Italy coach Marcello Lippi probably expected to be grilled for again overlooking Antonio Cassano, but England counterpart Fabio Capello may not have foreseen the furore surrounding him actually picking a player.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Ledley King has a chronic knee problem which prevents him training yet Capello still deemed the centre back good enough for an England squad recall for the friendly with Slovakia and World Cup qualifier with Ukraine.

“It’s mad. It’s pointless at best,” blasted Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp in the Sun.

King has now returned to Tottenham and will not be involved in either game.

Capello, whose side were easily beaten by Spain last month, may have been trying to show who was boss by taking a look at King first. The decision, though, does look a little odd.

Lippi, a World Champion, also has the same imperious air as Capello. However, the Italians are not happy that he has ignored Sampdoria’s Cassano despite the cheeky playmaker’s wonderful performances this term.

Being a soccer reporter, I don’t often have to pay to see football but I would certainly buy a ticket to watch Cassano, who is a magician at times.

He got a reputation for being childish at Bari, AS Roma and Real Madrid but he looks more mature in every game. No wonder Juventus and Inter Milan are interested.

Any defeat in Montenegro on Saturday or at home to Ireland will only increase the calls for Cassano’s inclusion after he was also ignored for February’s limp loss to Brazil.

Are Capello and Lippi losing some of their invincibility?

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PHOTO: Tottenham Hotspur’s Ledley King (L) fights for the ball with Udinese’s Fabio Quagliarella during their UEFA Cup match in Udine, Oct. 23, 2008. REUTERS/Daniel Raunig

One of the benefits of being a World Cup-winning manager is that nobody complains if you turn up at a party and start badmouthing the hosts - they’re too grateful you came in the first place.

Italy boss Marcello Lippi did that this week when he reprimanded his country’s professional footballers for their treatment of referees at a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of their union, the AIC.

“No one could have Italian footballers more dear to their heart than me, they made me world champion,” he said. “But something unpleasant exists, there are bad manners on the field. Relations with opponents and, above all, with referees are rude, vulgar and taste of animosity.

“Insults, swearing, expressions of intolerance have become habitual. The referee is faced with the dilemma of pretending not to hear to save the match or sending people off and spoiling the spectacle. Either way he gets criticised.”

The problem is certainly not limited to Serie A and Lippi’s comments take him into a debate sparked by the FA’s Respect campaign in England.

Launched earlier this year, the initiative is already on the ropes as it seems to have amplified attention on the errors referees inevitably commit, producing more questions than solutions.

What can players get away with? Should refs be made to speak to reporters after matches to explain their decisions and admit when they get things wrong?

Might it not be easier to encourage respect by upping the level of refereeing with the use of video replays rather than by ‘awareness-raising’ drives?

Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday that Italian referees have it even harder than their Premier League colleagues because in England “there is lots of fair play and the game finishes with the referee’s final whistle”. In Italy, on the other hand, they have to contend with a roasting in the media as well as grief from players and coaches.

Sevilla’s Italian midfielder Enzo Maresca said he had seen “more replays in half an hour tonight than in four years in Spain” while taking part in a TV show on Sunday that was analysing controversial penalty calls in AC Milan’s 2-2 draw at Torino.

Lippi thinks that player associations should make moves to cut out the surliness because “a union should not just defend its members’ rights, but also their dignity”.

But I reckon this is unlikely to work too because in football, disrespect pays!

Dissent is not just about letting off steam in the heat of battle. It’s also a way to pressure officials into being softer on your side in subsequent decisions. If a ref makes a dodgy call, it’s a good idea to make sure he knows so he’ll think twice next time. It’s a tactic and one that is hard to wipe out because it’s successful.

Lippi has won all the trophies in his illustrious career. But this time he may well be on the losing side.

PHOTO:Italy coach Marcello Lippi conducts a training session in Coverciano, Aug. 18. REUTERS/Marco Bucco

Italy’s Marcello Lippi has equalled the record for the most Azzurri games without defeat and Fabio Capello’s England have managed their best ever start to World Cup qualifying.

We should also not forget evergreen Giovanni Trapattoni, whose modest yet undefeated Ireland side are just three points behind world champions Italy in Group Eight.

It is not sheer coincidence that these three coaches are getting results. There is a lot of talk about “a winning mentality” these days and although it seems a rather obvious commodity for football, the Italians have it in bucketloads.

Italy’s 2-1 win over Montenegro on Wednesday meant Lippi, over his two spells in charge, has equalled 1934 and 1938 World Cup-winning coach Vittorio Pozzo’s record of 30 games without defeat.    (more…)

Watching a rudderless Italy at Euro 2008 was like having my teeth pulled out.

Wednesday’s 2-2 friendly draw against Austria in Marcello Lippi’s first game back in charge since winning the World Cup was less painful, but serious problems persist.

Gone are the days of a rock solid Italian defence. Sure Fabio Cannavaro is still injured having missed the stuttering run to the Euro quarter-finals, but even he is not the player he was.

Fellow centre back Giorgio Chiellini, Italy’s sole success story from June, is crocked for their opening World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Georgia next month. That leaves Andrea Barzagli, who now plays in Germany with Wolfsburg, as an almost certain starter despite being at fault for both Austria’s goals.

At the other end things are still not right either. Former coach Roberto Donadoni was obsessed with a three-pronged attack in the run-up to the Euros but as soon as the Azzurri lost to Netherlands in the opening match he ditched it.

Lippi reinstated the trident on Wednesday but Alessandro Del Piero is still not suited to the left hand side. Both Italy strikes were own goals, even if the first was charitably credited to hit-and-miss forward Alberto Gilardino.

The midfield was average to say the least.  

Lippi has a lot to ponder if he really believes he can lift the World Cup again in two years time. He may also wonder why a game between Italy and Austria was played in Nice in France? (No one has properly explained.)

He probably hasn’t got as much thinking to do as compatriot Fabio Capello, though. England were totally outclassed in a 2-2 draw with the Czechs by all accounts.

Mark Meadows, Reuters Italy Sports Correspondent 

PHOTO: Italy coach Marcello Lippi watches his players during their friendly match against Austria in Nice, Aug 20 REUTERS/Pascal Deschamps