Euro 08 Special: Italy Crash a

Euro 08 Special: Italy Crash and Bern

No one could have predicted last night’s scoreline in Bern, whether an Oranje, Azzurri or as neutral as a Swiss politician. Joking aside, while some may point to Van Nistelrooy’s offside and incisive Dutch breakaways as poor luck, never has an Italian defence looked as dishevelled nor poorly organized.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is easy now to say that against a pacey, young Dutch side the choice of three over 30s in defence was a poor decision. A favourite of Roberto Donadoni, Christian Panucci lacking speed was often caught out by Van Bronckhorst, before improving at centre-back. Zambrotta too looked out of place at times, but perhaps the biggest suspect should be that of Marco Materazzi. Though coming off a poor season by his Inter standards, Bern last night was the stage for him to become the booming voice at the back, organizer of the backline and leader by example. Instead, large gaps were often left between himself and Barzagli (admittedly also not as his best) and a spirited Dutch side allowed to run rampant. While the talismanic figure of Fabio Cannavaro was inevitably missed, certain individuals should be held accountable. One of whom, is Donadoni himself.

Italy’s collapse was greeted only with pessimism at home, Tuttosport leading with “Give us back Lippi” and La Gazzetta stating “The beginning is already the end, for this little Italy.” Though somewhat hyperbolic, various players agreed; Gigi Buffon made no excuses, apologizing to Azzurri fans and refusing to blame poor officiating. Andrea Pirlo asks why substitutions were not made earlier, and questions Donadoni’s use of Panucci at right-back. Most interestingly though, Pirlo challenges the midfield around him: Where was Daniele De Rossi?

Arguably the best midfielder in Serie A this season, De Rossi found himself on the bench watching Rino Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini. Though again easy to say in retrospect, both players were outplayed and outthought as Wesley Sneijder and Raphael Van der Vaart ran the game. De Rossi while marshalling the midfield, could have freed up Andrea Pirlo and allowed him more space going forward (as Pirlo himself has stated). Leaving the Roma man out was always going to be a gamble, and one that unfortunately did not pay off.

Another man whose inclusion may have been justified, is that of Juventus hard man Giorgio Chiellini. Though inexperienced at international level, Chiellini shares similar characteristics with Materazzi while being able to rival the pace of Sneijder et al. A commanding figure at the heart of the Old Lady’s defence, the preceding friendlies and qualifying campaign would have been a good time to bed in a future Azzurri stalwart.

While a crushing blow to Italy’s hopes, all is not lost. Considering unused substitutes such as De Rossi and Chiellini, as well as the positive introductions of Grosso, Del Piero and Cassano, the talent is there to progress. However, a result is needed against a resolute Romania before Donadoni must outwit Raymond Domenech at the third time of asking. With both his job and reputation on the line, Donadoni must be sure to vary and utilize all options, and not be afraid to drop players favoured during qualification. Despite topping qualification Group B, Italy twice failed to beat France, and have since fallen to Spain and the Netherlands. It is against these teams and managers that Donadoni must prove his worth: For him and Italy’s hopes, it’s now or never.