Italy warned that most dangerous opponent in Bosnia is fear itself
The Italian media is warning Gennaro Gattuso and his Italy players that while Bosnia do have strengths, the biggest thing they have to fear in the World Cup play-off is fear itself.
Having struggled to see off Northern Ireland 2-0 in the semi-final, the Azzurri go head-to-head with Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday evening for a place in the 2026 World Cup.
The tension is palpable, as is perhaps inevitable for a nation that missed out on the World Cup in both 2018 and 2022 by losing these play-offs.
Anxiety is Italy’s worst enemy
This double-edged sword is something the Gazzetta dello Sport warns about in its opinion page, where Sebastiano Vernazza notes “the primary enemy is anxiety.”
In this situation, and having been spotted celebrating the Bosnian victory over Wales in a penalty shoot-out, the biggest risk is that the Nazionale are under-estimating their rivals.
On the other hand, that can go too far the other way and create a sense of panic within the group that hinders their performance.
To quote Franklin D Roosevelt, the only thing Italy “have to fear is fear itself. Nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” The Nazionale are scared of their own shadow, which takes the form of two consecutive World Cup play-off failures.
When taking on Bosnia, the Gazzetta warns “it’d be a mistake to underestimate them and a mistake to overestimate them, to believe they are the most difficult of obstacles.” The risk is that too much focus on the pressure will just add more of it to a team already struggling with the weight of a nation’s expectations.
There is going to be a fiery atmosphere in Zenica, but no less than they would’ve faced in Cardiff. Wales are 35th in the FIFA world ranking, compared to Bosnia in 71st place, remarkably two places lower than Northern Ireland.
The pitch is going to be a mess and there are reports of more snow, which could make losing the ball cheaply to spark a counter-attack very likely indeed. “But the rest is the terror of not making it for a third time in a row, so anxiety will be the most insidious opponent.”