Appearances: 16 appearances. Last appearance in 2006. Champions in 1934, '38, '82 and 2006.
Current FIFA Ranking (As of April 28): 5
Captain: Fabio Cannavaro (Center back)
Leading Scorer in Qualifying: Alberto Gilardino (Striker) - 4 goals scored.
Key Injuries: No significant injuries to note.
Key retirements since 2006:
Alessandro Del Piero (Striker)
Alessandro Nesta (Center Back)
Filippo Inzaghi (Striker)
Marco Materazzi (Center Back)
Team Overview:
What can you say about the Azzurri except for the fact that they are historically one of the best soccer teams of all time. As the defending champions, the Italians will have a large target on their backs. 2006 World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi returns as the head coach after Roberto Donadoni failed in his two years as the coach.
There will be changes in this squad however, as Lippi decided to pick players for his provisional squad that are healthy and played in the qualifying matches. That means Luca Toni and Francesco Totti will not be in South Africa this year as part of the squad.
In goal is Gianluigi Buffon, who is possibly the number one goalkeeper in the world right now. The Italian legend has been named the top goalkeeper in Serie A (The Italian soccer league) a record nine times and has spectacular reflexes. Expect a lot low scoring games when going up against Italy. Buffon has over 100 caps for the national squad and sits behind only Cannavaro, Paolo Maldini and Dino Zoff on the all-time list.
Cannavaro will probably get most of the headlines among the defenders, but little known Giorgio Chiellini is the best in the group. During the 2008 EuroCup, he filled in for the injured Cannavaro and shut down Spaniards Fernando Torres and David Villa. He's a tough defender and has some ability in the air but has been known to be a dirty player. In a friendly game against Netherlands, he broke Robin van Persie's leg with a vicious tackle. He'll pair with Cannavaro to form a solid central defense. The sidebacks for the team are the very experienced Gianluca Zambrotta and 2006 World Cup hero Fabio Grosso.
The midfield for the Azzurri is one one of the top groups in the world. Each starter has his own specialty. Gennaro Gattuso is one of the hardest working players in the game. He will hound the opposition and work to keep the ball for his squad. Andrea Pirlo is the team's facilitator and much of the game will be played through him. He is also the dead ball specialist on the team and will take every free kick and corner kick.
The other two players that will see a lot of time in midfield are Mauro Camoranesi and Daniele De Rossi. De Rossi is the attacking midfielder and will be expected to provide lots of support for the fowards.
The forwards for Italy will most likely stay a 3 or 4 man rotation. With the absence of Luca Toni on this year's team, the starters will be Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta. Both are similar players that scavenge around the net to pick up goals. They are not prolific goalscorers but they get the job done.
Player to Watch: Gianluigi Buffon
I think that the fortunes for the Azzurri rests in the hands of Buffon. Not only is he one of the best keepers in the world, he is also one of the best leaders. When his club squad, Juventus, was in trouble due to the match fixing scandal, he decided to stay loyal to the team and not try to demand a trade like many of his teammates. He stayed with them despite the fact that they were being relegated to a inferior league.
He has amazing reflexes and his height (6'3") helps him a lot in reaching the ball when it is fired toward him.
Prediction: Quarterfinal loss to Spain
The final squad will not be announced until June 10 but the provisional World Cup squad can be found here.
Match Schedule
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