Monday, August 8, 2022
Germany Latest News
  • Sports
  • USA
  • Asia
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Latin America
  • Africa
  • Europe
No Result
View All Result
Germany Latest News
Home Sports

Italy’s plan for Sweden in WCup playoff: ‘Play like Italy’

by The Editor
November 6, 2017
in Sports
0
Italy’s plan for Sweden in WCup playoff: ‘Play like Italy’
0
SHARES
5
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Related posts

Fantasy Premier League tips gameweek 19: Cristiano Ronaldo, Son Heung-min, Bukayo Saka and more

Fantasy Premier League tips gameweek 19: Cristiano Ronaldo, Son Heung-min, Bukayo Saka and more

December 24, 2021
NHL expects to make decision soon on attending Beijing Olympics

NHL expects to make decision soon on attending Beijing Olympics

December 20, 2021

ROME (AP) Italy has a straightforward plan to avoid missing its first World Cup in six decades – just play its usual game in the playoff against Sweden.

After all, Italy has gone unbeaten against Sweden in their last five meetings and won four of the encounters, including 1-0 last year at the European Championship.

Perhaps making matters less complicated, standout striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired from Sweden duty after Euro 2016.

”They’re four-fifths the same squad. They play the same. They’re physical and well organized. It’s part of their DNA,” Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura said on Monday.

”But the real problem isn’t what Sweden does. It’s what we do. Italy has to play like Italy. We’ve always been there when there’s something important to play for.”

A four-time champion, Italy has participated in every World Cup since failing to qualify for the 1958 tournament, which coincidentally was held in Sweden.

The last major competitions Italy missed were the 1984 and 1992 European Championships.

”Nobody has even considered not going,” Ventura said at the Azzurri’s Coverciano training complex in Florence.

But Italy has showed poor form recently, ever since a 3-0 loss to Spain in September that virtually sealed its fate as the second-place finisher in its qualifying group.

After the Spain match, Italy narrowly edged Israel 1-0 at home, drew with Macedonia 1-1 at home, and won in Albania 1-0.

With his job on the line, though, Ventura would gladly accept two more narrow wins.

”In Spain or England when you win playing poorly they fire the coach. In Italy, results count more than anything,” said the 69-year-old journeyman coach, who never managed a major club before being called in as a replacement when Antonio Conte left the national team for Chelsea after Euro 2016.

”It’s a big moment for me but also for the players,” Ventura added. ”Going or not going to a World Cup means something. For some it’s the beginning of a cycle, for others it’s a matter of finishing in a certain manner.”

Captain Gianluigi Buffon made his first appearance for Italy in a World Cup playoff against Russia on a snowy pitch in 1997. Having announced he plans to retire from the national team, the playoff could mark his final international matches.

In one of the four European playoffs, Italy travels to Stockholm for the opening leg on Friday. The return match will be at Milan’s San Siro Stadium three days later.

In qualifying, Ventura relied on Andrea Belotti and Ciro Immobile – two players he previously coached at Torino – for goals. But there are questions over their fitness.

Belotti, who scored 26 goals with Torino in Serie A last season, appears to be at only 60-70 percent capacity as he works his way back from a right knee injury. Immobile leads the Italian league with 14 goals in 11 matches this season but recently strained a leg muscle.

On the positive side, Simone Zaza was recalled after scoring eight goals in his last seven league games for Valencia; wingers Antonio Candreva, Lorenzo Insigne and Stephan El Shaarawy are also in top form; and key midfielders Marco Verratti and Daniele De Rossi return after missing the final two qualifiers through injury.

Mario Balotelli, meanwhile, hasn’t played for Italy since the Azzurri’s first-round elimination from the 2014 World Cup. He remains out of the squad.

While Sweden didn’t qualify for the last two World Cups, it impressed in qualifying with a win over France and finished ahead of the Netherlands in its group.

”We are winners just by being here,” Sweden coach Janne Andersson said.

Sweden went unbeaten at home in qualifying at Friends Arena and striker Marcus Berg scored eight times in nine matches

”If we can play at that level, we can beat any team in the world – including Italy,” Andersson added.

Ventura called up an expanded 27-man squad to allow room for injuries and suspensions in the 72 hours between the two games. Four players – Giorgio Chiellini, Marco Parolo, Verratti and Immobile – are in danger of missing the second leg if they pick up another yellow card.

More than 65,000 tickets have been sold for the game at the San Siro.

”We can’t disappoint them,” Ventura said of the fans. ”And we can’t disappoint Italy.”

—

Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Original Article

Fox Sports

Previous Post

Tennis organizers apologize for draw ceremony with models

Next Post

Martin O’Neill hopeful Republic of Ireland midfielder Jeff Hendrick will be fit for World Cup play-off against Denmark

Next Post
Martin O’Neill hopeful Republic of Ireland midfielder Jeff Hendrick will be fit for World Cup play-off against Denmark

Martin O'Neill hopeful Republic of Ireland midfielder Jeff Hendrick will be fit for World Cup play-off against Denmark

RECOMMENDED NEWS

Dana Loesch Battles Anti-Gun Students

Dana Loesch Battles Anti-Gun Students

4 years ago
Middle East – North Africa News Brief

Middle East – North Africa News Brief

4 years ago
‘Unusual spell’ of cold wave grips north India; scientists explain why

‘Unusual spell’ of cold wave grips north India; scientists explain why

3 years ago
India shares evacuation forms with citizens stuck in Wuhan

India shares evacuation forms with citizens stuck in Wuhan

3 years ago

FOLLOW US

  • 116 Followers
  • 86.7k Followers
  • 166k Subscribers

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Health
  • latest news
  • Latin America
  • Life Style
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Uncategorized
  • USA

BROWSE BY TOPICS

2018 League Bali United Beijing BlackBerry Brazil Budget Travel Bundesliga California Champions League Chelsea China Chopper Bike Coronavirus COVID COVID-19 Crime Doctor Terawan EU forces France French German GISAID Istana Negara Italy Lewandowski Lionel Messi Market Stories Mexico National Exam Nigeria Omicron Pakistan Police protect protests Qatar Russia slapstick South Africans TikTok Trump UK Ukraine Visit Bali
No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • Dominican Republic environment minister shot dead in his office
  • France puts 18 on trial over alleged involvement in vast horsemeat scandal
  • North Korea fires ballistic missiles a day after US-South Korean naval drills
  • Nigeria: town mourns more than 50 people shot dead in church during mass
  • Death toll rises after train crash in Bavaria

Categories

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Health
  • latest news
  • Latin America
  • Life Style
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Uncategorized
  • USA

Tags

2018 League Bali United Beijing BlackBerry Brazil Budget Travel Bundesliga California Champions League Chelsea China Chopper Bike Coronavirus COVID COVID-19 Crime Doctor Terawan EU forces France French German GISAID Istana Negara Italy Lewandowski Lionel Messi Market Stories Mexico National Exam Nigeria Omicron Pakistan Police protect protests Qatar Russia slapstick South Africans TikTok Trump UK Ukraine Visit Bali
Death toll rises after train crash in Bavaria
latest news

Death toll rises after train crash in Bavaria

by The Editor
June 6, 2022
0

Several people were killed and 40 more were injured on Friday when a regional passenger train derailed in the southern German...

Read more

Recent News

  • Dominican Republic environment minister shot dead in his office
  • France puts 18 on trial over alleged involvement in vast horsemeat scandal
  • North Korea fires ballistic missiles a day after US-South Korean naval drills

Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Health
  • latest news
  • Latin America
  • Life Style
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Uncategorized
  • USA

Recent News

Dominican Republic environment minister shot dead in his office

Dominican Republic environment minister shot dead in his office

June 6, 2022
France puts 18 on trial over alleged involvement in vast horsemeat scandal

France puts 18 on trial over alleged involvement in vast horsemeat scandal

June 6, 2022
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Sports
  • USA
  • Asia
  • Health
  • Life Style
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Latin America
  • Africa
  • Europe

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.