Much of Italy's success for the past decade owes to the creativity and determination of Andrea Pirlo.
The veteran midfielder insisted on Wednesday, however, that the main strength of Gli Azzurri is their reliance on team play and not on any single individual. "This national team is not Pirlo-dependent," the 35-year-old said. "In order to go all the way you need everyone's contribution.
"Our aim should be to win and go until the end. We have a very competitive team and we will give our all to win this tournament. I never compete to take part but to finish first."
History shows that Pirlo may have been Italy's most important player in Italy's run to FIFA World Cup™ glory in 2006. The midfielder was three times Italy's man of the match, including in the final against France.
In that tournament, Pirlo set up more goals than any other player in the competition. England coach Roy Hodgson, whose side will face Italy on Saturday in Manaus in their opening match at the World Cup, singled out the veteran playmaker as the Italians' most dangerous player.
No comments:
Post a Comment