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Gennaro Gattuso believes the only problem with Italy’s Euro 2008 was physical, causing their “lack of sharpness.”

“Aside from the opening match, the only thing we were really lacking was the sharpness we had in the World Cup.

“The spirit was the same and so was our desire to amaze and find our place in history, but our legs didn’t carry us as well.”

The Azzurri crashed out of the competition in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out to Spain after 120 minutes of goalless football.

“We are very upset, which is natural when you are part of a squad and wear the Azzurri shirt. I am very proud to wear this jersey and be part of this team, as we proved we never give in.

“We won the World Cup on penalties and lost Euro 2008 on spot-kicks, so it’s understandable. You can train for penalties all you like, but when you get there the legs are shaking and it can go against you.

“Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. It is human to make mistakes. Practising isn’t really effective, as when you are there in front of the fans with the whole nation hanging on your shoulders, it does things to your mind.”

Gattuso was suspended for this match and watched from the stands along with teammate Andrea Pirlo.

“The team was missing Pirlo for the way he moves the ball around, without taking anything away from the other players,” noted Rino.

Now question marks hang over Roberto Donadoni’s future, as it was reported before the tournament that anything less than a semi-final would be considered a failure.

“We have great respect for Donadoni and he is a good man who puts a lot of passion into his work and tells you to your face what he thinks, which in my view is very important.”

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