Italy boss Marcello Lippi has backed Inter to win the Scudetto and outlined his strategy to restore glory to the Azzurri.

There’s a fascinating Serie A campaign in prospect as Inter look to maintain their grasp on the crown but face a fight from Milan, Roma and Juventus.

However, Lippi has great respect for the Nerazzurri’s new boss Jose Mourinho and thinks the Portuguese man can deliver the silverware,

“I believe Inter will win the Scudetto again because I really like the Coach that Massimo Moratti has brought in,” Lippi told Tg5.

“Mourinho is a closed person, but when all the players speak so highly of a boss it means that he has sowed the seeds correctly.”

Lippi will be watching the new campaign with eager interest having been charged with the task of building another winning Italy side ahead of World Cup 2010.

“I want to rebuild a winning group and lots of the players who were at Euro 2008 will be there,” the 60-year-old said.

“I need to choose intelligent players who know how important it is to be a compact unit with united goals and to be playing for one another. Those were the qualities that allowed us to win the World Cup.”

Ref From channel4.com

Dutch Coach Marco Van Basten couldn’t hide his surprise and delight after last night’s 3-0 win over Italy in Group C.

The Oranje stunned the world champions and took advantage of a controversial Ruud Van Nistelrooy opener to run away with the three points in Berne.

Even Van Basten was surprised by the outcome of the encounter with former Milan teammate Roberto Donadoni.

“This is a dream start,” he enthused. “We didn’t expect to win 3-0 against Italy – a team with so much experience and quality in their team.

“It was a truly good team performance from the whole of our team.

“The first game is always a big match and this was a fantastic and historic evening.”

While Holland now just need to beat France on Friday to book a place in the quarter-finals, the pressure is on the shell-shocked Azzurri who must beat a gutsy Romania outfit.
Ref From channel4.com