Czechmate for talismanic Nedved

PAVEL Nedved has announced he will retire from international football following the Czech Republic’s friendly clash with Serbia tonight.

The decision is a welcome boost for the Republic of Ireland’s embattled preparations for the European Championships.

The midfielder, who has scored 18 goals in 90 games for his country, hung up his international boots after Euro 2004 but opted to return to the national team during qualifying for this summer’s World Cup.

He said: “I am going to be 34 and I want to be with my family and play for Juventus. It would be difficult for me to prepare for demanding international matches while playing in the second division in Italy.”

Nedved’s first World Cup ended in disappointment with the Czechs knocked out in Germany having failed to make it past the group stages.

Now, Nedved will not be available to the Czechs, who are one of Ireland’s toughest opponents in the forthcoming European qualifying campaign.

He will continue to play for Juventus in Serie B, but wants to give younger players the chance to prove themselves on the international stage.

“My decision is final. I want my decision to be respected. I am going to be 34 and I want to be with my family and play for Juventus,” said Nedved.

“It would be difficult for me to prepare from the demanding international matches while playing in the second division in Italy.”

Meanwhile, world champions Italy may have a distinctly different look about them when they take to the field against Croatia in Leghorn tonight, but new coach Roberto Donadoni expects the same values to be on show.

“Italy must always win,” he said. “But it is going to be hard because everybody will want to measure themselves against us, the world champions.”

Donadoni is preparing for his first match in charge with a completely new squad to that of his predecessor Marcelo Lippi.

Only Livorno number one Marco Amelia remains from Lippi’s 23-man squad as Donadoni takes a look at some new faces while giving the old guard a well-deserved rest.

And the 42-year-old coach has warned his World Cup winners they will still have to fight for their places in his next squad selection for their European Championships qualifier with Lithuania next month.

He said: “Names alone don’t win games. At best, they can create a few psychological problems to our opponents.”

Donadoni’s men prepare to face Croatia with the same desire to win.

“I don’t take losing very easily,” admitted the new coach, who has spent the summer visiting training camps of Serie A teams.

“I have travelled over 6,000km just to see everybody because this national team is open to everybody.

“Everybody needs to remember the selections will be determined by their performances in the league.”

Elsewhere Joachim Low may have inherited a German side which set the 2006 World Cup alight, but the problems which plagued predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann could be apparent during the friendly with Sweden tonight.

Klinsmann’s defence was heavily criticised in the build-up to the World Cup and although the back four managed to win over the critics, cracks have now returned. Germany face Ireland in their European Championship qualifiers opener.

Low has been unable to name injured Per Mertesacker and Robert Huth in his squad, while Christoph Metzelder has been forced to pull out, leaving a threadbare look to his backline ahead of the clash.

Untried duo Manuel Friedrich and Malik Fathi are in line for debuts, and will be part of a back four unrecognisable from the one that took Germany to third place in the World Cup.

Fathi, 22, came close to missing the chance to make his debut after almost refusing to answer the call from an unknown number, but when he finally did, he discovered it was from the German Football Association.