Italy have come in for a critical pasting from the press following their disappointing 0-0 draw with Bulgaria.
Gazzetta dello Sport said of Italy’s performance: “No game plan, no leader.”
Corriere dello Sport warned: “Italy, play like that and you won’t go far”.
The main targets of the post-match criticism were the high profile attackers Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Christian Vieri, but coach Giovanni Trapattoni did not escape censure, with most papers suggesting he needs to change tactics if Italy are to progress.
“Trapattoni knows he has got to make changes,” stated Corriere della Sera.
However the press praised the contribution of goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, who made several important saves against Denmark.
“Thanks Buffon, but that was scary”, said Repubblica, adding that “the team made a mess of its first match”.
