Crisis, what crisis? says Lippi

Italy coach Marcello Lippi cut a defiant figure despite the reigning world champions enduring an underwhelming start to their World Cup campaign on Monday.
Having drawn their opening two Group F matches - the second embarrassingly against rank outsiders New Zealand on Sunday - Italy are, just like fellow giants France, England, Germany and Spain, in very real danger of facing the ignominy of a group stage elimination.
Lippi, though, adopted an attitude that all was going along perfectly well.
"There's no crisis right here, there's no crisis in the team and there's no need for a crisis", he replied.
Lippi was despite the two draws still clinging to perceived positives from a start that ranks as bad as England's and only surpassed for ineptitude by France's.
"I don't want to talk about the problems of the team, the problems are on the pitch", he snapped.
"I talk about problems with the team, not with you (the press). We're struggling to create goalscoring chances, these are the problems".
"But New Zealand only had two shots on goal and that's positive. Having taken the lead after only five minutes they brought everyone back".
"Paraguay, who are a very good team, only got near our goal twice, that's not so negative".
"We've played two matches but there weren't only negatives, there were also some positives".
Before Monday training, Lippi had taken his team out onto the practice pitch at Southdowns College here and given what looked from afar like a dressing down.
Significantly, Lippi had taken his players to the far side of the pitch from the watching press and even got them to sit down behind an advertising hoarding, out of sight.
"That was the second time I'd spoken with them, the first time was last night", he said.
"It was right to have this talk, it was right to take responsibility. From one point of view we've had two negative matches, but from another point of view, they weren't so bad", he insisted again.
However, there was a touch of paranoia when he added "We mustn't fall into the traps from outside, there's one at every step and even in the dressing room many walls have ears".
But there was a word of warning to his players as well. "I read this morning some quotes from (England coach Fabio) Capello that his players are afraid of the World Cup. Well I don't want that to happen to us", he said.
"We haven't done what we're capable of but we can still kick-start our World Cup, anything can still happen".
However, he did admit that the team's failure to perform, or rather to get results, has got to them.
"There's a feeling of disappointment, when a team plays with heart and desire, if you don't get a result your disappointment is relative to the amount of effort you put into it".
Italy have one match left to save the defence of the title they won in Germany four years ago as they tackle Slovakia in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Italy need to win to be sure of progressing, although they could also advance with a draw whereas Slovakia must win or they are out.