Prandelli: Italy must maintain positive approach
Reuters - Monday 18 June 2012, 22:34
Italy - one of the pleasant
surprises at Euro 2012 - need to stick to their positive style
if they are to keep progressing at Euro 2012, coach Cesare
Prandelli said after they reached the quarter-finals on Monday.
"I wanted a team that would improve game after game, a side
that could play football," said Prandelli, who picked up the
pieces after replacing Marcello Lippi following their
group-stage exit at the 2010 World Cup as holders.
"Teams who can play football can always go far in
tournaments, you can get so far just by playing for the results
but if want to do well, you have to be a good footballing side."
Prandelli, whose team beat an aggressive Ireland 2-0 to book
their place in the last eight as Group C runners-up, praised his
team's adaptation back to a four-man defence and their ability
to keep playing in the face of their opponents' physical
approach.
"We didn't just want a game of ping pong," he told a news
conference. "It's not easy to get the ball on the ground and
start playing when the opposition are hitting long goal kicks
and fighting for the ball with four or five players.
"We've often been criticised before for the way we handle
sides who play the high ball but we were able to cope with the
suffering and get the ball on the ground.
"I thought our four-man defence was excellent," added
Prandelli, who fielded a three-man defence in the opening two
1-1 draws with Spain and Croatia.
"It was not easy to change the system but we were able to do
so."
He had more words of advice for maverick striker Mario
Balotelli, who grabbed the second goal in style in the 90th
minute after coming off the bench. Antonio Cassano got the
opener with a first-half header.
"When there are a lot of expectations around you, you need
the strength to try and deal with the pressure and the mindset
that you're not playing on your own, there's a whole team around
you who can help," Prandelli said of Balotelli.