France Need Zidane to Unbolt Italian Defence
ROTTERDAM (Reuters)(DS) - French hopes of becoming European as well as world champions on Sunday could hinge on the ability of midfield inspiration Zinedine Zidane to do what the Dutch team could not -- find a way through Italy's defence.
The Netherlands, with 12 goals in their previous four games and seemingly threatening from every angle, eventually ran out of ideas and foundered on the Azzurri rock. It was a lesson for France that they will not win the title merely by taking the field with a reputation for goals.
Some purists may bemoan the fact that in a tournament that has sparkled with attacking play Italy have reached the final by negative means. But their presence is a healthy reminder that much of the fascination of football is that it is not merely a game of scoring goals but also of stopping them.
Confronted with an Italian newspaper headline describing Thursday's effort as "Embarrassing heroism", coach Dino Zoff he insisted he had nothing to be ashamed of. "My job is to field a team to its best advantage," he said. "I have to be realistic and play to the strengths of the squad."
The fans too are quite happy to gain success by any means. On show at Thursday's semifinal was a huge banner simply but proudly declaring: "Catenaccio!!!" Literally translated as "bolt," the term has a far more meaningful resonance in soccer circles as it refers to the style of play perfected by the Italians of the late 1960s and early 1970s where defence was all.
UNQUENCHABLE SPIRIT
The class of '68, the only previous Italian team to win the European title, would have been proud of the current crop who showed not only their traditional organisational brilliance in the semifinal but an unquenchable spirit to hold the Dutch off for two hours despite having only 10 men from as early as the 33rd minute.
But it will be extremely hard for them to raise themselves physically and mentally for a repeat performance less than 72 hours after going through the emotional wringer and emerging victorious in a penalty shootout for the first time in five attempts. And in Zidane they face possibly the world's best footballer performing at the peak of his powers.
The Juventus maestro will not be fazed by defenders whose downfall he plots on a weekly basis in Serie A. Whether placing passes into spaces unseen by footballing mortals or driving into the heart of the danger area with a swaggering dribble, Zidane represents danger at every turn.
"Zidane must be aware of what he can bring to the team," said coach Roger Lemerre. "When he takes on the responsibility of running the game he can turn it around." Italian midfielders Luigi Di Biagio and Demetrio Albertini, whose tireless running did much the blunt the threat of Edgar Davids on Thursday, will have to draw on new reserves of energy to try to ensure Zidane does not.
FRESH LEGS
They will have fresh legs to help them, probably those of Fiorentina's Angelo Di Livio who is the likely replacement for Gianluca Zambrotta, suspended after his semifinal red card. Lemerre has a more luxurious selection dilemma as he decides whether to find places for Youri Djorkaeff and Christophe Dugarry, who sat out the semifinal with the coach saying they needed rest.
Lemerre seems likely to retain his midfield trio of Didier Deschamps, Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira, and while Thierry Henry looks secure up front, his semifinal partner Nicolas Anelka may make way for Djorkaeff.
One certain starter, however, is central defender Laurent Blanc. The 34-year-old has said he will retire from the international game after the tournament and few neutrals would begrudge him a victorious farewell in the light of his 1998 heartache when he missed the World Cup final through suspension.
Blanc epitomises the spirit of the French team, who have regularly shown an ability to mix it when their elegant football is not producing the goods. The way they kept driving forward in the semifinal against Portugal showed that the Italians do not have a monopoly in the enthusiasm department. That unflinching French belief in attack must now go the extra yard to overcome Italy's proven faith in defence.
