Ask Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni what sort of Welsh team he expects to encounter in next Saturday's vital Euro 2004 qualifier at the San Siro in Milan and his relaxed, jovial mood suddenly changes.
"Il Trap" flashes a steely glare and replies: "How much do you know about international football? . . . This will be a hard, tough game, a game for men and by that I don't mean dirty. To win on Saturday, you're going to have to play for 90 minutes with real attitude and determination to win.
"This will not be easy. We often struggle against British teams. Do you know what I mean when I say 'soffrire' (struggle) . . ." Trapattoni was speaking yesterday from his team's training camp at Coverciano, outside Florence. As he prepared to draw up the battle lines for a game that may well decide the overall outcome of this Group, Trapattoni found that the Italian media's attention was, at least initially, most focussed on the one player guaranteed not to play next Saturday, namely Roma playmaker and Italian idol, Francesco Totti.
Along with Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri, Totti performed magnificently in a recent 1-0 friendly win over Germany in Stuttgart. Totti's definite absence on Saturday and his almost-certain absence from next week's qualifier against Serbia & Montenegro in Belgrade because of a pelvis injury have been greeted with nationwide weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Trapattoni made no attempt to hide his disappointment yesterday, admitting that he had waited and hoped until the very last that Totti might make a "miracle" recovery. No such luck. The Roma playmaker is reportedly still so sore that he can barely walk let alone train.
Trapattoni, however, is too experienced an old buzzard to let Totti's unavailability upset his best-laid plans. Even though he attempted to send up a smokescreen yesterday by saying that he will not change the tactical lineout, it is quite likely that he will do just that.
In other words, he may switch from a 4-3-1-2 lineout to a more basic 4-4-2 in which Vieri and Filippo Inzaghi are the "2" and Alessandro Del Piero plays wide on the left of midfield.
Italo-Argentine Mauro Camoranesi on the right with Alessio Tacchinardi and Cristiano Zanetti in the middle are the other probable components of that midfield whilst Alessandro Nesta and captain Fabio Cannavaro seem certain to lead central defence, partnered by Cristian Panucci at right back and Gianluca Zambrotta at left back.
Not that Trapattoni was indicating much about his likely team yesterday, admitting only that he had "a few ideas in mind".
"Il Trap" did add, however, doubtless by way of another smokescreen: "If we keep on talking about playing this way or that, with this tactical module or that tactic, then foreigners will just laugh at us . . ." One thing that Trapattoni will not be doing is laughing at the Welsh and not just because of the memory of that dramatic 2-1 defeat at the Millenium stadium in Cardiff 11 months ago. Trapattoni has had a long hard look at the tape of Wales' 1-0 away defeat by Serbia & Montenegro two weeks ago and his verdict is succint: "Wales did not deserve to lose."
For all the genuine respect that Trapattoni and his players feel for Wales, it is not difficult to detect an underlying, quiet optimism. With his back pinned to the sponsorboard wall by the expectant hacks, Christian Vieri was ready to concede that this is a very different Italy from the post-World Cup debacle squad that lost in Cardiff (where incidentally, he was absent through injury): "We've had a good run this year, won six games in a row and put things in order. Things went well in Germany two weeks ago and the mood in the team is very, very good."
Meanwhile, Wales manager Mark Hughes has vowed to stand up to club bosses over the release of players for the trip with Newcastle's Craig Bellamy now in the squad after an independent scan on his knee passed him fit.
The Welsh boss will certainly be helped if Bellamy, who has not played since that defeat in Belgrade, is declared fit to travel.
Newcastle boss Bobby Robson does not want him involved, but has had to allow Wales' medical experts to take over the assessment of Bellamy's knee problem.
Hughes will assess the striker's fitness this week and has every intention of taking him to Italy and having him available for next Wednesday's home clash with Finland.
The Welsh coach explained: "I expect him to train with us on Wednesday. I think he has a very good chance of playing. We have been told that he is fit to travel and I will take my lead from our medical staff."
