Awful but unexpected? Nope.

[diemme]

Apart from the bad luck of losing Canna; Oddo and Pippo not being selected due to injury and Sandro and Totters retiring (yes Sandro's usually sidelined by his wonky but v. hot body but he's usually an option for the first two games)

Frankly Donadoni needs his head examined.

1. That formation was a mind bogglingly poor choice against a team as quick as the Dutch.
2. Luca Toni is at his best up front alone.
3. Di Natale? Camaronesi? * shudders * He would have done better to start Cassano.
   
4. Ambrosini - I love him to death but De Rossi would have been miles the better choice against the Dutch.

We will be astoundingly lucky to make it out of the group. Even without the injuries we're still a team in major transition and not yet at the standard of the 2006 WC team. No shame in it, really.

Congratulations to the Dutch.

Comments

[andolinn.livejournal.com]

*shudders* I recorded both games, intending to skim the Romania game to get to Italy and then loved them to death and watched it all. So very, very glad too!

Is Donadoni really as bad a coach as I think he is? They looked utterly hapless. The Meelan midfield still looked exhausted and slow, service to Toni was indeed nonexistant...

Yes as well, a team in transition.

And Ruud did indeed look on top of his game.

[diemme.livejournal.com]

The Romanians were rather tenacious.

When I saw the formation I was boggled. The folks with me were boggled. Italy just doesn't play like that and if we knew that Donadoni should too; the choices seemed all wrong from the beginning.

[andolinn.livejournal.com]

Well clearly they were undeniable, spectacularly wrong in a way that demands Donadoni fixxxx eeeetttt...or face lynching or exile! Of course, he left a few tools at home, so...

And the Romanians stuck to their game and their crisp passing. Not sure what that will look like in the face of the Dutch.