Francesco Totti’s three-match ban has forced Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni into a radical rethink for Friday’s Euro 2004 Group C match against Sweden. Defeat would leave Italy facing an early exit. Trapattoni had said he would resist making sweeping changes after the largely ineffective display against the Danes but UEFA have forced his hand by ruling out the man the coach built his whole attacking philosophy around. Totti, the chief provider, played in a free role and linked superbly with main striker Christian Vieri. In a hasty reshuffle, Trapattoni’s ‘‘first team’’ in training on Wednesday featured Totti’s Roma teammate Antonio Cassano alongside Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri in attack. It was in midfield where the Italy coach hinted at more drastic changes with AC Milan pair Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso operating alongside Cristiano Zanetti at the expense of Simone Perrotta and Mauro Camoranesi. The absence of Totti, who could return for the semi-finals if Italy progress, places added responsibility on Del Piero who, in keeping with his past record in major tournaments, looked far from his best in the opener. The Swedes, though, have a different memory of the Juventus striker as he grabbed the winner two minutes from the end when Italy beat them 2-1 in a Euro 2000 group match.
