Buffon could be out for sometimes... Totti also out...

anyway De Sanctis should be able to keep the goal well.

Rep Ireland 1 - 2 Italy

Pirlo 10 (It), Gilardino 31 (It), A Reid 32 (Ir)

Lansdowne Road, Dublin

Andrea Pirlo and Alberto Gilardino sealed an impressive 2-1 victory in Dublin, as Christian Vieri also rattled the crossbar.

Marcello Lippi said he'd pick his first choice team in the final friendly ahead of their World Cup qualifiers, but many stars were ruled out by injury. Francesco Totti and Mauro Camoranesi dropped out, while Gianluigi Buffon will be sidelined for the next three months following shoulder surgery and Monaco's Flavio Roma is the alternative with the most European experience at club level.

Lippi nonetheless chose to go with an all-attack trident of Alessandro Del Piero (making his first international appearance since last September), Christian Vieri and his Milan teammate Alberto Gilardino.

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Dizzy Vieri to face Scots

Christian Vieri will be available for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Scotland despite being affected by dizziness in training.

There were doubts over the 32-year-old's health after he complained of feeling unwell during a practice game on Thursday.

The Milan striker, who left city rivals Inter on a free transfer in the summer, immediately underwent tests at Coverciano.

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Pirlo demands Azzurri victory

Andrea Pirlo believes that Italy's World Cup qualifier against Scotland on Saturday is a must win game.

The Azzurri fly out to Glasgow later this morning hoping to at least maintain their four point advantage at the top of the table.

"The match against the Scots is key," said the Milan playmaker.

"It will be fundamental for us to get a good result ahead of Wednesday's match against Belarus. We want to win them both."

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a somehow disappointing 1-1 draw with the Scots.

still i not complaining, considering we almost lose this 1.

btw, Grosso of Palermo is the scorer.

mayb we can say coz of some questionable tactics (Trap, Maldini, Lippi...) ?

hm, Totti is not the captain of Azzurri. alrite, i wouldn't defend him, coz its true sometimes his attitute sucks.

what i try to say is that Azzurri got tons of senior members. They don't need Totti to 'control' them, do they ?

great win for the Azzurri there !

Toni is da man... move over Vieri !

I think Toni should be spearhead the Azzurri attack from now on. His partnership with Gilardino or Cassano could prove very exciting.

another 1 who i wish to given more exposure n chance is Esposito. This guy is one hell of explosive flank runner !

actually the trident attack of Di Natale, Di Michelle n Iaquinta is one of the best in the league, they are way too underrated. Whatever more best is that they all home-grown Italian.

n here's a news abt our beloved legend... Baggio !!! boy i missed his ponytail...


I'll be back, says Baggio

The legendary Roberto Baggio says he's ready to return to the game by commencing a coaching career.

The former Golden Ball winner has been away from the sport since retiring as a player in the summer of 2004.

But after taking some time out, Baggio has sensationally revealed that he is preparing to enter the football world yet again.

"I am currently out of the game because that is a choice that I made myself," he said during a tour of Japan.

"But I can not exclude the possibility of a return at some point in the future. I already have some offers that I am considering.

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Lippi tracks Miccoli progress

Fabrizio Miccoli may have moved to Portugal, but Azzurri boss Marcello Lippi assures he is still in with a chance of joining the World Cup squad.

"Miccoli is a player of great quality and technically very gifted," the Coach told Portuguese newspaper 'O Jogo'.

"He is the kind of striker who gives you enthusiasm for the game and has that touch of genius."

Miccoli earned praise from Europe's top journalists after his performance - and winning goal - for Benfica against Lille in the Champions League this week.

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This post has been edited by Chrisky: Sep 19 2005, 09:40 AM

Udinese freeze out Iaquinta !

Udinese have sent shockwaves around Serie A by confirming that Vincenzo Iaquinta has been frozen out of the squad for refusing to sign a contract extension.

"With great personal regret I realised today that Iaquinta is the only one of our lads who doesn't see himself as part of the Udinese project aimed at achieving certain goals," explained director general Pietro Leonardi in a statement on the official club website this evening.

"All of the other players in the squad proved their deep faith in the essence of Udinese by each renewing their contracts without exception. Iaquinta has today placed himself outside of the project."

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wow... another Cassano case ?

This post has been edited by Chrisky: Sep 21 2005, 09:18 AM

Fiorentina n Palermo going great now...

Luca Toni juz scored his 5th goal for Viola, n Cristian Terlizzi also scored 4 goals for Palermo... damn, Terlizzi is a CB !

Iaquinta set for January sale

Udinese have revealed that they intend to sell contract rebel Vincenzo Iaquinta during the January transfer window.

The player has been sensationally axed from the squad after the two parties failed to agree terms to extend his present deal.

Udinese are unwilling to meet his wage demands and the striker now faces the prospect of spending the next three months on the sidelines.

"The player lacks the stimulus to stay here and it would be better to find an alternative solution," said Udinese chief Gianpaolo Pozzo.

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wonder will the big guns make any moves ? Juve oledi rumour to hav prepare a bid.

Di Natale n Di Michele can still do the job... but without Pizzaro the playmaker, things aren't going to be easy. Anyway, we'll see abt that.

well, here's the latest twist of the drama...


Udinese end Iaquinta embargo

Udinese have announced that Vincenzo Iaquinta will return to the squad for Saturday's match with Lazio after working through his contract dispute.

"If Coach Serse Cosmi considers it opportune, then he can bring Iaquinta back into the side," confirmed director Pietro Leonardi in a Press conference this evening. "Iaquinta will stay with us until 2007 and he will play."

It is an important step for both sides in this saga, as Iaquinta can resume his push for a place in the World Cup and Udinese can try to end their run of four consecutive defeats.

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well this thing may hav settle or whatever, but i say the dmg had been done.

Udinese definitely looks like can't do a shit without Iaquinta.

now with he back to the team, he scored 1 n assisted another to make them trash Lazio 3-0.

what a difference he can make.

This post has been edited by Chrisky: Oct 2 2005, 10:29 AM

good to see Bonera is back.

he is surely can do better than Zaccardo.

Ciro Ferrara: A Tribute

The 2004/005 season marked the end of the career of one of the greatest defenders ever to grace Serie A, Ciro Ferrara. David Morabito remembers him...

Ferrara, with his Caesar-like appearance, marshalled some of the most formidable defensive lines in Serie A history. While the great Napoli side of the late 80's and early 90's is often referred to as 'Maradona's Napoli,' most people didn't realise that while Maradona was scoring goals at one end, Ferrara was putting a stop to them at the other. But such was Ferrara's career that he spent most of his years playing in the shadow of superstars. The likes of Maradona, Baggio and Del Piero stole the spotlight and took the plaudits, while Ferrara toiled away tirelessly at the back.

While most other clubs didn't see value in Maradona's team mates after his career ended, Juventus realised Ciro Ferrara would be a worthy addition to their squad and signed him on for the 1994/1995 season. It took Ferrara only two seasons with the Turin side before he helped them to the Champions League trophy in the 1995/1996 season, against an almighty Ajax outfit. He would go on to score the Bianconeri seven schedutto's, an intercontinental cup, a UEFA cup, a UEFA super cup, two Italian cups and five Italian Super Cups.

As well as his domineering physical presence in his own box, Ferrara was also an intimidating force in the opponent's area, often making space for Juve's strikers and even chipping in with the odd goal. Ferrara was a player who exuded confidence which characterized the Juventus teams of the 90's. This was reciprocated by the cool finishing of Del Piero, and the relaxed demeanour of the silver haired cigar smoking coach Marcello Lippi.

The calm Ferrara displayed under pressure along with his perfectly timed challenges were in stark contrast to his more aggressive, bone-crunching partner in crime Paulo Montero. Their different, yet equally effective styles made for one of the most feared defensive partnerships in European football. One of their most stunning displays came in the 2002/2003 Champions League final, when the aging duo held off AC Milan's almighty strike pairing of Andrea Shevchenko and Pippo Inzaghi for 120 minutes, before Juventus lost on penalties.

At 38 years of age and after 500 Serie A appearances, Ciro Ferrara hung up his boots and called an end to a marvellous career spanning 3 decades. Ciro Ferrara's will not only be remembered for being one of the most gifted defender's of his generation, but also for carrying himself in an exemplary manner on and off the field.

from Goal.com

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a true great, yet always been underated n overlooked.

his days oledi long gone.

For god's sake, I only wan Toni as the spearhead of our attack... alrite, mayb Gila or Iaquinta as well...

Totti is superb so far... lets hope this time, he can really mature up n lead the Azzurri to glory.

Toni is younger, taller n stronger built than Vieri... n more important, Toni can score a lot regularly.