Loser? ok lets have a look at the NT games (excluding Friendlies) this year so far. NT has only played in Euro 2004 quals so lets look at each one:
Game One:
Azerbaijan 0 - 2 Italy
Tarlan Akhmedov (og 33)
Alessandro Del Piero (64)
Look Del Piero was fielded and he scored.
Game Two:
Italy 1 - 1 Serbia & Montenegro
Alessandro Del Piero (39)
Predrag Mijatovic (27)
Look Del Piero was fielded and he saved our asses.
Game Three:
Wales 2 - 1 Italy
Simon Davies (12)
Craig Bellamy (71)
Alessandro Del Piero (32)
Look Del Piero was fielded, he tied up the game, and statistically was Italy's best player. They lost, but Del Piero did his part, he scored.
Game Four:
Italy 2 - 0 Finland
Christian Vieri (6)
Christian Vieri (22)
Del Piero was recovering from injury, so he wasnt chosen. No arguments about that.
Game Five:
Finland 0 - 2 Italy
Francesco Totti (31)
Alessandro Del Piero (72)
Look Del Piero is fielded, and yet again he scores.
Look at each game that Del Piero was called for and he scored! Now if you call a player who plays four games, and scores in all of them, an unsuccessful NT player? Common guys!
Now lets talk about the current most prolific strikers of Italy.
For the Domestic League its Vieri. No Doubt.
For European Club Competition its Inzaghi. No Question.
But for NT International games its DEL PIERO. NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. The statistics above tell you that.
Now if Trapatoni, doesnt field Del Piero, the player who has scored on every occasion he was called for this year for the NT, then that is really RETARDED.
IMO Del Piero is Italy's current most successful striker.
If Del Piero is not in injury and the game is not a Friendly and Trapatoni doesnt call for Del Piero or doesnt field him in the first team, then i KNOW for a fact Trapatoni is the most dumbfounded, blind coach in the world. Coaches dream of players like Del Piero, who score on each occasion they were called up for. And this year, Del Piero has done just that.