Marchisio: Spain are strong, but we know how to beat them

Azzurri midfielder insists his side will be able to overcome La Roja in Sunday's showpiece after holding them to a 1-1 draw in their group stage opener

Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio has insisted that the Azzurri have the know-how to beat Spain in Sunday's Euro 2012 final.

The two sides opened their campaign in Poland and Ukraine against each other with a 1-1 draw and the Juventus man believes that match stands Italy in good stead.

"Spain are an extremely strong team," he told Goal.com. "But we already faced them in the group stage and we know how to beat them, I will not say how, but you'll see on the pitch."

Cesare Prandelli's men have surprised some by making the final and Marchisio believes that pre-tournament doubts only served to make the squad more determined to succeed.

He continued: "I think nobody expected us to play as we have done. We were strongly criticised before the tournament, after losing to Russia, and after that even in the tournament when we drew against Croatia.

"What we were asking was that there was a balance in the press coverage of our team, we knew that all was not well, but we wanted the people to trust us.

"But that also served to unite the group in this tournament and that was in the end the great strength of this team and since then we have transformed these criticisms into praise."

The side also went into Euro 2012 on the back of the Scommessopoli investigation that saw squad member Domenico Criscito arrested and subsequently dropped from the squad and the Juventus player insisted that the Azzurri were determined to ignore the situation.

 

"What we tried was to concentrate on the tournament because the last thing we wanted was the environment within the group to rot," he explained.

"After two years of great sacrifice, it would have been a shame if that happened, and in that sense the lads have been fantastic. And well, we are a bit used to those scandals before the big competitions, it is not the first time and we always show the character, that's very typical of Italians."

 

The midfielder revealed the squad had not been fully confident at the start of the tournament but the side had been buoyed by their qualification from Group C and then their quarter-final win over England.

"Confidence has been increasing gradually," Marchisio explained. "One game at time, tournaments the size of the Euro tend to change in minutes. And so it happened to us, we suffered in the group stage in the match against Ireland but then we qualified and that changed everything.

"That freed us so we could start playing with the confidence we needed. Against England we won on penalties, but we dominated the match and then against Germany played very well, increasingly convinced that we could achieve our goal."

Watch out Messi & Ronaldo: Pirlo is now a real contender for the Ballon d'Or

The magnificent midfielder has been at the centre of Italy's charge to the Euro 2012 final, and a victory on Sunday would confirm him as a front-runner for the world player award

'Stop Andrea Pirlo to stop Italy' has been the modus operandi of the Azzurri’s opponents at Euro 2012, and with good reason. But just as was the case for Juventus' Serie A rivals in 2011-12, it is proving much easier said than done. And with the four-time world champions standing just 90 minutes from a second taste of continental glory, the regista is making the greatest claim imaginable to be crowned the world’s best footballer.

In an age when the bickering between Messi-ites and Ronaldo-ites can sometimes reach a level of utter tedium, Pirlo has delivered some magnificent performances in crucial fixtures to carry both his club and country to important victories. Another mesmerising display against England on Sunday and a man of the match performance in Thursday’s semi-final win over Germany have further strengthened the former AC Milan man’s position as one of the modern game’s very best players.

PERFECT PIRLO
SPAIN - GROUP C
3.5	His delivery was uncharacteristically poor early on but he soon played a few exquisite passes. Was quiet for much of the rest of the game until he slid a beautiful pass to Di Natale who slotted in.
CROATIA - GROUP C
3.5	His all-round performance was of the highest class, with a series of fine corners and many great passes capped by a glorious free kick.
IRELAND - GROUP C
3.0	Had a really poor start but then rose to his usual role for Italy and again was at the centre of each of his team's attacks.
ENGLAND - QUARTER-FINAL
3.5	Played a few good passes as he was afforded too much space on the ball, creating a good opportunity with an exquisite pass before the break. He continued to dictate the game in the second half and pulled all the strings. Put his penalty down the middle with a classy Panenka.
GERMANY - SEMI-FINAL
4.0	Italy's midfield architect, he oozed class once again. Never panicked on the ball and picked his passes at will as Italy were able to retain possession.

On the face of it, it wasn’t necessarily a vintage Pirlo effort which helped Italy through to the final as they beat Joachim Low’s side 2-1, but he played no small part in their triumph. On an uneven surface, Pirlo was able to master the conditions perfectly as he turned in another metronomic display in the centre of the park. Germany struggled to maintain position, but Pirlo didn’t.

Again, he laid the platform for the Azzurri on the ball, guiding them around the park from his position at the axis, dictating operations in the unflustered manner to which we have all become so accustomed over the years.

But there has been something more about him in the past 12 months. Back to full fitness after a long lay-off in 2010-11, the midfielder has also been able to show a burning desire, the like of which was arguably missing for a couple of years at the end of his Milan career. He has a real thirst to be the catalyst for everything that is good about Juventus and that has extended into his displays for the national team, too.

At a time when Italian football is castigated at the drop of a hat, admiration of Pirlo is only increasing, and with good reason. But perhaps last night was the greatest proof yet that he is in the running to gatecrash the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Ballon d’Or race. In a game where massive contributions by Daniele De Rossi, Mario Balotelli and Andrea Barzagli were arguably more worthy of the official man of the match award, it was Pirlo who was deigned the game’s stand-out by the sponsors, proving that he is a man currying favour at the right time.

While league displays are all well and good, it is common practice for the big awards to be reflective of contributions at major international tournaments. Ronaldo (of Brazil) won the Ballon d’Or a decade ago on the strength of his magnificent performances at the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, while Fabio Cannavaro’s story was much the same four years later. Pirlo is now in a great position to follow them, and victory for Italy over Spain on Sunday can surely only strengthen his case.

In the Twitter age in which we now live, it is also notable, studying many a timeline, that Pirlo is receiving increasing praise from the world’s media on a daily basis, and as they hold voting rights in the awarding of the honour, that can only help the midfielder’s case.

The one drawback in his bid to win the Ballon d’Or at the moment is his lack of games at Champions League level, with Juve having missed out on any European involvement last time out. However, by the time the votes are tallied at the end of the year, the Bianconeri will have played in the 2012-13 group stages, meaning a couple more man of the match performances on the continental stage remain a possibility before the year is out.

And if, by then, he is a European champion at national level and a key man in a successful Juventus side making strides in the Champions League, few will even remember that he wasn’t involved in the competition last season. Being the best player in Serie A and the player of the tournament at the Euros in the first half of the year will surely be more than enough to satisfy the doubters as long as next season starts well.

	THE MAIN MAN?
3/1	Andrea Pirlo is 3/1 to win the 2012 Ballon d'Or with Paddy Power

What must also be reiterated is that his contribution for Juve could not have been more crucial. A minnow in the world game they may not be, but they were not on the firm foundations of a Barcelona or Real Madrid when their assault on the Scudetto began. Far from it. Yet Pirlo steered them towards the prize almost single-handedly at times, and with his performances in the national colours matching those at club level, hatfuls of goals against the Granadas and Zaragozas of the world just don’t compare.

So if Italy do topple Spain from their perch as Europe’s best on Sunday, expect their No.21 to follow with a huge prize of his own. In a modern game full of hyperbole, it is delivering on the big stage that really counts, and nobody has done that better than the unstoppable Pirlo so far in 2012.

Spain 1-1 Italy

Fabregas spares holders' blushes

The Barcelona midfielder replied almost immediately after Antonio Di Natale's strike on the hour mark to earn La Furia Roja a valuable point in the opening match of Group C

Italy and Spain have begun their respective Euro 2012 campaigns with an absorbing 1-1 draw on Sunday to kick off the action in Group C.

Antonio Di Natale drew first blood for the Azzurri on 60 minutes, coming straight off the substitutes' bench to put his side ahead, but only four minutes later, Cesc Fabregas ensured their opening day ended with a share of the spoils in Gdansk.

The headline news that preceded the match was the inclusion of Cesc Fabregas as the man who would be bestowed with leading the line for the Spaniards in a 'false No.9' role, ahead of recognised strikers Fernando Torres and Fernando Llorente.

Meanwhile, coach Cesare Prandelli went with a 3-5-2 formation, with Daniele De Rossi lining up in defence. Emanuele Giaccherini was also given his maiden bow for the Azzurri at left wing-back, and he did no harm to his case for a starting role in the future.

Predictably, inside the first 10 minutes, Spain set out their stall, as Italy were put on the back foot. La Roja threatened to impose their tiqui-taca style in the early stages, but la Nazionale's wall at the back refused to be beaten, lead by Daniele De Rossi.

Soon after, the first chance of the game fell to David Silva, as the Roma man's mistimed tackle saw the ball fall to Andres Iniesta, who then laid a pass off for the diminutive Manchester City star. However, his attempt was easily saved by Gianluigi Buffon.

However, the move provided the impetus for Italy to hit back on 13 minutes with an Andrea Pirlo free-kick. Mario Balotelli's feint allowed the Juventus playmaker to step up and curl an attempt to the right of Iker Casillas, but the goalkeeper parried away.

From there on, Italy gained momentum. Antonio Cassano was next up, collecting Claudio Marchisio's through ball, but his shot in the box went just wide of the far post with Casillas beaten. Then, the midfielder fired a powerful volley at goal, which was ultimately saved.

Spain seemed to have suddenly lost their cutting edge, but with Iniesta on the ball, they could never be discounted. Italy continued to look more purposeful in their play, but La Roja came steaming back through the Barcelona man, who saw his lobbed effort go just over.

But Italy soon rued their luck as Christian Maggio ventured on another lung-bursting foray down the right, before crossing the ball on the head of an incoming Thiago Motta, but the Brazil-born midfielder's header was crucially stopped by Casllas.

No changes were witnessed during the break, but Spain came quick out of the blocks. Within moments of the restart Xavi smashed a powerful effort from the edge of the box, but Buffon was again equal, this time diving to his right to beat the ball away.

Iniesta was quick to fire yet another attempt at the Juventus No.1 from distance, before a moment of madness saw Balotelli through on goal with the box gaping, but he wanted far too much time on the ball and was eventually dispossessed by Sergio Ramos. 

Prandelli subsequently hauled the temperamental forward off for Antonio Di Natale, who in a matter of minutes superbly latched onto Pirlo's floated through pass and curled an emphatic finish past Casillas on the hour mark.

However, just four minutes later, Spain took advantage of some uncertain defensive play by the Azzurri, as neat link-up play between Iniesta and Silva saw Fabregas not picked up by Giaccherini, as he ghosted into the box to coolly restore parity.

With only 20 minutes remaining yet more opportunities were fluffed. Substitute Fernando Torres capitalised on a failed offside trap, but his one-on-one with Buffon ended with the grateful goalkeeper putting a foot in to win the ball back.

Moments later, Sebastian Giovinco scooped up a delightful pass into the path of Di Natale, who peeled away from Gerard Pique in the danger area, but he could not connect with the ball as he would have liked, seeing his effort loop just wide of the target.

Torres then was gifted with another opportunity to prove his critics wrong right at the end, but he hesitated in another one-on-one with Buffon, seeing his chip over the goalkeeper go harmlessly over to keep both sides tied after the first game of the tournament.

Questions raised over Buffon payments to bookmaker

The Juventus goalkeeper is said to have handed over 14 cheques worth a total value of €1.5 million to a Parma-based tobacconist and betting shop

The Guardia di Finanza has revealed that it has raised questions over payments made by Italycaptain Gianluigi Buffon to a bookmaker.

According to a document released by Italy's financial law enforcement agency, the Juventus goalkeeper made out 14 cheques to a Parma-based tobacconist, which also serves as a betting shop, over a nine-month spell. The report claimed that Buffon handed over approximately €1.5 million to the owner.

While gambling on sporting events is legal, Buffon, as a member of the Italian Football Federation, is forbidden from placing wagers on any games sanctioned by the FIGC, Fifa or Uefa.

However, it is not yet known whether any of the money was for gambling purposes, or if indeed the former Parma player's alleged bets were placed upon other sports, which he is entitled to do.

The Azzurri star's lawyer has stated that the cheques were merely "transfers designed to protect Buffon's personal assets."

The Guardia di Finanza checks, which are being carried out by the Turin Prosecutor, are not related to the Cremona-led enquiry into match-fixing that earlier this week resulted in Italy left-back Domenico Criscito having his room searched by police.

The news, though, comes in the wake of Buffon's criticism of the Italian press for what he believed was sensationalist coverage of the Scommessopoli scandal.

Match Fixing Scandal In Italy; ...Again!

Following the Calciopoli Scandal, it seems the Italians haven't quite learn't their lesson

Stefano Mauri, Lazio Captain,... Arrested!

Lazio captain Stefano Mauri and several other top Serie A players were arrested on Monday as part of an investigation into the so-called Calcioscommesse sports betting scandal.

Lazio Midfielder Stefano Mauri, 32, who joined the Rome club from Udinese in 2006 and has 11 caps for Italy, made 16 league appearances last season as Lazio finished fourth in Serie A was held along with former Genoa midfielder Omar Milanetto, 36, signed for Serie B side Padova last summer after five years at Genoa and made 15 starts last season. police said.

They were one of 19 people implicated in the affair as police swooped on a number of addresses up and down the country, according to the Ansa news agency

Juventus coach Antonio Conte, who just led the club to the Serie A title in his first season in charge, is among those being questioned by police.

Officers also visited Italy's pre-Euro 2012 training camp to question left-back Domenico Criscito, 25, a former Genoa and Juventus defender, is now at Zenit St Petersburg in Russia and has 19 caps for Italy

Police are searching more than 30 homes, including those of players, trainers and administrators of clubs in Serie A, Serie B and lower divisions.

Five people were also arrested in Hungary on suspicion of being part of an illegal international betting ring.

Monday's operation was part of a wider investigation which has already seen a number of arrests of current and former Italian players. In June last year, the Interior Ministry set up a special match-fixing task force in response to a number of high-profile cases.

Former Atalanta captain and Italy midfielder Cristiano Doni was banned for three-and-a-half years in August  for his part in the 'Calcioscommesse' scandal involving Serie B matches last season. He was also arrested in December 2011 over match-fixing and betting allegations.

Atalanta, promoted from Serie B, were deducted six points in the top flight this season as a result of the scandal.

Former Lazio and Italy striker Giuseppe Signori was banned for five years and 15 other players were banned for between one and five years for their parts.