Gazzetta see reasons for Italy to be fearful of Irish
Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport outlined three reasons for Cesare Prandelli’s men to be cheerful and three to be fearful.
“Ireland haven’t shown up. With the pressure off, the real Ireland may get back on track. The one that attacks with six or seven men and defends with 10.”
“The Leicester defender’s movement is very clever. He nearly always takes advantage of a block by a team mate to elude his marker and go for the second ball. Naturally he’s good in the air but he’s also adept at picking up on the loose ball.”
“Trap has a made-to-measure tactic for Keane based on the long ball out of defence flicked on by a withdrawing striker – Doyle, Walters or Cox. Keane starts wide on the left, allowing him to attack the central defender at speed with the ball at his feet.”
“It may well be injury but Dunne is now embarrassingly slow. He suffers above all when attacked from the left. The speed of attackers like Cassano or Di Natale will allow them to penetrate and also win free-kicks around the box: manna for Pirlo.”
“Whelan and Andrews, and the two alternatives Green and Gibson, are all players who lack personality: incapable, at least in this tournament, of lifting the team and protecting the back four. Italy must take advantage to pick up on the loose ball close to the area, when Marchisio and Pirlo can be very dangerous with shots from distance. Iniesta and Xavi showed the way.”
“The two wingers all of a sudden seem drained, and one of them could find himself on the bench. It’s a physical thing – after 30 minutes they’re worn out and can no longer be relied on to cover properly. So there could be a lot of opportunities for two against one on the flanks.”
