Football breeds myths, and Italy has a particular weakness for it.

An Italian myth is the victory of the 2006 World Cup, which is said to have been initiated with a speech by the then national coach Marcello Lippi in the Florentine training center Coverciano.

It all started with his legendary "discorso della quercia", the speech under a large oak tree in which he evoked the unity of the team in the face of numerous adversities.

Before Italy's game against North Macedonia this Thursday (8.45 p.m. on DAZN) in Palermo, the question arises as to which narrative will later prevail about the present moment.

It's about qualifying for the World Cup starting in November.

Italy must win the play-off semi-final against North Macedonia to secure qualification on Tuesday.

The winner of the match between Portugal and Turkey is waiting there.

Every defeat means elimination, the acclaimed European champions would be running the gauntlet.

The coach kneels his players

The preparation time for the decisive games was limited in view of the ongoing league operations, there was practically no time for long speeches and intensive training sessions.

Coach Roberto Mancini therefore visited the most important players in the team personally in the weeks before the game in Sicily and tried to motivate them in one-on-one meetings.

The historians of Calcio could one day report the "inno alla gioia", an ode to joy.

Mancini is said to have particularly encouraged his players to be cheerful and light-hearted.

"I beg you," the coach is said to have kneeled his players, "stay positive."

Gone magic

Now that's the thing about joy.

It's either there or it's not.

In legends, Italy's victory at the 2021 European Championship is generally attributed to a particularly exuberant atmosphere in the team, which played brilliantly as an outsider and surprisingly won the tournament.

However, after beating England in the final of the European Championship, Italy's enthusiasm collapsed surprisingly quickly.

The triumph at Wembley was followed in the World Cup qualifier by a draw that was initially accepted but then became increasingly bitter, first against Bulgaria, twice against Switzerland and most recently against Northern Ireland.

The European champion missed the direct qualification.

"We must rediscover the sweet magic of last summer," said the Corriere della Sera.

In Mancini's psychocoaching there is only this option.

"I recommend that we think about winning the European Championship," preaches the Commissario Tecnico.

But his nation also has another memory, namely the four-time world champions' failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Nine players from the current squad were there at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in 2017, in that dark hour in the play-off against Sweden.

Now there is general concern that the stunted enthusiasm of the past few months and the dark chapter of that time could weigh on the souls of the players.

"Since winning the title in 2006, Italy has lost all syntony with the World Cup," said La Repubblica.

Although they qualified in 2010 and 2014, they were eliminated after the preliminary round.

The non-qualification for 2018, Italy's first missed World Cup appearance in 60 years, has even been defined as an "apocalypse".

What effect would another non-qualification have?

Just one defeat in three years

Coach Mancini tries to hide such thoughts and is apparently successful.

"We can't miss two World Cup tournaments in a row," says midfield director Marco Verratti of Paris Saint-Germain.

"Compared to back then, we have a special style of play and a great coach who mainly worked with our heads."

In fact, Italy have suffered just one defeat in the last three years, in the Nations League semi-final against Spain.

And yet there are a number of indicators that make the match against North Macedonia not look like a Sicilian spring walk.

From form and psychological lows

With Inter Milan and Juventus Turin, the last two Italian clubs have just been eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16.

Paris Saint-Germain were also eliminated, notably because Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a serious blunder against Real Madrid.

Lorenzo Insigne from SSC Naples, who was hoping for a world career after the European Championships and will switch to Canada in the MLS with a million-dollar contract in the summer, is also in a deep mental state.

"It's like hanging up his football boots forever, on a golden nail," commented former national coach Dino Zoff on the decision.

In addition to the long-term injuries Leonardo Spinazzola and Enrico Chiesa, the ailing defensive veterans Leonardo Bonucci and captain Giorgio Chiellini are probably missing against North Macedonia, just now.

In addition to the 22-year-old Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan, six internationals), Gianluca Mancini (AS Roma) could be used in central defense with only four international appearances.

Coach Mancini wants optimism and lightness, but Italy is ready for anything.

The Gazzetta dello Sport has been doing damage limitation these days.

"No matter how it ends," the paper wrote, "it won't be an apocalypse."