[Europe Group 2]
8 matches 5 wins 3 ties 0 loss (18 points)
| 10/5/96 | Vs. Moldova | Win | 1-3 |
| 10/9/96 | Vs. Georgia | Win | 1-0 |
| 2/12/97 | Vs. England | Win | 0-1 |
| 3/29/97 | Vs. Moldova | Win | 3-0 |
| 4/2/97 | Vs. Poland | Draw | 0-0 |
| 4/30/97 | Vs. Poland | Win | 3-0 |
| 9/10/97 | Vs. Georgia | Draw | 0-0 |
| 97/10/11 | Vs. England | Draw | 0-0 |
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| 10/29/97 | Vs. Russia | Draw | 1-1 |
| 11/15/97 | Vs. Russia | Win | 1-1 |
| Offense |
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Defense |
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Experience |
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Capacity to surprise |
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The team strategy for coach Cesare Maldini, who currently holds the reigns, is the traditional Italian style of counter attacks based on primary emphasis on the defense on which the Italians pride themselves. This is never a spectacle and more than winning soccer, is a way to not lose and the figure of one goal given up in the entire qualifying round (excluding the playoffs) is proof of this. The same as the style, the current team can seem somewhat plain, but it actually has all its forces lined up and is perfectly capable of winning the entire championship. First, at goalkeeper, the Italians boast the best quality and quantity of all the countries appearing in the tournament. With the regular goalkeeper Peruzzi, the regular goalkeeper from the last World Cup Pagliuca and then the young hope Hofun from Palma, all are perfect and without any weak points. Furthermore, the 5-man defensive core holds a wealth of personnel, including Costacurta, Cannavaro, and Maldini, as well as Nesta, Negro, and Torricelli. The immovable stopper Parara should have been a central player in the defense, but it is questionable whether he will recover from his injury in time for the tournament. This is the one and only uncertainty about the defense.
The fixed members of the problem middle field are Albertini at the center, Di Matteo on the right, and D. Baggio on the left. The subs include Fuser and Di Biagio, who has been coming up quite rapidly as late. The Italian team is rich in attackers. For the starters, Del Piero is almost certain, with Vieri and Casiraghi, and others to battle it out for the other spots.
*Federazione Italiana
Giuoco Calcio
[Address]
- Via Gregorio Allegri 14,
- CP2450, 00198 Roma
[Established] 1898
*14th World Cup
(1934, 1938, 1950, 1954,
1962, 1966, 1970, 1974,
1978, 1982, 1986, 1990,
1994, 1998)
3 championships
(1934, 1938, 1982) |
Demetrio ALBERTINI
* Midfielder
For Italy, with its uncertainties about its midfielders, Albertini is a critical and irreplaceable player.
The presence of Albertini, who serves as a fixed regular in a thinly manned midfield, is critical and indispensable for the Italian team. Not only can he nip opposing attacks in the bud from the bottom of midfield, but he can aggressively dominate the midfield and supply passes that start the attack. Since the team does not function when Albertini is missing, he holds the key to the team to such an extent that coach Maldini has said "When he catches a cold, the entire team catches a cold". He has left his mark not only at the Milan team he belongs to, but also on the world stage at the 1994 World Cup in the United States and has a wealth of experience that belies his age of 26. His middle shooting and vertical passes leading to goals bear watching.
Cesare MALDINI
A traditional "katenacio". On the 1982 World Cup championship team, he was the sub for coach Beartsuotto and also left his mark as the coach of the national under-21 team. He took over as coach of the national team from the previous coach, Sacci. In his playing days, he contributed to the conquest of the Champion's Cup as a member of the Milan team. There are those who say that no-lose soccer emphasizing defense above all else is dangerous nowadays when a win gains 3 points and a tie only 1, but if the Italians can make it through the preliminaries, there is a high chance of this strategy proving effective. His son Paolo is the current team captain.
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