Actually Klad, read it carefully. He was talking about the situation at the time. Setting up a post-mortem trap.
If you try to set up a trap against someone you know nothing about, you might be left at a disadvantage since you wouldn't know whether they'll have an ability to be able to counter your trap.
In this case, if Itachi had known about his secrets, he would've probably set-up a different plan that would actually work.
Take a good look at Konan. She found out about his Kamui and set up an effective trap. Unfortunately for her, Obito had yet another secret she didn't know about. Izanagi
Yes, this is true, its not about being scared, its about setting preparations for someone's death