Quote:
Originally Posted by Thunderball
You have to bear in mind that Italy plays a very frustrating game... they toy with their opponents, allow them deep into their zone, and then spring the trap. They often look outplayed in this system because they give the other team a lot of the field. They rely heavily on their defenders, wingbacks and defensive midfielders....
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I think you're giving Italy a lot of credit for what could essentially be chocked up to luck.
How about not even making it out of the group stage at the last Euro despite being in a relatively easy group with Sweden, Denmark and Bulgaria and managing the only win against an uncompetitive Bulgarian side.
And even further back, barely managing to squeak out of the group stage at the 2002 World Cup again managing only one win in the entire tournament. Against Ecuador, only to be immediately knocked out by Korea.
I dont share the optimism for Italy at this tournament, I thought they were incredibly fortunate to win the World Cup rather than good. Further, most of the players from that squad havent looked that good for their clubs since.