Italia Campione del Mondo – part 3

Ok, this will be a tough game tonight, although I was dreaming of this fixture at the beginning. The real funny thing is, that Germany will start as favourite, which would have been unbelievable at least one month ago. Why is it? Ok, they played really well. But then against the strong Argentines they have been the weaker team. And it seems to me that many players feel drained and appear to be tired due to their powerful and intensive way to play. And now one of the strongest Germans, Frings, is missing. Any change of the German showpiece so far, the strong defensive midfield, will make life not easier for the defense. So I’m expecting lots of challenges for the German defensive players, which will lead to mistakes as it happened before the tournament.

And what about my Azzurri? They played as always, very efficient and tactically superb. They improved from game to game and still have lots of reserves. Nobody knows how strong they are actually. The whole Squadra is very balanced with lots of very good players and tactical innovations on the bench. One striker (Toni), two strikers (Toni together with Gilardino) or even three (Inzaghi)? With Totti or Del Piero? Or both together or nobody at all? Everything will work and is possible. Together with the strongest defense this team is very difficult to figure out and play against.

So as long as the Italians stay disciplined and do not accept emotions from outside, it should be a clear win for Italy again, as always against Germany during championships.
tbc