy's great hope going into the Final against Spain.  His brace against Germany definitively heralded his arrival after his stupendous goal against Ireland had hinted at it.

In midfield, Daniele De Rossi, Claudio Marchisio, and Andrea Pirlo have shown that you don't have to have a Spanish midfield to be eminently good: the trio have been the vital signs for Italy.  Pirlo has moved as he has wished, tuning out the raucous atmosphere of matches to let the slow, soothing cadence of his own game guide him and his teammates.

In defence, Gianluigi Buffon, the vociferous goalkeeper who rallies perpetually, has been the clearest expression of this Italy's tenacity.  Remember, it was he who was irate when Italy let Germany have even a glimmer of hope at 2-1, so late in the game. Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Federico Balzaretti have been playing superbly together, so much so that Prandelli has no intention of reverting back to a 3-5-2.

And then there is Prandelli himself, one of the most likeable characters in Italian football.  A consummate professional, who remains dignified in scandal, victory, and defeat, the 53-year-old has made people fall in love with this Italy, after Marcello Lippi had left it in disarray following the 2010 World Cup.

No matter what happens on Sunday, this is an Italy to be loved.  But I urge the Azzurri to play with the same assertiveness as they have lately.  "We are not afraid of Spain," Prandelli said, and so they should show it.  They have our support.

Forza Azzurri!

Italia, Ricordiamo...

FORZA AZZURRI!

Azzurri: Eloquent, Decisive, and Devastating

Magic...Andrea Pirlo shows how it is delicately done

It was all about the chip.  One hundred and twenty minutes plus penalties, and it was one nudge, one impudent scoop, restrained in economy, expansive in affect that encapsulated Italy's total dominance over England.  When England goalkeeper Joe Hart sprawled across, watching the ball agonizingly sail past him, Andrea Pirlo had punctuated the penalty shoot out with an ellipsis. What he did was simply ineffable.

"Maybe my penalty put pressure on them," said Pirlo, with the same understatement as his penalty.  It did.  It shattered England, and it made Hart's antics to put off Italy's penalty takers seem like he was mentally ill.  The two Ashleys, Young and Cole, could not follow up Pirlo's virtuoso act even with a competent one.  It was men against boys, weak-mindedness against cerebral force.

It would have been a travesty had Italy lost the penalty shoot-out.  Before the game, a conspicuous portion of English opinion had predicted Roy's Boys to edge through somehow.  This team worked together, for each other, for a purpose, we were told.  Their flaws become their strengths, you see.  Their sum is much greater than their parts.  Sure, they didn't have the greatest midfield, and sure they hadn't performed coherently once this tournament, but they knew how to get results.   It was all pathetically wrong.

Italy came at England in waves, passing the ball around--yes, around them, about them, and through them.  Blue shirts swirled around white ones like winding patterns of ink.  At times it was embarrassing.  The statistics make for crushing reading for England.

Italy had 68% of possession and 36 goal attempts to England's 9.  A country whose punditry devotes a good chunk of its time denigrating defensive football that seems, to them at least, to be the sole preserve of Italian football, played not defensive football, but no football at all.  It was a cipher performance.  Glenn Johnson's almost-goal in the first few exchanges receded into distant memory as Italy took ownership of the Olympic Stadium's real estate.

Italy celebrate their triumph over England

Somehow, however, like his players, Roy Hodgson completely misread the game.  Unrestrained in his delusion, he said England had been "heroic."  Misreading is one thing--this is downright illiteracy.

Yet, Italy do have some things to sort out.  Daniele De Rossi's curving shot that hit the post, his subsequent near-miss, Mario Balotelli's inability to pull the trigger, and Riccardo Montolivo's huge miss in front of a gaping goal should have crowned Italy's approach-play.  It didn't, and that, amid all this euphoria, is a concern going into the semi-final against Germany on Thursday.  How Italy would love a Christian Vieri or Filippo Inzaghi right now.

For now, though, it is time to celebrate. It is time to celebrate Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon, whose save on Ashley Cole twisted the dagger that Pirlo had initially sunk.  It is time to celebrate Alessandro Diamanti, a model of serenity before the clinching penalty.  It is time to celebrate coach Cesare Prandelli, who believed in this team, and who remains self-effacing as ever.  It is time to celberate Gli Azzurri.

Forza Azzurri! 

Grazie Ragazzi...Avanti!

Memory: Montella Decides England vs Italy Friendly 2002

Gattuso (left) and Montella celebrate scoring against England

The friendly between England and Italy at Elland Road, Leeds was played in late March, about two-and-a-half months before the 2002 World Cup.  Azzurri coach Giovanni Trapattoni fielded Marco Delvecchio and Francesco Totti up front, while the midfield was comprised of Gianluca Zambrotta, Cristiano Doni, Luigi Di Biagio, and Cristiano Zanetti.  Gianluigi Buffon played behind a defence of Marco Materazzi, Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro, and Cristian Panucci.

Italian expectations going into the World Cup were high, and a friendly against England was a perfect way to fine-tune their preparations--even if Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri were not part of the friendly.

The game was more or less uneventful until the 63rd minute.  Nesta, mostly infallible, surprisingly lost the ball cheaply to Joe Cole, who in turn fed Robbie Fowler for a goal.

However, England's lead lasted only four minutes.  Vincenzo Montella, who replaced his Roma teammate Totti, unleashed a superb high shot from the edge of the area past David James into the top left corner.  Of course, Montella subsequently rejoiced with the classic aeroplane celebration.

But there was more to come.  In the 90th minute, Montella turned brilliantly in midfield and found a surging Massimo Maccarone, who was brought down in the box clumsily by James.  Montella calmly converted the resulting penalty to give Italy the 2-1 win.

Curiously, Maccarone scored the sole Italian goal in a 1-1 friendly draw between the Under-21 sides of both nations a day earlier.  He was also to score the winner in Italy's 2-1 win over England at the European Under-21 Championship in May of 2002.

Italy Optimistic Despite Struggles

Italy celebrate their progress to the next phase

3-5-2? 4-3-1-2? Biscotto? Those were the questions oppressing Italy coach Cesare Prandelli, his players, punditry, and fans before Italy's critical game against the Republic of Ireland.  But it was Prandelli who somewhat accurately described what was the most significant reason for Italy to go through to the quarterfinals.

"Today we understood that determination made the difference, and not just our quality," said the coach in the post-match conference, the tension slowly dissipating from him after what he called the toughest game of his managerial career.

In fact, Italy's quality was a rare sight yesterday, rarer than against Spain and Croatia, and even their determination, at times, threatened to veer into panic, as the players started to look at the clock well before full-time.  It wasn't until Mario Balotelli's absolutely staggering goal to make it 2-0 that Italy exhaled.  Well no, that's not entirely true.  They had to wait for news to filter in from the other game between Spain and Croatia, which the former won, before they could fully let go and exult.

The victory yesterday was Italy's first at a major tournament since their 2-0 defeat of France in Euro2008, and it came after football that was less than convincing.  But this has been typically the case with Italy in decisive group games in recent memory (World Cup 2002, Euro2004), and yesterday, too, there was the customary drama that accompanied Italy's final group game.  

Most important, however, is to understand that Italy have shown a distinct struggle for consistency and identity during their first three games at Euro2012.  Against Spain, Italy were convincing for the most part, against Croatia they were tired, and against Ireland they were nervous.

The only palpable thread uniting all three performances has been the quality of Andrea Pirlo, who should be wrapped in the softest silk if Italy are to have a hope in this tournament.  His feet have been poetic even at 33.  He described yesterday's game as one of his "worst," but even then it was he who set up Antonio Cassano's goal, and it was he who calibrated, admittedly only at times and not as effectively as in the other two games, the pace of the game according to his mood.

Bonucci tames Balotelli

Daniele De Rossi was solid all three games too, but further up the field Italy still have to discover their best combination.  Playing Thiago Motta behind the strikers in a 4-3-1-2 was not extremely effective, and it is still unclear whether Prandelli will start with Antonio Di Natale, who had a decent game, or Balotelli.  I would guess Balotelli will start the next game.  Remember, too, that Fabio Borini has also not seen playing time yet, but perhaps he will have to be content on the bench.

Lest we forget, of course, there is also the constant question of whether to play three or four at the back.  Italy don't seem to have the fitness levels for the former option, and with Giorgio Chiellini potentially injured for a couple of games, it seems four at the back may be the way to go forward (figuratively and literally), not least to include Federico Balzaretti, who was impressive last night.

All things considered, I am optimistic.  I think as cliche as it is, I agree with Claudio Marchisio when he says that "Italy's tournament starts now."  Italy will play one of France, England, and Ukraine next (most probably France), and there will be a need to impose themselves on their opponents.

That means Cassano has to do even more than he has, and Balotelli needs to understand--really, understand--that his superb technique, on display in full technicolour yesterday, is the precise genius that Italy are craving (incidentally, Leonardo Bonucci's muzzling of Balotelli after the latter's goal was the most endearing moment of the tournament thus far).

This Italy can reach the Final, as Marco Tardelli and Giovanni Trapattoni said yesterday. Prandelli also concurred, though he didn't put it as confidently in the affirmative.

"Now, nothing can be excluded," Prandelli has been quoted as saying by Tuttosport.  On the balance of the three games the optimism may seem misplaced, but Italy are soaringly confident now that they have wriggled past the World and European Champions, an imposing Croatia side, and an Ireland who, under Trapattoni, was supposed to give them problems.

It is perhaps what was needed to lend sharp relief to Italy's slowly evolving self-realization in this tournament.

  

Forza Azzurri!

Italia...perché?!?!

Like the smoke around Buffon, Italy's Euro2012 future is unclear

So, like I said cautious optimism was needed after the 1-1 draw with Spain.  Italy now go into the last game of Euro2012 knowing, just like they did in 2004 and 2008, that even a win will not be enough. More on that later...let's talk technical stuff now.

Like in 2004, Italy know even a win will not guarantee anything as a draw between Spain and Croatia and a win for Italy against Ireland will mean all teams would be on five points, but results against Ireland would be irrelevant then--a mini-table between the three teams would be formed. Italy's careless 1-1 draw with Croatia and Spain's 4-0 hammering of Ireland mean that even if Italy were to win handily against Ireland a score draw of 2-2 or higher between Croatia and Spain would knock Italy out.

At this stage, Italy can qualify without complications if there is a winner between Spain and Croatia, and Italy simply beat Ireland, who are, of course, already eliminated.

Other scenarios are more complicated.

If Italy win against Ireland, and Croatia and Spain ends in a 1-1 draw, then Italy, Spain and Croatia will all have 5 points and an identical goal difference and goals scored record.  In that case, the team who has the best goal difference in the entire group will go through (that would mean results against Ireland would come back into consideration).

In 2004, Italy were in the exact same position, and their worst nightmare came true: Denmark and Sweden drew 2-2, and Italy went out despite having beaten Bulgaria 2-1.

It is never easy for Italy.

Here are the UEFA tie-breaker rules:

1) Highest number of points obtained in the games between the tied teams in question
2) Goal difference between the teams in question
3) Goals scored between the teams in question (in the matches they played against each other)
4) Goal difference in the entire group
5) Highest number of goals scored in all games of the group
6) UEFA coefficient position
7) Fair play record in the tournament
8) Lottery

Azzurri Need to Confirm Impressive Start

La Gazzetta dello Sport brims with admiration

By all means, and by all accounts, Italy should celebrate with vim and gusto their 1-1 draw with Spain in the opening match of their Euro2012 campaign.  After all, taking a point off of the reigning European and World Champions should be a restorative jolt to the Azzurri, who were written off by every pundit I listened to or read before the tournament started.   Lest we should have been concerned, there were the perfunctory, "Italy are always unpredictable," or "you can never write off the Italians."

In fact, yours truly also polished off an article that had Italy "fighti[ng] for fluency" less than a week before the big tournament.  Of course, my less circumspect side wanted to write an article with green and red letters, with about two dozen exclamation marks (six of them side-by-side), but I will save the font-porn until Italy get out of their group.

The truth is with Italy you never know what you're going to get.  It wasn't as if I was trying to insure myself against humiliation if Italy were to do well at the tournament; it was more that I was genuinely bewildered as to how a team that was struggling to cohere a few days before the tournament would fare against the Spanish.  I'm happy that they fared well despite a few incidents like when Mario Balotelli heard Zack Morris call '"time out" a few inches from goal.

There has been much said about the game.  And why not? I personally would like to say Antonio Di Natale's goal in the 60th minute was a vindication of Italian football's core truth, which is not solely rotten like the latest betting scandal.  Instead, it also proffers us a man like Di Natale, ensconced at a club like Udinese, having turned down an offer from Juventus a few seasons ago.  At 34 and with 23 goals this past season, he came off the bench, and with his first touch showed Balotelli how it's done.  He knows where the goal is even when facing the redoubtable Iker Casillas.  Seriously, how tidy and sweet was that finish? Beautiful.

Yet, I urge cautious optimism.  If Italy are notorious slow-starters, they have also had breezy false starts before.  In Euro1996, they looked to be on course to qualify for the next round after beating Russia 2-1 in their opening match; they didn't.  In World Cup 2002, they comfortably beat Ecuador 2-0, but only just made it out of their group.  

Croatia await Italy next.  Remember Italy haven't managed to beat the team since Croatia's independence, and Croatia also defeated Italy in their second group game at the 2002 World Cup (albeit controversially).

More important than whether Daniele De Rossi should play in the center of defence (where he was outstanding by the way) or whether Di Natale should start (he should by the way) is how Italy approach their next game mentally. 

"Our next game will be the most important of the group," said coach Cesare Prandelli, echoing what he told World Soccer a few months ago as well.

"Croatia are a dangerous and unpredictable side."

Indeed, Prandelli seems to get it. Beat Croatia, and virtually guarantee your progress to the next round.  Anything less will make things a bit complicated.  It would be a shame to squander all the progress of 90 minutes against the Spaniards. Hopefully, Italy build on what they have started. 

But yes, before I forget, a very emphatic "Forza Azzurri!" from me!

Forza Azzurri!

La Gazzetta dello Sport talks about a "match of brains" between Pirlo and Xavi...Forza Azzurri!

Italy's Aching Need for European Glory

Facchetti lifts the Henri Delaunay Trophy in 1968

For all of Italian heartbreak at the World Cup (1970, 1994), and outright humiliation (1966, 2002), it is the European Championship that remains Italy's ultimate bête noire. Four World Cup triumphs are an antidote to the four agonizing years previously mentioned, but Italy have won the European Championship only once: in 1968, and even that victory came after a huge dose of luck.

Italy were hosts that year, a year that marked the first time the tournament was called the European Championship instead of the European Nations Cup.  The format of the tournament also slightly varied from the 1960 and 1964 editions: a group phase replaced the two-legged home and away knock-out round.  In the quarter-finals, Italy overcame Bulgaria, setting up a semi-final match against the then USSR.

After they battled to a 0-0 scoreline, and after extra-time couldn't separate the two sides, a coin toss resulted in Italy as the winner.  Incredibly, Italy were through to the Final through a method that made penalty shoot-outs look compassionately fair.

The Final needed a replay to decide the winner.  Italy and Yugoslavia battled to a 1-1 draw in the first game after Angelo Domenghini responded to Dzajic's opening goal for Yugoslavia.  Two days later, the replay saw Italy run out winners as Gigi Riva's and Pietro Anastasi's goals floored Yugoslavia.

It was a European triumph, but it came via a tortuous path, whose turns and twists prevented Italy from getting full credit.  That team had Dino Zoff, Giacinto Facchetti, and Riva, but it was the coin-toss semi-final win that pushed Italy to glory.

Since then Italy have had virtually no luck in the European Championships.  In 1980, for example, Belgium denied Italy a place in the Final by frustrating them to a 0-0 draw in the last game of the Group Stage.  Both countries finished on the same number of points in the group, but Belgium went on to play West Germany in the Final not on goal difference, but on goals scored--three to Italy's one.

In later years, Italy were eliminated at the Group Stage due to a combination of ineptitude and misfortune.  In 1996, Italy defeated Russia in their opening game, and looked to be on course for the quarter-finals.  However, a 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic in the next game meant that Italy had to beat Germany to ensure qualification.  A draw would only suffice if Russia beat the Czech Republic in their final game.  In the 85th minute, Italy seemed to be inching towards the quarter-finals, as Russia were leading the Czech Republic 3-2 while Italy were deadlocked against the Germans 0-0.  However, Vladimir Smicer scored a late goal for the Czechs to eliminate Italy.

During Euro2004 in Portugal, Italy were left to rely on other results once again--and once again it was all in vain.  Italy had drawn 0-0 with Denmark in their opening game, and could only collect another point against Sweden in their second.  The results meant that Italy needed to beat Bulgaria in their final group game, and hope that the game between Denmark and Sweden not end in a 2-2 (or higher) draw.  Italy beat Bulgaria with Antonio Cassano scoring in injury-time, only to learn that Denmark and Sweden had indeed played to a 2-2 draw.  As news filtered through, Cassano sunk in despair in the Guimares rain.

A tearful Totti after the Euro2000 Final

However, as painful as those two European Championships were, the most excruciating fate awaited Italy in Euro2000.  Not many expected Italy to do well at the tournament being held in Holland and Belgium as coach Dino Zoff was without striker Christian Vieri and first-choice goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (both out injured) going into the tournament.  However, players like Stefano Fiore, a young Francesco Totti, and the peerless defensive trio of Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro inspired Italy to the Final where they took on France.

In the Final, Zoff opted to start with Marco Delvecchio and Totti up front with Udinese's Fiore playing right behind them.  Ten minutes into the second half, Delvecchio struck.  Totti laid a brilliant backheel pass on for Gianluca Pessotto, who crossed in low for Delvecchio to volley home past Barthez. Italy had played superbly up until that point and were deservedly in front.  Even after Del Piero, who replaced Fiore early in the second half, missed two supremely simple chances, Italy looked well placed to go on and win their first European Championship in thirty-two years.

However, a cruel--indeed tortuous--conclusion was yet to come.  With less than two minutes to go, Barthez cleared long up the field, and Cannvaro mistimed his header straight into the path of Sylvain Wiltord, who guided the ball past a helpless Francesco Toldo in goal.  Italian players looked totally deprived of strength and hope after that goal, and it was little surprise when David Trezeguet scored the golden goal winner in extra-time.

That game remains my most painful memory of football--more painful than Baggio's miss in 1994, and more painful than even Milan's farcical capitulation to Liverpool in the Champions League Final of 2005.  Italy came within seconds of winning that tournament, and the way they had played that Final in Rotterdam merited a win.

Between 1972 and 2008, Italy has had little to celebrate in the European Championship.  Here's hoping Cesare Prandelli and his side, against daunting odds, change that in Euro2012.

My Favourite Euro Tackle

Italy's Alessandro Nesta performs a wonder-tackle on France's Sylvain Wiltord during the Euro2000 Final.

Italy's National Anthem in Euro2000

It is perhaps the weight of the occasion or perhaps the particular acoustic resonance of the Italian anthem in the versions below that separate them from others I have heard during the European Championships.  They are from the semi-final and final of Euro2000 respectively.

Azzurri Fight for Fluency

Italy's Balotelli (left) and Russia's Ignashevich

You would think that after all that has happened with the match-fixing scandal in Italy, the friendly against Russia would be respite, an encouraging preview of what is about to come in a week's time--when Italy, you know, take on that eminently average Iberian team, Spain.

The preview was lurid.  Italy coach Cesare Prandelli watched his team flounder to a 3-0 loss to Russia, the defeat marking Italy's third consecutive friendly loss.

A lot was wrong, and not just Cristian Maggio at right-back, whose blunders were costly.  Throughout the game I had the same feeling I have had at different times during the qualifiers, but one that has now swelled into an overwhelming dread: this Italy does not know how to express itself fluently.

Indeed, for those eager to rebut the admittedly hackneyed argument that Italy are dour, dogged, and defensive, the statistic that Prandelli's side had the most possession of the ball after Spain during Euro2012 qualifying has been amply useful.  But what that statistic does not tell is that Italy have often looked like they don't know what to do when they have the ball.

The incisions in the final third have been nibbles around the opposition's goal.  When a promising move does actually materialize, no one has been able to capitalize on it for the last 270 minutes or so of football.

And so it went yesterday.  Prandelli started with Riccardo Montolivo behind Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli.  Coherent on paper, disjointed on grass.  Montolivo was featherweight, ghosting in and out of the game ineffectually, revealing only fleeting moments of competence, while Cassano and Balotelli gave glimpses of their repertoire individually but failed to combine their powers.  It was worrying because the two haven't played much together, and it seems like Prandelli will be relying on them significantly.

Andrea Pirlo, however, was at his heat-seeking-missile-accurate-best, oxygenating a stifled Azzurri with astoundingly accurate passes in the seventh and twenty-fifth minutes that should have led to goals.   But it was the rest of the midfield and defence that will cause Prandelli all sorts of tactical challenges.  Even before yesterday's friendly some urged for a three-man defence due to the absence of Domenico Criscito.  It would be surprising to see Prandelli switch so late in preparation, but he must somehow provision for better and more cover.  Russia approached and breached Italy at will.  Maggio was an absolute shambles at the back, while Andrea Barzagli seemed slightly unhinged.   Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio should have provided a bit more cover in midfield as well.

Italy conceded only two goals during qualifying but have shipped five in their last three friendlies. While many reached for platitudes in the post-match interviews, Barzagli was the most forthcoming, admitting that Italy "lacked balance."  That is perhaps the most dismaying thing for Prandelli to ponder: how to balance this lopsided team.  It is all the more dismaying when one casts his mind back to the fall of last year.  If you recall I wrote an article in September 2011 entitled "Prandelli's Azzurri Show Poise."  At the time things looked promising, but the last three friendlies have revealed a somewhat diffident side, unsure of the qualities it took months to cultivate under Prandelli.

Prandelli gives direction to Di Natale (left) & Giovinco

Prandelli's calibration over the next week will also need to contemplate what role Antonio Di Natale, the veteran at 34, will play this tournament.  He came on in the 68th minute yesterday, but his pace and ability to elude marking would have been useful earlier.  Di Natale remains a crucial alternative to Cassano or Balotelli.  However, he may also get a start if things don't tick after the first game against Spain.

More homework for Prandelli then, but the coach was quick to point out (justifiably) that this is also Italy's "third game in eight months," insinuating that the Lega Calcio's obdurate refusal to let him have some time with the players during the season has been a hindrance to the Azzurri.

With only a week left until the encounter with Spain, Prandelli has to defy the match-fixing scandal, an injury to Giorgio Chiellini (which should heal in time), Giuseppe Rossi's absence through torn knee ligaments, and the fact that his team only played one of their two scheduled friendlies--the first one against Luxembourg was cancelled because of an earthquake in Italy.  On top of that, the country's Prime Minister, Mario Monti, decided to jilt common sense and instead opt for the most drastic non-option available in the wake of the match-fixing scandal.  "I wonder if it would be a good idea to postpone Italian football for two or three years," mused Monti.

No, Prime Minister.  Absolutely not. Even though Prandelli said this week that he would be willing to take Italy out of Euro2012 if need be, Monti's suggestion and Prandelli's willingness though ostensibly noble are a bit bizarre.  Despite the predictable furor over the scandal, there remains an aching need for Italy to put in a good account of themselves during Euro2012.

There is no time to sulk.  There are many things to consider for Prandelli, not least important among which is how his team are actually playing on the field.  It is not so much formation that needs tweaking--at any rate, Prandelli was flexible during qualifiers switching between a 4-3-3 and a 4-3-1-2 as required--than a need for incisive eloquence from a team that purports to hold the ball more than we are used to seeing from Italian teams in the past.  There will be, after all, no time to stutter against Spain, a team that considers holding the ball their birthright.