Part 11 of 32: The Italian Interview
For part 11 of the series, I caught up with Angelo Romano from Italy. Angelo, a Computer Science student at University of Pisa was born in Sicily in 1982, the same year Italy won its third (and, as of today, last) World Cup. In his freetime, Angelo acts as manager in the university intramural football league.
I thank Angelo for agreeing to the interview.
Tell us a bit about the Italian football history and the football culture which exists.
Football is kind of religion here in Italy, it is by far the most important sport, a masterpiece of country’s own culture and one of the few things that can actually unite all Italians. The first Italy’s football league ever was organized in 1893; nowadays football is always steady part of Italian daily news, despite the fact it is years there are just three teams (AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus) to compete for the Serie A title. The Italian football culture is basically made of passion, and almost everyone in Italy has his own favourite team. And, like every strong passion, there are several excesses: violence, racism and extreme-wing political infiltrations in Italian football are serious issues which has been longed for years and are still present.
About Italy’s national team, it is one of the most successful in the world: it has won three World Cups, in 1934, 1938 and 1982, and also ended second-placed in 1970 and 1994. Both times it was Brazil to defeat us, and the 1994 final match, played in Los Angeles, USA, is best remembered for having been the only one to end after penalty shoot-outs. In the last 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan, Italy ended its adventure just in the round of 16 South Korea after a controversial match lost 2-1 on extra time to South Korea. That defeat is nowadays viewed as one of the most disgraceful football matches ever played by Italy, and second only to the 1966 1-0 World Cup defeat against North Korea.
Tell us a bit about the Road to the World Cup – the qualification, and the emotions the fans went through at the time.
The qualification has not been particularly satisfactory, as Italy managed to qualify with some troubles in a group which included much weaker teams, such as Scotland, Belarus and Slovenia. For example, the 1-0 loss against Slovenia was not a good response to the media critics who populate Italy’s football world. For the rest, here the qualification and the friendly matches were not considered to be really important, as usual. Supporters in Italy generally wait for the key matches, the ones which can decide the destiny of the team: so now they are waiting for the World Cup.
What style of football does the national team play?
Mr Marcello Lippi, the Italian coach, is known not to have a very favourite team tactic. When in office with Juventus, he usually made his team play with a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-1-2 style. He will probably let Italy play with one of these tactics, but he also tested with good results a 4-3-3 tactic in a friendly match against Germany. As Italy won 4-1 and played amazingly that time, I argue a 4-3-3 tactic and a offensive style of play for the World Cup could be an actual possibility, despite the myths and the legends about the proverbial defensive way of playing that populated Italy in the 1960s and the 1970s.
In my opinion, he will be forced to make of Italy a very offensive team, since the defence lineup is supposed not to be invulnerable. In Italy there is a common saying: “the best way of defence is to attack”. And I think this might become a fact in the incoming World Cup.
How do you think Italy will fare at the World Cup?
Italy has got a very strong attack lineup: I wouldn’t ever renounce players such as Luca Toni, Alessandro Del Piero and Alberto Gilardino, all people who knows how to score goals. But several of Italy’s fortunes will depend by Francesco Totti, who is quickly rehabilitating his knee injury just in time for he German expedition.
However we still cannot say what condition he will show in Germany, since he has not played any match for three months long. And the qualification group is quite uneasy, as Czech Republic and Ghana will probably be a very hard obstacle. If we’d overcome those obstacles, we could probably seriously compete to win the World Cup, I guess. Otherwise, we will probably dust off the words used four years ago.
Who will be the most important player for your country?
As I said before, Totti could be the key player if he will be able to show all his potential avoiding unsportsmanlike behaviours such as the spit over Denmark’s Christian Poulsen he did two years ago in the European Cup. Luca Toni, who scored 28 goals as of today with Fiorentina, is a striker who definitely has the power to finalize at best every opportunity to score. And Gianluigi Buffon’s magical hands, should we go on in the competition, might be very useful to our cause, especially against notable teams.
Which player in your country’s side would you most like to get rid of?
Marco Materazzi, I think. He is going to be called up in the World Cup expedition by coach Marcello Lippi, but I don’t even understand why he still plays for Italy. In my country, he is considered one of the most unfair defenders in the whole Serie A. And, when unfairness is not outdone by any notable playing skill, players like Materazzi are not useful to the cause, so they should not be allowed to play at the international level.
Who are the players to watch from the other countries?
I am very curious to watch Ronaldinho playing for Brazil. He is one of the strongest players ever seen in the last 20 years, second only to Maradona in recent times, but it is not Barcelona. A player becomes a champion only if he is supported, and considered a leader, by his team fellows. Ronaldinho is the Barcelona leader, but I am curious to watch him in a leaders’ only team. Other interesting players will be Argentina’s Leo Messi, a promising youngster who could be one of the best surprises, Czech Republic’s Pavel Nedved, a very experienced and intelligent midfielder, and Ukraine’s Andriy Shevchenko.
What will be your excuse in the event of failure?
In past, when Italy lost, the “lack of fortune” was usually mentioned as one of the excuses, if not the main. And critics will surely argue Italy is not that strong if compared to our past World Cups. Mistakes in team calling-ups would be a very good excuse too, since it is easy to blame someone not to have called this one or that one.
Have you got the right manager?
Sincerely I don’t know. I never had that reliance in Mr Lippi’s capabilities to lead my national team. All Lippi’s football successes had been in Juventus, a winning team in which everything is firmly scheduled and longily planned. That is quite different from a national team which has the opportunity only to play a few friendly and qualification matches, and often without the most important players. And, you know, Italy is a country of managers and coaches, so be sure Lippi will be immediately blamed and criticized from his first mistake, and I wouldn’t ben he will be able to maintain the necessary serenity to lead the team.
What advice would you give him?
First of all to show cleariness and certainty when the “real” matches will come. Then, not to care too much about the critics from Italy; they will certainly come heavier and heavier as soon as the World Cup summer starts. And finally, to consider more the form than the technique or the reputation in making the lineup: Italian league lasted 8 months and 38 matches, plus the European Cup games, and I wouldn’t be that surprised if the players got to have reached rock bottom.
Which team do you most want to beat?
Well, France is not seen as a friendly team here in Italy, especially after the “blues” defeated us both at the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, and there is also the aggravating circumstance that country is both geographically and culturally close to us. But, in a point of view based on Italy’s road to the World Cup, I think a good start against Ghana it is more desiderable. They might have a much better form than us, I suppose, so a good start could be a strong confidence booster for the “azzurri”.
Which opposition player will get the most stick?
Adriano seems to be in very poor form, and has played one of his worst seasons ever with Inter Milan this year. I don’t even think he will start as regular for Brazil. I wouldn’t bet on Ronaldo too, another man who does not seem to have the adequate serenity to play yet another promiment World Cup.
Where will you watch the matches?
I will turn on my TV, and watch Italy playing with a beer on the left hand and my remote on the right. Sure I’ll do all this with my friends, because football is a pleasure to be shared all together.
How keenly will the World Cup be followed in your country?
I think the Italian city roads will be deserted all through every match of Italy at the World Cup. Maybe I am repeating myself, but football here is intended to be a second religion. And, like every religion, a poor result will be viewed as a sort of betrayal, a tragic event.
Who will be the player of the tournament?
Ronaldinho, if Brazil will play for him. Otherwise, a prominent striker with the ability to put the ball in even under the heaviest pressure ever. I think about people like Hernan Crespo, David Trezeguet and Ruud van Nistelrooy. And beware of Leo Messi, I like how that guy plays, he could really be the real surprise, and he has the power and the skills to lead Argentina to the fourth title.
Who will win the Golden Boot?
I think of David Trézéguet, a player who is good enough to finalize every opportunity the squad is able to make behind him. And remember that France has three definitely easy matches in its group, good chance to score plenty of goals for a thoroughbred striker like Trezeguet. Besides Trezeguet, I think Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino can make a very impressive World Cup, and score plenty of goals. They are all thorough goalscorers, and they can let smile the whole Italy.
Which team will disappoint the most?
I am not so convinced about Germany’s ability to play a good World Cup. Sure, they have the advantage to play at home, which has been historically positively influenced the results for the host country, but the team is definitely not strong enough to win the tournament, as its supporters expect. On the contrary, I am definitely persuaded that teams such as Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago have no possibility even to think about getting through; it is already enough for countries like these to be here as participants.
And Japan and South Korea will be quite a letdown, at least if compared to the result they have had in the recent past; there are not playing at home anymore, and I am severely concerned about Zico’s and Advocaat’s abilities to confirm on the pitch what their countries did in the past tournaments. And finally Ukraine: a single player, regardless of how strong he is, cannot make a team. Let me remind you of George Weah’s Liberia, a team led and captained by a European Footballer of the Year which has however never been qualified to the World Cup finals.
Who will be the surprise team of the tournament?
Guys, keep your eyes on Australia: Guus Hiddink is one of the most qualified (and underrated) coaches in the whole world, and the “socceroos” include several interesting players, like Bosnich, Viduka, Bresciano and Grella. I predict at least a place in the first sixteen for them. I don’t think an African team will come out as it happened in the past editions, there is no Cameroon or Nigeria with the ability to be “the” surprise team. I would instead bet on Australia. And Mexico, because it always plays better in the finals than in the qualification, and it has also an easy qualifying round.
Finally, Who will win the World Cup?
Very hard question. I don’t have a single name to say, I would rather think there is a number of likely candidates which might win the tournament. I think it will be a fact between Brazil, Argentina, Italy and France, because they have the experience necessary when the going gets tough. Should I bet on a team, I would say Argentina, but it is just to say a name. Anyway, the World Cup is good place for surprises, so I wouldn’t bet on it. For now, it is all just words, let’s wait to watch the game starting and we’ll discover the sole truth.
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I hope you enjoyed part 11. Follow up questions for Angelo can be e-mailed to me. Also, feel free to contact me if you would like to be interviewed or know a friend who would like/could be interviewed. Specific questions for specific countries which might pop in your mind in due course may also be sent.
For the rest of the interviews, check out the World Cup interview series page.
Tags: FIFA World Cup 2006, Football Interview Series, Italian Football.
