Grosso puts faith in Italy's heart
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Article summary
Fabio Grosso knows the Group C encounter against Romania on Friday is a "crunch match" but remains confident that Italy's team spirit will see them through.
Article top media content
Article body
'Team spirit'
Although Italy were subjected to a heavy defeat at the hands of a rampant Netherlands side, coach Roberto Donadoni did at least take heart from the bright performances of the substitutes who tried to turn things around in Berne on Monday – among them Grosso, whose efforts may have earned him a place in Friday's lineup. "I have no idea whether or not I'll play but that's not important," Grosso told euro2008.com. "I consider myself a squad player and all 23 of us are pulling together to try and achieve the same goal. We must all prove that we're in form. The strength of this side has always been our team spirit and our squad mentality. Whether we win, lose or draw we're all in it together and against Romania we will do our best to prove how united we still are and show that we are good enough to win."
No slip-ups
The 30-year-old Grosso famously scored the winning penalty that clinched the FIFA World Cup for Italy two years ago but if the Azzurri are to follow up with EURO glory, the Olympique Lyonnais defender recognises they will need to get back to basics after Monday's serious setback. "We'll definitely need to change lots of things but we'll find out exactly what when we talk with our coach," he explained. "We know we got the first match wrong and when you only play three matches in the group you can't afford any more slip-ups."
Spain strong
Having witnessed such a magnificent performance by the Netherlands at first hand Grosso rates them among the best in the tournament so far, along with a side they could well face should they reach the last eight. "The Netherlands are certainly among the best sides here," he said. "And Spain played a great match yesterday so they are the ones to watch. But we must think about Romania first. On paper Romania are not the strongest side in the group, but we weren't exactly brilliant against the Netherlands ourselves so on Friday we must be determined – full of belief. The next match is critical. We see it as a crunch match and we are ready to give it our best shot."