WC Football 2010 - Strategies

Italy
Team Structure – The best goalie in the world, born and brought up playing the Serie A league (read 'wrestling') and fostered by street fights. He is the most irritating goalie you'll ever see; he can abuse, sledge and infuriate players of the other team, especially the star players. Have 6 ruthless rowdies, who are also superb actors, as defenders in the playing eleven and another 3 in the team, coz some 2-3 players see red card in every second match, on an average, and miss the next one. They are there just to foul, kick and man-handle the opponent’s forwards. They break legs and ligaments and can feign fouls. Have a goal machine as a forward and 2-3 good players in the midfield.

Strategy – The inimitable Italian Defence; a superset of all the following – defend, push, pull, foul, kick, spit (rem: Totti), abuse (ask Zizzou) and everything you see in the kick boxing championships and ice-hockey. The best player takes the field only after the 75th (can be a Del Piero or a Baggio or a Super Pipo) minute, when the team is one or two down. Then he manages to sneak one through in the 90th minute to level the score and slips past another one just when the referee is about to blow the final whistle in the extra time. And they win 2-1.

The side’s post-match-statistics show 5 yellow cards, 1-2 red cards and innumerable warnings. The goalie fends off some 10-15 shots and successfully irritates and infuriates the star player of the other team and makes him do something stupid to earn a red card. And their fans boo their own team and walkout of the presentation ceremony for winning the match (this way)