Saturday, March 24, 2007

Scotland Admiring and Apprehensive about Upcoming Soccer Match with Azzurri.

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Scotland have scored only once in Italy in five matches stretching back 76 years, and have some very admiring words to say.

Journalist Grant describes them as physically imposing, quick, intelligent, sly, ruthless, utterly cynical: Italians mastered the art of shutting out opposing teams to the extent that their international side became the yin to Brazil's yang. Ask a football fan to name the planet's most cavalier country and the answer would be the Brazilians; ask for the most negative and destructive and it probably would be the Italians,  with their infamous catenaccio, or "door bolt", tactic of a sweeper behind four defenders.

Italy is the cradle of central defending, with Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi while Alessandro Nesta is injured.

Opposing teams have been impressed with how Italy defenders usually look to make aggressive forward passes, contrary to the widespread perception they are a nation of players happy to wait an eternity before taking a risk which might cost them possession.

Their defenders, if the pass is on, will play an aggressive ball through, You have to be aware all the time that's what they're looking to do.

France and Italy favourites to claim the two qualifying places in Scotland's Euro 2008 group are two different types of team. The Italians are the more aggressive team in their play, they're not as patient in their build-up as the French. Although they do like to keep possession of the ball they're more aggressive with their passing.

 

ITALY GIVING LITTLE AWAY

 

Scotland now have to Find a Way to Break down the Toughest Defence in the Game

 

The Sunday Herald

Glasgow,Scotland,UK

Michael Grant

March 25, 2007

 

IMAGINE A brick wall wearing an Italy strip. Italian defenders have borne names that could chill the blood of any centre forward unfortunate enough to come against them in Serie A or a match against the Italian national side. The likes of Claudio Gentile, Gaetano Scirea, Franco Baresi, Giuseppe Bergomi, Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta not only wrote the book on thou-shalt-not-pass defending, they fouled it and broke its legs too.

Actually Scirea, Baresi and Maldini were far too accomplished as footballers to have to resort to the sort of scything brutality with which the likes of Gentile hacked out Italy's reputation as the breeding ground for formidable defenders. But they all did much to add to the impression of it as a barren place where strikers were devoured like mama's spaghetti.

Scotland have scored only once in Italy in five matches stretching back 76 years. Kevin Gallacher probably still wakes up in a cold sweat every so often about what revenge Italian defenders might exact on him for having the temerity to score a consolation goal in a 3-1 defeat in Rome 13 years ago.

Physically imposing, quick, intelligent, sly, ruthless, utterly cynical: Italians mastered the art of shutting out opposing teams to the extent that their international side became the yin to Brazil's yang. Ask a football fan to name the planet's most cavalier country and the answer would be the Brazilians; ask for the most negative and destructive and it probably would be the Italians, even though fully 40 years have passed since Inter Milan failed to snuff out Jock Stein's Celtic with their infamous catenaccio, or "door bolt", tactic of a sweeper behind four defenders.

So Italy is the cradle of central defending, with Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Materazzi their current partnership while Alessandro Nesta is injured. No wonder Scotland's Steven Pressley - having been suspended for the win over Georgia yesterday after a red card against Ukraine in October - talked so enthusiastically about Wednesday's tie in Bari against the supreme exponents of his trade.

Pressley was ineligible for Celtic's recent Champions League tie in Italy against AC Milan although he was in the Scotland defence, alongside David Weir, which lost 2-0 to a pair of Andrea Pirlo free-kicks in the San Siro in Walter Smith's first game as Scotland manager two years ago.

Whenever he has watched Italian teams, Pressley has been impressed with how their defenders usually look to make aggressive forward passes, contrary to the widespread perception they are a nation of players happy to wait an eternity before taking a risk which might cost them possession.

"Their defenders, if the pass is on, will play an aggressive ball through," he said. "You have to be aware all the time that's what they're looking to do.

"France and Italy favourites to claim the two qualifying places in Scotland's Euro 2008 group are two different types of team. The Italians are the more aggressive team in their play, they're not as patient in their build-up as the French. Although they do like to keep possession of the ball they're more aggressive with their passing.

"When we lost to the Pirlo free-kicks two years ago we actually controlled that game for long periods in that second half. I genuinely think it gave us something to build on during the rest of Walter's reign. It gave us a sense of belief that we were capable.

"To go to Italy and have the lion's share of the possession in the second half was terrific. Thankfully we were able to go on from that base and we played very well against Italy at Hampden a 1-1 draw in September, 2005. I was suspended that day as well!"

Pressley has the bearing of an elder statesman for his country but actually was a late developer on the international scene - a fact he is constantly reminded of by Christian Dailly, his Scotland room-mate, who, unlike Pressley, has been at the finals of a major tournament in France '98.

In the land of Gentile, Baresi and Maldini, though, every visiting defender can be forgiven for feeling like a rookie.

 

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