What caused Donadoni's failure??? Forgot to add to the poll "Pirlo's suspension from the QF against spain..."
You should have made this a multiple-choice poll. Most of the reasons listed are the cause for it. Playing Di Natale wasn't a bad move but he suffered from being an Udinese player. Camo did have a chance to win the game against Spain but he played for too long in the tornament. Cannavaro was a loss and Pippo should have been called-up but Donadoni stuck with Toni for too long. Leaving Toni on the field and not having the balls to attack Spain had set the foundations for the inevitable failure.
I would have chosen multiple of those options but ultimately I said other. I think that first and foremost he showed his inexperience, and he got scared. In the run ups we are playing an attacking style of football, then Canna gets hurt and what happens? Look at his squad choices for the first game, they were an abomination and they showed, to me at least, that he was affriad and he defaulted to a more defensive squad choices, yet keeping the offensive formation. That meant no service to anyone up front, and crap defense because of the AWFUL choices he made of CBs. He maybe settled down some for the second two group games, but then goes catenacio again against Spain. Yes, he also was affraid to sub Toni out which cost us. Yes, he also made countless other mistakes. But overall, the problem was he is inexperienced, and unqualified to be leading a nation of our size to a competition of this magnitude.
What caused Donadoni's failure??? Luca Toni, Playing the following starters in game one Ambrosini Materazzi Barzagli Panucci (instead of Grosso) Di Natale Gattusso (instead of Di Rossi) Cassano playing in midfield- don't know if the Don told him to play there ADP not getting a start against Spain when Pirlo was suspended and we had no free kick specialists Camoranesi being benched for Aquilani against Spain Selecting one year wonders Quagliarella and Boriello instead of Inzaghi and Rossi
Donadoni never had a backup plan in case his system failed. He picked his players based on that system and in the end that is why he failed.
Continuing to play a tired, out of form, and luckless Toni game after game for the entire game length. It didnt work in the first 3 games, it certainly didnt work in the 4th. Our play was too predictable, easily defendable and thus is the reason we never scored from open play.
Certainly, Cannavaro's absence did cause problems, but eventually our defense did improve and we found that we were capable of running a decent defense without him. Of course, in reality it was significantly under our standards, but I'm proud of the job Chiellini and Grosso did in the games. Panucci, which I say grugingly, also played well (despite his mistake). But my opinion the problem was really Donadoni's inexperience. I have maximum respect for this man, because he took the Azzurri probably at the worst moment possible (and really, he was the only decent choice among the candidates available at the time), and got us first place in the qualifiers for the Euros (when many of us expected elimination). But truthfully, he made several mistakes. I'd like to highlight Perrotta's usage as a trequartista as an example, which was a total flop. I'm not even a big Roma fan or follower of their matches, but even I know perfectly well that Perrotta was simply used out of position, Cassano to an extent as well. I'm not going to keep going on specific mistakes, as I think "lack of experience" totally covers most of the options on that list. He did unify the team, and built a group, but unfortunately, he didn't have the technical knowledge to really back it up. The Holland game was a total fiasco, and the Spain match simply showed no courage or desire to win. He should have considered replacing Toni for the Spain match, where he really did not impress me (and I'm a big Toni fan). I do not hold that entirely against him only, because few Italian coaches would really have the balls to put faith in youngsters like Borriello and Quagliarella and the like (although in some cases Donadoni was a little more open, though not enough). Finally, I'd like to say that I wish Donadoni the best. He seems like a good decent guy, and did try. Frankly, this team was not prepared for the European Championships, and I'm proud of the success we did cobble up. I kind of feel bad for the guy, though I am not trying to excuse his mistakes. I hope he can find a good job coaching a decent club, and hopefully he'll gain the experience to get better. For instance, I wouldn't mind seeing him coach Catania one day (though not anytime soon, I want Zenga to stay for a while). This team needs a revolution, and hopefully, if we do return to Lippi, he can provide it.
25-26 isn't old at all. But it definately isn't "Youngster". lol. How the Italian "method" bothers me. Rossi and Giovinco, and all the other talent better be playing before they are 30.
exactly. to me the mid twenties are when a player has his best legs. you can't when cups when you rely on guys like toni who can't run. if toni would have had some fast help, well, that's a different story.
Besides the obvious choices of NEVER replacing Toni, I think his most fatal mistake was against France. We have 11 vs 10, 1-0 scoreline, and he damn well knows who has yellow cards (Pirlo Gattuso). So, instead of being an intelligent manager, he risks the possibility of them getting yellows and losing our only play maker in the mid...
Sticking with Toni and Cassano for far too long, when it was obvious they were not working well together, or alone. Not starting Camorenesi against Spain when Pirlo was out. Without Pirlo, we had nobody to hold the ball in midfield until Camo came on way too late. Letting Di Natale make a PK. When I saw him walking up to take the kick, I immediately left the room knowing he would miss and he did. Cannavaro's injury caused the team a couple games of trying to adjust and that probably hurt the overall team confidence a bit. I think Italy beats Spain with Pirlo, Gattuso, De Napoli, Camorenesi starting in midfield. Ambrosini was invisible in the second half.
Lol, the "blind faith in Di Natale" option made me laugh. I don't see how Di Natale's selection onto this squad had such a major impact on the Azzurri's overall performance.
It was Donadoni who introduced Di Natali in the squad and he even took the most critical pk ahead of ADP...I am sure had ADP taken the 4th and most critical PK we would be in the semis...why keep best for last when most PK shootouts finish before all 5 are taken...and most importantly why was Di Natali chosen for a PK at such a critical stage, the moment he walked to take the pk I knew we were doomed...Had Lippi been the coach Panucci would have taken the PK instead, and Lippi would never start Di Natali to start with...
Had Lippi been the coach, Panucci wouldn't have been anywhere near the squad, least of all taking a crucial penalty.
I sort of agree with you because I was never a fan of Di Natale but at least he had the balls to take the kick. Donadoni did not decide but the players themselves did.
WTF does it matter what order the pk's were in? "Del Piero should have shot 4th"? Why? did they know Di NatalE would miss>? WHO CARES. WE DIDN"T DESERVE THE PK ANYWAY, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T DESERVE TO WIN THE GAME these threads are making me mental
I didn't think about that. Maybe he did. Either way Di Natale still choked because from what I have been told he never misses for Udinese.
who cares if he changes the order? We would've still missed 2 penalties even if Del Piero had scored, while Spain would've only missed 1.
I think what he's trying to say is that Del Piero should have gone in Di Natale's place at such a crucial juncture in the shootout. But I agree that Donadoni could never have known that Di Natale would miss. I, myself, only knew when I saw his face before he took the shot. Did anyone else feel that way? P.S. Fernando Torres is doing a Luca Toni today. Disappointing finishing so far, but of course, Andy Gray understands completely