Have Les Bleus turned a corner? Come from behind to beat the Italians 2-1

Okay so I was not able to watch the game today...and even ESPN 3 did not offer the ability to see the replay. But I was able to find the high lights -


From the video, two fantastic goals from Les Bleus. Great way to end the international season for France. Let us hope they can continue to build on this success.

3 Holding midfielders? Maybe..or maybe 4-2-3-1

According to different publications, Les Bleus will either go with a 3 holding midfielder block or the old fashioned 4-2-3-1.

According to L'Equipe, we might see the 4-2-3-1, with Matuidi and Capoue as the holding players with, Menez, Valbuena and Ribery as the attacking three. Eurosport suggests the same.

 

And according to France Football, look for a 4-3-3 with Matuidi, Capoue and Gonalons as the holding players. It will be interesting to see who comes out of the tunnel later today in Italy.

I still think it would be interesting to see Gourcuff as part of the midfield in a 4-3-3.

Allez Les Bleus.

Deschamps mum about starters...except for one

With 24 hours to go, it appears that Deschamps has been mum with regards to who will walk out for France to face their trans-alpine neighbors. One things appears to be, possible - Valbuena might be in the starting line up for Les Bleus. But in what role...not sure. Add to this the apparent knocks pick up by both Cabaye and Menez, and we have a thinning roster from which DD can select.

Here is what I think France will do tomorrow. Deschamps will continue to lean on his 4-3-3.

Lloris
Debuchy, Mbiwa, Sakho, Evra

I think the defense will be what Deschamps will look to lean on as much as possible during qualifiers, giving them more time together will be valuable.

The midfield and up front is where things will get interesting:

Only player we know will start...or will he???

I think Deschamps will line up these three in the middle - Gonalons, Gourcuff and Matuidi.  I look for Matuidi and Gonalons to be called on to do the dirty work in the midfield, the PSG midfielder deserves another start after his fantastic showing against Spain. Gourcuff will be allowed to play deeper, a role that actually suits him and allows him greater visibility of the field.

Up front I will look for Ribery back on the left, Giroud as the central attacker and Valbuena on the right. With Menez out, this is a chance to see Le Petit Velo out on the right flank.

I expect to see Payet get some time on one of the wings at some point in the match. Finally I hope that Tremoulinas gets some time on the field. After getting a late call up to replace Clichy, it would be interesting to see the Bordeaux left back, who is very offensive minded, to get some run. I think that he, if given the chance, has a card to play with Les Bleus.

France v Italy we meet again old friend...

This past week Deschamps unveiled his list for the upcoming friendly against Italy, our old foe. In the list we have much of the same with not too many real surprises. What is a surprise are some of the absent names. The list -

Gardiens : Lloris (Tottenham/ ANG), Mandanda (Marseille), Landreau (Lille)
Défenseurs : Clichy (Manchester City/ ANG), Evra (Manchester United/ ANG), Debuchy (Lille), Jallet, Sakho (PSG), Rami (Valence/ ESP), Yanga-Mbiwa (Montpellier), Koscielny (Arsenal/ ANG).
Milieux : Cabaye (Newcastle/ ANG), Gourcuff, Gonalons (Lyon), Matuidi (PSG), Valbuena (Marseille), Capoue (Toulouse), M. Sissoko (Toulouse)
Attaquants : Giroud (Arsenal/ ANG), Gomis (Lyon), Ménez (PSG), Ribéry (Bayern Munich/ ALL), Payet (Lille)

Back in the mix...but what role?

Somewhat surprised to see Gourcuff back in the side. The Lyon midfielder has not been able to live up to the scintillating form he exhibited a few seasons ago for Bordeaux. Suffering through injuries and a drop in form has made many question what his long term future would be for France. Deschamps' actions indicate that the door is not entirely closed to the former golden boy of France football. Question is where does he fit in the Deschamps 4-3-3? He could play a deep lying role, similar to a Pirlo. Something I was a proponent of for a while. Or he could play higher up the field supporting the two wide players, but that would leave Les Bleus without a true center forward. Or could Deschamps opt for the 4-2-3-1 again? We shall see.

As for Payet, not a surprise in seeing him back on the side. He can play both wing positions and gives Deschamps some real options.

What is surprising are the absent names - Nasri and Ben Arfa in particular. Both former Marseilles midfielders continue to carry the bad karma from their actions during the Euros. It appears that Deschamps is going to build his team around a more defensive minded midfield and look for the creativity to come from his wingers. Of course with Gourcuff that could change that philosophy. Mavuba is also absent, maybe he suffers from the showing that Matuidi had against Spain in the primary holding role.

Without Benzema, out due to injury, look for Giroud to feature up front with Menez and Ribery flanking him. The midfield will be interesting, I think Cabaye and Matuidi will be midfield the question is who else will feature? I expect we will see the Sakho - Mbiwa central defensive pairing with Debuchy and Evra/Clichy on the flanks and Lloris in goal.

Since the list was published - Jallet had to withdraw and Reveillere was brought in as cover.

It will be interesting to see what Deschamps does during training.

Allez les Bleus.

Forza Azzurri v La Roja...date with destiny

The Euros' finals will come to an end later today when a team looking destiny in the face comes up against one of football's most storied sides. Spain v Italy. Many pundits thought it would be Spain v Germany, but the Azzurri put a stop to that. A month ago these two sides faced off in their first group games, a game that ended 1-1. Much has changed for both sides since that match. So who is going to win?

Why Spain will win:

How many Croats does it take to stop Iniesta?

1. They have a date with destiny. No national team has won three straight major titles. Both West Germany and France attempted the feat and fell short. Spain has a chance to put themselves in a place in history no other team has enjoyed. What is even more impressive is that this coming from a nation that was always seen as an underachiever in international tournaments. Spain has not looked like the world beaters they were 4 years ago when this run started...but they have shown the ability of a champion: finding a way to win. They seem destined to continue this run.
2. The tiki-taka is too difficult to break down. The constant triangle passing has been perfected by the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Cesc and the rest. No team has been able to break this down in competitive play, not sure that Italy will be able to find a solution. Iniesta is also playing at a different level. Watching him this tournament it is amazing to see his ability to hold on to the ball in the most precarious situation. With the play of Alba giving Spain width from the fullback position, the tiki-taka is getting increasingly dangerous to defend.
3. Spain is too deep. La Roja have a deep bench. Being able to throw on the likes of Nava or Torres or Llorente (hasn't been used once!) or Pedro is lethal late in a game. After having to defend for the bulk of a match, chasing ghosts to then have to defend the pace of a Nava is too much for most teams to contend with. Spain showed against Portugal that they can change gears late in the game and few teams have an answer. Italy is an older team and has a lot of football in their legs, chasing the tiki-taka for 60 minutes to then have to defend the fresh players coming in from the bench will be too much.

Why Italy will win:

1. Italy is the team that has the momentum. The old cliche is true, it is not how you start but how you finish. The Italians have progressively played better as the tournament has moved on. They did the necessary in the group stages: drew their opening game against Spain, got a point from Croatia and won their last game against Ireland. Granted they had to rely on the Spain - Croatia result to ensure they went through. Against England they started showing their class and finally against Germany they took the next step. They have been building up to this final. They are the hot team.
2. Super Mario. For my Pittsburgh readers and Penguin fans...I am not talking about Lemieux, I am talking about Balotelli. Super Mario is....well.....super! Mario started his little run during the Ireland game, scoring a wonderful goal. He was a dangerous man against England, unfortunate to not have scored. In the semi finals he was a beast. The German back line had no solutions for him and partnering with Cassano was lethal. Spain's system seems to struggle against sides that line up 2 strikers, putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the Spanish center backs. I am not sure that either Pique nor Ramos will be able to keep Super Mario in check. As he demonstrated against Germany, all he needs is a sliver of space and he will punish you. The question remains can Mario play a full 90 minutes and will he keep his cool facing Ramos who I know will try to get under his skin. While Balotelli's second goal against Germany was ridiculous, the goal against Ireland was a greater piece of artistry -





3. Italy has the system to beat Tiki-Taka. Portugal and Croatia gave a glimpse of how you can give La Roja some problems - timely pressure and break from deep. One of the reasons Spain has not looked the side it was a few years back, is their pace. I know I said they have pacy players, and they do, but the majority of the games they seem content to build slowly, get the triangles going from deep and methodically work their way up the pitch. They seem to just want to go up 1-0 and then sit back and hold the ball. Look at the France game. They came out fast and put France on their heels. However once they went up 1-0 they just sat back and didn't really threaten Lloris. The Italians came out and pressured the Germans, and did so high on the pitch. They threw the Mannshaft's game plan off. I do not think that they will look to put high pressure on Spain the entire game, but Portugal demonstrated that if you can do so you can get some chances to break. Unlike Portugal, the presence of Pirlo will make these breaks much more dangerous. In addition, Pirlo sits much deeper than traditional play makers. Why is this important? Italy can start their attacks deeper, away from the congestion that is in the middle of the park. If the likes of Busquets and Alonso pinch higher to pressure the Italians, that will open up space for Super Mario....not a wise move! The Italians know how to defend, know hot to absorb pressure and are not going to be afraid of the defending European and World Cup champions.

So who will win? I have waffled back and forth. My head tells me Spain....because they are doing what champions do - win ugly. But my heart tells me Italy, maybe because Spain is getting on my nerves - Ramos, Busquets, Cesc and the other whiners are irritating! I do think the game will be good, unlike recent finals. I look for a 1-1 in regulation and head to extra time - goals from Iniesta and Cassano.....and the game will end

Italy 2 - Spain 1. Super Mario will find a way late in the extra time to spring a goal on Spain. Ramos will try to get him off his game only to see Super Mario beat the Real Madrid gadfly for the winning goal.

Forza Italia!!!!

Italy v FRG...I mean West Germany...I mean Germany

Now this is a rivalry that has a deep history on the pitch - Germany v Italy. They have met 30 times (7 times in World or European Cups), Italy has never lost in those 7 meetings. There are some that argue the 1970s World Cup semi finals is the greatest match of all time...




The game had some legendary names and some players who changed the way the game was played - Facchetti and Beckenbauer showed the world how defensive players could influence the game offensively. Sepp Maier revolutionized goalkeeping by introducing the use of special gloves (notice that the Italian keeper Albertosi is bare handed, old school!). Das Bomber Muller set the standard for strikers and goal scoring.

More recently there was the 2006 World Cup semi-final, where Italy scored 2 late goals to get into the finals, where they would eventually beat Les Bleus on penalty kicks...sigh. There was also the 1982 World Cup Finals, and one of the most iconic goal celebrations we have seen.

Tardelli gives the Azurri a 2-0 lead in 1982

Anyways back to Germany v Italy circa 2012. This match will pit two teams that know each other well and know each other's style on the field. I think this is the tournament that Germany finally gets the Italian monkey off their back, three reasons why:

• The German midfield will snuff out Pirlo and therefore the Italian metronome. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira will be too much for the Italian play maker. If you look at the two midfields, the advantage has to go to the Huns. In addition to the two I just mentioned, Ozil will create some headaches for the Italian midfield. If De Rossi is not 100% this will make the Italian midfield's task that much more of a challenge. In the battle for the center of the park, I look for Germany's talented players to keep Pirlo in check and create too many mismatches for the Italians to overcome.
• Germany is more rested and healthier than the Italians. With the aforementioned Schwinnie declared fit for the game, Germany do not have the amount of injury concerns that Italy has. Italy may not have the services of the likes of Abate, De Rossi and Chiellini, add to this that Maggio is suspended and Italy are starting to look thin at the back. Especially at right back if Abate cannot go. In addition, the Italians played two days ago while Germany had and extra two days of rest. Without some key players and assuming heavier legs, can Italy keep up with the attack minded Germany? I doubt that even the best catenaccio will hold the likes of Ozil, Muller, Podoloski, Klose, Gomez et al at bay.
• The German pace will be to much for the Italian back line. I never thought I would write the words "German" and "pace" in the same sentence....but one has to say that this German team is not the methodical bulldozer my uncle used to call them. This team has pace and speed down the wings as well as through the center. If the Italians are forced to play with 3 at the back (due to injury and suspensions) and do not have a full fit De Rossi to break up the attacks in the midfield, I think the German pace down the channels with the likes of Klose or Gomez in the box will be too much for Italy.

I think this game will be a tight one, but late on it will open up for the Germans. Italy will not go away easily but in the end - Germany 2: Italy 1.

Champions League - Bundesliga moving up

One of my fellow podcaster and contributor to this blog - The Gooner aka Sam - favorite pet topic is starting to gain some momentum. With all the "excitement" of the Carling Cup...terrible loss for Arsenal...a story came out that Germany has surpassed Italy in terms of UEFA coefficients. Confused? Basically the coefficients are ways for FIFA and UEFA to determine the strength of leagues and nations, resulting in how many teams per league can qualify for the Champions League and Europa Cup as well as where national teams get seeded for qualifiers. For a more in depth explanation click here.

What is interesting is that for the past few years it was always the "big three" in Europe - La Liga in Spain, EPL in England and Serie A in Italy. These three leagues were seen as the top of the hierarchy allowing them to send 4 clubs to the Champions League, but Germany had been quietly creeping up and they have finally ousted Italy from the guaranteed 4 clubs ranks. A testament to Bundesliga clubs who have done well in both European Cup competitions and to some degree a reflection of he disarray in Italy. One has to wonder the impact of the 2006 Calcipoli scandal which saw the likes of Juventus and Fiorentina ousted from Champions League and Lazio kicked out of the then UEFA cup. Juventus was stripped of previous Serie A titles and sent to Serie B. Juventus was a force during those seasons and who knows how they would have fared in the Champions League - they had reached the 1/4 finals in 2005 and 2006.

Couple this with the Bundesliga and its concerted efforts to develop talent from the youth ranks and practicing fiscal responsibility and you get what we have today - Italy down to 3 clubs and Germany up to 4. The interesting fact is Italy's coefficient is closer to France in 5th place than they are to Germany. If Italy falls behind France it will be a true reflection of how far Serie A has fallen in Europe...seems like Sam was on to something!

Rank 2011	Rank 2010	Mvmt	League	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11	Coeff.	CL places	EL places	Total
1	1	—	England	16.625	17.875	15.000	17.928	15.500	82.928	4	3	7
2	2	—	Spain	19.000	13.875	13.312	17.928	13.214	77.329
3	4	+1	Germany	9.500	13.500	14.333	18.083	14.333	68.103
4	3	−1	Italy	11.928	10.250	11.375	15.428	11.000	59.981	3		6
5	5	—	France	10.000	6.928	11.000	15.000	10.583	53.511
6	9	+3	Portugal	8.083	7.928	6.785	10.000	11.800	44.596

World Cup finalists from 4 years ago...out in the group stages

There will be a new World Champion of Football. Italy crashes out of the World Cup finishing last in their own group...

Group F			MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-	Pts
	Paraguay		3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
	Slovakia		3	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
	New Zealand		3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
	Italy		3	0	2	1	4	5	-1	2

Wow...couple this with France finishing last in their group and you will have neither finalist from 4 years ago in the knock out stages. Italy dropped a shocking 3-2 game to Slovakia. Couple this with 2 poor draws, one of which against New Zealand and you have to say that the Italian voyage at this World Cup has been almost as pathetic as the one from Les Bleus. Of course the Italy ship did not have the soap opera that swept over the French camp. So what to make of this squad? First the Italian federation brought back the winning coach - Lippi to steer this side. Might not have been a great idea, look at last year's Confederations Cup, the Italians looked very old and slow. They barely defeated the USA and were thoroughly spanked by Brazil. One of the few shining spots was the New Jersey born Rossi...who did not even make the World Cup roster! Second, the Italians kept many of the "pillars" from the German World Cup - Buffon, Cannavaro, De Rossi, Pirlo and Gattuso. Some of these players were still up to the challenge, but to rely on a player heading to the middle east next season - Cannavaro - to hold up your defense is slightly frightening. Finally the Italians did not seem to offer any real solutions and strategic direction to take the attack to their opponents. The fact that Lippi had been wooing Totti to come to South Africa shows a lack of strategy or forward thinking from Lippi. Sound familiar?

So for the first time in the World Cup, both finalists from the prior World Cup will be out before the knock out stage. What is frightening is I think that France have a better future than Italy in terms of players and manager, assuming France takes care of its issues at the federation level.

Final pre-World Cup thoughts

I realize that I made my World Cup predictions in an earlier post, but I wanted to put out some thoughts on the most overrated teams, teams most likely to disappoint and the teams most likely to surprise. Some of this I have already discussed in prior blogs:

Most Overrated Teams:

• Ivory Coast: Um the Elephants have been picked by many a pundits, some that know football some that do not, to surprise the world and head to the semi finals or even the finals. Um okay. Can you name their starting keeper? How about their manager...that one is easier...Sven Goran Eriksson. Does anyone realize they are in the group of Death? Having to face Brazil and Portugal?? Oh one more thing what is the Ivory Coast historical World Cup record...anyone....1 win and 2 losses. That is correct this World Cup will be their SECOND ever. Oh and finally did anyone watch the Elephants during the African Cup of Nations? Defense was terrible, criminal really. I think Nigeria and even Ghana have a better chance to go further than the Elephants.
• England. Ok this happens every time the Three Lions qualify for a major tournament. Let us face it, the English press gets over heated and over hyped with the English team. Can you tell me how many times England have made it to the semi finals of a World Cup? We all know they only major title they have is the 1966 World Cup crown at home...no European titles to their credit. They have been to 2 semi finals! 1966 and 1990 (I will argue that the 1990 semi finals was highway robbery when they defeated Cameroon on 2 dubious PKs) Some perspective - France have a World Cup title 1998, 2 European Cups 1984 and 2000, 2 Confederation Cups 2001 and 2003, an Olympic Gold medal 1984 and add to this another 4 World Cup semi finals. England head into this tournament as many's favorites. Why? Capello is the main reason, fine. But there remains the issues of who is the holding midfielder? How will Gerrard and Lampard coexist? Who will partner with Rooney? Oh and Ferdinand is out...finally Calamity James remains the #1 choice in goal. They were better 4 years ago, even with Sven at the head. But I guess when you  "invented" the game you are always the favorite.
• Serbia. This one was a surprise for me. Some have them winning their group over Germany! Hmmm. Did anyone watch their qualifying campaign? They were outplayed at home against a 10 man France team. Their goalie is shaky AT BEST. They might have a decent defense with some interesting players up front like the giant Zigic. Maybe pundits have mistaken Serbia for Croatia circa 2008.

Most likely to disappoint:

• Italy: The defending champions have a very good chance of crashing out early. I would actually pick them for potentially pulling a France 2002 and not even getting out of their group, were their group not so weak. I think that Lippi's team will find a way to squeak through but might very well fall against a Dane team in the first knock out round. The real reason is that Lippi seems to have decided his team from 4 years ago was good enough to have another go....um ok.
• France. Hey any team with Domenech has a great chance to lay an egg. I have always said that Les Bleus could finish anywhere from 1st to last in the group. I will try to keep my optimist hat on, but deep down inside I can see Dumbenech train wreck this team once again, similar to Euro 2008.
• Spain. By no means do I think Espana could crash out at the group stages, but there is no other nation that is facing so much pressure. After winning the Euros and with the absolute absurd level of depth this nation has they deserve to be planted as one of the heavy favorites. However, short of a final appearance, I think that Spain and all their fans will be heavily disappointed. Can Espana get this last monkey off their backs?

Most likely to surprise:

• Nigeria. As much as many tout the Ivory Coast as carrying the flag for the African continent, I think the Super Eagles might be the nation that goes the furthest. They have had much success at the youth level and have a decent World Cup pedigree. This is also the first World Cup they are not entering with all the eyes of Africa on them to do well.
• United States. Granted living in the US I am starting to buy into the hype, but I think that the group set up is favorable to the Yanks. I think they could spring the surprise against the Three Lions this Saturday and could even hope to find themselves as top of their group. Unlike 2002, I do not think they will catch anyone by complete surprise. While I am not ready to say that the US will win a World Cup soon, they are no longer the door mat of world football. But they could surprise and gasp could make another 1/4 final run if all falls into place.

The games begin in less than 24 hours. Enjoy the matches. Try to watch as many as you can, because it will be over before you know it. The beauty and uniqueness of this event is that players you see over the next month you may never see on this stage again, so enjoy them while you can.

Allez les Bleus!

World Cup 2010 - Group F

Ah the Italian group, some have said this group is easy....I would actually say it might be a little more challenging that it would appear:

Team v • d • e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Italy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Paraguay 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 New Zealand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slovakia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Clearly the defending champions Italy will be heavily favorite to go through to the knock out stages. It is hard to imagine the Italians not going through, even if they lose their first match against Paraguay, which could prove trickier than many would expect. Much is expected from the 4 time World Cup winner, especially after their world champion manager - Lippi - was brought back from a second stint as manger. However 4 years have passed since the World Cup in Germany, and surprisingly the faces for the Italians remain much the same - Grosso, Buffon, Cannavaro, Pirlo, Camoranesi, Toni and Gattuso...and guess what these players all have in common...they are the wrong side of 30. The team looked old during the last Confed Cup, barely defeating the United States and being thoroughly outclassed by the Brazilians. What has really changed since then? Not much...and now there is a rumor that Milan's Nesta and AS Roma's Totti will be asked to come back to the national side. Granted, on experience alone this side should get through. Paraguay will feel they have a legitimate chance to top the group and should definitely get through to the next stage. They finished tied for second in the South American group, just one point behind Brazil. They have the dangerous striker Santa Cruz to score the goals and will not be intimidated by the defending champions after having to face Argentina and Brazil in their qualification campaign. Poor New Zealand, well actually the Kiwis are fortunate. With Australia leaving the Oceania region it leaves the All Whites as the clear favorite to represent the region. Unfortunately that means they then become the sacrificial lambs in the group stages. Well at least they did not get the same draw as the North Koreans! The squad is made up mostly of domestic players having only a few players in the English or Scottish leagues. Their stay in South Africa should be short lived...well if this were a rugby group they might defeat all the teams by triple digits. Finally we have Slovakia who is an intriguing side having finished top of their difficult group - Czech republic, Poland, Slovenia...were this still the Czechoslovakian side then they would be considered one of the better European sides, but alas the fall of communism split this side. However Slovakia could surprise with players through out Europe - Skrtel, Hamsik, Vittek to name a few - there is some quality and experience on this side. They are also fortunate to start off against the All Whites - so you would expect the full 3 points. The second match against Paraguay will be crucial if they can get a point or the full 3 then the last game against the Italians will be little more than a friendly.

Predictions: Italy, Slovakia, Paraguay, New Zealand.
Player to watch: The old guard for the Italians. Repeating as World Cup champions is incredibly difficult, let alone with many of the same players. How will the old guard for Italy hold up?

Confed Cup - Brazil roll, Italy disappoints, and the US gets a life line

So another international tournament and once again Brazil shows why you can never count out the magicians from South America out of any football competition. Brazil waltzed into the semi finals with a surprising demolition of Italy. Brazil seemed to have some rustiness the first game, finding themselves in a surprising close match versus Egypt but they proceeded to defeat the US and Italy easily 3-0 both games. Heading into the semi finals against South Africa, I do not foresee the sambaboys having much difficult with the hosts, which should set up a mouth watering - Spain v Brazil finals.

Of course Italy should be the ones facing the Spaniards on Wednesday, however after a devastating loss against the Egyptians: 1-0. The Azzurri found themselves mathematically threatened by a team they had handled in the first round, the US. Of course the impossible happened, the US won by 3 goals and Italy lost by the same margin! The Azzurri cannot see this dry run in South Africa as anything short of disappointing. Aside from Rossi, the Italians showed me very little, they seemed flat and uninterested. Granted this tourney is nothing more than a glorified set of friendlies, however being soundly defeated by Brazil twice this calendar year does not bode well for the Italians. Italy is in a good position for qualification, so this set back should not be a prelude to a greater malaise with the Italians, but it will raise the heat on Lippi as he heads into the World Cup as defending champion. It is already rumored that he will be pressured into rethinking some of his selections, he did go to South Africa with the oldest team of the tournament, relying heavily on players that allowed him to be victorious in Berlin 2006. Have the Italians, and more importantly they manager, fallen victim as so many former champions have to holding on to the old guard one tournament too far?? See France in 2002 World Cup, rather than purging some veterans, Les Bleus went into that tournament with a world of talent, but also some aged legs that were never able to recover, crashing out without scoring a single goal! Lippi will have to decide if he wants to head back to South Africa with the likes of Pirlo, Cannavaro, and Gattuso as the spine of his side. There is still time, however Italy will have to make sure they can discover the proper combination of players otherwise they will struggle to defend their title this time next year.

Finally, the US...they were one team I called out as needing to show something in this tournament. For once I will agree with Alexi Lalas' comments over the weekend, this is really the best showcase for the US, the Gold Cup they will not face this level of competition nor will they see this remainder of qualification. Now it can be argued the US backed into the semis...but I would also say that scoring 3 goals when that is exactly what they needed to do, against a solid Egyptian team (who also were looking for the victory since they had a better chance to go through as the game started) is a good glimmer of hope. Also, the US did play the Italians very close and were unlucky to have a player thrown out. Of course now the US play the Spanish, which will be a stern test. Could the US surprise the Spanish? Maybe. Spain might be looking ahead to their potential match up against Brazil, and get ambushed by the US. However I doubt it, Spain has been methodical and clinical in their matches recently. In addition, the Spanish are boasting the strongest midfield in the world currently as well as one of the world's deadliest snipers - Torres.



If the US can weather the first 15 - 20 minutes, defend as a block - keep the Spanish in front of you allow them to pass the ball around but do not get drawn high up the pitch allowing the Spanish midfield to dissect you with diagonal passes, overlaps and mazy dribbles. Also a lot will be asked of Tim Howard, he will need to have his A+ game for the US to have a fighting chance. Of course, the US have nothing to lose, they need to focus on the fact they have 2 more games to play and see what they can do against the defending European Champs. I think the game will be much closer than otherwise thought.

Spain 2 - US 1: Torres 1, Villa 1 for Spain. Bradly 1 for US.
Brazil 4 - South Africa 1