Tale of two failures

France seeks new talent; Italy relies on regulars

LONDON (AP) -- Call it the two faces of failure. And two different solutions.

After losing the World Cup, France is looking for some new blood so it can keep the European Championship. Italy is relying on the veterans who also failed at the World Cup but were creditable runners up at the last Euros two years ago.

The first round of Euro 2004 qualifying games are a month away and, with the ripples of this summer's World Cup still being felt, new coaches and rising stars are about to make their mark.

Jacques Santini, who replaced the fired Roger Lemerre after the team's first round humiliation, has included four rookies alongside established stars Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira against fellow World Cup team Tunisia in Tunis, one of 23 games being played on Wednesday.

But Giovanni Trapattoni, the veteran coach of Italy, has resisted change and named pretty much the same squad that failed at the World Cup, losing to South Korea in round two and having struggled to get that far.

Euro 2000 runner-up Italy will be without creative forward Francesco Totti because of injury against Slovenia in Trieste while veteran defender and longtime captain Paolo Maldini is missing from the squad having initially announced he would step down after the World Cup.

Midfielders Cristiano Zanetti and Gianluca Zambrotta also are missing because of injuries and there are doubts about goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and strikers Christian Vieri and Vincenzo Montella.

Germany reached the World Cup final despite missing several players through injury and is still in the same situation as it goes to Bulgaria.

Turkey, a surprise third-place finisher at the World Cup, makes no changes at all as it hosts Georgia.

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Bulgaria vs. Germany

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, Borussia Dortmund defender Torsten Frings, Bayer Leverkusen forward Oliver Neuville and Schalke's Joerg Boehme are all missing from Rudi Voeller's lineup as the World Cup runner-up takes on Bulgaria in Sofia.

Voeller's depleted lineup could face three German-based Bulgarians -- VfB Stuttgart's playmaker Krasimir Balakov, VfL Wolfsburg's Martin Petrov and Bayer Leverkusen's Dimitar Berbatov. But injured Kaiserslautern midfielder Marian Hirstov will miss the match.

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Croatia vs. Wales

With stars such as Robert Prosinecki and Zvonimir Soldo retired, new Croatian coach Otto Baric likely will field several newcomers at Varazdin. There are no places for veterans Davor Suker and Robert Jarni while Alen Boksic and Igor Tudor aren't fit. Nor, according to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, is Ryan Giggs, who is missing from the Welsh lineup along with Craig Bellamy and Gary Speed.

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Finland vs. Ireland

While the Roy Keane absence rumbles on, Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has to find replacements for retired Niall Quinn and Steve Staunton.

Liverpool forward Jari Litmanen and centerback Sami Hyypia are expected to meet some familiar faces along with several other English-based Finns.

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Hungary vs. Spain

Real Madrid left back Raul Bravo, two centerbacks, Atletico de Madrid's Jose Antonio Garcia Calvo and Real Betis's Juanito Gutierrez, and two midfielders, Athletic de Bilbao's Pablo Orbaiz and Valencia's Carlos Marchena, are all expected to play some part in the game on their debuts.

While new coach Inaki Saez experiments with new players, the game in Budapest is a testimonial match in aid of Ferenc Puskas, the Hungarian striker who became a Real Madrid star in the 1950s and '60s and now has the city's top stadium named after him.

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Italy vs. Slovenia

Despite the missing big names, Italy's strikeforce still includes Inter Milan's Christian Vieri, Filippo Inzaghi of AC Milan, Alessandro Del Piero of Juventus and Marco Di Vaio of Parma. Coach Giovanni Trapattoni also has called up some of the veterans of midfield and defense.

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Norway vs. Netherlands

Despite the fact that they scored matchwinning goals at the weekend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United and John Arne Riise of Liverpool needed to improve their game.

Ajax Amsterdam's 19-year-old star striker, Rafael van der Vaart, will play his first game for Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, and his second ever game for the national team. Defender Jaap Stam is being given more time to nurse a minor Achilles tendon injury.

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Romania vs. Greece

Wolfsburg midfielder Dorinel Munteanu and Ajax goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont are both injured. Coach Anghel Iordanescu also said he will not call up striker Adrian Ilie, who has been without a team after ending his contract with Valencia. Instead, he has called up Daniel Pancu, who plays for Besiktas Istanbul.

With Greece missing out on the World Cup, German coach Otto Rehhagel has been busy organizing friendlies to get the team in shape for Euro 2000 qualifying and this game is the eighth. Nevertheless, Newcastle United defender Nikos Dabizas has asked to sit it out because of his club's busy schedule.

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Russia vs. Sweden

Mattias Jonsson will be out with a thigh injury, Erik Edman will be out because of a problem with his Achilles' heel and Tomas Antonelius is sick. Defender Nils-Eric Johansson will be one of the replacements.

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Scotland vs. Denmark

Former Germany coach Berti Vogts continues to call up new names to the Scotland squad and, with Scott Gemmill injured, he could give West Bromwich Albion captain Derek McInnes his first cap at age 31 in midfield. Leeds defender Dominic Matteo is also out of contention.

There are few surprises in the Danish squad, which performed well at the World Cup including a 2-0 victory over holder France, and the only newcomer is 31-year-old goalkeeper Peter Skov-Jensen.

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Tunisia vs. France

Santini has called up four rookies -- three of them based in France -- to provide new help for the talented veterans on the squad. Defenders Philippe Mexes and Anthony Reveillere, as well as forward Sydney Govou are in the squad along with Liverpool midfielder Bruno Cheyrou.

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Turkey vs. Georgia

World Cup star goalkeeper Rustu Recber has been suffering from back injury and Besiktas' forward Ilhan Mansiz is recovering from a leg operation. But Blackburn Rovers' Tugay Kerimoglu and Hakan Unsal, Aston Villa's Alpay Ozalan, Inter's Okan Buruk and Emre Belezoglu, Real Sociedad's Nihat Kahveci, Bayer Leverkusen's Yildiray Basturk and Leicester City's Mustafa Izzet have all been included into the Turkish squad.

McCarthy says not distracted by Keane row

HELSINKI (Reuters) -- Ireland coach Mick McCarthy says an ongoing row with his former captain Roy Keane is not distracting him from his job, but does not expect the dispute to die down yet.

"It is not distracting me from the job as it did not distract me during the World Cup," McCarthy told a news conference on Tuesday ahead of his side's upcoming friendly match against Finland on Wednesday.

"I would like it to go away, but it won't. I think it will run for a long time, with you people [the media] giving it legs," he said.

Keane was sent home from Ireland's World Cup squad in May after a blazing row with McCarthy at the team's training camp in Saipan, and has since lambasted the Ireland manager in his autobiography, currently being serialized by British newspapers.

Ireland, without Keane, reached the last 16 of the World Cup finals, only losing to Spain on penalties. McCarthy has refused to reply to the criticism from Keane.

McCarthy said he was looking forward to the Finland match, which he said would give the side a good workout ahead of their European Championships Group 10 qualifying match against Russia in September.

"It is a good game for us to have to get everyone back together [before going] to the Russia game, which is an important match," he said.

"Not that friendlies are not significant because I believe they are. It is a good dry run for the game in Russia, which is for points."

Ireland and Finland have met four times before, with the Irish winning twice and the other two matches drawn.

 

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