Alive and well

Italy ready to take final step to World Cup glory

ROME (AP) -- Italian soccer is alive and well.

The assurance from coach Giovanni Trapattoni may come as a surprise to those who have only been following the Italian national team in its most vital games.

After a series of near-misses on the world stage, the team known for lulling its opponent to sleep managed six wins and two draws in the eight-match World Cup qualifying round. And following a 2-1 win at England on March 27 in a World Cup warmup, the "Trap" made his sentiments known.

"Italian soccer is not dead like some people believe," the Italian coach said. "But let's not get carried away with optimism."

The Italian team is not one that gets carried away with too much of anything. Its trademark style of the past was the "catenaccio" -- lockdown. It was a system that relied on no defensive lapses and very little offense.

In recent memory, the system has only brought Italy to the brink of glory.

Playing before home fans in Naples in the 1990 World Cup semifinals, Italy lost in a shootout to an Argentina team led by Napoli star Diego Maradona.

Four years later, it was Roberto Baggio's boot high over the crossbar in the final shootout in the United States that handed the title to Brazil.

The French have profited from the last two Italian heartbreaks.

Luigi Di Biagio's penalty shot ricocheted off the crossbar in the decisive quarterfinal shootout in the 1998 World Cup against the eventual champions. And two years ago, the French scored with 30 seconds left in the European Championship final to force overtime, where David Trezeguet scored the winning "golden goal."

While most countries would be ecstatic just by playing in such games, Italy enters the tournament each four years as one of the few teams expecting to win.

For the 2002 competition, the three-time world champion has another strong team, as the Italian youth system and its money-soaked Serie A league continue to produce top talent. But some critics fear the "Azzuri's" talent level has been diluted by an influx of top foreign players in Serie A.

"It's a difficult moment, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic about the level of our soccer," Trapattoni said to reporters recently.

Striker Vincenzo Montella is the Italian player with the hottest foot as of late. He scored both goals in the 2-1 win at England and recently scored 10 goals in little more than a month for his club team, AS Roma.

It would be Montella's first World Cup. Nicknamed "Aeroplanino" -- "little airplane" -- for holding his arms out like wings in scoring celebrations, the 27-year-old is one of several strikers Trapattoni has to choose from.

Before the England game, Montella was not even assured of making the squad. "It would be tough to leave him now, no?" Trapattoni said afterward.

More of a sure bet for Italy is Christian Vieri. The burly, 28-year-old power forward was a force for the "Azzurri" in the last World Cup, scoring four goals before the loss to France.

Vieri has been nursing a sore leg this season and skipping midweek European competitions. But on the weekends, the Internazionale star has been leading his team to the top of the Serie A standings, scoring more than 20 goals along the way.

Other strikers Trapattoni will have to choose from include Juventus' Alessandro Del Piero, AC Milan's Filippo Inzaghi and Roma players Francesco Totti and Marco Delvecchio. The "Trap" seems to have settled on Totti, who led Roma to the Italian league championship last year, as a set-up man for the attack.

Veteran captain Paolo Maldini will again be Italy's on-field leader. The defender holds the record for most appearances for the Azzurri at 121.

Another veteran hoping to make the team is Baggio. The 35-year-old has recently returned from injury and revived speculation that he may play in a fourth World Cup.

Even if Baggio doesn't make it, World Cup rookies Montella, Totti and Del Vecchio should give Trapattoni's team enough firepower. The question that remains is if Italy will use their forwards enough to restore the country's damaged pride.

"It's a question of moments, but we're honored to hold high the prestige of Italian soccer, knowing that good or bad our country is always among the best in the world," Trapattoni said.

Italy should advance from Group G, which includes a Croatian squad nowhere near as strong as the team that finished third in 1998, World Cup newcomer Ecuador and erratic Mexico.

 

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