PHOTO
“My faith in them is absolute. I care about these players as if they were family. Whatever the result, I’ll always be fond of them because they’re a special group.” Silvio Baldini said those words 24 hours before the decisive meeting with Poland, with direct qualification for the European Championship finals at stake. But there was no attempt to lower expectations or soften the pressure. His judgement of the group, he insisted, will not depend on the outcome. “I’ve already told the players that I won’t look at the result to decide whether they’re good enough or not. They’re special, and they show me that every single day. At a particular time in my life, they gave me the chance to feel like a normal person again and to be happy doing what I do. I’ll never stop thanking them. For me, they’re an extraordinary source of both footballing quality and human value.”
The players repaid that faith on Thursday with a last-gasp win in Armenia after a match that had seemed cursed, and they will hope to do so again tomorrow at the Stadio Adriatico in Pescara (18:15, live on Rai 2). More than 7,000 tickets have already been issued, with seats also available in the Curva Sud, at a ground that holds special memories for the Tuscan coach. It was here, in June last year, that Baldini’s Pescara secured promotion to Serie B by beating Ternana on penalties. “Comparing the two games, I actually think tomorrow will be easier,” Baldini continued. “That night we were missing a lot of players, but destiny chose us. Tomorrow, in terms of the way we play and the quality we have, we have more going for us. The important thing is that the players feel the atmosphere of a stadium that has something magical about it, with incredible support. Winning matters, of course, but so does understanding where you are. These Under-21 players will remember that Pescara is a special city, a city that loves football.”
If Italy win by two clear goals, the result they need to reach the finals without going through the play-offs or relying on the best runner-up calculations, Cisse’s late winner in Yerevan will also have played its part. “I told the team that games like Thursday’s happen, and often you end up losing them,” Baldini said. “They did well to win because they’re a great group, one that has trained with enormous commitment and professionalism over the past 15 days. We believe we can win tomorrow, facing our opponents with the right attitude and giving everything we have.”
There was no shortage of confidence and no attempt to hide his plans, with Baldini even naming his line-up in the pre-match press conference. Palmisani will start in goal, behind a back four of Ahanor, who joined up with the squad after beginning the international window with the senior national team, Comuzzo, Chiarodia and the returning Bartesaghi, back from suspension. Pisilli, Faticanti and Ndour will make up the midfield, with Liberali, Cisse and Koleosho forming the front three. “‘Starters’ is a term I don’t really like,” Baldini explained. “These are the players I think will be most useful in the first half against a Poland side that I expect to approach the game as they did in the reverse fixture, looking to attack the space and draw our centre-backs out.”
Tomorrow will be an all-Italy affair, with the Under-21s in action first before the senior national team, who were themselves coached by Baldini in June. “I was delighted to be chosen for those two friendlies. My aim was to reward the players I coach,” he said. “Mancini has shown his quality and proved what a great coach he is by turning all that negativity around. Only someone who is a natural leader can do that, and Mancini was born to lead.”