Paddy Agnew/Euroscene: So then, can Italy go 20 seconds better than in Euro 2000 and make up for the disappointment of that last-gasp failure against France in the Rotterdam final four years ago?
On the day the Italian team begins the final countdown to Euro 2004 with the first day of squad training at the Federation centre of Coverciano, Florence, who better to ask than team captain and 77-times-capped defender Fabio Cannavaro?
"Ah, Rotterdam," says Cannavaro with an engaging smile, "I thought you might ask that. Yeah, of course, there's still a big sense of regret about that night. Above all because for once we didn't do what Italians are good at; we should have been a bit more canny, a bit more expert at handling the situation we were in.
"If you go and look at the late equaliser that we conceded (to Wiltord), it was a whole chain of errors. First, one of our strikers gave away the ball, then Iuliano got beaten to a ball by Trezeguet, then my headed clearance was not good, then the ball went under Nesta's legs and finally Toldo did not get back in time to stop it. It was a whole chain of errors. Mind you, we were tired and we just lacked lucidity at the vital moment.
"On top of that, we ought to have had that game wrapped up well before full time. Del Piero had those two chances. But that's football - if you make a mistake, sometimes you pay dearly for it."
So then, we wondered, will Italy be an especially motivated team in Portugal, bearing in mind not only that close-run thing in Rotterdam but also Italy's disastrous World Cup campaign of two years ago?
"Both tournaments, in their different ways, have to be motivating factors for us, for sure."
In Italy, when the draw for Euro 2004 was finalised, most critics tended to argue things had gone well for the Azzurri. Cannavaro tends to disagree: "I didn't think it was an easy draw at all. For a start, the three sides that we have got (Denmark, Sweden, Bulgaria) are three solid, consistent teams . . . all won their qualifying groups.
"Also, all three are 'physical' teams. You say the opening game against Denmark will be our hardest one but, as far as I am concerned, they're all on the same level."
Among the many injury worries coach Giovanni Trapattoni takes into these finals is Cannavaro himself. For two seasons he's been trying to cope with the disastrous effect of having played with a micro-fracture in his right shin. He claims to be fully recovered.
Trapattoni will hope that is so since Italy, for the first time since Germany 1988, go into a major tournament without the reassuring presence of Paolo Maldini in defence. The Italian captain is aware of his responsibilities but argues that the Italian squad has such all-round strength there need be no worries about defence.
If there is a "key" player in this Italian team, Cannavaro argues it is not himself but rather AS Roma playmaker Francesco Totti.
"Totti is our main main, there's no doubt about it. I know we have great players like Vieri, Cassano and Del Piero but I think that the guy who can really get these players going is Totti. If Totti is playing well, then they will all be playing well.
Given Italy's tendency to start slowly in major tournaments, would he settle for a draw against Denmark? "We're Italy, we can't be thinking draw this game, winning that one and scraping through. We are going to Portugal to win Euro 2004 and that means we have to go there intending to win six games out of six."
Spoken like a team captain.
aleagnew@tin.it
