Reality Bites!

Watching Italy played in this world cup was a total agony for me. The team lost its touch without a good playmaker and a creative leader. Andrea Pirlo was still recovering from his injury (although he's playing in the last match), and there's nobody around to lead the game.

The other thing is, the players were too old to play in the world cup. Maybe Lippi was still living in the past (in 2006, this formation was pretty amazing). But he forgot one important thing: people's getting older every year. And four years made a big difference.

It was very heartbreaking to watch Italian players running slowly in the field, always being catched up by their (young) opponents. The energy level was very low, and the deffence (which used to be very good with Cannavaro there), was very dissapointing.

I can't help but feeling sad for them. Most of them (including Canna and Lippi) are going to retire after the World cup. And the end of their career, was not a good one for them. The most frustrating game was the one with Slovakia. Very dramatic, lots of blunders, and lack of spirit. I miss my old Azzuri.

The big lesson of the year is: you can't count on your past victory. I will always love Filippo Inzaghi (my forever hero!), I will always remember Fabio Cannavaro, I will always admire Papa Lippi, I am gonna miss Alessandro Del Piero, and I will always think about Gennaro Gattuso with a smile.

But, it's time to move on. Regeneration is the main agenda for Azzuri. I can't wait for the "new" team to make a come back. And I am gonna have the same faith, the same passion, and the same love for them. See you in four years, my blue heroes. I'm sure we'll rock in Brazil!