Very surprised if this game is won by more than one goal. I have a feeling Doyle will be upfront on his own with Keane dropping back into midfield playing the role he played for Spurs against Chelsea last week. The Italian's will be happy to defend a 1-0 from the 1st to 90+ min so we have to stop them scoring. Imagine. A win will see us top the group. Highly, highly unlikely. But if we frustate them long enough on Wednesday then who knows.
I think to be honest, a 0-0 draw
Based on Saturday night's performance, I can't see us getting anything out of this game. We will be playing for the draw but Saturday night showed we can't close out a game with the players that played against Bulgaria. Steven Reid is proving to be a big loss to us and we badly missed the balance Duff has previously offered to the team. Hunt and McShane give their all but don't have the quality required for international level. IMO we really can't expect to compete with Italy on their home turf without the players we are missing; ie, S. Reid, Duff and Finnan. But here's hoping.
2-0 Italy unless we pick up our game massively from Saturday.
If Ireland sit back and try to contain Italy as we did saturday against bulgaria
3-0 Italy
Ireland playing attacking football through the middle
2-1 Italy
Ireland play pressure game/long ball into corners/holding ball up/bypass midfield/get men in the box
1-1
I would gladly take that right now. I always felt that with Traps system we will perform better away from home and I still believe that. However, the inability of our players to maintain possession was at its most evident on sat night and that is my biggest worry ahead of this game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Deckydee
If we can hold onto the ball better on Wed night, we have a chance thanks to our excellent CB and GK pairing. Unfortunately I feel the Italians will have to much for us and hurt us big time by targetting McShane in particular and KK.
On a more optimistic note, Di Natale is out, Iaquinta and Chiellini are both doubtful.
Hi again.I was ****ed off after this ****y decision by English referee.Is it possible that Cannavaro did not get red card for this?Please watch and tell me your opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLQJmpvxxak(see 57 second,right after Italian goal).
Is this possible?Like it is not enough that they are stronger anyway,but they need help from referee.
If you will have the same treatment,than you dont stand a chance.
btw.Player who played with his hand is the same one that did it against you.What the ****?Does He think that he is playing handball?He did it once more in this game,but it was foul against him,although it is possible that it was foul against him in this situation also,becouse of his unnatural body position.
And yes.I can not bealive that you did not beat Bulgaria.
Regards.
Hi ya,Quote:
Originally Posted by Montenegrin
Ya having read a few match reports in our newspapers it sounds like cannavaro shouldve been sent off. (EDIT:Just watched the clip, def shouldve been sent off. What your guy was doing with the hand for the pen I do not know). Apparently you guys had the better of the first half but Italy were stronger in the second. Looks like Vucinic was a big loss for ye.
We probably had the better chances against Bulgaria but played very defensively after we scored and were very poor in possession. In fact Bulgaria had the majority of the possession.
Think we might need you guys to do us a favour when ye play them in Sofia.
Canavarro should definitely have got a red. Can't understand why not. It was totally deliberate and cynical and I'm sure it was a goalscoring chance.
3-0. If we played their U12 side they would beat us.
I'd be delighted with a 0-0 draw.
But if we give away possession as often as we did on Saturday, and our centre of midfield performs as poorly as it did on Saturday, I can see Italy controlling the game from start to finish and us not even having a sniff of a chance. With all that possession, they will cause our defence serious problems all night.
A very comfortable 1-0 win for Italy.
Agreed I was sickened that he didn't, not only would he have missed the game against us but it would have giving Monty a real chance of taking 2 points of Italy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Anyway I think we have a slim chance of getting something out of the game, despite the poor performance against Bulgaria I think this team has good character and hopefully they will bounce back which a much better on wendesday, midfield remains a problem that isn't going to go away so I think we will have to play 5 in midfield to have any chance
When you consider that we only lost 1-0 in Germany and Czech Rep and we're better drilled defensively than then, maybe we'll sneak something. We should have scored in both those games. We'll get a chance or two no matter how badly we play so we've got to be clinical and then who knows?
Logically Italy will win easily 2 or 3 nil. But the great thing about football is that in any game either team might win. That is why we go to games.
Ireland were very poor especially in the first half against Bulgaria and gave the ball away to easily. That won't happen against Italy, I hope.
The biggest problem is that the team will tire in the last 20 minutes and Trap has a no substitutions policy which is when the game will be lost.
But I hope I am wrong and we can snatch a 1:1 draw.
It is April Fols day!
I wouldn't be stunned to see us grind out a 0-0 on wednesday; i agree with the comment that Trap's system will probably work best away from home and against the bigger sides where we aren't expected to take the game to them.
HOWEVER, my actual prediction for this game is 2-0 Italy. Once they've gone ahead we'll go chasing the game and they'll do us with a sucker-punch right at the death.
I think it will either be 1-0 to Italy or a 0-0 draw. I do think Italy will win so I would have it about 60 percent 1-0 to italy and 40 percent a 0-0 draw. I really cant see any other result.
Other than 2-0 :(Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilMcD
my main positive from the whole reign of trapattoni is that even when we play poorly, we always seem to grind out a result. thats why i think we have a good chance of a draw in italy. i think we'd be far more likely to lose away in sofia or cyprus because they play a fast pressing game, but italys style of play mirrors ours, and i could see us cancelling eachother out. heres hoping anyway
I think we'll draw in Bari. I think we'll up it after Saturday, and it'll be another 0-0 like France a few years ago. I'm backing us to get the point.
1-0 to Ireland; it wouldn't be an Irish qualifying campaign if we didn't defy expectations. So we drew the game we were expected to win, therefore we'll win the game we were expected to lose. A battling performance that'll win back the neyseyers.