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Italy's route to Berlin
09/07/2006: A squad bereft of world class talent, no World Cup success for over 20 years, a dismal penalty shoot out record and, to top it all off, in the midst of one of football's biggest ever scandals amid allegations of match fixing at home.
It's not hard to see why the odds of Italy winning the 2006 World Cup had drifted somewhat, making one of the most prestigious football nations little more than a value bet for those looking for a dramatic upset.
But an upset is just what Italy have caused as the under fire Azzuri have marched all the way to Berlin and need to win just one more game to be crowned world champions.
An Italian appearance in the final not only looked unlikely at the start of the tournament, but the team did not look particularly convincing during the group stages of the competition.
Although they won their opening match 2-0 against a Ghana side that started slowly, the goals from Andrea Pirlo and Vincenzo Iaquinta could not hide the fact that the team in the famous blue kit didn't seem to have players good enough to deliver against really good opposition.
And bookies were probably ready to cash in all those bets made on Italy to win the cup after the side only managed to draw against the very poor USA.
A controversial 1-0 win over Australia didn't inspire confidence either, but the fact that they didn't concede a goal and had begun to discover some passing form should have alerted eagle-eyed betters that Italy were coming good.
Their 2-0 win against a talented Czech side followed by a confidence boosting 3-0 demolition of Ukraine put the Italians on a roll, as their front men Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino began to compliment the solid defence.
Despite the fact that no one seemed to fear their squad at the start of the tournament, it has become obvious that pressure has galvanised the players and against Germany, they played with a confidence and rhythm that was lacking from the pre-tournament favourites Brazil and England.
Many players showed during the semi-final that they would get a place in a "best of the tournament" side. Certainly, the captain and central defender Fabio Cannavaro would be in it as he showed almost telepathic powers in reading the moves of the forwards.
Gattuso again proved his worth as a defensive midfielder, while the workaholic Camoranesi was also impressive.
The two players to stand out overall have been the ones that have provided the creativity in the Italian side that few members of the betting public or bookmakers predicted the side could muster.
Francesco Totti and Pirlo have repeatedly shown that they can create chances for the Italians.
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Comments on: Italy's route to Berlin
07/07/2006: People still ask how Italians were able to beat the strong Germans, the answer is that Italy''s game is based on speed and Germany's game is based on strength. Remember speed will beat the strength. This is what we learned from 1982 World Cup final when Italy beat Germany 3-1. In the finals if Italy maintain their momentum and the rhythm of speed they can surely win the cup. France strategy is based on slowing the game down and finding gaps when the opponent is on the offensive. For Italians the best is that keep the posession of the ball and dont compromise on their speedy attacks. Mohammad Asim.
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