Italians are suspicious of everything, or so it seems. Several of my friends in Milan refuse to eat pasta or pizza outside Italy because they don’t believe it will taste the same.

They are just as circumspect when it comes to soccer.

The Dutch have already qualified for the Euro 2008 quarter-finals and meet second-placed Romania in their final Group C match in Berne on Tuesday. World champions Italy need the Dutch to get a result to have any chance of going above the Romanians by beating or drawing with France.  

The Italians are terrified that Netherlands coach Marco van Basten will put out a weakened side or the Dutch players will try to avoid injury and not give 100 percent. 

Azzurri fans already think they have been robbed by the officials who allowed Ruud van Nistelrooy’s goal in the 3-0 defeat by the Dutch and disallowed Luca Toni’s valid header in Friday’s 1-1 draw with Romania. Incidentally, that was played on Friday 13th and was the 13th game of the 13th European championship. But having said that, the unlucky number in Italy is actually 17…the date of the France game.

All this follows years of conspiracy theories which Italians have dreamt up to explain their early exit from tournaments.  

At the 2002 World Cup, Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno was blamed for the 2-1 extra time defeat by South Korea in the second round. The Italians were convinced he was under orders to keep the hosts in the tournament. They had no hard evidence, of course.

Two years later Sweden drew 2-2 with Denmark in their final group game at Euro 2004 thanks to a last-minute goal. The result meant the two Scandinavian teams went through while Italy were dumped out despite their victory over Bulgaria. Again the Italians smelt a rat but nothing was proved. 

The fact their 2006 World Cup triumph came in the midst of the Serie A match-fixing scandal was some sort of warped fate, according to many in Italy.

This time coach Roberto Donadoni says he expects old AC Milan chum Van Basten to rally his Dutch troops. Most Italians don’t agree.

Mark Meadows, following Italy at Euro 2008     

PHOTO: Italy fans react while watching the Group C Euro 2008 soccer match between Italy and Romania on a screen at a fan zone in Zurich, June 13. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

My non-journalist friends are very envious that I get to go to Euro 2008 matches for free.

If they had been with me to Italy’s 1-1 draw with Romania in Zurich, they might have changed their mind about the perks of my profession.

First of all, a colleague and I had to cram into a packed tram full of drunken fans to get to the Letzigrund stadium. This was a full three hours before kick off. Then we had a manic match to report on, the mixed zone to contend with (Sonia has already detailed the horrors there) and by the time we’d finished we discovered we were locked in.

It was only after we’d walked round the stadium to find a way out that the fun really started. First of all, we discovered that even with a big tournament going on you can’t get a meal in a Zurich restaurant at quarter to eleven at night. That was annoying but much worse was to follow.

After a long walk to a well-known fast food chain outlet, we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel. Our taxi driver was already in a foul mood and when another car cut him up, he went bonkers.

He raced alongside the other car shouting wildly. When the guy he was berating started to wind down his window and reach into his jacket, we genuinely feared he was going to whip out a gun. Our driver then sped in front of him and I fully expected us to get rammed.

We got back to the hotel alive, although I didn’t feel all that fresh when I woke up at 6 am to write a match follow-up and catch an early flight back to Vienna.

For no apparent reason, Italy have based themselves near the Austrian capital despite the fact they are playing their Group C matches in Switzerland. 

My job doesn’t look so glamorous now, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Mark Meadows, following Italy at Euro 2008     

World champions Italy had no cohesion, no passion and no luck in their 3-0 defeat by the Dutch, but they also had something else important missing — fans.

The Stade de Suisse in Berne was three-quarters orange with only a small section of the 30,000 crowd speckled with blue shirts. Italian fans have never travelled well but with Milan just hours away by train, it was bizarre that the Dutch outnumbered them so hugely for the Euro 2008 Group C opener.

In the beautiful city centre before the game, the swathes of colourful Dutch fans held a parade and a rock concert but you could count the Italian supporters on two hands.

The lack of support does not excuse the Azzurri’s failings on the pitch, but walking into the stadium the players must have thought they’d been transported to Amsterdam.

The small number of Italian fans also had a bearing on the atmosphere inside the ground when Ruud van Nistelrooy’s first-half opener was allowed to stand. Christian Panucci was adjudged to have played him onside, despite lying down injured behind the byline.

The goal was shown on the stadium big screen but the cries of anger from the tiny Italian contingent barely registered.

One can only imagine the noise the Dutch would have made if the incident had happened in the other box.  

Mark Meadows, Berne

PHOTO: Dutch fans walk to the game with just a few Italians scattered among them.  June 9 REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko

It is only at major championships like Euro 2008 that training sessions become public events.

Any hint of an injury or a change of formation is gold dust to the world’s press, but often we are forced to sit and watch 23 men run around for two hours without a story in sight.

At least world champions Italy have offered some entertainment and a window onto the wacky world of training.

Two female streakers stormed a session in Italy before they flew out.

On arrival in Austria, midfielder Daniele De Rossi leapt like a salmon in an ultra competitive game of head tennis which was strictly umpired and scored by coach Roberto Donadoni.

They also spent half an hour trying to curl the ball into the goal with the instep from various points on the byline. Only a couple of players managed to score with the post taking a lot of punishment.

Former AC Milan magician Donadoni was the king of trying the bend the ball in with the outside of the boot, though. Just to show who’s boss.

Mark Meadows, with the Italy team in Baden, Austria 

Italy may be thinking the gods are against them after World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro was ruled out of Euro 2008 after being injured in their first training session in Austria. They needn’t worry too much.

The 2006 World Player of Year suffered ankle ligament damage after a robust tackle by fellow defender Giorgio Chiellini, who will now be in the running to take his place in the backline.

The dogged Chiellini is very much in the mould of his captain and would not let the Azzurri down. In fact, he would offer more pace than Cannavaro, who is 34 and has slowed down a lot since Germany two years ago.

The Real Madrid defender is also not as composed as he was and tends to make more errors. In contrast, fellow centre back Andrea Barzagli has hardly put a foot wrong after bursting on to the international scene during Italy’s qualifying campaign.

Marco Materazzi is also in the squad and although he has his faults, his height made him tower over Cannavaro when they played together. He remains a good option.

Defender Alessandro Gamberini is also jetting out to Austria as a replacement for Cannavaro following an excellent season at Fiorentina.

As for the captaincy, authoritative goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is likely to take the armband. He is highly respected by his team mates and can certainly blow away the myth that keepers do not make good skippers.

All is not lost for Italy.

Mark Meadows, with the Italy team in Baden near Vienna

The worst kept secret in football has finally been made public - Jose Mourinho is Inter Milan’s new coach.

Rumours the former Chelsea coach would take over at the San Siro have been rampant for months and they intensified when Roberto Mancini was sacked last week despite leading the side to a third straight Serie A title.

The newspapers were so confident Mourinho would be appointed that they had already started guessing who he might buy.

Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard remain close to their former boss and reports say they are on his target list.

Mourinho also managed Deco in Porto’s 2004 Champions League-winning side so the Barcelona midfielder is being tipped to come to Italy.

But do Inter need improving after three scudettos in a row? Luis Figo was poised for retirement but the arrival of compatriot Mourinho may spell another season. 

Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move away but would he forego the chance of working with one of the world’s most charasmatic coaches?

Some say Serie A was dull last season. With Mourinho around, next term will be anything but. 

PHOTO: Jose Mourinho officiates during a Portuguese veterans’ match, May 18 REUTERS/Nacho Doce

After sacking Avram Grant following the club’s first Champions League final, nothing at Chelsea should surprise us.

But Jose Mourinho possibly going back as coach? Even in the wacky world of Stamford Bridge, it is surely just paper talk and fantasy.

Mourinho is a shrewd man and he will know as well as anyone that coaches very rarely succeed in a second stint at a club. (See our blog from when Kevin Keegan was reappointed at Newcastle.)

The dynamics of Chelsea are also very different from when he took over in 2004.

Back then, Claudio Ranieri had already laid the foundations of a Premier League-winning side. Arjen Robben and Petr Cech were signed for the next season before Mourinho arrived. The Portuguese also had bags of cash to bring in Drogba, etc etc.

This time it would be different. Chelsea could lose Drogba and a number of other players, meaning a large rebuilding job would have to be undertaken, just when Roman Abramovich’s appetite for investment appears to have waned.

Remember as well that it was only in September that Mourinho’s relationship with the Chelsea hierarchy completely collapsed. Media reports say Abramovich has since had some “cosy chats” with his former coach and even bought him a car, but working together again would bring the same tensions, the same clashes of ego.

Assuming the second coming for Mourinho is not about to take place, where does that leave us?

Frank Rijkaard, Roberto Mancini, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Russia coach Guus Hiddink have all been mentioned as possible candidates but the best answer to Chelsea’s problems might well be Marcello Lippi, who has been out of work since Italy’s World Cup triumph two years ago.

Lippi, incidentally one of the few coaches to enjoy success in a second spell when he returned to Juventus, has been waiting for a perfect opening.

He said he would have talked to Barca if they hadn’t appointed Pep Guardiola. He has also said he wouldn’t fancy learning English. Yet England coach Fabio Capello’s first English interview at the weekend was impressive.

Lippi’s language barrier would be easier to overcome than all of Mourinho’s baggage.

Mark Meadows, Milan

 PHOTO: Jose Mourinho while manager of Chelsea at last year’s FA Cup final, Sep 20, 2007 REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

The futures of coach Avram Grant and several Chelsea players are uncertain following their Champions League final defeat by Manchester United. But how many will leave?

Speculation that Grant will be axed has intensified after chief executive Peter Kenyon said finishing second in the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup was not good enough.

“It’s been an interesting season, but you don’t like finishing second and as runners-up. Given the standards we’ve set, that’s not something we’ve settled for,” he said.

“We’re looking at players who have the potential to be star names. We’ve brought in one player, Jose Bosingwa from Porto, who strengthens a position which has been an issue for us. We’ll take our time to look at what else is needed, but I think that’s two players rather than 20.”

Didier Drogba’s sending off in Moscow on Wednesday could well be his last appearance in blue. The striker has never hidden the fact that a move to AC Milan appeals and the Serie A side are keen to sign him, even if they are only in the UEFA Cup next season.

Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi would also love to have former striker Andriy Shevchenko back at the San Siro. Coach Carlo Ancelotti is not so sure and media reports say Milan will only take the Ukrainian on a free.

Even Chelsea talisman Frank Lampard is not definitely staying. After a difficult period following the death of his mother, the midfielder has said he will talk with Chelsea after England’s forthcoming friendlies.

Inter Milan lie in wait if Lampard decides to move on. Would Jose Mourinho’s possible arrival at the Italian champions increase the possibility of Lampard moving? 

Claude Makelele, Paulo Ferreira, Steve Sidwell, Ricardo Carvalho, Tal Ben Haim, Nicolas Anelka, Carlo Cudicini, Wayne Bridge and Claudio Pizarro are among the other Chelsea players to be linked with a move.

Is Roman Abramovich’s empire crumbling or will a bigger, better Chelsea emerge?

Mark Meadows, Milan

PHOTO: John Terry hits the post with a penalty which would have won the Champions League for Chelsea. May 22 REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

David Beckham slipped and missed a key penalty for England against Portugal at Euro 2004 and now John Terry’s loss of footing has handed the Champions League to Manchester United.

Is it nerves or a lack of technique? Vlog on the pitch regulars Owen Wyatt and Jon Bramley are joined by Pedro Redig to discuss Wednesday’s final, with some fan reactions also included.

Jon thinks Chelsea deserved to win and Pedro wonders if Andriy Shevchenko should have played. Let us know your views.

Submit your comments in the usual way below or if you are feeling adventurous, load a video response to youtube or wherever tagged “vlog on the pitch” and if we like it, we’ll load it up here.

Vlog on the pitch duo Jon Bramley and Darcy Lambton think Manchester United will beat Chelsea on Wednesday but host Owen Wyatt is not so sure. (Although judging by the haircut he has already lost a bet this week.)

Who is your money on for the big clash in Moscow? Will Didier Drogba ignore the mind games and win the game just like the semi-final against Liverpool?

The boys touch on various other topics in a bumper issue this week. They review the FA Cup final before discussing Real Zaragoza’s relegation and the English playoffs.

Let us know your thoughts. Leave comments below or make your own video, load it up to youtube or wherever tagged “vlog on the pitch” and if we like it, we’ll put it up here.