United front to fire Lippi's new Italy
Tuesday 1 July 2008
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Marcello Lippi is back at the Italy helm after two years away (©Getty Images)
Marcello Lippi said his new Italy team would follow the example of the Manchester United FC side that won the UEFA Champions League, rather than Spain's UEFA EURO 2008™ winners, during his first news conference back at the helm.
Past and future
The 60-year-old, whose appointment as successor to Roberto Donadoni was confirmed by the Italian Football Federation on 26 June, said: "It would be a mistake to try to copy what Spain have done, because Spain have a number of young players with a lot of experience gained from their club sides. Our situation is different – we have a group of players who won the [FIFA] World Cup only two years ago and we have to find the right blend between the past and the future. I would like to see players who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the team, a bit like Manchester United whose great players, such as [Wayne] Rooney and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, are always willing to work hard in defence when needed.
Style of our own
"Spain also have their own particular way of playing football and most of their teams play like that," continued the Azzurri's World Cup-winning coach. "And they won the EURO after a long period of development where they endured some bad results and setbacks. We want a united group who play aggressively and who try to impose their style on the opposition, but who are also ready to defend when the opposition are on top. Italy are no longer about Catenaccio."
Donadoni's legacy
Lippi, whose previous reign over the national side lasted two years and culminated in the World Cup final defeat of France two summers ago, also praised his predecessor. Italy's UEFA EURO 2008™ hopes may have ended in a penalty shoot-out loss to Spain, yet Donadoni's legacy could extend far beyond that quarter-final exit. "He brought several new players into what is a great group and these players could be very important to us in the future," Lippi explained. "Plus, you can't win every competition you enter."
Qualifying is key
The new man, who also announced the addition of former Italy keeper Angelo Peruzzi to his backroom team, then turned his attention to a 2010 World Cup qualifying section containing Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Montenegro, Georgia and Cyprus. "It would be a huge mistake to think it will be easy," he said of the Group 8 lineup. "That could lead to failure. We have to qualify, and then we can think about the likes of Brazil, Argentina, France and Germany."
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