Searching for perfection

Giovanni "Trap" Trapattoni has always been regarded in the world of Italian football as a coach for whom the result of a match is more important than the manner in which it is achieved.

His method until recently had consisted of deploying the celebrated "catenaccio" tactic of total defence, literally shutting out the opposition with a padlock.

But that was not the only trick up his sleeve. He coached the great Bayern Munich in the 1994-95 season without any joy at all, yet had the guts to go back two years later and try a more open method.

In the 1994-95 season the Germans won nothing, but between 1996-98 the Italian guided the Bavarians to the German championship, the German Cup and League Cup.

His success took him back to Italy for further adventures with Fiorentina and Inter Milan.

Trapattoni had begun his playing career at 18 with AC Milan in an Italian Cup match and by 1960 he was playing international football.

A defensive midfielder, he had a highly successful club career, winning two European Cup medals in 1963 and 1969 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1968 with AC Milan.

A gritty, passionate competitor, he played 17 times for Italy and is perhaps best remembered for having completely neutralised Pele in a match against Brazil in May 1963.

The Zoff inheritence

After retiring Trapattoni moved into coaching and was an immediate success, guiding three of the biggest clubs in Italy: AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, where in ten years he won 3 European Cups, 6 Italian Championships and 2 Italian Cups.

He then inherited the deflated Italian national side from Dino Zoff directly after their Euro 2000 final defeat at the hands of World Cup holders France.

Trapattoni experimented with around 30 players during World Cup qualification and came up with an interchangeable forward line revolving around AS Roma star Francesco Totti.

Gone was the super defensive former style of his teams.

At the 2002 World Cup finals the much fancied Italians crashed out to co-hosts South Korea (2-1, with a golden goal) with arguments raging over the dreadful performance of Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno.

The Italians claimed, and many neutrals agreed with them, that they had been quite literally robbed.

The coach looked certain to lose his job but held on to it thanks to the support of old friend and Italian Football Federation (FISC) president Franco Carraro.

Trapattoni was again vilified by Italy's unforgiving press after taking just four points from their first three Euro 2004 qualifiers, including a humiliating 2-1 defeat away to Wales.

But Italy bounced back by taking 13 points from a possible 15 from their remaining five qualifying matches, largely due to some blistering form from Christian Vieri and Filippo Inzaghi.

Several of the World Cup squad lost their places and a crowd of younger men, above all in defence and midfield, have joined the fringes of the squad.