Lippi: Totti will face Ghana Monday 12 June, 2006
Francesco Totti will play against Ghana this evening, announced Marcello Lippi, but he refused to confirm whether he would start.
“Totti will play for all or part of the game. That can mean many things,” smiled the Italy Coach ahead of their World Cup debut. “I’ve seen Totti in training over the last few days and he has really improved.”
The Roma captain has been a doubt for the opener ever since he fractured his ankle on February 19 and Alessandro Del Piero seemed to be the favourite to start up until yesterday.
Over the past few hours, reports have emerged from the Azzurri camp suggesting Lippi could drop Del Piero, Alberto Gilardino and Andrea Pirlo in favour of Totti, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Simone Perrotta.
“I have believed in my chances since the start, otherwise I wouldn’t be here,” smiled Totti when told of Lippi’s comments.
The tactician continued his Press conference and looked ahead to his first World Cup experience.
“There’s a good atmosphere. It’s a new experience for me, as I had never taken part in a World Cup before, and I’m enjoying it with great enthusiasm and a relaxed state of mind.”
Italy qualified a round early for the first time since 1982 and are unbeaten in 18 games under the former Juventus boss’ tenure.
“Now we want to move from words to action. In these two years the lads have given us some great memories, as we only really played badly against Moldova and Belarus. We are convinced that we can play a good World Cup.”
The opening result in Group E will be crucial, as Italy will face USA and the Czech Republic after Ghana. Topping the group is particularly important, as a second place berth will most likely set up a clash with Brazil in the next round.
“It’s a difficult group regardless of the result against Ghana. If we lose, it’ll become very difficult, but even a draw or a win wouldn’t suddenly make this task an easy one. We hope to have more quality than our opponents, as this is the only way to make the difference. Physical fitness is important and hopefully the humidity won’t penalise us.”
Lippi realises Italy aren’t known for their strong starts in major tournaments, so a knockout battle with Brazil is in the back of his mind.
“It might be better to try face them early, but Brazil could remember the 1982 edition and make a few changes so they’ll try not to get another nasty surprise against us,” smiled the Coach.
The Azzurri won a memorable tie 3-2 with Paolo Rossi’s hat-trick on their way to the ultimate victory in Spain ’82.