Del Piero blames Les Bleus
Alessandro Del Piero believes France's negative approach was the reason for Italy's disappointing display against France.
The media was highly critical of the 0-0 draw on Saturday and in particular the lack of bite from Del Piero and Pippo Inzaghi.
"It was difficult to find space up front," insisted Alex. "France were very covered up and players like Eric Abidal and Lassana Diarra rarely pushed past the halfway line. This proves it was important for them not to lose."
The same was true of the Azzurri, who are stuttering in Euro 2008 qualifying Group B, where they lag behind France and Scotland.
"We ran a lot and didn't run many risks in a game it was crucial to win, but equally important not to lose. The draw, for what we saw on the field, was the right result. Unfortunately, we only played well in bursts."
Del Piero is set to be shelved against Ukraine this evening, as Juventus teammate Vincenzo Iaquinta is the favourite to replace him in a 4-2-3-1 system.
"In terms of determination, I think we won't need that much more than we showed against France, as we did put everything into it," he assured.
"We just hope to find a better situation in Kiev and to get the full result."
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