Macari played for Manchester United from 1973 to 1984 and has since had a sporadic and low-key career in management, from which he is now retired.
He now occasionally appears as a pundit for Sky Sports and Setanta Sports, and has today offered his opinion on the upcoming clash between Italy and France in Euro 2008.
“One of the big ones will fall tonight when France and Italy square up for the right to join Holland in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008,” wrote Macari.
“I imagine they will be going for the win because a draw could leave the door open for Romania to sneak between them by beating Holland in the other group game.
“Both France and Italy will have to improve and I just take Italy to sneak it because they have a habit of scraping through these kinds of difficulties.”
He then gave a damning assessment of both countries, suggesting their youth development was waning and that Thierry Henry and Alessandro Del Piero were no longer good enough to play at the highest level.
“But of even greater concern than qualification is the apparent lack of young talent coming through for these two footballing superpowers,” he continued.
“The fact that the likes of Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka are still hanging around in the French set-up speaks volumes for how bare their cupboard must be right now, while Italy have placed similar faith in Alessandro del Piero in the absence of anything younger and better.”
Macari is backing the Dutch to win the tournament off the back of their blistering start, but even suggested that they should perhaps draft in someone younger to replace striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
“My tip for the tournament has to be Holland on the evidence we’ve seen so far,” he said.
“And even they are relying on Ruud van Nistelrooy to get them the goals - and he’s hardly fresh off the production line.”
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