It has been a long four years since the putrid results of South Africa and while the memory of that tournament may still haunt some players, this tournament should leave a better taste in their mouths. A second place finish in the Euro and a third place finish in last year’s Confederations Cup has already done much to boost expectations. Going into this tournament, Italy shouldn’t be afraid to dream big because a deep run is definitely possible. Here are […]
A sublime free-kick from Andrea Pirlo and a second half strike from Mario Balotelli allowed Italy to kick-off their Confederations Cup campaign on a winning note. The Azzurri opened their campaign and Pirlo won his 100th cap at the legendary Maracanà stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Both the Italians and Mexicans came into the match off the back of two disappointing draws. It was the Italians though who overcame the pressure to perform. They dominated large spells of the game […]
Big win for Italy yesterday as they defeated Mexico 2-1 in their first Confederations Cup match. Andrea Pirlo notched his 100th international goal on a lovely free kick. Danny Penza has an analysis and gif of the goal AC Milan has been advertising that while they are building from the inside, they are not a selling club. However, clubs are circling trying to snatch Stephan El Shaarawy away from them. Sumeet Paul suggests that AC Milan should aggressively protect the […]
Italy kick off their 2013 Confederations Cup campaign with a tricky tie against Mexico on Sunday. The Azzurri are coming off two disappointing draws but are still favourites to win their opening encounter. Italy’s scoreless draw against Czech Republic on June 7th left them unbeaten in World Cup qualification. While a point away from home was a good result, of concern would be the manner of the performance. This was then followed up with an equally disappointing performance in a […]
Italy recommence their World Cup qualifying campaign with a trip to the National Stadium in Malta Tuesday evening. Italy are currently top of a tough Group B, one point ahead of Bulgaria and with a game in hand. The Azzurri will be looking for a fourth successive victory in the qualifying campaign. Cesare Prandelli’s men come off the back of an inspiring 2-2 draw against Brazil in Geneva last Thursday evening. A strong second half display enabled the Italians to […]
Mario Balotelli produced a moment of brilliance to earn the Azzuri a 2-2 draw against Brazil on Thursday evening in Geneva. These two powerhouses of world football have produced memorable encounters through the years. Thursday’s match was tabled as a friendly but in reality Italy v Brazil is never a friendly, and so it turned out. The game was a thrilling encounter which produced excitement for the full ninety minutes. Despite four goals being scored the final score line does […]
Five Milan players have been called up by Italian coach Cesare Prandelli. The Azzurri play a International friendly against Brazil on Thursday and then a World Cup qualifier against Malta five days later. A look at the five Milan players called up: Riccardo Montolivo Montolivo has been a vital cog in the Milan machine that has seen them surge up the Serie A table. He has controlled the midfield and become a central figure in this season’s new look Milan […]
Italy won their third straight match Tuesday night as they dispatched Denmark 3-1 in a sparsely filled San Siro. Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli proved to be the decisive figure yet again for the Azzurri, assisting on the first goal and scoring one himself to seal the three points for Cesare Prandelli’s men. Prandelli deployed the same formation that he used last Friday against Armenia, eschewing the 3-5-2 in favor of his tried and true 4-3-1-2 but not without a […]
Before the start of the European Championships this summer, many in Italy were feeling pessemistic about the Azzurri’s chances, not only with regards to the knockout stages, but towards getting out of the group itself, needing to navigate through the likes of a seemingly invincible Spain, a Croatia team that has always given Italy fits, and an Ireland side managed by the wily Giovanni Trappatoni. Between the difficult group, the exploding match-fixing scandal at home, and the departure of Cesare […]
When Juventus are strong so too are the Italian national team, as the old calcio legend goes. And when reviewing past tournaments it is hard to argue with that. Juventus have provided the most World Cup winners of any club, with 22 of the 24 champions Italian. In 1934, amidst the golden Quinquennio era, Juve has nine players in the squad as Italy defeated Czechoslovakia in the final. When Italy finished fourth in Argentina 1978, Juve contributed up to nine […]
They may have looked about as nervous as a turkey with an invitation to a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner, but in the end they made it. A jumpy, twitchy, seat-of-the-pants Italy display took them out of the group stages to the knockout rounds of a major championships. Some things never change. The Azzurri stepped into the last eight of Euro 2012 with probably their worst performance of the competition. The return to a 4-3-1-2 formation was supposed to bring familiarity […]
Italy were pegged back for the second consecutive match as they drew 1-1 with Croatia in their Euro 2012 Group C encounter in Poznan. A vibrant Italy took command of the opening 45 minutes and were rewarded when Andrea Pirlo curled in a free kick, only for Mario Mandzukic to equalise with 20 minutes remaining. The result leaves Italy in a must-win situation against the Republic of Ireland. Italy started brightly, with Mario Balotelli and Claudio Marchisio each having chances […]
