Azzurri side of 2006

where does it sit in terms of the all time great national sides? this side had a great balance of attack,midfield and defence with enough flair. this side includes 1 of the best goalies of all time buffon, 1 of the best centre back pairings of all time in cannavaro-nesta although materazzi did mostly play, a well balanced midfield and not to mention all time greats such as del piero and totti and at the time probably the best target man striker in the world for the 05/06 season luca toni.

the full squad:
buffon
amelia
peruzzi
zaccardo
grosso
cannavaro
nesta
barzagli
oddo
materazzi
zambrotta
gattuso
pirlo
perotta
de rossi
totti
del piero
barone
cameronesi
inzaghi
iaquinta
toni
gilardino

coach m lippi.

A great team, and I stress the word team. Of course they had individuals of quality, but what made them great was how well they played collectively.

Here is some truth, at least what I perceive it to be so.

This team wont be remembered to much as the years go by. Everyone will know they were great and they won, but they rarely dominated the games they played.

This team might even better a Spain for example, but all the greatest teams of all time, but at club and International level...the ones that people talk about the best of all time, they dominated the game.

This team were dominant defensively, but they dominate games all that often.

Great team none the less and as I said, it might even beat some teams people put up their as the best of all time.

The Franchise wrote:A great team, and I stress the word team. Of course they had individuals of quality, but what made them great was how well they played collectively.

Here is some truth, at least what I perceive it to be so.

This team wont be remembered to much as the years go by. Everyone will know they were great and they won, but they rarely dominated the games they played.

This team might even better a Spain for example, but all the greatest teams of all time, but at club and International level...the ones that people talk about the best of all time, they dominated the game.

This team were dominant defensively, but they dominate games all that often.

Great team none the less and as I said, it might even beat some teams people put up their as the best of all time.

Well as a person with some italian heritage i am obviously going to be biased but they really were that great. i think the 2002 squad was even better then the 06 side despite not winning the world cup people with half a brain that isn't an italian football hater( their are many haters out there) know the ref had an agenda. he receantly tried to smuggle drugs through an airport and went to jail it says it all really lol. that south korea match was fixed.

I agree, the '02 team was technically better in terms of overall, nonetheless that 2006 team was amazing and will always be remembered by me.

Basically what Dani said but adding to that, the defence for that 2006 Italy side was collectively very good. Think i will remember that side just for that.

Personally, i preferred the French and the Argentina side from 2006. How Argentina never won that world cup i will never know, well i do know why they didn't win it. If Pekerman wasn't an idiot enough for taking Riquelme off for Cambiasso. Argentina imo would have reached the final if not won it. Although France can claim the same.

But back to the point, it was a good Italy side but i am sure People will remember the greater Italian sides of the old ahead of the 2006 one.

Christian Vieri (Inter), Vincenzo Montella (Roma), Marco Del Vecchio (Roma), Francesco Totti (Roma), Filippo Inzaghi (Milan), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)

Personally think Italy team of 2002 was a better team individually.

Vieri >>>>>>>>> Toni/Gilardino

Totti was at peak of his powers in 2002, so where the likes of Cassano

and then you had a defense of Maldini-Nesta-Cana-Pannuci

Midfield duo of Pirlo-Gattuso who went on to win the CL a year after.

that year, was a monumental f*ck up by the referee, and Trap.

2002 Italy was the best Italy team I've seen in my life time, individually, the 2006 was a better TEAM for sure

RealGunner wrote:Basically what Dani said but adding to that, the defence for that 2006 Italy side was collectively very good. Think i will remember that side just for that.

Personally, i preferred the French and the Argentina side from 2006. How Argentina never won that world cup i will never know, well i do know why they didn't win it. If Pekerman wasn't an idiot enough for taking Riquelme off for Cambiasso. Argentina imo would have reached the final if not won it. Although France can claim the same.

But back to the point, it was a good Italy side but i am sure People will remember the greater Italian sides of the old ahead of the 2006 one.

what? you can be serious!
there is no way
Fernando Redondo , Claudio Caniggia ,Gabriel Batistuta ,Diego Maradona (c),Diego Simeone, ortega , abel balbo , hugo perez

if u break it down in 06
world class players in their positions:buffon cannavaro,nesta,zambrotta,pirlo, del piero, totti, toni( during that season he was at fiorentina)
very good players: de rossi,gattusso,oddo,grosso,inzaghi,materazzi,cameronesi
good players:perotta,peruzzi,barzagli

then the players that made it their to fill the squad up:
zaccaro,gilardino,iaquinta,amelia,barone

so out of the 23 players 18 of them were atleast good and only probably 5 didn't deserve to be in the squad thats pretty good if u ask me

RealGunner wrote:Basically what Dani said but adding to that, the defence for that 2006 Italy side was collectively very good. Think i will remember that side just for that.

Personally, i preferred the French and the Argentina side from 2006. How Argentina never won that world cup i will never know, well i do know why they didn't win it. If Pekerman wasn't an idiot enough for taking Riquelme off for Cambiasso. Argentina imo would have reached the final if not won it. Although France can claim the same.

But back to the point, it was a good Italy side but i am sure People will remember the greater Italian sides of the old ahead of the 2006 one.

that argentina side was sick! but they just didn't have the balance gli azzurri did to win it. juan pablo sorin and riquelme . the 2006 world cup was 1000 times better then 2010 not just because italy won but 2006 was way better run as expected by germany who did a great job and the 2006 wc had more champions players in it. 2010 was very predictable as well everyone knew spain was gonna win it they were just a class above everyone else

Harry Redknapp wrote:Personally think Italy team of 2002 was a better team individually.

Vieri >>>>>>>>> Toni/Gilardino

Totti was at peak of his powers in 2002, so where the likes of Cassano

and then you had a defense of Maldini-Nesta-Cana-Pannuci

Midfield duo of Pirlo-Gattuso who went on to win the CL a year after.

that year, was a monumental f*ck up by the referee, and Trap.

2002 Italy was the best Italy team I've seen in my life time, individually, the 2006 was a better TEAM for sure

marottalad wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Basically what Dani said but adding to that, the defence for that 2006 Italy side was collectively very good. Think i will remember that side just for that.

Personally, i preferred the French and the Argentina side from 2006. How Argentina never won that world cup i will never know, well i do know why they didn't win it. If Pekerman wasn't an idiot enough for taking Riquelme off for Cambiasso. Argentina imo would have reached the final if not won it. Although France can claim the same.

But back to the point, it was a good Italy side but i am sure People will remember the greater Italian sides of the old ahead of the 2006 one.

that argentina side was sick! but they just didn't have the balance gli azzurri did to win it. juan pablo sorin and riquelme . the 2006 world cup was 1000 times better then 2010 not just because italy won but 2006 was way better run as expected by germany who did a great job and the 2006 wc had more champions players in it. 2010 was very predictable as well everyone knew spain was gonna win it they were just a class above everyone else

I still wonder why riquelme was taken off . was the coach afraid and decided to go for a defensive approach ? I was coming back from school that day and the game was already being played for 1hour or so

Bénin wrote:

marottalad wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Basically what Dani said but adding to that, the defence for that 2006 Italy side was collectively very good. Think i will remember that side just for that.

Personally, i preferred the French and the Argentina side from 2006. How Argentina never won that world cup i will never know, well i do know why they didn't win it. If Pekerman wasn't an idiot enough for taking Riquelme off for Cambiasso. Argentina imo would have reached the final if not won it. Although France can claim the same.

But back to the point, it was a good Italy side but i am sure People will remember the greater Italian sides of the old ahead of the 2006 one.

that argentina side was sick! but they just didn't have the balance gli azzurri did to win it. juan pablo sorin and riquelme . the 2006 world cup was 1000 times better then 2010 not just because italy won but 2006 was way better run as expected by germany who did a great job and the 2006 wc had more champions players in it. 2010 was very predictable as well everyone knew spain was gonna win it they were just a class above everyone else

I still wonder why riquelme was taken off . was the coach afraid and decided to go for a defensive approach ? I was coming back from school that day and the game was already being played for 1hour or so

that game was so many years ago i would haveto watch it again to remember. i also recall the coach didn't play leo messi which was another factor as to why argentina didn't progress..... not that they were short of attacking options but this is messi were talking about a player at 25 who many consider on the road to the greatest player of all time he would have been a game changer

I will forever remember that side as a bunch of diving cheaters. The penalty against Australia in the 95th minute.

futbol wrote:I will forever remember that side as a bunch of diving cheaters. The penalty against Australia in the 95th minute.

i was going for australia too mate, but it's atleast a 50/50 penalty and any fair football fan would no that if a defender goes to ground first a penalty is likely to be given if there's contact given with a opposition player. yes grosso did exaggorate and did dive abit but their was contact and if any other players were in that situation 99 times out of 100 would exaggorate the fall. I can't stand diving and cheating i yell at my tv any time a player dives, but come on show Italy abit of respect please

marottalad wrote:

futbol wrote:I will forever remember that side as a bunch of diving cheaters. The penalty against Australia in the 95th minute.

i was going for australia too mate, but it's atleast a 50/50 penalty and any fair football fan would no that if a defender goes to ground first a penalty is likely to be given if there's contact given with a opposition player. yes grosso did exaggorate and did dive abit but their was contact and if any other players were in that situation 99 times out of 100 would exaggorate the fall. I can't stand diving and cheating i yell at my tv any time a player dives, but come on show Italy abit of respect please

Ok.

Italy.

futbol wrote:

marottalad wrote:

futbol wrote:I will forever remember that side as a bunch of diving cheaters. The penalty against Australia in the 95th minute.

i was going for australia too mate, but it's atleast a 50/50 penalty and any fair football fan would no that if a defender goes to ground first a penalty is likely to be given if there's contact given with a opposition player. yes grosso did exaggorate and did dive abit but their was contact and if any other players were in that situation 99 times out of 100 would exaggorate the fall. I can't stand diving and cheating i yell at my tv any time a player dives, but come on show Italy abit of respect please

Ok.

Italy.

I'll never forget that world cup, i was the only one from all my social circle who belived in Italy, and believed that italy can win that world cup.. i remember Argentina being big favourites after the group stage, but very few times, the team that performs the best in group stages wins the tournament (even the unbeatable Spain lost with Switzerland, in group stages, so the groups aren't relevant about the favourites of the tournament)... That game vs Australia was an emotional rollercoster, i was screaming and dancing like a lunatic after Grande Totti won the match.. Eliminating Germany at their home was something unique, i don't know how many would have thought that Germany will not win the world cup after they beat argentina... i remember very well the atmosphere at that time, and germany was a certain winner according to most football fans before the semi-final..

The Franchise wrote:A great team, and I stress the word team. Of course they had individuals of quality, but what made them great was how well they played collectively.

Totally agree on this one, italy won because of the team as a unit, not because individual qualities... I remember the team's defending was the main quality.. Players like gattuso, De rossi and the back 4 was creating so much density, and they doubled each other every time, if a player was dribbled, than the likes of gattuso, cannavaro etc would show up to double and with Vito Bufone there, opponents had a hard time to score, only france from a pen scored against us in the knockout stages.. And we had pirlo, who was huge in the semis and final, he assisted the winner with germany and the equaliser vs france, and he made an overall great tournament..

That Italy team was a team that knew how to win games of football. Every player was on the same page.

Prime AC Milan and Juve legends + bloody Grosso played the tournament of his life.

OT: Germany 06 is the best organised tournament I've ever seen. All Germans should be very proud of that.

Bénin wrote:

marottalad wrote:

RealGunner wrote:Basically what Dani said but adding to that, the defence for that 2006 Italy side was collectively very good. Think i will remember that side just for that.

Personally, i preferred the French and the Argentina side from 2006. How Argentina never won that world cup i will never know, well i do know why they didn't win it. If Pekerman wasn't an idiot enough for taking Riquelme off for Cambiasso. Argentina imo would have reached the final if not won it. Although France can claim the same.

But back to the point, it was a good Italy side but i am sure People will remember the greater Italian sides of the old ahead of the 2006 one.

that argentina side was sick! but they just didn't have the balance gli azzurri did to win it. juan pablo sorin and riquelme . the 2006 world cup was 1000 times better then 2010 not just because italy won but 2006 was way better run as expected by germany who did a great job and the 2006 wc had more champions players in it. 2010 was very predictable as well everyone knew spain was gonna win it they were just a class above everyone else

I still wonder why riquelme was taken off . was the coach afraid and decided to go for a defensive approach ? I was coming back from school that day and the game was already being played for 1hour or so

No one knows. Pekerman got sacked because of that sub

Forza Rossoneri wrote:OT: Germany 06 is the best organised tournament I've ever seen. All Germans should be very proud of that.

I'd rather have won a poorly organized tournament.

futbol wrote:I will forever remember that side as a bunch of diving cheaters. The penalty against Australia in the 95th minute.

Acccording to you, barcelona are a bunch of cheaters too, because of this:

tuddor wrote:

futbol wrote:I will forever remember that side as a bunch of diving cheaters. The penalty against Australia in the 95th minute.

Acccording to you, barcelona are a bunch of cheaters too, because of this:

Calm down, calm down, both of you!
There's no reason you can't both be wrong.
Italy and Barcelona can both be a bunch of diving cheaters.

tuddor wrote:

futbol wrote:I will forever remember that side as a bunch of diving cheaters. The penalty against Australia in the 95th minute.

Acccording to you, barcelona are a bunch of cheaters too, because of this:

Let me give you some advice when dealing with a italian football hater. i can gaurantee their from a white western country usually somewhere like england,australia, new zealand, canada or america. They only ever watch epl,champions league and barca vs madrid games, these "fans" listen to every word the biased english pundits say and actually believe the Serie A is slow boring and defensive, let them think it bro. if they believe a country can have as much success as italy by playing only defensive football( which by the way catenaccio was fazed out around the 1970's) then let them stay in ignorance.