Roberto Donadoni Seems A Little Hurt…

By: chris | January 23rd, 2008

Because he just won’t stop talking about Alessandro Nesta and Francesco Totti, the two legends whose internationals careers ended upon his appointment. There is no shortage of people in the boot who feel this is no coincidence, and that the reasoning behind their relatively premature international retirements is simply Roberto Donadoni. (Nesta was 31, Totti 30 when both announced their retirements - in stark contrast to Alessandro Del Piero, who will continue haunting us in the Azzurri shit well after he’s dead.) Presumably because, well, Donadoni is a terrible tactician who really had no resume aside from a decent 6 month stint with Livorno. Oh, and he’s BFF with Demetrio Albertini, one of the head honchos over at the FIGC, who appoints the Azzurri’s gaffer. (Pure coincidence. Right.)

So like a girl who has used by a guy, Donadoni won’t stop talking about how dumb they are, how they didn’t meet his standards anyway, and how they’re hung like field mice - all the while sitting at home drawing stick figures of the legendary duo with little hearts around their names, and mascara-lined tears running onto the page.

“They are like two children pulling a sickie, pretending they have tummy ache to avoid sitting a test in class.”

Really, Don? Or maybe, just maybe, it’s that they’ve put enough time in with the Azzurri not to have to watch a bonehead substitute teacher’s employment being carried by Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon. Especially the former, without whom this team would find itself having a pity party with England as they watch the Euros from the couch this summer. And feel free to throw Fabio Quagliarella into that equation as well, because without his two “how the @#$% did he do that” goals against Lithuania, Donadoni doesn’t make it to the summer.

Nesta has earned his retirement. He seems to get injured at every turn when it comes to la nazionale. If retiring “early” will prolong his career 2-3 years, then by all means, do so. Isn’t playing as long as one’s body will allow the goal in sports? To live one’s dreams for as long as possible? I tend to think Nesta’s done for good, but one never knows.

Totti will be back in South Africa. I truly believe that. He’s only 31, and is the very definition of fine wine, becoming more dominant as the years pass on. But there is still some unfinished business when it comes to the Azzurri. Despite his play in Germany, his tenure is still, somehow, viewed as a failure by many. (Pirlo was pure genius, without a doubt. But Francesco led the tournament in assists, less than 3 months after shattering his ankle - also proving how well Pirlo works with another creative type in the hole linking to the strikers, which Donadoni has still failed to realize after 18 months on the job.)

Chances are Donadoni knows that if somebody worth respecting was at the helm (the current crop has bemoaned the “lack of motivation in the locker room” quite a few times, when Marcello Lippi was known as “The Great Motivator”….hmmm), we wouldn’t be having this discussion. The two would make the Azzurri heavy favorites to capture a second straight trophy in Swissaustria this summer.

It would be wonderful if Donadoni would just let it go. Whenever the subject is brought up it’s a backhanded compliment or a sly stab. Never a professional “I’d just like to talk about the players I have at my disposal”. Or “they were great players, but that is the past and we look towards the future”. Or a “no comment”. Hell, it may even help convince them to return. But it’s always something, and once again, he sounds just like a spurned child.