Italians bullish

"Italy, What Luck! An Easy Group For The 2010 World Cup". The headline yesterday on the front page of Italy's leading sports paper, Gazzetta Dello Sportsaid it all. Nor was Gazzettaalone in its view that Sunday's draw for the qualifying rounds of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa had been kind to Italy. Facing Ireland does not seem to worry Italian commentators.

"All Smiles in Durban, No Traps For Italy" was the headline on the sports pages of Turin daily La Stampa, whilst Rome sports daily, Corriere Dello Sportwas equally enthusiastic, with a front page headline, "For Italy, The World Cup Begins With A Downhill Run". Even more outspoken was Rome daily Il Messaggero which led with, "It's Too Easy - A Favourable Group For Italy, Only Bulgaria Should Worry Us".

The critics are agreed that Italy did more than well to avoid sides like England, Sweden, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. La Stampa underlines the relatively low Fifa rankings of all Italy's forthcoming opponents: "For us, this draw was like a bunch of roses . . . Given that none of our opponents have qualified for Euro 2008, the Fifa classification spells it out loud and clear: Italy are ranked 3rd, Bulgaria 18th, Ireland 35th, Cyprus 65th, Georgia 77th and Montenegro 172nd . . ." As always on days like these, the Italian media insist on referring to Ireland as Eire in order to avoid confusion with Northern Ireland.

For all that, though, the Ireland team prompts one or two worrying memories: "Ireland defeated the Sacchi-coached Italy right at the beginning of the 1994 US World Cup finals. But we learned enough from that defeat to scramble all the way to the final and that penalty shoot-out defeat", commented La Stampa.

Il Messaggero, too, turns a worried brow to that famous night in the Giants Stadium in New York, recalling the dramatic outcome but reflecting that times have changed and that today's Ireland does not seem as strong as the side coached by Jack Charlton:

" . . . Ireland beat Italy in the opening game in 1994 in the USA. (Ray) Houghton mishit the ball, striking it with his ankle and the result was a dipping shot that completely baffled (goalkeeper) Gianluca Pagliuca . . . That team, coached by Jack Charlton, had already beaten England at the European Championships in 1988 and again it was Houghton who got the goal.

"For Ireland, those unforgettable days have gone. At the moment, they are looking for a manager. As for their players, the best known ones are Given, the Newcastle goalkeeper; Finnan, a Liverpool defender; O'Shea, a regular first team player at Manchester United; the former Inter striker Robbie Keane, now with Spurs; Kevin Doyle of Reading and Celtic's unstoppable striker Aiden McGeady."

Whilst a majority of media commentators agree with Italian coach Roberto Donadoni in identifying Bulgaria as Italy's toughest rivals, many fans disagree. In an opinion poll on the web site of Gazzetta Dello Sport, a majority showed a healthy respect for Ireland, with 43.3 per cent suggesting Ireland would be the biggest obstacle on the road to South Africa. In contrast, 34.6 per cent saw Bulgaria as the toughest opponent.