Betting odds Italy

World Cup appearances: 16

Best World Cup: Champions; 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006

FIFA World Ranking: 5

Nicknames: Azzurri

Manager: Marcello Lippi

 Group – F

Italy Team Profile

Where do we start with the Italians, the current World Cup champions! They are one of the most efficent footballing nations on the planet and rarely will you see an Italian side stroll into the finals and leave with their tails between their legs. This will be their 17^th showing in a World Cup, and while that will sound an incredibly high amount of turnouts, it isn’t the most as Brazil claim that honour, as they’ve appeared in every single World Cup, but the Italians are level in second place alongside the consistent Germans, which just goes to show how consistent a nation Italy are.

The pressure will be on them this time around though, as they are the reigning champions and like all champions they are expect to do well, the fans demand that they do well while every other nation competing will be vying for their crown. However, their squad isn’t one of the strongest travelling to South Africa but their 23 man squad didn’t look all that great in 2006 and that didn’t stop them lifting the prestigious trophy aloft. That was their fourth World Cup success, their first in 24 years, and were they to rule supreme in South Africa they would go level with Brazil on five World Cup’s won.

Betting Brief:

You can’t go far wrong with the Italians as they are one of the more consistent nations around, while you’ll have to stretch all the way back to 1974 for when Italy last failed to bypass the group stages of the competition. Since that disappointing campaign back in 1974, though, Italy have lost twice in the Round of 16 stage (The first knock-out fixture after the groups), lost out in the quarter’s once, and finished in the Semi-Final’s and above in their remaining six appearances, winning two titles along the way. Also, the Italians have a mean final record once they get there, winning four out of six finals they’ve appeared in.

This time, though, the Italians don’t appear to have that strong a squad, and this isn’t made any better by the fact that Marcello Lippi, the Italy manager, tends to prefer experience over youth, and this ageing Italian team looked a dieing breed at the Confederations Cup last year, in which Italy didn’t even make it past the group stage of that competition, being beaten by the Egyptians and getting demolished by a classy Brazil. They do have some serious quality, though, but Lippi has been reluctant to hand some fresh, young blood the opportunity to shine and he will only have a handful of youngsters to choose from in South Africa, unless he picks a few surprise players on squad selection day. However, Davide Santon and Guiseppe Rossi are two bright sparks for Italy, with the latter a serious star in the making, if only Lippi would give them a chance.

World Cup Potential – 3/5

Italy World Cup Betting Odds

Italy to win the World Cup (Outright odds) – 13/1 William Hill

Before the World Cup the odds on Italy were 16/1 

Manager

Marcello Lippi is one of the most successful managers on the planet and has won just about every honour known to man in football as a manager. He has spent all of his managerial days involved with Italy, whether that be with the National side or coaching clubs within Italy. His honours range from winning the Serie A title no less than five times, to winning the UEFA Champions League, all coming when he was at the helm of Juventus during their glory days.

Lippi has been said to have put the morale and spirit of the team before anything else, and believes a positive aurora around the squad is the basis for a successful team. He also believes greatly in the value of teamwork, and is not a fan of selfish individuals who wish to seek out the glory all for themselves. This strict yet honest approach has made him one of the most successful managers in the history of the sport, and the matter of him guiding Italy to the World Cup trophy in 2006 puts him up their as one of the greatest.

Italy Key Players

Gianluigi Buffon (Goalkeeper) – The Juventus shot-stopper has remained as one of the world’s best goalkeepers for well over a decade now and his reliable displays between the sticks has earned him 100 caps for his country and has rarely missed a game an International level, much is his dominance in that position in Italy. He could spend half the game twiddling his thumbs when all of a sudden he will be called upon and nine times out of ten, Buffon delivers with a stunning save. There is no point listing his qualities as he has just about everything a keeper needs to be the very best; he’s quick, extremely agile, cool under pressure and a great defensive organiser.

Fabio Cannavaro – Some will claim he is past it while others reckon he’s one of the best defenders to ever embrace the game. At 36 years or age, Cannavaro will be the oldest player in the Italian squad when they head out to African in the summer, and it comes as no surprise to hear that he is the most capped Italian player earning a staggering 131 caps for his country. However, with all the nostalgic records out of the way, his inclusion into the heart of the Italian defence has been greeted with a mixed response, a lot of it negative, as many believe Cannavaro is too old to keep up with the pace of today’s football and that, although his experience is priceless, a defender with more youth on his side should be his replacement. Lippi, though, has stuck by his captain and will do so during South Africa. Only time will tell as to whether this was a good or bad move, and if we will see Cannavaro lift the Jules Rimet trophy for the second successive time.

Guiseppe Rossi – We’ve mentioned two golden oldies if you like but now it’s time to speak about the Italian’s future star in the making – Guiseppe Rossi. The Villarreal striker hasn’t always been a prominent inclusion in Lippi’s starting line up but his efforts at the Confederations Cup made him the stand out player in what was a poor Italian showing. He is, though, getting more first team action as he steadily improves his game, but his three goals in 14 appearances, albeit most of them from the bench, won’t have warmed the heart of manager, Marcello Lippi. Give the chance, though, Rossi could be one of the stars for Italy in South Africa as he provides Italy with a pacey striking outlet, which differs from their usual hold’em-up style of play with tally, lanky forwards often preferred.

Pro’s / Con’s

Italy’s biggest asset and probably the only fear factor surrounding them is their immense consistency on the big stage. Time and time again the Italians spring a surprise by going further than anyone had previously anticipated before the tournament kicked-off, and this chanted life they live is one of the reasons why most nations will want to avoid the Italians when the knock-out stage of the competition comes around.

Our biggest concern with them is the overall age of their squad. There will be more than half-a-dozen 30+ years old players at the tournament representing Italy, and in a climate where the speed of the game has significantly increased, questions will be asked over whether an ageing Italian side can keep up with the pace of their opponents. This pointer was proved correct in last summers Confederations Cup in which the Italians were knocked out at just the group stage of the competition, losing to both Egypt & Brazil, a thumping defeat to Brazil at that. Italy looked rigid and stiff, with their defence heavily criticised after a poor showing.

Italy Qualification for the World Cup

Italy won Group 8 in the European zone, a group which consisted of some really ordinary nations as well as some really poor nations, so it was no surprise that Italy did qualify as group winners, although they did leave it later than expected. Their main challengers for automatic qualification were the Republic of Ireland & Bulgaria, but neither really pushed the Italians as they qualified with six points in hand over second placed, Republic of Ireland.

To their credit, Italy did remain unbeaten throughout qualifying, winning seven of ten qualifiers, with the remaining three all finishing as draws. They scored 18 goals and conceded just the 7 in return, while Alberto Gilardino finished the campaign as top goalscorer for his country, although his tally of four goals will hardly set the world alight.

Italy did, however, concede five goals in their last two qualifiers at a time when they were all but home and hosed.

Official Italy World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Morgan De Sanctis (SSC Napoli)

Federico Marchetti (Cagliari Calcio)

Defenders

Salvatore Bocchetti (FC Genoa)

Leonardo Bonucci (AS Bari)

Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus)

Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

Domenico Criscito (FC Genoa)

Christian Maggio (SSC Napoli)

Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)

Midfielders

Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus Turin)

Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma)

Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan)

Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)

Riccardo Montolivo (AC Firenze)

Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria Genoa)

Simone Pepe (Udinese Calcio)

Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

Strikers

Antonio Di Natale (Udinese Calcio)

Alberto Gilardino (AC Firenze)

Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus)

Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria Genoa)

Fabio Quagliarella (SSC Napoli)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Italy Fixtures – Group F

World Cup 2010 Group F - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

Italy v Slovakia Betting Odds

Italy to win: 4/7 at SkyBet
Draw: 3/1 at Bet365
Slovakia to win: 6/1 at Victor Chandler

Italy

Italy, the defending World Champions, despite not playing to their best potential, still seem to have one foot in the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. After two drawn matches in their two Group F matches, Italy find themselves on two points, but miraculously in second place in the group. They will have been happy with the point which they took away from their opening group match against the lively Paraguayan side, knowing that it was the first match and that it would be their toughest opposition in the group. However, they will, in no way shape or form, have been happy with the draw they got against the World Cup minnows New Zealand. Italy fell behind for the second time in their two matches, as the Kiwis opened up a shock lead. But, as against Paraguay, Italy rode their luck a bit in getting an equaliser, with a penalty that Iaquinto buried. The biggest criticism that will be levelled at the Italians, is that they have not created enough clear cut chances, and that their forwards look to be coming up short on the world stage. It is true that they are not as complete a side as they were four years ago at Germany ‘06, but still, more would have been expected out of Marcelo Lippi’s side. They have had a lot of possession in their two matches, they just have not really known what to do with it.

There may not be even reason for Lippi to hit the panic button just yet, as he will back his side to pull through. Another draw could be enough for them to see themselves through to the second round of the 2010 FIFA World cup, as table topping Paraguay take on New Zealand, and will be expected to win. New Zealand are, quite unexpectedly, on level points with Paraguay and so there is a risk that the Italians will not see the second round. But the bigger risk is from Slovakia themselves, who, with a win, would elimiate Italy from the competition. That is how close it is for Lippi, who must not be frantically be searching for answers behind the scenes, even if he is calm on the outside. Lippi has been quite brave with his attack minded 4-3-3 approach to the matches, but there has just not been enough creativity or convinction in what they are doing. This stems from not having World Class strikers and therefore they are trying to over compensate. They are missing Andrea Pirlo, who is pivotal in the centre of midfield, but there is a sense that even if he is there pulling the strings, then Italy are still going to be too short up front to realistically defend their title. Group F is still wide open, and Italy are by no means certain of going further in the competition. They will have their work cut out for them against a hard working Slovakia side, who are still in with a chance of qualification themselves.

Italy should have the will and experience to get through this early challenge. They were expected to win their group with ease, after being given one of the easiest draws out of all the seeded teams. It has not worked out that way clearly, as they struggle to produce their best game. Italy have not been bad, and they look as if a good win would sort out a lot of their problems. They have been passing the ball around quite well, and generally controlling things, but they have lacked the quality to get into the dangerous positions in the last third of the pitch. While they may be able to get away with it in this group, much tougher challenges will await them. They will want to push on and do all that they can to finish in first place though, for if they finish second, then they would meet the in form Dutch in the last sixteen of the tournament.

Italy World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: W0, D2, L0
GF/GA: 2/2
Cards: Y1, R0
Most Shots: Ricardo Montolivo, 8
Top Scorer: Daniele De Rossi, Vincenzo Iaquinta, 1
Shots/On Goal: 33/12
Fouls Committed: 26
Total Passes: 1182
Pass Completion: 72%

Slovakia

Slovakia will be putting up a defensive wall which they hope the uninspiring Italians will have a hard time breaking down. Slovakia themselves will be a bit disappointed with their results so far, after promising a little bit better ahead of the tournament. The sucker punch for them came in their opening match, when New Zealand grabbed an unlikely draw right at the death of injury time, which left Slovakia reeling. Instead of having three points, they were left with one, and their confidence was nowhere to be seen in their second match when they lost to Paraguay. They not only lost, they were comfortably outplayed, and they must get both of those monkeys off their back if they are to raise one last valiant effort and throw everything that they have at Italy. A win for Slovakia would put them through, assuming that New Zealand do not Paraguay. There is everything to play for in this tight group, with all four teams in with a good chance of qualification. But having your noses in front is a much more enviable position in these times, and Italy realistically have a better chance of going through. But Slovakia will have eyed up Italy’s weaknesses going forward, and they will back their own defence to hold out. Slovakia are a side short of goals themselves, but can they grab that one vital one which will send them through against the odds?

Slovakia World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: W0, D1, L1
GF/GA: 1/3
Cards: Y4, R0
Most Shots:
Top Scorer:
Shots/On Goal: 19/4
Fouls Committed: 29
Total Passes: 879
Pass Completion: 66%

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: It was not supposed to all come down to this clash of Europeans. It was expected to be a lot more comfortable for Marcelo Lippi’s Italy. Their best has deserted them when they have needed it most, and they have looked panicked at times into playing aimless long balls. That is not the Italian way. They need to find their best form now, as their slow start may prove too costly for them. Would not particularly back against a draw in this one, but Italy need more and would be delighted to edge the match by one goal. That’s the Italian way.
Italy -1 for Evens at Paddy Power
 

Current Slovakia V Italy Odds:

Italy boss Marcelo Lippi has named his preliminary squad ahead of the World Cup, as the 29 man squad got together midweek for some training sessions. The defending champions, if the best bookmakers for betting on the World Cup are an indicator to go by, will have their work cut out in retaining their title. The European outfit have been drawn in Group F, and face some tricky opposition in two potential dark horses for the World Cup, South American side Paraguay, a technical passing side in Slovakia. The All Whites of New Zealand make up the numbers in the group and are rank outsiders to qualify for the second round. Much has been made over the fact that the Italians are a “Dad’s Army” in that they field slow veterans, but this is somewhat misleading. Casting an eye over their squad, they actually have a great blend of youth and experience, with not too many players over thirty.

But for those Italian stalwarts such as captain Fabio Cannavaro, it is a fair assumption that they will get the starting nod in the World Cup Fixtures. Cannavaro has publicly stated that he will retire from international duty after the World Cup. There is still some debate as to whether there will be a call up for Francesco Totti however, as there was speculation that he would be coming out of international retirement for the tournament. The Roma star has had a hard time with injuries, and retired from the Azzurri after their triumph in Germany 2006. Totti was not included in this squad, because of the Coppa Italia final taking place on Wednesday, in which his club Roma are playing against Inter Milan. Lippi, without Inter Milan and Roma players,  has chosen a preliminary squad which throws up little other surprises, but looks an accomplished squad, which should fare well in their campaign. After naming the provisional squad of thirty players, teams have to reduce their squads to the 23 which will be heading to the tournament. Veteran Alessandro Nesta has refused to come out of retirement, despite advances from Lippi to join the squad.

Italy have one of the great tacticians guiding them, and therefore should not be discounted when looking at World Cup odds. This get together for the Italians has been done to instil confidence and build team spirit ahead of the World Cup. Lippi believes in the entire squad being one, not just the main team being a closely knit group. The Italians are unit which Lippi wants to stick together through thick and thin. While there are doubts over whether Lippi will remain in the top job after South Africa 2010, the Italians will be strong contenders, simply because he is charge. They do like their experience in Italy, and the Italian side will not be short of that. That does not mean that they will be slow and ponderous, even if they do take a cautious approach to most of their international games. It is the typical Italian style to do so, and it is a way which has brought them much World Cup success before. It is what they will rely upon to defend their title.
 

Group F World Cup Betting Preview: The defending Champions have a tricky, but not unassailable group to contend with, but one of South America’s dark horses could cause an upset in Group F.

World Cup Teams: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Almost four years ago, Italy’s economical, conservative and efficient style of play, led to them to World Cup glory against France. It all came down to a penalty shoot out after the two goalscorers in the match, Italy’s Materazzi and France’s Zinidane Zidane had come together with in the infamous head-butting incident by the French master. Italy won 5-3 on penalties after beating Australia, the Ukraine and then Germany in the semi finals to reach the World Cup Final. That victory gave Italy their fourth World Cup, and betting on Italy at the World Cup for 2010, should still be strong as they look to retain their title. The personnel, on the large part, may have changed from the 2006 final, but there are still some stalwarts in the mix, which gives Italy a good blend of experience and youth. Some of the mentionable youngsters are Giuseppe Rossi, Alberto Aquilani and Giampaolo Pazzini. They have one of the most experience and accomplished goalkeepers in the World, in Gianluigi Buffon, and with Fabio Cannavaro still a major influence at the back, you know what you are going to get from Italy, and that is control, if not the most attacking dynamism or flair. Their midfield still boasts Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso, but it was largely Alberto Gilardino’s goals which helped Italy comfortably win their group ahead of the Republic of Ireland. The Italians are probably right in the position where they want to be on the World Stage, as they are not drawing so much attention in terms of betting on the World Cup, but they will be confidently strong going in to the tournament, after not losing a match during qualification. Only conceding seven goals through their European qualification, Italy, despite concerns from pundits over the aging legs in their team, have great pedigree in the tournament, and will always be a threat. In fact, only six players in the recent squad against Cameroon were 30 years or older. Coach Marcelo Lippi is not afraid of making tactical and personnel changes to the Azzurri, and has racked up 31 consecutive matches without defeat. After qualifying for the World Cup, Italy have drawn friendly matches against Holland and Cameroon, while edging out Sweden 1-0 in another friendly. This shows everything about Italy, they are unlikely to go out and look to be the World Cup’s top scorers, and they will be incredibly hard to break down. This is the kind of mettle, determination and tactical know-how which can make them World Cup Champions again. If they do, it will be the second time they have won the World’s Premier football tournament twice in a row. Italy’s World Cup fixtures start them off against Paraguay and is one of the most interesting group openers. Paraguay could be one of the dark horses of the World Cup, after looking mightily impressive during qualification. They finished third, just one point behind winners Brazil, and level on points with Chile. They won’t be any slouches at the World Cup, and could turn in some exciting, attacking football. This is their fourth consecutive appearance the World Cup, and in their last effort, they finished behind England and Sweden in the group stage. Their game will be about offence, with Nelson Valdez a strong forward, along with Roque Santa Cruz and Salvador Cabanas. They have some talent up front, but there will be questions over their defence, but they could provide, as they showed in qualifying, an exciting spark in Group F, and should push hard for a place in the last sixteen. Their enthusiasm and speed could cause Italy problems in their opening Group G fixture, which would blow the group wide open. The second European side in Group G, Slovakia will be no pushovers either, after looking extremely good through qualification, edging out Slovenia for top spot, and eliminating the Czech Republic. This is the first time they will play at the World Cup as an independent nation, but have experience as the former Czechoslovakia. A lot of their stars play in the German Bundesliga, which puts them in good standing, and makes them a real threat, and they could take an early advantage starting against the group minnows New Zealand. New Zealand have drawn a tough group, and they will struggle to pick up any rewards from 2010. With Australia moving to the Asian qualification zone, that left the Kiwis pretty much an open passage through to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa from the Oceania zone, with competition only coming from New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanautu. Their toughest match came in the playoff qualification match against third placed Asian team Bahrain. The All Whites won that 1-0 on aggregate, to reach their second World Cup finals. They have a tough task on their hands though, and their best chance may come in a spirited first effort against Slovakia, but even that seems like an uphill struggle.

Group F Betting Stats (World Cup History form in brackets)
(Final outcomes of Golden Goal, Extra Time and Penalty Shoot Out results count as wins or losses)

Italy: The World Cup Champions don’t have the easiest of groups, but will say a lot about them if they win it. They have met Paraguay once before in the World Cup, winning 1-0 in 1950. They have never played New Zealand before in the World Cup, and as for Slovakia, Italian have won twice against them in their former guise as Czechoslovakia, once in the 1934 final after extra time. (P77, W45, D15, L17)

Paraguay: Have their one defeat against Italy as their World Cup history against their 2010 opponents. No experience against the other two sides on the top of the World Stage, but will pose a threat to all of their group rivals. (P22, W6, D7, L9)

Slovakia: This is their debut as an independent nation, and will look to try and press home the form they showed in qualification. Just the matches against Italy behind them as the former Czechoslovakia, otherwise untested against the others. (P0, W0, D0, L0)

New Zealand: Rank outsiders in the group, with no World Cup history against any of their opponents. Struggled terribly in only previous World Cup. (P3, W0, D0, L3)

World Cup Group F - Table

Group Stage Fixture List

World Cup Betting at Boylesports for Outright Winner of Group F, has Paraguay at 10/3, Slovakia at 6/1, New Zealand at 50/1 and Italy are favourites at 4/11 (and 12/1 to Win the World Cup Outright).

World Cup appearances: 16

Best World Cup: Champions; 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006

FIFA World Ranking: 5

Nicknames: Azzurri

Manager: Marcello Lippi

 Group – F

Italy Team Profile

Where do we start with the Italians, the current World Cup champions! They are one of the most efficent footballing nations on the planet and rarely will you see an Italian side stroll into the finals and leave with their tails between their legs. This will be their 17^th showing in a World Cup, and while that will sound an incredibly high amount of turnouts, it isn’t the most as Brazil claim that honour, as they’ve appeared in every single World Cup, but the Italians are level in second place alongside the consistent Germans, which just goes to show how consistent a nation Italy are.

The pressure will be on them this time around though, as they are the reigning champions and like all champions they are expect to do well, the fans demand that they do well while every other nation competing will be vying for their crown. However, their squad isn’t one of the strongest travelling to South Africa but their 23 man squad didn’t look all that great in 2006 and that didn’t stop them lifting the prestigious trophy aloft. That was their fourth World Cup success, their first in 24 years, and were they to rule supreme in South Africa they would go level with Brazil on five World Cup’s won.

Betting Brief:

You can’t go far wrong with the Italians as they are one of the more consistent nations around, while you’ll have to stretch all the way back to 1974 for when Italy last failed to bypass the group stages of the competition. Since that disappointing campaign back in 1974, though, Italy have lost twice in the Round of 16 stage (The first knock-out fixture after the groups), lost out in the quarter’s once, and finished in the Semi-Final’s and above in their remaining six appearances, winning two titles along the way. Also, the Italians have a mean final record once they get there, winning four out of six finals they’ve appeared in.

This time, though, the Italians don’t appear to have that strong a squad, and this isn’t made any better by the fact that Marcello Lippi, the Italy manager, tends to prefer experience over youth, and this ageing Italian team looked a dieing breed at the Confederations Cup last year, in which Italy didn’t even make it past the group stage of that competition, being beaten by the Egyptians and getting demolished by a classy Brazil. They do have some serious quality, though, but Lippi has been reluctant to hand some fresh, young blood the opportunity to shine and he will only have a handful of youngsters to choose from in South Africa, unless he picks a few surprise players on squad selection day. However, Davide Santon and Guiseppe Rossi are two bright sparks for Italy, with the latter a serious star in the making, if only Lippi would give them a chance.

World Cup Potential – 3/5

Italy World Cup Betting Odds

Italy to win the World Cup (Outright odds) – 13/1 William Hill

Before the World Cup the odds on Italy were 16/1 

Manager

Marcello Lippi is one of the most successful managers on the planet and has won just about every honour known to man in football as a manager. He has spent all of his managerial days involved with Italy, whether that be with the National side or coaching clubs within Italy. His honours range from winning the Serie A title no less than five times, to winning the UEFA Champions League, all coming when he was at the helm of Juventus during their glory days.

Lippi has been said to have put the morale and spirit of the team before anything else, and believes a positive aurora around the squad is the basis for a successful team. He also believes greatly in the value of teamwork, and is not a fan of selfish individuals who wish to seek out the glory all for themselves. This strict yet honest approach has made him one of the most successful managers in the history of the sport, and the matter of him guiding Italy to the World Cup trophy in 2006 puts him up their as one of the greatest.

Italy Key Players

Gianluigi Buffon (Goalkeeper) – The Juventus shot-stopper has remained as one of the world’s best goalkeepers for well over a decade now and his reliable displays between the sticks has earned him 100 caps for his country and has rarely missed a game an International level, much is his dominance in that position in Italy. He could spend half the game twiddling his thumbs when all of a sudden he will be called upon and nine times out of ten, Buffon delivers with a stunning save. There is no point listing his qualities as he has just about everything a keeper needs to be the very best; he’s quick, extremely agile, cool under pressure and a great defensive organiser.

Fabio Cannavaro – Some will claim he is past it while others reckon he’s one of the best defenders to ever embrace the game. At 36 years or age, Cannavaro will be the oldest player in the Italian squad when they head out to African in the summer, and it comes as no surprise to hear that he is the most capped Italian player earning a staggering 131 caps for his country. However, with all the nostalgic records out of the way, his inclusion into the heart of the Italian defence has been greeted with a mixed response, a lot of it negative, as many believe Cannavaro is too old to keep up with the pace of today’s football and that, although his experience is priceless, a defender with more youth on his side should be his replacement. Lippi, though, has stuck by his captain and will do so during South Africa. Only time will tell as to whether this was a good or bad move, and if we will see Cannavaro lift the Jules Rimet trophy for the second successive time.

Guiseppe Rossi – We’ve mentioned two golden oldies if you like but now it’s time to speak about the Italian’s future star in the making – Guiseppe Rossi. The Villarreal striker hasn’t always been a prominent inclusion in Lippi’s starting line up but his efforts at the Confederations Cup made him the stand out player in what was a poor Italian showing. He is, though, getting more first team action as he steadily improves his game, but his three goals in 14 appearances, albeit most of them from the bench, won’t have warmed the heart of manager, Marcello Lippi. Give the chance, though, Rossi could be one of the stars for Italy in South Africa as he provides Italy with a pacey striking outlet, which differs from their usual hold’em-up style of play with tally, lanky forwards often preferred.

Pro’s / Con’s

Italy’s biggest asset and probably the only fear factor surrounding them is their immense consistency on the big stage. Time and time again the Italians spring a surprise by going further than anyone had previously anticipated before the tournament kicked-off, and this chanted life they live is one of the reasons why most nations will want to avoid the Italians when the knock-out stage of the competition comes around.

Our biggest concern with them is the overall age of their squad. There will be more than half-a-dozen 30+ years old players at the tournament representing Italy, and in a climate where the speed of the game has significantly increased, questions will be asked over whether an ageing Italian side can keep up with the pace of their opponents. This pointer was proved correct in last summers Confederations Cup in which the Italians were knocked out at just the group stage of the competition, losing to both Egypt & Brazil, a thumping defeat to Brazil at that. Italy looked rigid and stiff, with their defence heavily criticised after a poor showing.

Italy Qualification for the World Cup

Italy won Group 8 in the European zone, a group which consisted of some really ordinary nations as well as some really poor nations, so it was no surprise that Italy did qualify as group winners, although they did leave it later than expected. Their main challengers for automatic qualification were the Republic of Ireland & Bulgaria, but neither really pushed the Italians as they qualified with six points in hand over second placed, Republic of Ireland.

To their credit, Italy did remain unbeaten throughout qualifying, winning seven of ten qualifiers, with the remaining three all finishing as draws. They scored 18 goals and conceded just the 7 in return, while Alberto Gilardino finished the campaign as top goalscorer for his country, although his tally of four goals will hardly set the world alight.

Italy did, however, concede five goals in their last two qualifiers at a time when they were all but home and hosed.

Official Italy World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

Morgan De Sanctis (SSC Napoli)

Federico Marchetti (Cagliari Calcio)

Defenders

Salvatore Bocchetti (FC Genoa)

Leonardo Bonucci (AS Bari)

Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus)

Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

Domenico Criscito (FC Genoa)

Christian Maggio (SSC Napoli)

Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)

Midfielders

Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus Turin)

Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma)

Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan)

Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)

Riccardo Montolivo (AC Firenze)

Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria Genoa)

Simone Pepe (Udinese Calcio)

Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)

Strikers

Antonio Di Natale (Udinese Calcio)

Alberto Gilardino (AC Firenze)

Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus)

Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria Genoa)

Fabio Quagliarella (SSC Napoli)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Italy Fixtures – Group F

World Cup Group F - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Italy