The Italian press have hit out at Italy’s performance against Luxembourg and admit they are concerned going into the World Cup.
Italy could only manage a draw with Luxembourg in Perugia and the Italian media have slated their efforts.
It had already been a tough week for coach Cesare Prandelli, who came under fire from some circles for dropping Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi despite his prolific start to last year in Serie A.
And a dire performance from Italy testing out a 4-5-1 formation has left the press in a state of panic.
The pink paper claimed that the result against a side who recently lost 5-1 to Belgium would be a ‘blow to morale’ and stressed the hope that the night’s events ‘wasn’t too heavy in Italy’s luggage’.
It reports that the defence looked shaky, Mario Balotelli didn’t seem in good shape and there was no connection between Andrea Pirlo and Marco Verratti in midfield.
While friendlies can’t be taken too seriously as a gauge of form, the latest result has shaken faith in the Azzurri and expectations in Italy, which were already modest, have been dented further.
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