Del Piero's star fading with Italy

October 10, 2000
SportsServer

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

Italy boss Giovanni Trapattoni was gratefully accepting the bouquets after the brilliant display in Milan but one man who might be forgiven for not joining in the party spirit 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 works hard and sooner or later we will need everyone."

Del Piero may yet benefit from the 'flu bug that ruled his Juventus team-mate Inzaghi out of Wednesday's match, although whether Trapattoni can accommodate him alongside Delvecchio and Totti remains to be seen.

Another Roma player, Vincenzo Montella, is a more natural replacement for Inzaghi and Trapattoni may decide to go with an all-Roma frontline at Del Piero's expense.

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 against eventual winners France when Italy were leading 1-0.

Trapattoni is an experienced campaigner and warned his troops not to get over-confident ahead of the Georgia match.

"I am very happy with the performance at the San Siro," said the widely-travelled coach. "But compliments are dangerous. It is better if we remain prudent especially since Georgia hammered Lithuania 4-0. 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."

In addition to the Inzaghi blow,  Trapattoni has two concerns in defender Fabio Cannavaro and Francesco Coco, who had a successful debut against Romania.

Neither trained normally on Monday at Inter Milan's training complex at Appiano Gentile and Giuseppe Pancaro and Valerio Bertotto stand by if needed.

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