Italy's Fabio Cannavaro (L) and coach Marcello Lippi attend a news conference at Ellis park stadium. - Reuters Photo
Cannavaro under pressure as stakes rise
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.
PARAGUAY TO PIN HOPES ON STRIKE TRIO
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.
Paraguay will look to a trio of sharpshooters to see them into the World Cup second round while New Zealand, surprise contenders for a place in the last 16, are hoping luck favours them at last.
The South Americans seemed the better team for much of their opening 1-1 draw with world champions Italy and easily beat Slovakia 2-0 to top Group F ahead of Thursday’s match.
New Zealand, one of the lowest ranked sides in South Africa at 78th in the world and with no big name players, have confounded the pundits by holding Slovakia for their first ever World Cup point and then Italy by the same 1-1 scoreline.
As underdogs, the affable All Whites are fast becoming a favourite for neutrals across the world and should garner most cheers at Polokwane’s Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Their fans at home have been glued to screens watching an unheralded squad surprise the world, leading to an explosion of interest in soccer in a rugby-mad land.
But a win, or even another draw, may be a bridge too far.
Paraguay are expected to push for goals through Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Valdez and Lucas Barrios — a striking trio that overpowered Slovakia.
“When we face New Zealand, we need to go out with the same attitude. Qualifying is down to us,” said Paraguay defender Paulo Da Silva.
Paraguay, who have four points ahead of Italy and New Zealand on two, need only draw to guarantee their progress but will be wary of the Kiwis’ height and prowess at set pieces.
“New Zealand have shown in their two previous matches that they have an important physical strength and that they are good in the air,” Da Silva told reporters.
“They are good on counter attacks and we have to keep doing what we did against Slovakia.”
Paraguay’s Argentine coach Gerardo Martino could slot the fit-again Santa Cruz in behind Barrios and Valdez — a potent attack that would test a New Zealand back four that will again be led by the inspirational Ryan Nelsen.
The All Whites captain marshalled his troops admirably during an onslaught by Italy on Sunday, when goalkeeper Mark Paston and the wodowrk saw off 23 shots, seven on target.
In contrast, New Zealand managed just one shot on target — Shane Smeltz’s seventh minute goal — and not one corner.
New Zealand, who will be unchanged, need a win to guarantee qualification but if Italy and Slovakia produce a stalemate the All Whites could go through with a higher scoring draw.
What they lack in experience and skill, the Kiwis make up for with spirit and self belief and, having already exceeded expectations, all the pressure will be on Paraguay.
“We’re going to have to work as hard as we did (against Italy) and maybe even a bit more but it’s not beyond us,” forward Chris Killen told Reuters.
“We’ve got enough heart to go out and do it again.”
New Zealand have astounded fans across the world with a show of gritty determination but Killen asked for a bit of luck, too, bemoaning a debatable penalty for Italy that saw the champions equalise and a hint of offside in Slovakia’s goal.
“A few results have gone against us but hopefully against Paraguay we’ll get a few that will go for us. Hard luck can only be against you for so long,” he said.
DUTCH HAVE LEARNED A LESSON
Already-qualified Netherlands will be at full strength against out-of-contention Cameroon in their final Group E match on Thursday in a bid to avoid a hat-trick of early knockout exits after fielding weakened teams.
In the 2006 World Cup and at Euro 2008 the Dutch qualified after their first two group games. Both times then-coach Marco van Basten rested big names for the final match and in both tournaments they were beaten in the first knockout round.
This time, on six points after wins over Denmark and Japan, there is still top place to play for as a defeat by Cameroon coupled with a healthy win for either of the other sides who meet in Rustenburg could relegate them to second place.
Coach Bert van Marwijk is not taking any chances. “I don’t plan to make many changes,” he told reporters, saying he wanted to maintain the team’s rhythm.
“It will be a different story when players are not completely fit and we also have to see when Arjen Robben is ready to play. It could be that he plays Thursday.”
Robben has been on the sidelines so far as he recovers from his latest injury, this time a hamstring problem, but he has hardly been missed as the Dutch started strongly against Denmark and looked even more clinical against Japan.
“Every match is a step to a higher target,” said holding midfielder Mark van Bommel.
Cameroon have nothing to play for but pride after defeats by Japan and Denmark meant they had got through to the knockout stage only once — in 1990 when they lost to England in the quarter-finals — in six appearances at the World Cup.
“We cannot afford to participate in a big tournament like the World Cup and go back without a point,” said goalkeeper Hamidou Souleymanou. “It will be the worst in our country’s history. We cannot let this happen.
“We are going to give all our energy, we’re going to give our best to show that Cameroon remains a great football nation.
The statistics tell a harsh tale because Cameroon contributed greatly to an entertaining game against Denmark and could easily have had more goals.
Coach Paul Le Guen, widely criticised even by some of his own players, for controversial selections against Japan, brought back the likes of Alexandre Song, Geremi and Achille Emana.
He also moved leading striker Samuel Eto’o from an unaccustomed wide position back to the middle from where he scored the opener in the 2-1 defeat.
Those players should keep their places although there may be other changes. Rigobert Song, Aurelien Chedjou and keeper Carlos Kameni could come in while defender Gaetan Bong, striker Eric Choupo-Moting and midfielder Joel Matip are also in contention.
DENMARK NEED DYNAMITE TO PROGRESS
Denmark coach Morten Olsen is hoping for some traditional ‘Danish dynamite’ from his team’s attack in Thursday’s decisive Group E clash with Japan.
Olsen, who captained Denmark when they made their impressive ‘dynamic’ debut at the World Cup finals in 1986, acknowledged Japan are well-organised and difficult opponents but said his side will treat the game as if it was a final.
“It is a decisive game, hopefully the first final for us,” said the 60-year-old. “We know what we have to do — that is the name of the game. We just have to be confident.”
After one win and one defeat each in their opening games, both nations are level on three points. For Japan, a draw would take them through to the second round for the second time, but for Denmark it would signal elimination.
Netherlands have already secured their qualification for the last 16 by beating the Danes 2-0 and Japan 1-0, while Cameroon are already out after losing twice.
Olsen said he had respect for Japan’s resilience and spirit, developed under coach Takeshi Okada, who is in charge at a World Cup for the second time after leading them in France in 1998, and expected a tight contest.
“They have a good group of players who are fighting for their country. They are proud to play for Japan,” he said. “They have a good coach who has a good knowledge of football. It won’t be easy, but we have to break them down.”
Denmark will hope to improve on their patchy form and perform with greater purpose and concentration than they did against Cameroon last Saturday when goals by striker Nicklas Bendtner and winger Dennis Rommedahl gave them victory.
They had to come from behind after Samuel Eto’o capitalised on a Christian Poulsen mistake to fire Cameroon in front.
Poulsen, whose tackling and energy are so important in the Danish midfield, said:
Okada, who targeted a semi-final place before the tournament began, warned his players to prepare for the “match of their lives” at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
He added that Bendtner, back from injury, was the chief threat and they would have to “cut off the supply for him”.
That may mean leaving Japan’s outstanding creative player Shunsuke Nakamura out again as he did in the 1-0 defeat by the Dutch in Durban when Yoshito Okubo was preferred.
