An earthquake that resets everything. Godin's goal cancels Italy from the World Cup and, consequently, seven years of era Fir and four years of era Prandelli. “My resignation is irrevocable – explained the coach immediately afterwards the Natal disaster. – My technical project failed, I built it around Balotelli and I made a mistake. When you're wrong, it's right to take a step back, beyond the match against Uruguay. So I decided and I don't think about it ”. “ I hope that Prandelli can review his position – echoed the federal president, who a few weeks ago had renewed his contract until 2016. – In any case, at the next Federal Council I too will present my resignation and it will be irrevocable. I made this decision before the world championships, after seven world championship expeditions it is right to give space to others".
Italian football in short, in the storm, the logical consequence of a disastrous world championship that takes us back almost 50 years. In fact, it was since 1966 that we hadn't come out of the group stage twice in a row, a sign that our movement is truly in crisis, as moreover amply certified by the poor results of our clubs in the European arena. Only this time we really believed in it, because our Brazilian journey had begun with a wonderful victory over England. Flash in the pan, as they later demonstrated the subsequent defeats with Costa Rica and Uruguayboth deserved. Nobody denies Mr. Moreno's obvious hand (again!) Rodriguez, who in the 60th minute literally invented Marchisio's sending off for a foul which, at most, would have deserved a yellow card and then, not happy, he didn't expel Suarez for biting Chiellini (!), but Italy's performance had already been largely insufficient before. Prandelli on the gridiron, guilty of having preached well on the eve of the press conference ("woe to play for a draw, to achieve a great goal you have to think big") and then raid badly on the pitch. In fact, his national team showed up on the pitch shy and scared, almost unable to play football and concentrated only on maintaining a 0-0 draw that would have taken us to the round of 3. Never choices turned out to be more wrong! On 5-2-XNUMX does not work and Balotelli, a symbol of the Prandellian era, is noted only for a very heavy admonition (he was warned) and for some "almost expulsion" attitude. The setting aside for the interval is almost inevitable, the substitution with Parolo is not: why not insert another striker and maintain the tactical structure of the first half? “He You can't tell when he's calm and when he's nervous – explained Prandelli. – He He does not give guarantees of balance, I was afraid of remaining in ten ”. Yes, yet the tactical doubts remain. And in fact Italy's second half is a slow agony, exacerbated by the follies of the Mexican Rodriguez, who first throws Marchisio out for a "normal" foul, then pardons Suarez for a bite (yet another in his career!) from "Hannibal the cannibal". And yet it must also be said that the same referee had previously denied the Uruguayans a penalty for a foul by Bonucci on Cavani and that Celeste had come close to scoring at least twice. Not many, but more than Italy which had literally given up playing for some time. So nothing to say about this elimination, sanctioned in the 81st minute by Godin's header, the umpteenth of an extraordinary season for the Atletico Madrid defender. It's just the logical consequence of a wrong project, born badly and continued even worse in a Brazilian campaign to be forgotten.
This will not be the case for France and Argentina, who today will face Ecuador and Nigeria respectively. The Blues are not yet mathematically qualified, the Seleccion yes but without the certainty of first place in the group. However, both have excellent reasons to believe that, tonight, they will be able to close the first phase with full spoils. In fact, Deschamps' men are only one point away, not to mention that the goal difference is in any case largely favorable (+ 6), a situation similar to those of Sabella, already in the round of XNUMX and one step away from the record. Ecuador, Switzerland, Honduras (at least mathematically) and Iran are still hoping, but worrying the queens of groups E and F will be anything but easy.
