Confident Italy return to scene
of 1966 fiasco
May 7, 1996
Rete!
ROME - Italy, drawn in probably
the toughest group of the European championship, return in confident mood
to the country in which 30 years ago they suffered the greatest fiasco
of their soccer history.
"On our recent results, and
on our past, Italy is clearly one of the big favourites along with three
other teams: England because they are playing at home, Germany and the
Dutch,'' declared coach Arrigo Sacchi recently.
The Italians are drawn in
Group C, playing at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium and Liverpool's
Anfield, against the Germans, Russia and the Czech Republic -- all former
champions or the heirs of former winners. Italy won the title themselves
in 1968.
"I think both Italy and Germany
have a 50-50 chance, although at the moment the Italians are more experienced
than our team,'' said Germany coach Berti Vogts last year.
The finals are the first
major soccer tournament staged in England since the 1966 World Cup, a championship
that still haunts Italians with the memory of their team's shock 1-0 defeat
at Middlesbrough against rank outsiders North Korea.
"England...fatally brings
back to mind the last experience at the 1966 World Cup,'' one magazine
columnist reminded readers last month, raising the subject "by way of exorcism.''
The match, played at Middlesbrough's
now disused Ayresome Park on July 19, 1966 has entered soccer folkore as
the greatest upset in World Cup history.
The only goal of the game
came after 42 minutes. It was scored by Pak Doo Ik and following Italy's
2-0 win over Chile and their 1-0 loss to the Soviet Union was enough to
eliminate the Italians after the first round.
The players were greeted
on their return home by angry, disappointed supporters who pelted them
with rotten fruit as they came through the airport arrivals lounge.
Two years later Italy's fortunes
had revived and they won the 1968 European title in Rome beating Yugoslavia
2-0 in the replayed final after a 1-1 draw.
They had success in the World
Cup when they won the 1982 championship in Madrid, but they have had no
more joy in the European tournament.
Italy reached the quarter-finals
in 1972, and the semifinals in 1988, but failed to qualify for the 1976,
1984 and 1992 championships and booked their place in next month's finals
as the best of the runners-up after finishing behind group leaders Croatia.
But the three-times World
champions, beaten on penalties by Brazil in the 1994 World Cup final, have
a history of slow starts that steadily gain momentum -- as in the 1994
World Cup when they lost to Ireland in the first round.
Their squad, considerably
changed from the World Cup finalists with the introduction of young stars
such as Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero, look technically more accomplished
and more settled than previously.
Milan's 27-year-old defender
Paolo Maldini, who played in the 1994 World Cup final and is the only team
member left from the 1988 European championship, will follow in his father
Cesare's footsteps as Italy captain.
Sacchi, who has tried out
more than 70 players in his four-year rule, has made his mind up about
90 percent of his squad with the only late newcomer likely to be Sampdoria's
lethal but uncapped striker Enrico Chiesa.
"In England I will change
very little. With the exception of one or two particularly exciting youngsters,
the players going to the championship will be those who got us through
the qualifying stages,'' Sacchi declared.
"But if I think any of them
are not playing well at club level, or is not in the best mental and physical
shape, I will have no problem in leaving them at home.''
Last year's champions Juventus
dominate the likely 22-man squad with this year's Serie A winners Milan,
and Parma, taking up many of the remaining places.
Being knocked out of the
European club competitions relatively early for Italian teams could be
an important stimulus for the Milan and Parma players eager to show they
are still the best, although Milan's World Cup midfielder Roberto Baggio
may have no chance.
"The Divine Ponytail'' can
no longer count on a place in the team and may not even make the squad.
"He is not having one of
his better years. I hope he gets back quickly but he will have to show
he's in good condition, otherwise it's not in his interests to be in the
team,'' said Sacchi after leaving him out of a recent gathering.
The main target men will
be Del Piero, the sensational 21-year-old who will be in the role of attacking
midfielder, and silver-haired club team mate Fabrizio Ravanelli.
"Del Piero is a number 10
who scores beautiful goals and then in the next moment covers on the wing,''
said Sacchi.
Sacchi has a surfeit of forwards,
with Lazio's Giuseppe Signori back in scoring form after a recent slump,
his club team mate Pierluigi Casiraghi and Parma's Gianfranco Zola who
scored many of the goals in the qualifying stages.
Chiesa will also be used
as a striker if called up.
Italy have two more friendly
matches planned before the finals -- against Belgium on May 29 in Cremona
and away to Hungary in Budapest on June 1.
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