IT SHOULD not really be necessary to travel to the soft underbelly of Europe to discover if Italy still have the stomach for their World Cup qualifier against England at Wembley in three weeks' time. In fact, curiosity, as much as anything, brings Glenn Hoddle to Sicily for tonight's friendly against Northern Ireland.
The England coach knows what the quality of the opposition will be. What he needs to ascertain is how Italy will play now that Arrigo Sacchi, arch-disciple of the team ethic and 4-4-2, has given way to Ccsare Maldini, a 65-year-old believer in the power of individuals to sway games provided the defence is right.
Before Christmas Bryan Hamilton's modest Northern Ireland mix of FA Premiership and English League players picked up an unexpected World Cup point against Germany with a 1-1 draw in Nuremburg accompanied by the sort of determined, industrious performance which, the Italians believe, makes them ideal opponents with the England match so close.
However, injuries and club calls have deprived Hamilton of almost an entire team. So much so that Manchester City's Jeff Whitley, who is only just 17, looks set to become Northern Ireland's first black player.
Arsenal's Steve Morrow will be given the task of marking Gianfranco Zola, the Chelsea man having been recalled to the Italian side at the expense of Middlesbrough's disaffected Fabrizio Ravanelli. With Roberto di Matteo also included, the La Favorita Stadium is promised a little flavour of Stamford Bridge.
Hoddle will be seeking clues to Italy's intentions for the night of February 12th. If the side Maldini announced yesterday is any guide England will face a more traditional exercise in catenaccio than would have been the case had Saachi still been in charge.
Ciro Ferrara will operate as a sweeper behind Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini, the coach's son, while Di Livio and Amcdo Carboni are employed as wing-backs. Di Matteo, Demetrio Albertini and Dino Baggio will play in central midfield with Pierluigi Casiraghi and Zola up front.
Cesare Maldini made no apologies for reverting to a more traditional Italian style. "To go hack is no problem," he said. "We will try these things out. If they are not working we still have an opportunity to put them right."
The Italian coach will go to Wembley with the potential strength of Hoddle's wide payers, who could be Beckham and Le Saux, uppermost in his thoughts. He freely admits to being impressed with this aspect of England's present style. He also needs to find a libero to cope with Alan Shearer, and Franco Baresi is no longer around.
"In the name of the father and the son, coach and captain," was how Gazzetta dello Sport greeted the prospects of a Maldini dynasty yesterday. The form of the younger Maldini, like that of the Milan side as a whole, has fluctuated this season but he remains crucial to Italy's chances of a smooth passage to the 1998 World Cup.
Father, son, but what about the Holy Ghost? Ravanelli, who always looked as though he had seen one even before he first clapped eyes on Middlesbrough, is the first casualty of the new order, but was putting a brave face on his disappointment yesterday.
"The important thing is to give a fine display in front of the Palermo fans," he observed. This part of Italy seldom sees international matches and yesterday's training session was watched by a crowd of 3,600.
First matches under new coaches anywhere are always testing times for international players and this will be an especially tense game for the Italians with disappointing memories of Euro '96 still fresh and the England game so close.
"We have to win," said Di Matteo yesterday: "We need this for team 5-pint and confidence before the game against England. That is now the only thing on all our minds."
The way Maldini's side acquits itself in defence and midfield will be of particular interest to Hoddle as he ponders ways to avoid the stalemate at Wembley which would play into Italian hands. Certainly the combination in Italy's central midfield should give the England coach a valuable preview of the tasks likely to face whatever creative force he can muster.
Tonight Italy need a victory but three weeks from now they will be more than satisfied with a draw. Hoddle may learn less from what Maldini's attack achieves against Northern Ireland than from what his defence gives away, if it gives away anything at all.
