Finger pointed at Sacchi after Italy's failure

THE finger is pointed at one man - Arrigo Sacchi. In the bitter aftermath of Italy's premature elimination from these European Championships, Italian soccer critics and fans alike have no doubt that 99.9 per cent of the blame for Italy's failure has to be laid squarely on the shoulders of the Italian coach, Sacchi.

"Italy Out, Sacchi, on Trial" went the front page headline in yesterday's Rome daily Il Messaggero. Milan based sports daily Gazetta Dello Sport probably produced the most representative front paged headline with its "The Blues (Italy) Go Home, Heads Held High - Sacchi No".

The same themes dominate nearly all the huge swelter of analysis devoted to Italy's debacle. Everyone accepts that had Gianfranco Zola not missed that seventh minute penalty against Germany then we might all be telling a different story today. At the same time, however, everyone points out that Italy's real blunder, above all Sacchi's real blunder, came in the 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic.

Sacchi is adjudged guilty of presumption for the manner in which he broke one of soccer's oldest unwritten rules, namely that you do not change a winning side, when he rang five changes for the Czech game following Italy's 2-1 opening win against Russia. That apparent under estimation of the Czechs infuriated fans and critics alike, many of whom feel that one of the best sides seen so far at the tournament is going home early, primarily because of the arrogance of its coach.

If we are to judge on the unhappy experience of these European Championships, then one has to conclude that Sacchi does not know how to handle a tournament like this. He miscalculated the preparation, the timing and the pace of this tournament. He has led Italian soccer to one of its greatest humiliations, that of being eliminated in the first round of a 16 nation European Championship. "We find ourselves on the same level as Turkey, Romania and Scotland," wrote Gazzetta Dello Sport editor Candido Cannavo in a front page comment.

In reference to the fact that, for a few minutes towards the end when Russia were heating the Czech Republic 3-2, Italy would have qualified anyway, many commentators point out that, for once, Sacchi's good luck deserted him.

In a front page comment in Milan's daily Corriere Della Sera Giorgio Tossati writes:

"In the USA World Cup two years ago, Sacchi was on his way home when a last minute goal from Roberto Baggio (against Nigeria) saved him.

This time, there was no miracle man ... Sacchi had lost everything, even fortune's fickle favours. Thus we go out of a European Championship that we could have won thanks to the incompetent handling of our football capital by Sacchi."

All media comment highlighted Sacchi's defiant post match declaration that he would not resign. Judged by a radio phone-in yesterday morning, the fans disagree. The presenter had to wait an hour and take hundreds of calls before he could find even one person who felt Sacchi should stay on.

The media critics agree. Gazetta Dello Sport claims it will be a "long, hot summer" for Italian soccer, while Corriere Dello Sera does not mince words, calling for a new national coach: "The Sacchi story ends with his 50th game in charge (on Wednesday against Germany). He may well be good, he may even be a genius but we absolutely have to find ourselves a normal coach capable of guiding us to victory against sides that are weaker than us (eg: The Czechs)"