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Letzigrund, Zurich
Friday 13 June 2008 - 18.00CET (18.00 local time)
Group C
Desperate times call for desperate measures and Italy coach Roberto Donadoni will ring the changes as he looks to rescue the world champions’ UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign against Romania at the Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich on Friday.
Changes
Italy crashed to their worst defeat in 25 years in their Group C opener against the Netherlands and face another stern test against a Romania team buoyed by a goalless draw against France that has boosted their hopes of qualifying from the toughest of sections. Only Gianluigi Buffon, Luca Toni and Andrea Pirlo are deemed safe in an Italy side that could feature up to five changes according to Donadoni. “There will be four or five players who will play tomorrow who did not play in Berne,” said the Azzurri coach who has a full-strength squad at his disposal. “[Giorgio] Chiellini and [Alessandro] Del Piero will play, but I haven’t mentioned any other names. If you hypothesise they will be your mistakes.”
‘Winning fundamental’
Even so, there has been a frenzy of speculation in the Italian media over the lineup with Fabio Grosso and Antonio Cassano likely to come in after impressing as substitutes against the Netherlands. Donadoni said his side were “still hurting” from that result and would do everything to put it right. “Winning is fundamental for us,” he said. “We have worked towards that goal and will do everything to achieve it.” Italy recovered to reach the final of the 1994 FIFA World Cup after losing their first match, and a draw here would not spell the end of their hopes. With a repeat of their 2006 World Cup final to come against France, points are at a premium as Donadoni seeks to find the balance between defence and attack. “We mustn’t think if we have not scored by the fourth minute it is a disaster,” he said. “The game lasts 90 minutes and we must be patient.”
Pressure
Romania coach Victor Piturca feels both sides will be playing to win, but stressed that the pressure was on the Azzurri following their heaviest loss at a UEFA European Championship. “Italy need the victory more than we do,” said Pi?urc? who revealed that striker Ciprian Marica was “almost certainly” out after suffering a blow to his head in training on Tuesday. “Italy are the favourites, but we came here to put on a good display and our main aim is to qualify for the knockout stage.”
More in attack
For the former FC Steaua Bucuresti striker, Friday’s match offers an opportunity to gain a measure of revenge against Donadoni after losing 4-0 to AC Milan in the 1989 UEFA European Champions Clubs’ Cup final. Having failed to create many openings in their first game, Pi?urc? knows his side have to pose more of an attacking threat. “I haven’t decided who will start yet, but I might make some changes from the game against France. We will have to be vigilant in defence but there will also be times when we press in the opponents’ half. The team that’s better organised and can produce moments of inspiration will have the best chance of winning.”
Del Piero relishes added responsibility
A veil of secrecy hung over the Italy camp on Thursday evening as they prepared for their crucial Group C tie with Romania at the Letzigrund Stadion.
Great form
Roberto Donadoni spoke of making major changes to the side that had lost 3-0 to the Netherlands on Monday, but was giving little away as he fielded questions from the massed ranks of Italian journalists. All he would confirm was that Giorgio Chiellini would start in defence and that Alessandro Del Piero would indeed be captaining the side. Del Piero’s inclusion has been an open secret since he brought Italy to life after coming on as a substitute against the Netherlands. He showed enough to keep his place in the side and now Italy’s most capped player, with 87 appearances, will take over from goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon as skipper. It is a remarkable turnaround for a player who was only on the fringe of Roberto Donadoni’s plans at the turn of the year, but whose superb form since for Juventus has forced the Azzurri coach’s hand.
‘Turnaround’
“The fact there was a chance I would not make it into the squad and now I am captain for the game somehow reflects the reality of the last couple of months,” the 33-year-old said. “Now I just need to look ahead to this game without any pressure to perform, rather approach it just like I would in the league.” Do that and Italy could will have plenty to thank him for. Del Piero scored ten times in the final six weeks of the season to finish the Serie A campaign wth 21 goals and will be looking to provide a similar spark for the Azzurri on Friday. “We have all worked very hard together to prepare for this match,” he said. “Now we will need to transform our desire into positive results. When the expectations are high, we usually play at our best. Keeping cool heads is important, but we do that in every game. We need a boost and we’ll play with heart.”
‘Difficult group’
Del Piero’s relaxed demeanour belied the pressure on the Azzurri ahead of a match they cannot afford to lose if they are to reach the quarter-finals. The reaction to the loss to the Netherlands back home has been one of anger, but right-back Gianluca Zambrotta is determined his side will make amends against Romania. “We made some mistakes in the first game but we also did some things well towards the end and created some good chances,” he said. “I think we just need to improve our mentality a bit to be successful. We knew this would be a very difficult group.”
Chivu predicts return of ‘real’ Mutu
Romania captain Cristian Chivu is predicting that Adrian Mutu will rediscover his best form for in their second UEFA EURO 2008™ Group C fixture against Italy in Zurich.
‘One of the best’
The ACF Fiorentina striker, whose grandmother died last weekend, put in a subdued performance as his country opened their finals campaign with a goalless draw against France on Monday and was brought off with 15 minutes remaining, yet Chivu is convinced Romania’s most potent attacking threat will be back to his best come kick-off against the world champions. “I don’t know if Italy’s defenders are sleeping calmly at night because Mutu is one of the best forwards in Italy and Europe,” said Chivu. “He scored 17 [Serie A] goals this season and has played for many years in Italy. If Mr Pi?urc? selects him, I’m sure we will see the real Adrian Mutu and not the Mutu you saw against France.”
Inside information
Along with Mutu and Paul Codrea, who plays for AC Siena, FC Internazionale Milano defender Chivu also has considerable experience of Italian opposition. Indeed he is especially familiar with the core of the Azzurri squad having spent four seasons at AS Roma before joining Inter last summer. However, the 27-year-old believes this inside knowledge will be of negligible benefit as the Tricolorii go in search of their first win against Italy since 1989. “Everybody knows the Italian style of play. They have a special football culture and that is why they are the current world champions. Of course, it helps to know as much as you can about your opponents but in this case I don’t think it’s a particular advantage or disadvantage.”
‘Organised and motivated’
Eight years ago Chivu was part of the last Romania squad to reach a major finals when the inspirational Gheorghe Hagi led them to the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2000™ before a 2-0 defeat against the Azzurri in Brussels. The intervening years have been tough to bear for the younger generation of Romania players who have had to live in the shadow of their illustrious predecessors and Chivu is desperate for this squad to prove their worth by progressing to the last eight again. “This team is at least as strong as the team of 2000 but it’s better organised and more motivated,” said Chivu. “There’s been a lot of frustration for the last eight years and now we want to prove we are not a generation of losers. We want to show we can play at the highest level and we are going to prove it.”
