Georgia fielded two players without club teams, along with the 17 year old Serie A Empoli primavera (youth team) product, Menteshashvili. Tactically, they played a very astute game. As you noted, they closed down space and were very compact.

After the game, Fabio Capello asked Mister Donadoni if it were better to stop experimenting, and to use a more stable lineup with Scotland on the horizon? He seemed disturbed by the question, and evaded it by saying “I am proud of the team and its spirit.” For the next friendly against South Africa, in my humble opinion, he is making a mistake. The present team, without Cannavaro, Materazzi, and Zambrotta in defense, needs another game under its belts before the match in Glasgow. Continuity in this team has been a major problem. Donadoni has fielded 13 different sides for his 13 games on the Azzurri bench, along with 49 new players. According to RAI Sports, Buffon and Pirlo have logged the most minutes on the team.

When asked to grade the Italian team, Fabio Capello said “6.5.” I thought that was generous, but perhaps off of the record, the grade might have been less.

Scotland has had a renaissance in confidence and team play. After beating France twice, they deserve a spot in Euro 2008. Even at the expense of our Azzurri. We can look back at the initial game versus Lithuania, which was a 1 x 1 draw. Not taking the three points at home may decide the fate of the Azzurri. If history is any indication, they failed to qualify for Euro 1984 after winning the World Cup in 1982.