Confederation Cup Group Wrap Up

Italy fans are no strangers to losses in the group stages of major tournaments. In fact two wins and a loss, is better than the Italian standard one win, one loss, and draw second qualification. But one number worries me more than all the rest, 8 goals conceded! EIGHT!!!!! For those who still believe that to attack in a football is a win, every major football league in the World this awarded it's Title to the team with the best goal differential. Attack does not win football matches or titles, defense does, and frankly Italy does not know how to defend.

For a country born and bred on defensive cagey football, and a fan of such football, watching Prandelli's Italy is liking watching a comedy with no plot, or for those not sheepish you can say it is like watching an adult film. You get a few good scenes with someone scoring, and then the rest is simply garbage. Get the point? Prandelli's Italy is not a complete football and not one that plays proper football and it isn't just the stats that tell the whole story. Let's take a step back for a moment to the Euro final against Spain, instead of doing what Italy does best, hang back, control the match and hope for a clean sheet this guy has them attack, against Spain!! The embarrassment of that result still stings, but for many people you learn lessons from such failures, nope, not Cesare! In fact, in the true defintion of insanity, he did the same thing against Japan and now Brazil, two teams that wanted to attack Italy and instead of limiting space and the ball, he deciding to attack a teams that want to attack. Making the matches look more like Rocky fighting Apollo, than Rocky fighting Clubber Lang. Piss poor.

I can live with the flukey game against Japan, one that many Japanese fans could claim was theirs to win. But the loss against Brazil reeked of poor tactics and limited mindset. To finish the group behind Brazil, who managed a plus seven goal differential and going undefeated is poor from top to bottom. The teams absolute lack of defensive anything, and the players simply rampaging forward with little regard for defensive responsibility makes the defenders look bad, the team look bad and the Italian cornerstone of smart defensive football as extinct as Joga Bonito. Brazil has evolved, for the better, while sadly Italy has devolved for the worse.

For those who believe Prandelli is fit for a Serie A job, or worse, a job at Milan, I would be careful what you wish for. It will surely make the fool Berlusconi happy, watching his team stampede to goal, but it won't do anything for the trophy cabinet. I have always contended Prandelli was a decent Coach, but he has now cemented his legacy as a Coach lacking the knowledge to do what it takes to win trophies. When he leaves this post he will be forgotten, as his CV will shown him to have won nothing. He fails to realize, like the many that champion attack minded football, that sometimes you have ask your team to roll up their sleeves and leave it all on the pitch. All Cesare has proved is that he is keeping the seat warm for Carletto, and has reminded this Milan fan what I have been saying all along, no thank you Prandelli.