Italaian team Profile
INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
• Winners of the 1934, 1938, and 1982 World Cups
• Reached the final at 1970 and 1994 World Cup
• European champions in 1968
WORLD CUP RECORD
15 appearances (1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002)
COLOURS
Blue shirts, white shorts, blue socks.
Italy's strong national league, boasting world-famous sides such as AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan, has traditionally provided the platform for a competitive Italy team. Over the years, Serie A has produced true legends of the game such as Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Gianni Rivera and the unforgettable Dino Zoff who played in the victorious 1982 side at the age of 40.
However, life has not always been a bed of roses for the Italians, who have suffered their fair share of disappointments, including an abrupt exit from the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™. After battling their way through to the Round of 16, the Azzurri succumbed to hosts Korea Republic. Italy led for most of the match but conceded a late equaliser and the South Koreans secured victory with an extra-time golden goal.
The Italians have under-achieved in the last two major tournaments but enter the World Cup finals in genuine hope of winning the competition. Despite massive expectation back home, the 2006 flavour has sufficient in-depth quality to make an impact in Germany given a modicum of good fortune and providing they can emerge from a challenging Group E which contains the USA, Ghana and the Czech Republic.
At full-back Juventus' world class left-back Gianlucca Zambrotta will provide an attacking outlet. However, Palermo's Fabio Grosso may come in on the left side, allowing Zambrotta to move to the right. Although coach Marcello Lippi flirted with a back-three he now seems to have settled on a flat four for the finals.
The midfield mix, however, will decide Italy's fate. How will Lippi balance an eclectic group of talents that includes the nippy right-sided midfielder Mauro Camoramesi of Juventus, Milan's gifted Andrea Pirlo and Roma's Daniele de Rossi? Milan's Gennaro Ivan Gattuso will provide the midfield a backbone, which could be especially important given the potential loss of Totti.
Up-front veteran striker Alessandro Del Pierro could make the squad but is will not start up front for Italy. It is likely to be Milan's bright young star Alberto Gillardino - the Serie A sensation - and Fiorentina's target-man Luca Toni who will start the tournament. Squad depth will potentially come from Udienese's Roma-bound Vincenzo Iaquinta.
There may be no place in Lippi's squad for the gifted but unpredictable Real Madrid forward Antonio Cassano who did not make the spring training camp selection.
Goalkeepers Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Angelo Peruzzi (Lazio), Marco Amelia (Livorno)
Defenders Massimo Oddo (Lazio), Cristian Zaccardo (Palermo), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Gianluca Zambrotta (Juventus), Fabio Grosso (Palermo)
Midfielders Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Simone Barone (Palermo), Francesco Totti (Roma)
Forwards Luca Toni (Fiorentina), Alberto Gilardino (AC Milan), Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Udinese)
FORMATION (Example)
-----------Del Piero-------Toni-----------
Pirlo------Gattuso---Totti------Camoranesi
Canavora--Nesta---Zambrotta---Materazzi
-------------------Buffon-----------------
Team Stars
Gilardinho*
Toni*
Totti*
Del Piero*
Nesta*
COACH
Marcello Lippi (58) has seen it and done it more than once. Alex Ferguson's long time foe-cum acquaintance has won countless trophies as a club manager, latterly with Inter Milan but most famously with Juventus. Lippi took Juve to three scudetti, as well as the Champions League and one Intercontinental Cup before taking the Azzuri's reigns in 2004 after Trappatoni's second poor tournament in succession.
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