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[Blwe_torch]

Cannavaro under pressure as stakes rise
REUTERS, Jun 23, 2010, 07.49am IST

JOHANNESBURG: World champions Italy need a win against Slovakia on Thursday to ensure they stumble into the World Cup second round and all eyes will be on captain Fabio Cannavaro after mistakes in the first two matches led to goals.

The fall from grace of the 2006 world player of the year, who inspired the Azzurri to glory four years ago with his superb defending, underlines how inferior Italy look at this World Cup.

A third error from the 36-year-old at Johannesburg's Ellis Park in their last Group F match on Thursday could let the Slovaks in and prompt a humiliating early exit for the holders.

Cannavaro failed to jump to stop Paraguay's goal in a 1-1 draw while he made a hash of dealing with a free kick when Shane Smeltz put New Zealand ahead in Sunday's shock 1-1 scoreline.

"We are a team, it's not right and we don't want to look for who was at fault," Cannavaro bluntly told reporters.

A lack of height, pace and confidence is hampering Cannavaro, who looks a completely different player to four years ago when almost nothing got past his own personal brick wall.

The wisdom of coach Marcello Lippi taking a man at the very back end of his career to South Africa was tacitly questioned in Italy but his hero status meant open criticism was rare.

Now Gazzetta dello Sport has run a poll asking if Cannavaro should be dropped and 69.2 percent of 23,000 voters said yes.

The Juventus defender, who will quit international soccer and enjoy a semi-retirement at Dubai's Al Ahli from July, will, though, stay in the team because reserve centre backs Leonardo Bonucci and Salvatore Bocchetti are very inexperienced.

It is not just Italy's defence that has laboured with the midfield failing to show any invention and the attack blunted.

Lippi hopes top creative midfielder Andrea Pirlo can return to the starting lineup after missing the first two games with a calf injury but his participation is not certain.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is poised to miss out again with a back problem while Lippi could bring in Antonio Di Natale or Giampaolo Pazzini up front with Alberto Gilardino out of form.

"Not everything has gone well but we don't need to see the glass half empty," Lippi said. "Our World Cup could start here."

A draw is enough for sheepish Italy to sneak through with three points if group leaders Paraguay beat New Zealand.

Famous slow starters Italy went through with three draws at the group stage in 1982 before they picked up the pace and went on to claim the trophy by beating Germany in the final.

Slovakia have a point and can only progress if they win, although that might not suffice if New Zealand defeat Paraguay but the South Americans keep a better goal difference.

Coach Vladimir Weiss has been uncomfortable with the media recently, with his playing son saying the team are fed up with unrealistic expectations from fans in their first World Cup.

"There is a lot of criticism from back home, we're doing everything we can. We've not won a game yet but we've still got a chance so we're positive," Vladimir Weiss Jr told reporters.

They only had one shot on target in Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Paraguay so the nippy Miroslav Stoch could come in after injury.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/wcarticleshow/6080907.cms

[Blwe_torch]

Captain Cannavaro says fear cost Italy
AFP, Jun 25, 2010, 07.14pm IST

IRENE: Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro on Friday blamed fear for the reigning champions' ignominious exit from the World Cup following a shock 3-2 defeat to debutants Slovakia.

The 36-year-old, who has now played his last match for the Azzurri and will move to Al-Ahli in Dubai next season, gave a frank and honest assessment of Italy's disastrous title defence from the team's Casa Azzurri base camp.

And he said when the hour came, the men became shrinking violets.

"The fear is when you play for a team with four stars on it's shirt (designating their four world titles) and you have to win," he said.

"The pressure is there, there was too much fear in playing, I was looking in their (the players) faces and they were too nervous.

"If you're too nervous you don't manage to be lucid."

The other problem, according to the former world player of the year, is a lack of quality in Italy.

"We don't have any superstars, there are no (Francesco) Tottis or (Alessandro) Del Pieros, if someone had seen one we would've brought them," he added.

"We need to get used to the fact that right now we're not producing the material like previous generations.

"Before we had great players who made our history, not just in the national team but also in the clubs.

"Now we need to produce these players again but of course it's not easy. It's a part of the cycle, now we have good players but not first class ones, before we had great players."

Cannavaro called on clubs to assume their responsibility in the production of new young talent.

"The only path is that of youth, if you don't create good young players then you won't have a solid base.

"That's the future, we need to turn a page. Clubs must realise that it's not just the failure of the national team, it's also the clubs' failure.

"We (Italy) won the Champions League (with Inter Milan) but with few Italians (there were none in the starting XI).

"But it's not just about youth, it's also about stadiums and how fans behave in the stadiums.

"We need to draw a line, we need to change."

Looking back at the match against Slovakia, Cannavaro described it as one of his worst experiences in football.

"It was for sure one of our worst evenings, we didn't expect to go out in the group stages.

"We didn't expect to play this way or to get this result. We knew it would be very difficult to win the World Cup but we expected with our experience to go a lot further.

"After the first game (a 1-1 draw with Paraguay) we were confident, we played well but maybe the fact we didn't win the second (another 1-1 draw with New Zealand) conditioned us a lot.

"Yesterday (Thursday) in the first half there was insecurity, fear and a lack of taking responsibility."

The Neapolitan defended coach Marcello Lippi's squad selection, particularly the decision to leave forwards Luca Toni, Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli behind.

"Once again the coach showed his greatness as he took full responsibility, he defended the team and showed he thinks a lot of us.

"When you lose on the pitch it's not just the fault of the coach but of everyone.

"We went to two European Championships with Toni and Cassano and didn't win them and as for Balotelli he's still very young."

As for his own career, Cannavaro said it was the right time to close this chapter.

"I'm going because I believe the time has come to say goodbye. I have had a good career, I've given a lot.

"I've had good moments and bad but that's part of a footballer's career. You accept the plaudits when you win so you must accept the criticism when you lose."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/wcarticleshow/6091546.cms