Germany '06 WC Final: ITALY vs. FRANCE

[Masquerouge]

If you let us win, I'll consider the whole thing equalised and forgive you. I promise I'll stop cursing French players (especially Wiltord) like I've done for the last 6 years.

If you win again, I'll hate France for the rest of my life!

To be honest, you can start hating France once we'll win as many World Cups as the Squadra

 

[ThERat]

I am 100% supporting Italy for the final this time. Why? I think they are the only ones deserving this title.No team has been extremely outstanding in this pretty disappointing WC.
Yes, France had 2 good games, but in one of them, the opponent decided to walk not play (Brazil).

Italy has positively surprised me. The Ghana game was an indication that Lippi does not believe in catenaggio. They have an outstanding record and if we look at how many goals were actually scored during quarter and semi final, some people are in for a shock.

Quarter: total 6 goals, 3 by Italy
semi: total 3 goals, 2 by Italy

so, Italy scored more than 50% of the goals, that's not bad for a team with such a reputation.

Besides, I think Italy has really a great team with very likeable players. All those who can never get rid of their prejudices and stereotypes, too bad for you. Support France then.

 

[kronic]

Baaaaaah (mi tocco le palle che è meglio...)

Waiting for Inter to report the post.

 

[kryszcztov]

I see nothing wrong with France. At least our penatly wasn't questionable. Indeed, the fact that the 2 best defending teams are in the final is not surprising. I think that attacking football is over in Europe (for the time being), at least for national teams. African teams may start a new era of attacking football, once they learn to strike, and this may come in 4 years. Until then, we got to get a 2nd star on our shirt. And Zidane will crush them all.

 

[ThERat]

And Zidane will crush them all.

well, judging from last nights performance, he has to up it a little...I think France has sort of exhausted their fire with the games against Spain and Brazil. I believe that Italy will be really on fire compared to France. I might be wrong though.

 

[josephstalin]

Saha is ineligible due to two yellow cards.

I know but this still no explanation of him not starting in other matches.

 

[Marla_Singer]

well, judging from last nights performance, he has to up it a little...I think France has sort of exhausted their fire with the games against Spain and Brazil. I believe that Italy will be really on fire compared to France. I might be wrong though.

Don't you believe that Portuguese players have at least slightly something to do about this ?

Portuguese are fantastic and very technical passers. They've made run France during the whole game. While our defence remained solid, our players have simply been exhausted by this. And that's natural, they are human. If you look at Zidane, he was completely burnt out for the last 20 minutes. And the only reason for this is Portuguese players who controled the ball in the midfield.

The reason why Brazilians "have walked" as you say is exactly the same. In the game against Brazil, as weird as it sounds, France controlled the midfield, and Brazilians were constantly trying to take the ball. What is exhausting is not to make several beautiful technical moves as did Zidane, but actually to run all around him to try to get the damn' ball.

That's the reason why I believe that even if today you can't simply win anything if you are not physically well-fit, the difference can still, even today, be made on technique. For the simple reason that a good technician will always have to make less efforts than someone who doesn't know to do anything else than running.

I'm not saying that France vs Portugal was a beautiful game cause it definitly wasn't, the thing is that Portuguese players still have to be respected for their wonderful technical abilities. France has been lucky to go through. It will certainly sound as a chauvinist comment, but I don't believe France could have kept the 1 goal lead without the courage they've shown on the pitch. And simply for this, French players deserved my total respect.

 

[Inter4]

Italy has scored with 10 different players, a new record. That's what I call team play

Rhye,

 

[Tomoyo]

I know but this still no explanation of him not starting in other matches.

Maybe his ten-minute performance in the semis showed why he didn't start... every time he touched the ball, it went back to Portugal! I was seriously thinking that he might've been bribed or something, it was so bad.

(I have a bit of a grudge against anyone named Saha and playing soccer/football though, since I remember watching NY/NJ Metrostars in MLS a long time ago, and the guy named Saha was the most lazy cherry picker I've ever seen... and he was called for so many offsides too)

 

[Marla_Singer]

Italians are definitly the big favourites for the final. There's nothing to say about it. My heart still goes for France, but Italians have been proven very solid and well-organized.

Actually, The Italian team at this World Cup reminds me the French team of 1998. A great collective play, a solid defence, and the only thing missing being an outstanding finisher. I'm not saying Toni isn't good, but I'm not sure he's been the best in this world cup. Actually, there's been no less than 9 different French players scoring in 1998. Not far from the 10 italians of this world cup.

 

[Inter4]

He is outstanding (31 goals this season in Serie A, the most defense based league in europe), but he hasn't had the chance to prove it in this world cup. I think you either have one guy scoring most of yourgoals or collective goals.. one or the other..

 

[Marla_Singer]

He is outstanding (31 goals this season in Serie A, the most defense based league in europe), but he hasn't had the chance to prove it in this world cup. I think you either have one guy scoring most of yourgoals or collective goals.. one or the other..

That's actually the problem when you play as a lone striker. You're here somewhere a bit as a "scarecrow" for the defence. The lone striker is somewhere there to attract the defence attention so that other players could have more space to play forward. Actually, the problem is rather similar with Thierry Henry in the French team.

 

[kryszcztov]

well, judging from last nights performance, he has to up it a little...I think France has sort of exhausted their fire with the games against Spain and Brazil. I believe that Italy will be really on fire compared to France. I might be wrong though.

One thing to learn from this WC is to not expect players to play their next match like their latest one. Everyone said France would be eaten by Spain and Brazil, and see what happened... You're making the same mistake, even if it can be true this time. As Marla said, Portugal played better than Spain and Brazil, and we suffered from that. Doesn't necessarily mean that Zidane and some other players are on the decline again. This is the last match for Zidane in his entire career (he is only 34 ) : expect him to be on top form against Italy, even if it will be difficult.

 

[Marla_Singer]

One thing to learn from this WC is to not expect players to play their next match like their latest one. Everyone said France would be eaten by Spain and Brazil, and see what happened... You're making the same mistake, even if it can be true this time. As Marla said, Portugal played better than Spain and Brazil, and we suffered from that. Doesn't necessarily mean that Zidane and some other players are on the decline again. This is the last match for Zidane in his entire career (he is only 34 ) : expect him to be on top form against Italy, even if it will be difficult.

The thing I like about the final is that we're outsider again. That feels so good.

Well, about the Portugal vs France game, I do believe that some French players had problems to handle the pressure. You see this well at the beginning of the game, with Abidal, and even Zidane, screwing some easy passes. The task was hard for them as nearly everyone expected them to win and wouldn't have understood a loss... once again under-estimating the quality of the Portuguese team (that's not specific to French people, but really to most people worldwide... obviously people were so obsessed by the divings that they couldn't see how great were Portuguese technically).

Now this being said, they succeeded to focus back later. Only Saha made a terrible entrance. I do believe that overall, if French players haven't shined as much as against Brazil and Spain, it's indeed because Portuguese succeeded to make them run a lot more than the two other teams. Now, you're right to recall that it's not because one team plays well at one game that it will necessarily play as well in the next game.

 

[kryszcztov]

Mamma mia, I can already see the sadness in Italy next Sunday. Poor, poor Italians, we already did it 8 and 6 years ago. I wanted to face Germany, but Italy thought it was a good idea to lose against Zidane rather than to Ballack. On Sunday night, in Rome, pizza will have a bitter taste.

 

[ThERat]

well analogies and statistics don't mean anything unless you get affected by that. In the same way we could say
90 in Italy, Germany won with Italy in the semis
06 in Germany, Italy wins with Germany in the semis...

doesn't mean much does it.

krys, I agree you only play at the level the other team lets you play. I never underestimated Portugal, that's why I think they would have won the game if not for that penalty. Brazil however was not playing, they were standing around, not only at the 1:0 but at many other moments as well.

 

[Gr3yL3gion]

I think France will win this.

 

[Quasar1011]

Barthez gives up too many rebounds, and otherwise takes too many chances. I think Italy will score against him. But I also think France will get a goal against that stubborn Italian defence. I'm going for 1-1 after extra time, with France winning on penalties...

 

[azzaman333]

African teams may start a new era of attacking football, once they learn to strike, and this may come in 4 years.

And Australia.

I hope Italy lose 3-0, because im still annoyed by the cheap 'penalty' agianst Australia.

 

[Gr3yL3gion]

Well, you can only hope that what goes around, comes around.