Di Natale questionone for Prandellito ponder

Cesare Prandelli has only one decision to make for tonight’s Group C duel with Croatia: does he stick with the front two he picked against Spain or should he give Antonio Di Natale a start?

Overlooked for the best part of two years, and neglected by previous managers as well, Udinese’s veteran striker is at last receiving the recognition he deserves, a few months short of his 35th birthday. Italy truly is a country for old men, but it has taken Di Natale three record-breaking seasons – 80 league goals in 117 matches, leading scorer two seasons running – to force himself into contention.

Di Natale is steadiness and loyalty personified. Typically, when his club team-mate Piermario Morosini suffered a fatal heart-attack in April while playing for Livorno, leaving an invalid sister without support, it was Di Natale who immediately responded with a statement that all her financial needs would be taken care of.