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Italy pays for lackluster outing
ROME (AP) -- Italy flew off to snowy Russia on Monday, wary of a tricky away leg in the countries' World Cup qualifying playoff and hoping to cancel the memory of a lackluster effort in its last outing.Coach Cesare Maldini's starting 11 for the game Wednesday could reflect the Italians' preoccupation with the weather in Moscow, where temperatures are dipping below freezing.
The steady snow blanketing the city prompted Italy to get special cleats prepared for the conditions and has Maldini leaning towards a strike force comprised of two of his sturdiest players: Atletico Madrid's Christian Vieri and Olympique Marseille's Fabrizio Ravanelli.
The thinking is that a slippery, sloppy field would limit the effectiveness of smaller and finesse players like Gianfranco Zola or Alessandro Del Piero. They both sat out Monday's intrasquad scrimmage, while the powerful Vieri and Ravanelli were paired up front.
Such a tactic could backfire, though, because it limits the amount of creative play. Both members of the likely forward duo are known more for finishing chances than sparking them.
But Maldini laughed off such suggestions.
"I'm not just picking my forwards based on size," the coach said. "Both Vieri and Ravanelli have shown they know what to do with their feet."
Vieri, particularly, has been hot recently, with back-to-back hat-tricks for Atletico Madrid. He was the only striker who played the full 90 minutes in Italy's Oct. 11 debacle against England. That scoreless draw, Italy's third in four games, forced the Azzurri into the two-game playoff against Russia for a spot at next summer's World Cup finals in France. The second leg is Nov. 15 at Naples.
If Maldini does go with the two big players in attack, it will help that Chelsea's Roberto Di Matteo is back from suspension and will take some of the playmaking burden off Demetrio Albertini at midfield.
On defence, Maldini's son Paolo, the team captain and left-back, was optimistic Monday that he'll play despite a lingering ankle injury.
"When I wake up my ankle still hurts a little, but on Wednesday night a little warm-up will be enough to avoid any problem," the younger Maldini said.
Given that he won't be 100 per cent healthy and goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi and centre-back Ciro Ferrara are definitely out injured, it's likely the coach will opt for a protected, five-man backfield.
The Russians have their own injury woes, with defenders Omari Tetradze and Yuri Nikiforov and forwards Igor Simutenkov and Dmitry Cheryshev sidelined. But winger Andrei Kanchelskis, who plays for Italian first-division club Fiorentina, appears ready to play, despite a nagging leg problem.