Recap: Italy v Paraguay

Italy Loses to Paraguay: 1-1

Before I get to the game, I have to address the most startling development today for Italy fans. It was not our nation's tie with a very-beatable team, nor the first blood we allowed to be drawn by said team. No, the most startling, and worrisome development today was Gianluigi Buffon's exit from the net at halftime. It's not that Federico Marchetti played poorly in his place, but that Buffon, like the goalposts he defends, is the only physical foundation upon which Italy's game is built. It's true that the loss of Buffon would not change the form, skill or strategy Italy's attack, or defense. What it would change is our confidence in our defensive supremacy, our credentials to be champions. The best part about Italy's tight-knit juggernaut of a defense is the knowledge that upwards of 90% of what we let slip past is easily handled by Buffon. In the last World Cup, Buffon allowed no foreign striker access to the back of his net, reserving that privilege for Cristian Zaccardo and his own-goal. Buffon is a very visible safety net, a cushion, if you will, which comforts the entire team.

Apparently, Buffon had a "hamstring strain", though I'm not at all sure how. The Paraguayans managed all of three touches inside the box before their goal, and Buffon didn't jump for that ball. I hope that "hamstring strain" is just Lippi's language for, "I took him off because he didn't even jump towards Paraguay's goal, and I don't want you asking questions about that." Much of Italy may be a joke, including our laughable political system, which the ESPN commentators lampooned in today match, but Italians pray, every day, that God might keep one thing in our culture sacred (aside from food, obviously): Calcio. Football. And more specifically, our often-times miraculous dominance in it. I just hope that Buffon's "injury" is a sign from Lippi, and not a sign from the Almighty.

Then again, Buffon also ended his shutout streak for Italia in the 2006 Euro Cup. Perhaps more comfort is not what we need. As Italians, we tend to do best when we're put in a corner. If we perform, it's usually when we've let things go a tad too far, and our balls are on the line. We're the kind of people that, once punched in the face, proceed to start mouthing off at the asshole who did it. It's only when we're punched in the face a second time that we decide it might be a good idea to raise our fists and defend ourselves. For more on this theme, see my comments below on Di Natale, and the way Italy played today.

And how did today's game go?
Paraguay spent the first 20 minutes mounting absolutely no offensive effort, simply clearing the ball upon reaching midfield. Italy looked professional, with quick passes, clean touches, and deft maneuvering, making the Paraguayans look like schoolboys on the pitch. Fabio Cannavaro, who has played poorly in the last club season, looked well in command of himself, and the team. Lippi had him paying forward in more of a defensive midfield role, captializing on his tactical experience and letting the younger Domenico Criscito and Georgio Chiellini cover for his lack of pace. The only real chink in the armor came when Paraguay's Alcaraz scored an excellent header off a set piece in the first half. Alcaraz was Cannavaro's man, and Cannavaro clearly missed the coverage.
The midfield had it's ups and downs. Simone Pepe was very energetic and aggressive in his debut Cup match for Gli Azzurri. While his actual looks at goal were slightly less than inspired, his determined play on the wing slowly wore down Victor Caceres et al, and it'll be interesting to see what he comes up with throughout the tournament. Riccardo Montolivo, on the other hand, had a few opportune shots from just outside the box, and lacked both the power and the placement to finish.

Mauro Camoranesi came on in the 59th minute, and the offensive chemistry began to change. Minutes later, Daniele De Rossi delivered a brilliant volley into the back of the net from a corner kick, and Italy was back in the game.
In the 64th minute, the referee completely ignored what should have been an Italian penalty kick when Paraguay dragged down Alberto Gilardino on a break.
In the 72nd minute Lippi finally replaced Gilardino with Antonio Di Natale, the Serie A's top goalscorer last season. Di Natale didn't score, but his presence was immediately felt by Paraguay's defense. They drifted wider in spots to cover his unpredictble, and downright misdirecting movements. Another player to note,


In short, Paraguay deserved their goal, and it was beautiful. Italy should have scored more, and won the game. We have some creativity to stimulate, and we have a goalkeeper to worry about, but lest we get too disheartened, let's remember that this is almost we started our World Cup run in 2006: after beating Ghana 2-0, we tied the USA 1-1 with Zaccardo's own goal. Though it's not a particularly encouraging statement, I've seen worse from Gli Azzurri, and sometimes that's as much as Italy fans have to go on.

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