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Sliding down Euro 2000 prospects bleak for Germany, Italy
Posted: Saturday June 03, 2000 11:24 AM
They're supposed to be the cream of Europe, the perennial juggernauts who strike terror in the hearts of opponents. Between them, they've won six World Cups and four European titles. Their reputation rests as much on the fact that they possess that intangible quality: they know how to win, even without playing well. Yet somehow, at the eve of Euro 2000, prospects for Germany and Italy are about as bleak Monica Lewinsky's Miss America aspirations. Both countries are struggling with injuries, indifference and weariness. Italian boss Dino Zoff is fighting a losing media battle over his striking conundrum: regardless of whether he plays Roma's Francesco Totti or Juventus' Alex Del Piero , half the country will want to skewer and roast him.
Last week, a poll revealed that only 28 percent of Germans believed their team could successfully defend the title it won four years ago. Sixty-three percent described the German players as "arrogant", while only one in five said they were "likeable". Now, if their own fans won't like the Germans, who will? It has been a bumpy ride, made worse by disappointing results. Both teams are faced with a distinct lack of exciting, new talent. Scan Germany's projected Euro 2000 squad and the names will look incredibly familiar. It's a team which will rely heavily on experience, which is another way of saying it is old. There is little new talent to get excited about, except for the twenty-year-old Sebastian Deissler, a guy who carries the hopes of a nation on his shoulders, but who could struggle to find a place in the side. Don't adjust your TV set, it's not 1992 all over again. Yes, those are really Lothar Matthaeus, Tomas Haessler and Ulf Kirsten running around on the pitch. And yes, when Deissler was still learning to walk, they were all already playing professional soccer. That's how old they are. You would almost expect Pierre Littbarski and Karl Heinz Rummenigge to bound on to the pitch as well. The sad fact is that Haessler, even at 34, is still one of the most talented and exciting German midfielders around, which is a little like saying the Lada was one of the best cars in Soviet Russia. Perhaps it was, but it isn't saying much. Coach Erich Ribbeck assembled a team for one last hurrah, one last poke at glory. The approach might make sense if these were players enjoying a swan song in the twilight of their career. Instead, they are largely overmatched. Until Sebastian Deissler fulfills his promise (and it won't do him much good unless Germany finds a supporting cast for his talents), there are only two stars to speak of, apart from the aformentioned geriatric threesome: Oliver Bierhoff and Oliver Kahn. Bierhoff is coming off a lackluster season at AC Milan. At 32 years of age, he won't be around much longer and the club is already looking for alternatives ( Fernando Morientes? David Trezeguet? Hernan Crespo? ). As for Kahn, he has been hampered by injury and, while he's still one of the finest goalkeepers in Europe, he can only do so much. Throw in the fact that Ribbeck's sweeper system is as stale as they come and it doesnıt pain a pretty picture. Italy's decline hasn't been as dramatic and at least there is some fresh talent poking through on the horizon, especially at under-21 level, but the outlook is still rather grim. Apart from a brief spurt at the 1990 World Cup, azzurri fans haven't been excited by their team since 1982. Being demanding is one thing, but Italians often border on sadism when it comes to the national team: remember this is the same country which greeted the 1994 World Cup finalists with near total indifference when they returned from the United States. Nobody seems to like these guys and it may have something to do with Zoff's system. He likes to say he plays a 3-4-1-2 scheme, which, on the surface may seem entertaining. In practice however, itıs a rather rigid 5-3-2 set-up, with the wide men in midfield doubling back into fullback positions and the man in the hole (possibly Udinese's Stefano Fiore ) being little more than an additional holding midfielder. Like other managers before him (with the exception of Arrigo Sacchi ), Zoff has regressed to the old Italian dogma: defend in numbers and hope that something sorts itself out up front. To be fair, things might have been different if Christian Vieri, Italy's only legitimate centerforward, hadn't gotten injured. As it stands however, the target man will be either Filippo Inzaghi or Vincenzo Montella. The former is a selfish goal-poacher whose main quality seems to be getting fouled, the latter has all of three caps to his name and is unlikely to figure. Both are about as physically imposing as Hillary Clinton. The other forward spot is already a Gordian Knot of controversy. Del Piero, destiny's child, has had a nightmare season, but will probably get the nod since his alter ego, Totti, is seen by a Zoff as little more than sulky, spoiled inconvenience. Both are gifted players, but both play with as much emotion as a ballpoint pen. It gets worse in midfield. Take away Fiore and the unproven Gianluca Zambrotta and it's a mix of weary veterans ( Demetrio Albertini, Anegelo Di Livio ) and career hackers ( Gigi Di Biagio, Antonio Conte ). Expectations are as low as they get for Germany and Italy, the traditional bluebloods of the European game. Which doesn't mean you should write them off. Experience still counts for something and, over six matches, anything can happen. Germany knows how to win games, the team is resilient and disciplined, few players can match Bierhoff's aerial threat on set pieces and, who knows, maybe this will be Deissler's breakout year. As for the azzurri, the defense is still, arguably the best in the world. Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro and Paolo Maldini are as good as they come and goalkeeper Gigi Buffon makes very few mistakes. The talent is there, it's just a question of whether it will rear its head. And if, like most Italians, you are superstitious, you will be well aware of the fact that the azzurri tend to overachieve when little is expected of them, when the odds seem stacked against them, when the media is crucifying them one by one. After all, that's what happened in 1982. Nobody can afford to underestimate these two teams, but if you're looking for a logical bet, look elsewhere, to Holland, Spain or France. London-based Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com. To submit questions or comments to Gabriele Marcotti, click here.
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