Last Updated: Wed, 09 May 2007 11:41
Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has bemoaned the news that the Italian league will start later than the other European leagues - again.
The start of the Serie A campaign this season was delayed because of the match-fixing scandal that erupted last summer and the Azzurri collected just one point from their first two Euro 2008 qualifiers in early September - with many pointing to the condition of the players as a reason for the sub-par performances of the World Champions.
Donadoni has now discovered that the domestic season will begin in late August and fears that his players will again not be at their best, with qualifying games against France and Ukraine to come in September.
"Surely it would have been better to have players with a match more in their legs, but it is so," he said. "I can do nothing so we accept this and we will try to do our best."
Donadoni is also predicting a tough month for the national side in June as he fears fatigue will play its part in the qualifiers against Faroe Islands and Lithuania.
"June will be important for the National team, and it will be important to have the players at my disposal with motivation," he added.
"It won't be easy because at the end of the season, due to energies, it isn't usually so."