Italy up against the odds, again

Gianluigi Buffon and '06 World Cup champion Italy are in a murderous Euro 2008 group with France, the Netherlands and Romania. Simon Bruty/SI

By Kevin Danton, Special to SI.com, World Soccer

Italy not even make it out of its group? Azzurri keeper Gianluigi Buffon has his doubts at the European Championship, as Italy is in the toughest group. But Gigi and his mates have been in tougher spots: No one expected them to win the 2006 World Cup, either -- and they did so without conceding a single goal (save for one own-goal). World Soccer's Kevin Danton chats with Italy's stone-walling netminder.

World Soccer: Can Italy follow up its World Cup triumph with the European title?

Buffon: That's got to be our aim. The squad hasn't changed too much from 2006, so we've all got two years' more experience. But perhaps the most important thing is that we've maintained the same group spirit and winning mentality of two years ago. To win anything, you must have the right climate off the pitch as well as on it.

World Soccer: Did the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal in '06 create a siege mentality that made you more determined?

Buffon: No, it certainly didn't help us. There's enough tension as it is when you play such high-profile games without having more problems to deal with. It actually undermined our work and made it harder to focus. The fact we won that year was merely a coincidence and down to professionalism and skill in preparing for games.

World Soccer: So there's no chance the squad has lost its appetite for success?

Buffon: No, because although most of the current squad are World Cup winners, many of us also have bitter memories from '04, '02 and '00.

World Soccer: Do you feel more pressure going into a tournament as world champions?

Buffon: The pressure is the same. What changes is that you're maybe a bit more confident because when you win games you approach the next one in a different way, with more self-confidence, better self-awareness, less fear.

World Soccer: Who do you think will qualify from your group apart from Italy?

Buffon: To be perfectly honest, I'm not so sure we will qualify -- it's an extremely tough group. We have to be very careful because if you go into these things with too much confidence, you can end up falling flat on your face. We just have to get our heads down, work hard, remain humble and hope to win our games. Even Romania, which on paper seems the weakest threat, is an excellent team.

World Soccer: Which players do you fear the most this summer?

Buffon: Zlatan Ibrahimovic for Sweden, Fernando Torres for Spain and Ruud van Nistelrooy for Holland.

World Soccer: Which team do you rate as favorites?

Buffon: In competitions like this there isn't a single favorite, but a few teams with an equal chance of success -- Italy, France, Holland, Spain, Germany. Of course, you also need a bit of luck.

World Soccer: And the defending champs, Greece?

Buffon: I have a lot of respect for Greece and I'd rather not have to play them because they're a very solid team. But miracles don't often repeat themselves and I think they had theirs four years ago.

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