Can Italy really retain their World Champions crown?

In the next week and a half crucial World Cup qualifiers will take place all around the globe. World Champions Italy will qualify for next years competition held in South Africa with a victory over the Republic of Ireland at Croke Park.

They are currently four points ahead of Ireland with just two games remaining. Italy have been lucky that they were in a relatively weak group. The World Champions will face a much tougher challenge in South Africa next year.

Looking stale and old

The World Champions have looked less than impressive in recent months. Their performance in the Confederations Cup was embarrassing. They looked stale and out of ideas. The team has lots of experience but at the moment what they really lack is creativity and vision.

They do not have a player capable of producing that bit of midfield magic to win a game. They don’t have a Xavi, Steven Gerrard or Wesley Sneijder in their squad. Their midfield is very workmanlike but that has applied for the last three years since they won the World Cup in 2006.  Their midfield in the last World Cup is basically the same now but the difference is those players are three years older and seem to lack the same energy they had in their successful campaign of 2006.

Starting to look their age

You look at the ages of some of Italy’s squad and it tells you that they are not producing the standard of player they once did. You look at the defence and Gianluca Zambrotta is 32, Fabio Grosso 31, Fabio Cannavaro 36 and Nicole Legrottaglie 32 that is lots of experience but unfortunately they are starting to show their age. The midfield which contains 33 year-old Mauro Camoranesi, 32 year-old Gennaro Gattuso and 30 year-old Andrea Pirlo again lots of experience but the legs and creativity is not their anymore.

New generation

A few new faces have been added to the national squad in recent months and they will be a refreshing sight to the Azzurri fans. Davide Santon is one of most highly rated young full-backs in Europe. The 18 year-old is already making waves at Italian champions Inter and I don’t think it will be long before hes in the national sides starting line-up.The youngster has stated that he would like to be like Paolo Maldini and remain at one club for the rest of his career and Italy head coach has also stated that he reminds him of the Milan great.

Another player to make the breakthrough in to the Azzurri squad in recent months is former Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi. The 22 year-old is currently plying his trade with La Liga strugglers Villarreal. He was one of the few players to come of the Confederations Cup with any credit. He adds that bit of something different that the Italian squad lacks.

Two full-backs have also been added to the squad 22 year-old Domenico Criscito of Genoa and Azzurrini captain at the under-21 Euro Championships Marco Motta. Criscito started his career at Juventus but couldn’t make the breakthrough at the Old Lady. It took a move to Genoa to bring out his best form and he is now in contention for a starting berth.

Motta is seen as a Azzurri captain of the future he moved to Roma in January and made the right back spot his own. Criscito and Motta look like they could challenge for full-back positions with the other players currently in possession of the shirts aging and coming to the end of their careers these two could be the answer.

Strength of character

One thing that this group of players don’t lack is strength of character. Everybody said that they couldn’t win the last World Cup and they proved their doubters wrong. That strength of character has been questioned in the Confederations Cup but since then they have recorded two important qualification victories over Georgia and Bulgaria.

Their character will receive the ultimate test at the World Cup next year. It looks really unlikely that they will retain their crown with the likes of Brazil, Holland, Spain and England all looking like better bets. Only time will tell but next July the Azzurri fans will be left upset and disillusioned with their proud national team and head coach Marcelo Lippi.