SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - New Zealand and Italy prepare for their World Cup clash
Record ID:
454933
SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - New Zealand and Italy prepare for their World Cup clash
- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL / SOCCER - WORLD CUP 2010 - New Zealand and Italy prepare for their World Cup clash
- Date: 18th June 2010
- Summary: NELSPRUIT, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 19, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ITALY TEAM ON PITCH AT MBOMBELA STADIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALY COACH, MARCELLO LIPPI, SAYING: "Undoubtedly from a technical point of view we shouldn't fear them but we have to be wary of their physicality and their heading ability. They are a very physical team that is strong in the air, they are all very tall. We should be talking about that rather than talking about the line-up of the team" ITALIAN TEAM ON PITCH (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALY COACH, MARCELLO LIPPI, SAYING: "We don't have (goalkeeper) Buffon; we don't have Pirlo; we started with Chiellini who was out for 10 days, he was on the margins of the team; we had problems with Camoranesi, with Marchisio;it hasn't been a very fortunate beginning from that respect, but the important thing is that the team believes in this and these beliefs need to be transformed into goals out there in the field" LIPPI AND TECHNICAL TEAM (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALY COACH, MARCELLO LIPPI, SAYING: "All of these players are extraordinarily important, they are all very valuable and I think that the career behind each one of them is evidence of that, but if a team starts crying over the ones that are not there on the pitch, it won't go very far, that's the worst they can do" VARIOUS OF NEW ZEALAND 'ALL WHITES' TRAINING ON PITCH / GOALKEEPERS RUNNING PAST WINSTON REID RUNNING WITH BALL/ TEAM MATES STANDING AROUND HIM VARIOUS OF GOALKEEPERS TRAINING WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE/ NEW ZEALAND COACH RICKI HERBERT AND CAPTAIN RYAN NELSEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND COACH, RICKI HERBERT, SAYING: "He (Tim Brown) is part of the squad now which is great, I think he has done what he needed to do and I don't think we would have any hesitation if we needed to use him now, he could be part of it obviously. Paraguay is probably a better target for him but he has made some great strides" (JOURNALIST'S QUESTION: "So you can confirm he was available for selection?" HERBERT: "Close to it, I wouldn't say 100 but he is a lot better than what he was" TRAINING/ NELSEN ON PITCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW ZEALAND CAPTAIN, RYAN NELSEN, SAYING: "We have prepared as hard as we can, we have put ourselves in a very good position in the first game and we will let the 'soccer gods' decide. But I think obviously, 'nothing to lose' is a little bit reckless. We are fairly well prepared, well organised and as I said, no matter what happens in the game, the boys have given everything" TEAM TRAINING
- Embargoed: 3rd July 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA7F9E7JIH9VNTUTH7XNJJF7USK
- Story Text: Italy coach Marcello Lippi will be shaking off a height complex which is gripping his camp before Sunday's (June 20)clash with New Zealand.
The gulf in class between the world champions and 78th-ranked New Zealand ahead of their Group F match should be obvious, but Italy are taking their usual cautious approach to extremes.
Speaking at a news conference in Nelspruit on Saturday (June 19), Lippi said the tactics will be more important that the line-up.
"Undoubtedly from a technical point of view we shouldn't fear them but we have to be wary of their physicality and their heading ability. They are a very physical team that is strong in the air, they are all very tall. We should be talking about that rather than talking about the line-up of the team," Lippi said.
Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, much smaller than an average centre back, was caught out by Antolin Alcaraz's header in Monday's opening 1-1 draw with Paraguay and all the Italy players have talked about this week is the height of the New Zealanders.
Midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who missed the Paraguay match, will again be on the sidelines because of a calf injury but may be able to make the final group game against Slovakia on Thursday and Gianluigi Buffon is also out with a herniated disc in his back.
But Lippi said, despite various injuries in the team, the players who will start on Sunday were strong and would be able to score goals.
"We don't have (goalkeeper) Buffon; we don't have Pirlo; we started with Chiellini who was out for 10 days, he was on the margins of the team; we had problems with Camoranesi, with Marchisio;it hasn't been a very fortunate beginning from that respect, but the important thing is that the team believes in this and these beliefs need to be transformed into goals out there in the field," said Lippi.
"All of these players are extraordinarily important, they are all very valuable and I think that the career behind each one of them is evidence of that, but if a team starts crying over the ones that are not there on the pitch, it won't go very far, that's the worst they can do," he added.
Lippi declined to speculate on the rest of his team.
New Zealand are clinging on to their dream of reaching the next round after snatching a first ever World Cup finals point on Tuesday.
The All Whites, one of the lowest ranked teams of sport's most-watched tournament, scored a last minute equaliser in the first game against Slovakia.
New Zealand would have been strengthened by the return of midfielder Tim Brown, with the vice-captain having recovered from a fractured shoulder, but coach Ricki Herbert said although he was close to selections, he was not 100 percent.
"He (Tim Brown) is part of the squad now which is great, I think he has done what he needed to do and I don't think we would have any hesitation if we needed to use him now, he could be part of it obviously. Paraguay is probably a better target for him but he has made some great strides," Herbert said.
Having spent 28 years in the World Cup wilderness, New Zealand have been seen as underdogs at these finals.
Captain Ryan Nelsen said critics who have said his team has less to lose than World Cup champions Italy were being "reckless".
"We have prepared as hard as we can, we have put ourselves in a very good position in the first game and we will let the 'soccer gods' decide. But I think obviously, 'nothing to lose' is a little bit reckless. We are fairly well prepared, well organised and as I said, no matter what happens in the game, the boys have given everything," said Nelsen.
All teams in the group now sit on one point after Italy were held to the same 1-1 scoreline as New Zealand and Slovakia, by Paraguay. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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