Italy hopes to maintain momentum against Georgia

October 9, 2000
SportsServer

ANCONA, Italy - Buoyant Italy goes into Wednesday's World Cup Group 8 qualifier with Georgia in fine fettle after Saturday's 3-0 victory over Romania at Milan's San Siro Stadium.

These are heady days for Italian sport, with an impressive gold-medal haul at the Sydney Olympics and Michael Schumacher winning Ferrari's first Formula One drivers championship in 21 years.

Italy boss Giovanni Trapattoni was also gratefully accepting the bouquets after the brilliant display in Milan, but one man who might be forgiven for not joining in the party mood is Alessandro Del Piero, who is rapidly beginning to look like a misfit under Trapattoni's new regime.

Del Piero started on the bench at the San Siro and had to watch Trapattoni's front three of Filippo Inzaghi, Marco Delvecchio and Francesco Totti rattle in a goal each as Italy flattened Romania in a first-half blitz.

Totti, playing behind Inzaghi and Delvecchio, is now the undisputed leader of the Italian team, and that leaves Del Piero's long-term place looking vulnerable, although Trapattoni made a point of saying: "He (Del Piero) works hard and sooner or later we will need everyone."

Juventus ace Del Piero made a second-half appearance as a substitute, but the match was as good as over, and the news that his clubmate Inzaghi and AS Roma duo Delvecchio and Totti are all in tip-top condition has all but ended Del Piero's hopes of making the starting lineup in Ancona.

Del Piero's undoubted class at club level has never fully translated to the international scene, and three times he has failed to rise to the occasion when it mattered - in Euro '96, the 1998 World Cup and most notably in Euro 2000, when he missed two glorious chances to kill the final with eventual winner France when Italy was leading 1-0.

Trapattoni is an experienced campaigner, and warned his troops not to get overconfident.

"I am very happy with the performance at the San Siro," said the former AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and Fiorentina coach.

"But compliments are dangerous. It is better if we remain prudent, especially since Georgia hammered Lithuania 4-0 (at Vilnius). That should make us reflect that Georgia, instead of Romania, could be our principal rivals for the top spot in the group."

Defender Alessandro Nesta echoed that view, saying: "Georgia are a much stronger side than Romania."

While he is unlikely to tinker with his front players, Trapattoni has two concerns in defender Fabio Cannavaro and Francesco Coco, who had a successful debut against Romania.

Neither trained normally Monday at the Inter Milan training base of Appiano Gentile, currently requisitioned by the national side and Giuseppe Pancaro and Valerio Bertotto on stand-by if needed.

Georgia arrived in Ancona on Monday and will be looking to its chief creators, Georgi Kinkladze and Temuri Ketsbaia, to continue in the same vein after their stirring performances against Lithuania.
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