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WORLD CUP COUNTDOWN
No. 15 Italy
 They snuck into the finals via the back door, but only the foolhardy will dismiss the chances of the country that boasts the finest domestic league in world football.
ITALY EXPECTS. After the heartbreak of USA 94 and the tragedy of Euro 96, the Italians are convinced that France 98 will be a tournament to remember for all the right reasons. Memories of Baggio blazing the ball over the bar in the Rose Bowl, which handed the championship to Brazil, are still vivid and painful memories for the Italians. But a lot has happened since that fateful evening in Pasadena four years ago - not least the arrival of Cesare Maldini as national coach in place of Arrigo Sacchi. Maldini is well-known to the players - many were members of the side which won the three European Under-21 Championships under his guidance. They possess a great deal of character, they're a well-knit unit," he says. No surprise there. You would expect Italians to possess great strength of character to go with their exceptional technique. But those qualities weren't enough to stop Italy being condemned to the France 98 play-offs after failing to beat England in their final group qualifying match in Rome. Maldini at least showed there that they could battle with the best when they overcame Russia in a two-legged play-off last November to make it to France via the back door. "I have always had great confidence in my players," Maldini said afterwards. "They can deal with all situations, including a two-legged play-off against a formidable Russian team." The coach is quick to praise his players, but is making no claims as to how they will fare in France. "I'm not the type to throw wild predictions around," he says. But Maldini knows what it takes to win the World Cup - he was assistant to Ensue Bearzot when Italy last won the World Cup in Spain in 1982.
"For a competition like the World Cup, we must be in a very good mental condition for 20-odd days, he says. Nerves count almost as much as technique and physical conditions. But there are no miracle solutions. I simply believe that we must not start off too quickly. That is what happened in 1978 when we finished the World Cup on our knees!"
Italy have avoided playing too many friendlies in the run-up to France 98. They beat Slovakia 1-0 in January and had a comfortable win over Paraguay in April. But Maldini has opted to work with his players on the training pitch. He insists that he's still a long way from deciding on his final 22 for France. That's good news for Roberto Baggio, but not for Gianfranco Zola. Maldini is a big fan of a 'Little and Large' attack. Christian Vieri, Pierluigi Casiraghi and Fabrizio Ravanelli will probably be the 'Large' strikers in the squad, with Del Piero and one other vying for the 'Little' role. With Zola out of sorts for Chelsea in recent months, but Baggio in blistering form for Bologna, could the Divine Ponytail be about to make a comeback at the expense of the Chelsea hero? It looks highly likely Maldini is careful not to rule out anyone. He says: "Baggio made a good start to the season. His handicap is playing in a team that is at the bottom of the table. But I haven't closed the door. There is still time to choose who will lead us in France."
Although the final squad is far from decided, Inter winger Francesco Moriero looks to have booked his place. He scored twice on his first full appearance for the Azzuri against Paraguay and will be a useful addition to a squad which is brimming with attacking talent. Add the defensive strength we've come to expect from the Italians and Maldini's men will be fearsome opponents in France. Write them off at your peril.
THE GREATS
Paolo Rossi
Dino Zoff
Sandro Mazzola
Roberto Baggio
STRANGE BUT TRUE
1. Midfielder Demetrio Albertini's twin brother is a priest.
2. Defender Alessandro Costacurta's nickname is Billy.Why? Because the basketball club he supported as a boy featured an ad on their shirts for an insurance compnay called 'Bile'. That's it!
3. Striker Christian Vieri was brought up in Australia.
BIGGEST WIN
8-0 v Japan, August 7 1936
MOST EMBARASSING DEFEAT
5-1 v Austria, November 9 1947
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HOW ITALY QUALIFIED
AFTER ITALY failed to beat England in Rome in their final group match they were condemned to face Russia in a two-legged play-off. Italy had been the early favourites to qualify from Group 2. They won their first four matches, including a seemingly priceless 1-0 win at Wembley in Cesare Maldini's first competitive game in charge. But the Azzuri slipped up on the road, failing to score in draws with Poland and Georgia. With England winning all their away matches, the group went to the wire - and Italy failed the final test in Rome.
The play-off against the Russians was potentially tricky - but Maldini's men passed their test with flying colours. In the freezing Moscow mud, Christian Vieri scored a vital away goal as the match finished 1-1. The Italians could face the return leg in Naples with confidence. Pierluigi Casiraghi was the hero on the night, scoring the only goal of the game halfway through the second half to book Italy's tickets for France.
EUROPE GROUP 2
05.10.96 Moldova 1 Italy 3 Ravanelli 2, Casiraghi
09.10.96 Italy 1 Georgia 0 Ravanelli
12.02.97 England 0 Italy 1 Zola
29.03.97 Italy 3 Moldova 0 Maldini, Zola, Vieri
02.04.97 Poland 0 Italy 0
30.04.97 Italy 3 Poland 0 Di Matteo, Maldini, R Baggio
10.09.97 Georgia 0 Italy 0
11.10.97 Italy 0 England 0
P W D L F A Pts
England 8 6 1 1 15 2 19
Italy 8 5 3 0 11 1 18
Poland 8 3 1 4 10 12 10
Georgia 8 3 1 4 7 9 10
Moldova 8 0 0 8 2 21 0
*Italy enter play-offs
PLAY-OFFS
29.10.97 Russia 1 Italy 1-1 Vieri
15.11.97 Italy 1 Russia 1-0 Casiraghi
Italy win 2-1 on aggregate
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ITALY'S WORLD CUP HISTORY
ITALY HAVE an impressive pedigree that few can match. In fact, only Germany and Brazil can claim better records than the three-time winners and twice runners-up Azzuri.
Under coach Vittorio Pozzo, the Italians dominated world football in the 1930s and set the standards in the early years of the World Cup. They won the finals on home soil in 1934 and retained their title four years later in France.
The 1950s and early 1960s were lean years for the Italians, a result of the 1949 Superga aircrash which wiped out the Torino team which formed the backbone of the Italian national team. Italy didn't make it past the first round of any of the 1950, 1954 and 1962 finals, and failed to even qualify for the 1958 finals in Sweden. Worse was to come in England in 1966 though. The Italians lost 1-0 to North Korea in one of the biggest upsets the World Cup has ever witnessed and departed the tournament ignominiously.
Italy finally got back on track in 1970's Mexico tournament. The Italians overcame Sweden, Uruguay and Israel in their opening group games before demolishing Mexico 4-1 in the quarter-finals. There then followed two of the greatest ever World Cup matches. Firstly Italy got the better of West Germany in a seven-goal extra-time thriller in the semi-final to set up a final showdown with Brazil. The South Americans, who have since gone down in history as the greatest World Cup side ever, were given a real game for much of the Final, equalising Pele's early goal shortly before half-time. It was only in the last quarter of the match that the Brazilians finally turned the screw, scoring three times who could forget Carlos Alberto's memorable fourth? to take the title.
There followed big disappoinment in 1974 as Italy crashed out in the first round following defeat by Poland, but four years later the Italians fared a lot better, beating eventual winners Argentina 1-0 in an opening group match, before losing 2-1 to Holland in what was effectively a semi-final.
Italy started the 1982 finals in Spain slowly, drawing with Poland, Peru and Cameroon. But they did enough to make the second round group, where they beat holders Argentina 2-1 and then favourites Brazil 3-2 in a classic match which was decided by a Paolo Rossi hat-trick. Rossi was again on target in the semis, when Poland were defeated 2-0 and West Germany were outclassed 3-1 in the Final in Madrid. Italy were world champions for a record-equalling third time.
Italy failed to live up to their title of World Champions four years later in Mexico, going out of the tournament to a Michel Platini-inspired France in the second round. On home soil in 1990 big things were expected of the host nation and they didn't disappoint in the early rounds, beating Austria, USA, Czechoslvakia, Uruguay and the Republic of Ireland before losing on penalties to Argentina in the semi-finals. Spot-kicks again proved Italy's undoing at USA 94, with Roberto Baggio and Franco Baresi both missing penalties as Italy lost to Brazil in a match which never lived up to its billing as a repeat of the 1970 Final.
WORLD CUP RECORD
year round reached
1930 Did not enter
1934 Winners
1938 Winners
1950 1st round
1954 1st round
1958 Did not qualify
1962 1st round
1966 1st round
1970 Runners-up
1974 1st round
1978 Semi-finalists
1982 Winners
1986 2nd round
1990 Semi-finalists
1994 Runners-up
Total games played 61, won 35, drawn 14, lost 12, goals for 97, goals against 59
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ITALY WORD CUP FIXTURES
v Chile, June 11, Bordeaux
The Italians open against a Chilean side who don't travel well and must be considered there for the taking.
v Cameroon, June 17, Montpellier
Could be the game of the group - if Cameroon repeat their 1990 performance rather than their 1994 debacle.
v Austria, June 23, Paris St Denis
A must-win match for Italy against an Austrian side who will be content with a draw.
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