Euro 2000 semi finals - Italy: player by player

First Published: Jun 28, 2000

Italy face a difficult Euro 2000 semi final on Thursday night in Amsterdam when they have to subdue the excellent form of Holland in front of their own fans but coach Dino Zoff has assembled a tough squad and here is a player guide to the men who will try to defy the odds and beat Holland.

GOALKEEPERS

FRANCESCO TOLDO

Toldo is involved with club problems as the days pass towards the Euro finals and this is a worry for coach Zoff as Fiorentina man is now the number one choice for Italy after the broken hand injury for Gianluigi Buffon. Transfer speculation has dogged him for some time but last month he was keen to stay at Fiorentina but rumours persist that he will leave the club in the summer.

Zoff rates him highly but distractions off the field may not help him to replace Buffon. In his won right he is an excellent goalkeeper and one of the best in Europe. Tall with excellent technique in each part of his game Toldo made his international debut five years ago. He has overcome early nerves to produce good saves for Italy at Euro 2000 and is growing in confidence.

CHRISTIAN ABBIATI

Only joined the full squad this week after an impressive display in the under-21 tournament which Italy won. By the time of the final Abbiati had already received the call from coach Zoff that called him into contention for Euro 2000 as the understudy to new first choice Toldo.

Abbiati first came to prominence with AC Milan after the club got nervous over new signing Jens Lehmann and blamed the German 'keeper for several rubbish performances. That allowed in the youngster and he impressed everyone in the Italian game with his attitude and maturity. He has the excellent reflexes and confidence to challenge for a regular place in the national team.

FRANCESCO ANTONIOLI

The third choice goalkeeper and a reserve for AS Roma. Antonioli was chosen by Zoff when Internazionale star Angelo Peruzzi refused a place in the Euro squad saying he did not want to go to the finals as third choice. The second understudy post suits Antonioli well as he is at the start of his career.

DEFENDERS

PAOLO MALDINI

Fast with the ball and even faster without it, he is a consistent performer at a very high level for his club and country. A symbol of the Italian game and destined to be considered an all-time great Italian defender. Maldini has strong attacking tendencies and is always willing to get up field and support his attackers. Still one of the world's best left backs, the Milan captain has experience as a centre back for the national side. Currently on a massive 102 caps and destined to gain more during Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup campaign but a thigh problem could see him miss thee semi final.

CIRO FERRARA

Outstanding defensive leader for Juventus who dominates attackers and has great tackling ability. One challenge from this Napoli-born player can dismantle an attack but at 33 he is now coming to the end of an excellent career. He is in the squad to deputise for Nesta and Cannavaro and is likely to see some action in the Euro finals.

MARK IULIANO

Ferrara's partner in a mean Juventus defence that came close to winning the title for Turin this season with the attackers letting the side down in the vital later stages of the campaign. Iuliano can play across the defence and has emerged in the last two seasons as a Juventus regular after he deputised for Ferrara the end of the 1998 season when the senior player suffered a serious broken leg. He emerged from the reserves to take his place in the team and is now a regular first choice for Zoff at centre back after some commanding displays this month.

FABIO CANNAVARO

Cannavaro worked with coach Cesare Maldini in the under-21 squad and he became an automatic choice for the national team as the last World Cup loomed. A Napoli man by birth and one of the most important players in the Parma defence, Cannavaro is really fast. Though not his speciality, he can be a good man marker if necessary. Euro 2000 sees him as a first choice for Dino Zoff in the centre of defence and one of the true stars of the current Italian scene.

PAOLO NEGRO

Now a champion with SS Lazio, Negro's progress has been slow but sure over the past three years since he became a regular choice in the Lazio first team. Fast and a good header, Nesta has positional awareness and a tough attitude to defending.

A hard tackler who can mark at club level with great determination. He also contributes with late runs into attack for Lazio and set piece conversions but he is not a certain starter for Zoff's Italy but a very useful reserve. The fact that Nesta cannot get a place in the team indicates how strong Italy are in defence which is a great quality to have in tournament play like Euro 2000.

GIANLUCA PESSOTTO

A left sided defender who gets through all the mundane midfield work of chasing and harrying the opposition well. Entirely negative in outlook and contribution, Pessotto may not even get over half way if he is picked for the team. Zoff knows he can use the Juventus defender as a man marker. His presence in the side would indicate that the cautious Zoff really was trying to eliminate risk.

ALESSANDRO NESTA

SS Lazio captain still buoyed by the championship win last month, Nesta has been regarded for more than three years as the best young defender in Italy.

He lasted only minutes in the last World Cup and suffered a serious knee injury in a Paris game against Austria that saw him contemplate retirement and his future with Lazio, the club he joined as a 12 year old. In trying to find some security after the injury he negotiated with a Dutch agent to be transferred to Atletico Madrid in 2001 but that deal has been challenged by Lazio and the Spanish club could not afford him. A great defender and a first choice for Zoff in defence, Euro 2000 see hims at an early peak in a career that promises much for club and country.

MIDFIELDERS

LUIGI DI BIAGIO

Understudy to Albertini in the heart of the Italian midfield, Di Biagio is a mobile defensive midfielder who can contribute to the attack with some sharp shooting but whose main role is to link the play and protect the defensive at its centre. One of the fittest and hardest runners in Italian football, the Inter midfielder has stayed with the Italian squad after a late arrival in Cesare Maldini's plans before the last World Cup. The Milan club bought him from AS Roma last year. He will replace the injured Conte in the semi final tomorrow night.

DEMETRIO ALBERTINI

A tough tackler who rarely scores, Albertini lost his place in the national team last year but is now back as first choice to start at centre midfield. Fetches and carries the ball in midfield and rarely ventures too far forward.

Albertini has won plenty of honours for Milan but does not look the strong player he did three years ago. He appears satisfied to pick off attacks and rarely forces the play himself for the Italy team and doubts over his creative intentions in a team have always followed his inclusion. He passes well but rarely uses the long ball and is not a fast runner whose form for Milan has been dipping for the last three seasons. For Italy at Euro 2000 though Albertini is developing into a key midfield presence and his all round team play has even created two goals so far.

ALESSANDRO DEL PIERO

Two good feet and unerring accuracy of shot used to see him score consistently for Juventus in Serie A. This is no longer the case and there are serious doubts about his ability to establish himself in the international side.

A November 1998 knee injury seriously disrupted his career but he came back from surgery to be made the best paid footballer in the world by Juve with a new five year contract which will see his wages rise to top £10 million a season by the end of the contract. On the back of this new deal he has scored one league goal from open play for the Turin club in eighteen months and he is getting by at the moment on a stellar reputation that may not last much longer. He was supposed to be Italy's star at France 98 but patchy form and injuries saw him look ordinary.

He is anything but an ordinary player but needs to put two grim years behind him for club and country to find the skills that thrilled the world four years ago. A player who should be a great talent too often gets lost in pointless wing play that ends up conceding the ball. Del Piero is in a bad rut and needs to get out of it quickly. Time is running out with Totti regarded by many as the surer bet to help the team.

ANTONIO CONTE

A former SS Napoli party goer with Diego Maradona, Conte moved to Juventus and has emerged as a key figure in that club's great recent form in the Italian championship. For Italy he always brings his all action and aggressive style to bear on midfield opponents and has been on the international scene for the last six years.

A real fighter who lusts to get into midfield battles, Conte's energy and dynamism could see him start many matches at the Euro finals. Going easy in training for the last week before the start of the tournament with an ankle injury.

An ugly stamp by Gheorghe Hagi in the quarter final ended Conte's tournament with ruptured ankle ligaments. He later accused Hagi of trying to break his leg in the worst tackle so far at Euro 2000 which only saw Hagi yellow carded. Ê

FRANCESCO TOTTI

A super star for AS Roma and symbol of the club, Totti has spent six years in the Roma first team squad after progressing from watching his heroes as a boy on the Curva Sud. An old fashioned play maker behind the strikers Totti could well have a great influence on events at Euro 2000 if Italy are to go a long way.

In much better form than Del Piero, Totti's constructive passing and crossing are real meat for the strikers to feed off and he can also get stuck into any midfield battle with courage. He has emerged to carry the burden of Roma fans' desperate desire for success and has handled all the attention and drama very well in that intense football city. Now he bears the hopes of Italy's expectations too andd has been fulfilling them with excellent goals and great performances. Totti is one of the real stars of Euro 2000.

GIANLUCA ZAMBROTTA

Midfield trickster for Juventus who may not have what it takes at moments of crisis. His last match for Juve saw him last only minutes as a second half substitute as Juve chased the Serie A title and were going down to a 1-0 loss at a rain drenched Perugia. Zambrotta responded to a desperate situation for his club with a horror tackle that saw him red carded. A sad end to a good season since a transfer last summer from Bari.

He has confirmed all the original assessments of his play with neat passing and unpredictable distribution and decisions on the field. Including him in the starting line up would see Zoff at his most positive and - whisper it quietly - attacking.

Zambrotta has featured in every game for Italy so far but has not contributed much to attack. His aggressive wide play is now used mainly defensively by Zoff.

STEFANO FIORE

The subject of intense press speculation over his future at Udinese this summer with several big city outfits close to bidding for the 25 year old. All the attention is focussed on a ball playing midfielder whose form and hard work have seen Udinese produce a good season in Serie A. He has emerged as a top prospect if not for Euro 2000 then for the World Cup matches to come. Zoff has been persuaded by his late season flourish but only an international contender since February. Fiore is now a regular in the team at Euro 2000 and his excellent team play has helped Italy to win matches.

MASSIMO AMBROSINI

Runabout AC Milan stopper whose stamina and attitude make him another steady choice for coach Zoff if he wants to pack the midfield with ball winners and rely on something unexpected from Del Piero. In no way an attacking force he rivals club mate Albertini in his reluctance to attack. Zoff pairing both of them in midfield could see the opposition goal keeper made to play as a 'rush'. All the technical assets of a well schooled Italian stopper whose robot-like play could be a major asset in a tournament.

ANGELO DI LIVIO

A surprise inclusion by Zoff after a poor year for Fiorentina, Di Livio will struggle to make up for lost time with the Italy team. He was included in the national team for many games at France 98 when he was at Juventus and coming off the best form of his life. Many observers agreed that he was still pretty bad even then but he does offer an option to Zoff of a wide midfield player and is the only other squad member other than Del Piero who can play wide in midfield.

STRIKERS

FILIPPO INZAGHI

Inzaghi is a natural goal poacher whose game is based on penalty area activity. With the injury to Christian Vieri Inzaghi is now the principle forward for Zoff unless the coach decides to revise his plans for attack completely after several poor games in the run up to the Euro finals.

While Italy do not concede many goals it is up to Inzaghi to make the few chances that arise at this level count and doubts remain about his ability to carry a team through a tournament. His five goals in 20 appearances is an average return and without Vieri to help him the flaws in his play - a hurried finish and the tendency to drift from the game - may be exposed unless Zoff reconsiders the players to field alongside the Juventus forward. His last game at the Turin club saw him fluff several great chances to win Juve the championship and his confidence may not be good.

Inzaghi remains under pressure from fans and media and the arrival at JJuve next season of David Trezeguet could threaten his place at club level. Two goals so far but still too many misses

MARCO DELVECCHIO

Tall and rangy striker who can offer a good target for crosses and whose ball skills are excellent too. When confident he can produce excellent textbook finishes to moves and he contributes well to creating attacks by holding up play. Once Vieri was injured Delvecchio became an even more viable option and he could start matches as a partner for Inzaghi.

Good volleying skills and the ability to improvise finishes and batter defenders with heavy tackles make Delvecchio a very valuable attacker for Zoff to have at Euro 2000 but has only made one brief appearance as a substitute so far.

VINCENZO MONTELLA

An AS Roma team mate of Delveccio and Totti so if Zoff plays all three at once then the club understanding could offer Italy some hope of scoring goals. This tactic is very unlikely and the gifted Montella will understudy Inzaghi. A good first season in Rome saw goals and good team work from this £14 million arrival from Sampdoria who can score from close range or distance.

The signing of Gabriel Batistuta by Roma has seen parties all over Rome as the club's fans try to forget their 'year of shame' but Montella's confidence has crashed and he may want to leave the club as his career threatens to stall in the shadow of the great Argentine. A regular goal scorer in Zoff's training matches at the squad camp for Euro 2000 but has yet to play any part in the tournament.