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What to do?
Maldini toys with midfield options
Posted: Thursday July 02, 1998 05:22 PM
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Maldini debates changes in the midfield to keep up with a talented Italy team (AP) |
SENLIS, France (Reuters)
-- Italy coach
Cesare Maldini said on Thursday he had not yet decided on his midfield
line-up for the World Cup quarterfinal with France on Friday.
"I have to choose between Di Livio, Moriero, Pessotto and Albertini,"
Maldini told a news conference. "All are possibilities, partly because I
don't know how our opponents will line up."
He said he would finalize his selection on Friday morning, hours before
the 1430 GMT clash in Paris's Stade de France.
Dino Baggio and Luigi Di Biagio are certain to start in the center of
midfield, with Baggio possibly given the unenviable job of marking French
playmaker Zinedine Zidane.
But the right and left midfield places are still open.
Angelo Di Livio and the more attack-minded Francesco Moriero are
contesting the place on the right while the versatile Gianluca Pessotto and
the experienced Demetrio Albertini are fighting for the place on the left.
Moriero and Albertini started Italy's last match against Norway. They
were replaced by Di Livio and Pessotto in the second half.
All four players were given first team bibs at some point during Italy's
final training match at their World Cup base at Senlis on Thursday.
"It's a purely technical choice," Maldini said. "All four players are
fit, as are all the players in the squad."
The coach played down the threat of Zidane, who returns from a two-match
suspension to take on the Italians he tackles on a weekly basis for his
Serie A side Juventus.
"People are talking as if this is Italy against Zidane," he said. "It's
absolutely not. There are lots of players in both squads who can make the
difference between victory and defeat."
Maldini is set to leave Roberto Baggio on the substitutes' bench and
partner Christian Vieri with Alessandro Del Piero in attack despite the
Juventus player's poor World Cup form.
Del Piero, who missed three clear chances against Norway and who was
again subdued in training on Thursday, said he was more concerned for the
team than for his own form.
"I'd always swap a bad personal performance for a good performance from
Italy," he said.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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