Injuries are a coach's worst nightmare ahead of, and during top football competitions and it is no different in the build-up for EURO 2008. Top stars and pivotal players have already pulled out of their respective squads due to injury and others remain doubtful. Perhaps the biggest blow of the tournament is for world champions Italy who lost captain and central defender Fabio Cannavaro on Monday June 2nd, only one week before their opening Group C game. The 34-year-old defender collided with Giorgio Chiellini in Italy's first training session in Austria and his departure was confirmed after having tests in hospital. "Fabio Cannavaro must say goodbye to the European championship," read a statement on the Italian Football Federation's website. Even though the 2006 FIFA Player of the Year is only a shadow of his old self, he remains one of the pillars of Italy's defense. Skipper Problems Italy aren't the only side to lose their skipper ahead of EURO 2008. The Czech Republic have also lost captain Tomas Rosicky who failed to recover from an injury. The Arsenal player, who did not play for his club since January, had to undergo surgery in May to fix a recurring hamstring problem. The news of Rosicky's absence left coach Karl Brueckner in quite a problem because he is the heart and sole of the Czech team and an extension of great midfield players like Pavel Nedved and Karel Poborsky who quit the international stage. France are also sweating on the fitness of captain Patrick Vieira who injured his left thigh while training on Friday. Coach Raymond Domenech had to call up AC Milan's former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini to train with Les Bleus in case he is forced to sacrifice his captain. However, Domenech made it clear he will not give up on the Inter Milan player even if he would miss France's opening game. "A player who is injured is always disturbing," said Domenech. "And what's more this is a player with 105 caps and captain of the team."
Vieira is on his way out Domenech reminded reporters of how crucial losing such a pivotal player is. "We have already experienced such situations like in the 2002 World Cup finals with Zizou (Zinedine Zidane) and we know what the consequences of that can have (France went out in the first round). More Influential Players Sometimes a player is not a household name but is considered pivotal for his side. This is the case of Dutch winger Ryan Babel and Austria goalkeeper Helge Payer. Babel, who tore ankle ligaments during training, has become a regular fixture in Marco van Basten's Dutch squad and has impressed with Liverpool throughout the season. Van Basten found no suitable replacement for the mercurial player and was forced to call upon defender Khalid Boulahrouz. Even co-hosts Austria, who are considered tournament outsiders, received a blow to their already slim chances when first choice keeper Payer was omitted from the squad after a serious stomach complaint. Austria coach Josef Hickersberger took advantage of the situation to keep the other two guardians, Alexander Manninger and Juergen Macho, on their toes. "Of course I have a team in my head which will play against Croatia but I want to wait and use these remaining training days because I know all the players will want to show their best," he told reporters. Other Concerns The streak of pre-EURO 2008 injuries has left everyone worried that there are more casualties to come. Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo, the man tipped to win all the top player awards this year, was seen leaving his team's first training session limping with a bag of ice around his right ankle. Turkey's coach Fatih Terim has included Bayern Munich midfielder Hamit Altintop to his squad even though the player is still nursing a br
