| 10.06.2008 |
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| While I agree with Nick that Italy didn’t look nearly as bad as the headlines following their 3-0 defeat have suggested, the result of the fan fashion battle on the streets of Bern where the match took place was indeed a blowout. Holland’s supporters were, like their heroes, mighty offensive. Italy’s occasionally stylish conservatism, reliant as it was on the proven, just didn’t get the job done. Let’s get right to the visual aids:      Milkmaids and stable boys, wild-and-crazy-guys, sumo ‘rasslers, sophisticated ladies, and Dirk Kuyt look-alikes in pseudo-baseball getups, the Dutch pushed past the accepted boundaries of the color orange, and reaped the dividends. Meanwhile, Azzuri fans half-assed it, preferring the tried and true girl-getter “Italian-guy-in-blue-shirt-and-sunglasses.”     Okay, okay, you get the idea. If anything, the fan fashion result was more like 11-0 than just the three. (I considered deducting points for the hijinks of this guy, who refused to have his picture made unless I posed with him…)  But then found out I wasn’t the only one in danger of getting licked.  |
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| 10.06.2008 |
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| The soccer world is still reeling from the 3-0 "thrashing" the Netherlands handed out to world champions Italy last night. I emphasize the "thrashing" because this is the operative word in the majority of press reports that followed the Dutch victory (DW-WORLD.DE deviated slightly to say that the Italians were "crushed"). Getting beaten 3-0 is a comprehensive defeat when you look only at the scoreline but I would not go as far as to say this is a "thrashing". If your team gets thrashed then you're looking at 5-0, 6-0 and upwards. Maybe 4-0 could qualify as a "hiding" or a "spanking" but the manner of the defeat would have to be taken into consideration before it was elevated to the status of "thrashing". As is the case with the Holland-Italy game. Okay, so the world champions let in three goals with no reply; conceding one goal more than they did in the whole of the 2006 World Cup. For a team of Italy's quality, this result could be seen as less of a disaster and more of an embarrassment. Let's take nothing away from the Dutch who put on a performance way beyond anyone's expectations - including their own - and they were clearly the better side on the day. But those commentators who are writing Italy off on the strength of this game are maybe jumping the gun a little.  This was a game when the footballing planets all came into line for the Dutch. They had a dubious Ruud van Nistlerooy goal allowed, then Wesley Sneijder decided to play out of his skin and finally Gio van Bronckhorst got in on the act. In turn, Italy looked short of ideas and a little shell-shocked but they were not overwhelmed as much as everyone is making out. When one team gets the majority of what they do right and the other the majority of their work wrong, even the best teams can get gunned down. It seems unlikely that Italy will play to this standard again, at least in the group stage. Pride is a great motivator for the Italians and they will want to erase the memory of this defeat and make their doubters eat their words as soon as possible. I wouldn't fancy being in Romania's shoes on Friday 13th - it could prove very unlucky for them. With Romania and France both looking poor, an angered Italy side could still do enough to qualify from the group. If they manage this, then the Azzurri will surely be looking for the draw which may bring them back into contact with the Dutch. The longer the wait, the better it will be. The dish of revenge would be served up that much colder. And what better way to end a vendetta than by punishing your foe at a time when it matters most. The final stages of Euro 2008, perhaps? Watch what happened when Italy met the Dutch in the classic semi-final of Euro 2000: |
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