Alessandro Del Piero has been snubbed yet again by Roberto Donadoni for tomorrow’s game with Spain. Carlo Garganese asks if this signals the end of the Golden Boy’s Euro 2008 hopes…

Watching Alessandro Del Piero for Juventus against Inter on Saturday night brought back memories of that brilliant youngster who had seemed set to conquer the world, until his horrific knee injury against Udinese in October 1998.  

Since that fateful day Del Piero has still gone on to have a superb career, the statistics prove this, however he has never really been the same explosive player.  

At San Siro the 33-year-old rolled back almost ten years, back to a time when he was tearing Monaco apart in the Champions League semi-final, and was leading Juve to another Scudetto.  

In truth, in recent months, Del Piero has been as close to his pre-1998 form as he ever has been, and his physical shape is simply brilliant.  

Despite this, it is looking increasingly unlikely that the skilful forward will be going to Euro 2008. He has not been called up by Donadoni for nearly seven months now, with his last game coming against France last September.  

The most recent snub for tomorrow’s friendly with Spain is significant because the match is Italy’s last before the 23-man squad for Austria and Switzerland is announced at the end of May.  

The Italian press firmly believes that barring injuries, or a dramatic loss of form, there will be few changes made to the Spain squad. Only a third goalkeeper, and another defender will take the number up from 21 to 23.  

Donadoni has repeatedly stated over the past few months that the door is still open to Del Piero.  

"Ale believes he can make the squad for the Euros and he is right to think that," he said yesterday.  

For me this is simply diplomatic talk. The truth is that Donadoni has decided that his formation for Euro 2008 will be a flexible 4-3-3 which transforms into a 4-5-1 when Italy are defending. Del Piero, strategically, is not suited to this set-up.  

As I explained in a Calcio Debate piece last month, Luca Toni will be the first striker, with Antonio Di Natale on the left, and Mauro Camoranesi on the right of the attack.

When Italy are defending Di Natale has the ability to track back and take up a left midfield position, while Camoranesi can do the same on the other side.  

The exclusion of Del Piero is not because he is not good enough, it is simply a tactical decision.

If you look at the backup strikers in the squad to play Spain, this theory is supported. Marco Borriello is Luca Toni’s prima punta deputy, Vincenzo Iaquinta is the standby for Camoranesi on the right, a role he often took up in the 2006 World Cup, while Fabio Quagliarella is deputy for his club colleague Antonio Di Natale.  

In reality it has been tactical considerations that have always held back Del Piero’s international career.  

He may be the fifth all-time top scorer for his country with 25 goals in 85 appearances, but he has never been a protagonist in a major tournament.

At Euro 96 Del Piero played just a half of the first game against Russia, before being discarded for the remainder of the tournament. During France 98’ he failed to score and was overshadowed by the ageing Roberto Baggio, while at Euro 2000 Del Piero was made the scapegoat for Italy’s heartbreaking final defeat to France after he missed two second-half sitters. In the next two major tournaments Italy and Del Piero both disappointed, and during the Azzurri’s victorious 2006 World Cup campaign in Germany, the striker was restricted to a bit-part role mainly from the substitutes bench.

Whether his past failures at major tournaments could be a reason behind his likely omission is possible. In Del Piero’s defence it must be noted that he has never really been given an extended run in the side. He turned up to France 98 still injured, while from 2000 until 2006, successive coaches Dino Zoff, Giovanni Trapattoni and Marcello Lippi all agreed that he and Totti could not co-exist in the same team.

With Totti finally out of the way having retired, Del Piero must have thought that his chance to prove his worth had come. However along comes a coach who banishes Italy’s long tradition of playing with a classical number 10, in favour of a 4-3-3 formation.

Once again Del Piero is frustrated.