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Lippi keeps faith in ageing Italy
April 3rd, 2010 | 
Author: Marcello Lippi, coach of defending champions Italy, said on Tuesday that his ageing squad is not a source of concern to him as he prepares for this summer’s 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™.
Italy will go into the tournament with many of the stars that took them to glory in Germany in 2006 and although key players such as Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta and Andrea Pirlo are all the wrong side of 30, Lippi insists that it will make no difference over a month-long tournament.
“If I had to play a whole season with this team, I’d probably make other choices,” he told reporters here. “But for one month, it’s not a problem. The quality of a player is not just about age or technique, there’s also enthusiasm, experience, charisma, wisdom, familiarity with international matches… It’s about one month and six or seven matches. We don’t necessarily need players aged 24.”
Italy’s last outing was a disappointing goalless draw in a friendly with Cameroon earlier in the month, but Lippi said he was not concerned by their display. “After the match, where we were missing six or seven big players and where I gave debuts to two young players, everyone said ‘They’re not in the right shape’,” he said. “But nothing counts today. What counts is June.”
Balotelli not an issue
One of the thorniest issues surrounding the Italy squad is 19-year-old Inter Milan striker Mario Balotelli, who continues to be overlooked by Lippi despite some impressive performances for his club and clamour for his inclusion in the FIFA World Cup squad from members of the Italian media.
Balotelli, though, is a divisive figure who has a turbulent relationship with club coach Jose Mourinho and is regularly the target of abuse from opposition fans. Quizzed over Balotelli’s non-selection, Lippi insisted it was a case of putting the needs of the team first.
“Every country has its debates,” he said. “In Brazil, it’s Ronaldinho. In Italy, it’s Balotelli. But it’s the coaches who make the decisions, motivated by the construction of the squad. They’re talented players, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to pick them. But I’ve never said that such-and-such a player was in or that such-and-such a player was out. There’s no-one ‘in or out’ and, until mid-May, I’ll look at everyone.
“As for Balotelli, he has great qualities and I’m sure that once he’s finished maturing at Inter there’s no doubt his qualities will be useful to the national side,” said Lippi.
Balotelli was born in Italy to Ghanaian parents and has occasionally been the subject of racist abuse. Lippi, though, says it is not his responsibility to make a symbolic stand against the racists by calling up the teenager.
“Everyone knows that I’m against every form of racism,” he said. “But a coach can’t make decisions based on this motive. And anyway, he’s already playing for the under-21s with (Angelo) Ogbonna and (Stefano) Okaka [who are also of African origin]. When I feel the time has come to call him up, I will do so, but purely for sporting reasons,” he said.
Lippi’s future beyond the finals has yet to be resolved, but the 61-year-old, who led Italy to glory at Germany 2006, refused to be drawn on whether he hopes to prolong his tenure with the Azzurri. “It doesn’t interest me to talk about the future,” he said. “Talking about after the World Cup doesn’t mean anything today.”
Italy were drawn alongside Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia in Group F at the FIFA World Cup. They begin their campaign against Paraguay on 14 June.
source:fifa.com
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Albiol: We’re staying grounded
Though he may not be one of Los Blancos’ biggest-name stars, there can be little doubt that centre-back Raul Albiol has been a key figure in Real Madrid’s bid for this season’s La Liga crown. Having adapted swiftly to life at the Bernabeu following his June 2009 switch from Valencia, only four of his fellow Merengue squad members have played more league minutes under coach Manuel Pellegrini than the 24-year-old, a regular in the Spanish national set-up and a member of La Roja squad which triumphed at the UEFA EURO 2008.
All of which is quite a turnaround from events just six years ago, when a car accident nearly cost the rugged defender his life. “At that time all I was thinking about was getting better, football took a back seat. It took me a while to start believing again that I could get back to playing football at the highest level. I just took things one small step at a time, working hard and improving, and now that I’m here I just want to enjoy it,” Albiol told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview.
“I’m aware of just how far I’ve come and what I need to do to stay here, which is the hardest part. Being a Real Madrid central defender is very demanding, it’s a huge responsibility,” continued the player, whose footballing rehabilitation after the accident came during a loan spell at Getafe, before maturing and making his name back at Valencia.
Yet despite joining Madrid from Los Chés, undoubtedly a big club in their own right, Albiol soon realised that the capital outfit was a different proposition entirely. “It really hits you at first and I had the typical nerves you experience as a new boy. As a 14 or 15-year-old I’d look up to Guti, Raul or [Iker] Casillas as I watched them on TV and now they’re my team-mates! I’m very happy though, everybody’s welcomed me really warmly and I’ve settled in quickly.”
“I’ve been really impressed by the enthusiasm and desire of Raul, and by how committed he is in training,” said Albiol, when quizzed about which players have caught his eye the most since his move. “Cristiano Ronaldo too, who’s a great pro, a great team-mate and is always joking around. He’s very different to the impression people outside the club have of him.”
Although the Madrid big-spenders have only the league title still to aim for this season, there will be no shortage of players turning out for their respective nations at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. “We’re dreaming of lifting the Trophy. It must be an incredible feeling,” said Albiol, well placed to make the cut for Spain boss Vicente del Bosque’s finals squad.
“We [Spain] have the enthusiasm, belief and desire, and we’ve also got a winning mentality. And aside from the quality the players have, our team spirit, togetherness and the good atmosphere in the dressing room are all a real plus.”
The powerful defender also had words of praise for boss Del Bosque, the man who guided Spain to a flawless South Africa 2010 qualifying campaign. “He’s a very calm person, with a lot of experience. He knows the players really well, he knows a lot about football and about being in competitions, and he enjoys communicating with his players.”
Despite the squad’s undoubted talent and the former Real Madrid coach’s impressive winning pedigree, La Roja still came undone in the last four of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009, an exit which also spelled the end of their record unbeaten run of 35 games. “We didn’t lose against the USA that day because of a lack of humility or because we got too big for our boots. The squad is humble and hard-working and even winning the EURO didn’t go to their heads,” said Albiol, who appeared three times at South Africa 2009.
“We kept our feet on the ground ahead of every game in World Cup qualifying, and we’ll be treating the World Cup in the same way. If we do get knocked out it will because our opponents were better on the day, not because we were big-headed,” said this father of two young girls, before underlining the difficulty of Group H rivals Chile, Honduras and Switzerland. “On paper we’re the favourites but you have to prove that out on the pitch. We need to make sure we win our first game. Nobody is going to make it easy for us, we’re going to have to work really hard.”
“We’ve learned (from the USA defeat) that at a major tournament you can lose to anybody. Any team can have an off day but if that happens you’re going home,” said Albiol, whose Spain team will face opponents from a fearsome-looking Group G containing Brazil, Portugal, Côte d’Ivoire and Korea DPR should they reach the Round of 16.
“Any of those teams would be difficult - it’d be a tough game but if you want to go far you have to be ready to beat anybody. Even a good team, one that’s strong and with a winning mentality, has to prove itself against any opponents.”
And even in the face of the FIFA Confederations Cup disappointment, Albiol has certainly not been put off the many charms of hosts South Africa. “We had a lovely experience in South Africa. It’s just a shame we only saw a couple of animals on our safari!” he said with a chuckle as the interview drew to a close. “We’ve noticed just how excited the South Africans are about the start of their World Cup. And it’s our duty to put on a good show for them.”
source:fifa.com
Rooney out for three weeks
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said striker Wayne Rooney will be out for two to three weeks with the ankle injury he picked up playing against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Rooney’s injury was confirmed as a minor ligament strain by the club yesterday and Ferguson said in this morning’s press briefing that the England international would be back within three weeks.
That rules Rooney out of the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich but could see him return for the derby against Manchester City on 17 April.
Ferguson said: “(There is) no bone damage or serious ligament damage. The nation can stop praying.”
That was a reference to Rooney’s importance to England’s 2010 FIFA World Cup™ hopes, and Ferguson added: “It was a panic. We are relieved. When we saw him hobble off, you are hoping when you send him for a scan, you get some good news.
“And it could have been worse given the way he hobbled off. But it’s out of the way, we can put it to one side and get on with our job on the pitch.”
Source:fifa.com