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| | Lippi shrugs off record |
Wednesday 19 November, 2008 |
| Marcello Lippi is the only Italy Coach ever to go 31 games unbeaten, but insists such statistics are meaningless.
“I am happy to have won the World Cup, but stringing together 31 games unbeaten wouldn't mean anything without something to show for it,” said the tactician.
“The important thing is that within this run is that we revamped and recreated the Azzurri squad, creating a team that is still growing.”
He set this new record, beating Vittorio Pozzo's tally of 30 matches, in tonight's 1-1 draw away to Euro 2004 winners Greece.
With the Inter-Juventus showdown coming up on Saturday night, the Coach adjusted his decisions accordingly.
“We respected who needs to play on Saturday, have always done that and I always will in a friendly situation. We weren't seeking a result at all costs, otherwise I would've only made a couple of changes.
“We created plenty of chances and did well, that was the important thing.”
The big story of the night was that Luca Toni ended his goal drought that had lasted since a friendly win over Portugal in February.
“Toni has always scored goals at club level, so it was only to be expected that he would eventually get his goal here too.”
Giuseppe Rossi made his full debut, although was not entirely impressive.
“Rossi did fairly well. Fairly well,” mused Lippi.
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Italy: Toni and Lippi celebrate
Luca Toni broke his goal drought after nine months to earn a 1-1 draw in Greece that sets a new Italy record for Marcello Lippi. More |
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