Monday 5th April, 2010 15 ASUNSION, Paraguay (AP) - Lippi aiming for elusive ith a bullet Wstill lodged in the head of Paraguay’s top 2nd World Cup player, the South ROME (AP) - Italy coach quarterfinal loss to Spain. American coun- Marcello Lippi has Lippi spent his time try will head to already won the World away from the game col- the World Cup Cup. Now he’s chasing his- lecting various awards in South Africa tory. and holding public talks with a problem Lippi is attempting to about his successes. like no other become only the second “I’ve talked at 29 uni- team. coach to win two consecu- versities in Italy about Salvador tive World Cups, and the sports management, build- Cabanas was first manager to pull off ing a team, using human the victim of a the feat in the resources, leadership, brutal shooting postwar period. motivation and in January in a Vittorio things like that,” Mexico City bar. Pozzo led he said. “I also For several Italy to visited many days, the Club back-to- companies, America striker back titles because very hovered in 1934 and often you can between life and 1938, and compare a foot- death, but he defied the odds and survived. Still, his foot- ball future is in doubt as doc- tors opted to leave the bullet fragment where it is. “We Paraguay’s soccer players pose for photographers before a World Cup 2010 qualifying game against Bolivia in Asuncion, Saturday, hoped for a Sept. 5, 2009. Second row, left to right: Justo Villar, Claudio Morel, Dario Veron, Jonathan Santana, Paulo Da Silva and Nelson Haedo. miracle with Front row: Eduardo Ledesma, Cristian Riveros, Osvaldo Martinez, Salvador Cabanas and Carlos Bonet. (AP) Cabanas,” Paraguay Football Association president Juan Angel Napout said. “First, that he survived and after - if this is possible - that he returns to the field as a play- Paraguay has a problem er or coach.” Paraguay’s modest attack will be in trouble without Cabanas. The team’s other top forward, Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz, is also in doubt. He missed all of Paraguay’s key 2009 World Cup qualifying match- es with recurring knee problems. It was Cabanas and Santa Cruz who scored in Paraguay’s 2-0 victory over Brazil in a World Cup qualifier without Cabanas in June 2008. Clearly, Paraguay has high hopes going into its fourth straight World Paraguay secured its spot in South New Zealand in Group F. Valdez of Borussia Dortmund. Cup. The South Americans reached Africa, Cabanas said: “We can even If Cabanas and Santa Cruz can’t Paraguay coach Gerardo the second round in 1998 and 2002, reach the final. It’s a question of play, the starters up front are likely Martino has constructed a solid working harder because this group but were knocked out in the to be Oscar Cardozo, who plays defense, which allowed the team to group stage four years the has the technical ability.” Paraguay was drawn with Portuguese club qualify third in South America ago in Germany. Benfica, and behind Brazil and Chile, and ahead In one of his last to play defending cham- ball pion Italy, Slovakia and Nelson Haedo of Argentina and Uruguay. club to statements after any work group. There are a amuel Cup of Nations in January, ton of analo- Eto’o was a Cameroon conceded eight goals. gies with run- Sstar-stuck But if they need inspiration, the ning a football child when Indomitable Lions have many World club. I do it with Cameroon Cup memories to fall back on. pleasure and I thrilled the foot- In 1990, Cameroon really like it.” ball world with its started the tournament Now Lippi faces extravagant per- with a 1-0 win over the task of keeping formances at the defending champion afloat an aging team 1990 World Cup, Argentina - one of still filled with veter- and 20 years later the biggest football ans from 2006. But he’s it’s Eto’o who now upsets ever - and not under the personal carries the hopes of a was the first pressure he faced four nation. African team to years ago, when his son Cameroon’s hopes of reach the was involved in the making an impression at this quarterfinals, Italian match-fixing year’s World Cup in South losing to scandal, which hastened Africa rest with the Inter England 3-2 his departure from the Milan striker, just as they did as Gary national team. in 1990 when Roger Milla and his Lineker’s Still, there’s no teammates almost caused a major late penalty relaxing. upset in a tense quarterfinal loss to sent the “I’ve always said that England. game into you can never be calm. I “We are dangerous because we extra time. am serene though. I’m have a good mix of experience, and absolutely in synch with we have learned to play together,” the the team that I’ve been working with for two years - or four if we want to consider the previous two years,” he said. Cameroon’s hopes of 1990 “We’re all aware that repeat rest Italy’s coach Marcello Lippi gestures during their World Cup group 8 qualifying soccer match with Eto’o against Cyprus, at the Tardini stadium, in Parma, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. (AP) 29-year-old Eto’o said. “I have been in the national team more than 10 years no coach has achieved the it’s going to be very, very and I assure you that I have rarely feat since. Brazil won in tough.” seen us play such attractive football.” 1958 and 1962, but with dif- Italy drew all three of Cameroon has strength in almost ferent coaches - Vicente its friendlies after qualify- every position: goal- Feola and Aymore ing, a sharp contrast from keeper Carlos Kameni Moreira. four years ago when the has nearly 200 “History shows how Azzurri produced emphat- appearances for difficult how it is,” Lippi ic wins over the Spanish club said at a recent meeting Netherlands and Germany Espanyol; midfielders with foreign media. “If in in the World Cup Jean II Makoun and (80) years only twice have warmups. Alexander Song are countries won two in a “It’s not important regulars at Lyon and row, evidently it’s not so how you perform in Arsenal; and Eto’o easy. That’s human March. It’s June that has continued his nature. The defending counts,” Lippi said, recall- prolific club form on champion always has a ing that under his reign the international big target on its back.” Italy has lost only one stage, averaging Lippi resigned after World Cup qualifier - to about one goal for every two matches. guiding Italy to the 2006 Slovenia in October 2004 1990 World Cup Finals, Milan, Italy, 8th June, 1990, Argentina 0 title, took a two-year hia- in his fourth game in The defense, tus, then returned and charge. however, is still led v Cameroon 1, Argentina’s Diego Maradona is closely marked replaced Roberto The silver-haired by the 33-year-old by a Cameroon defender (AP) Donadoni after the 2008 Lippi carries himself with Rigobert Song and European Championship, the air of someone who looks weak. In four which Italy exited with a has already won. games at the African.