Marcello Lippi has given his first press conference after being back on Italy's bench and revealed his future plans for the Azzurri. “I received some very, very interesting offers, but as the European Championship approached I felt the strong desire to regain the place I had left and made myself ready for this opportunity if it arose," Lippi said. The 60-year old tactician took charge of Italy in 2004 and led them to the World Cup 2006 title. He stepped down and decided to get some rest. "I told the Federation before the tournament that I and everyone else would be cheering on the Azzurri, hoping we went as far as possible with Donadoni. But if the European Championship did not go well, I would be ready to take over. You can say whether that was the right or the wrong way of approaching it," added Lippi. The Italy manager dismissed speculations that he could make a major overhaul in the National squad. “We are in a different situation. We have a group of players who two years ago won the World Cup with a fantastic performance. We must find a balance between using those experienced players and finding new faces who can fit into the squad." He also confirmed that he will respect the opinion of Alessandro Nesta and Francesco Totti who have given so much to the National team. "I have absolutely no intention of trying to talk them out of retirement, as they have made their decision." Meanwhile Lippi confirmed that he is planning to change Italy's defensive reputation. “We have proved a thousand times at club and international level that the age of Catenaccio is dead. Italian football has changed so much from the clichés and certainly does not just sit back and defend. "Don't forget we played a portion of the World Cup Final with four strikers on the field. We will aim to create an immediate competitive squad that plays in an aggressive, attacking and intelligent fashion."
