Team Profile: Italy

Everybody know Italians are amongst the most stylish peoples on earth. Italian clothes, leather goods, furniture, cars, opera and food are synonymous with flair, refinement and elegance. Why then is Italian football the exception to this rule?

Probably because of that other defining stereotype of Italians: corruption. Italians are all too familiar with the shady backroom dealings that characterised business, politics and pretty much every area of public life, football included. As a consequence Italians readily subscribe to conspiracy theories to account for the misfortunes of their club or national sides. This in turn breeds an intense cynicism; why commit to a positive attacking approach and fair play when negative defensive tactics and gamesmanship will do? Hence the infamous Italian fondness for the catenaccio (padlock) system and on the field theatrics.

Bore-factor aside, the Italian league was indisputably the world's top league for much of the 80s and 90s. Indeed, there were few players outside Serie A (with the exception of Liverpool and Johan Cruyff's Barcelona) who could genuinely be considered amongst the best in the world alongside Maradona, Baggio, Weah, Baresi, Platini, Van Basten, Gullit, Maldini, Batistuta et al. However domestic excellence has rarely translated into international success. Italy have won 3 world cups, but only one in the modern era (1982), and lost in two finals which they never looked likely to win. As with England, the economic and media power of Italy’s domestic league has tended to inflate the expectations for its national side beyond their capacity to deliver.

But enough history and anthropology, how are Azzurri 2006 likely to do?

This being calcio, it all starts at the back. Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro are, by reputation, two of the best centre-backs in the world, but bear in mind these reputations are forged largely in a league where anything more than two goals is considered a deluge. In European and international competition their records are less distinguished. Fullback Gianluca Zambrotta is an exceptional athlete, equally at home on either flank. In goal will probably be Gianluigi Buffon, capable of the kind of saves one would expect of a keeper who cost ₤32m as well as the kind of howlers one would expect of David James.

Midfield is probably the area where Italy compare least favourably with the other fancied teams. The Milan pair of Gatusso and Pirlo are admired; the former for his tireless grafting, the latter for his elegant passing; but neither is in the class of a Viera, Lampard, Gerrard, Kaka, Ballack to name a few of the midfield leaders of their main rivals. Roma’s Daniele De Rossi is the young hope. Italian football has never produced great wide players, instead favouring ball winners who provide a platform for a fantasista playmaker of the likes of Baggio, Mancini or Riva. True to tradition, this Italian squad doesn't contain a Figo, Beckham or Robben, the closest probably being adopted Argentine Mauro Camoranesi.

Upfront, Italy will wait on the fitness of Francesco Totti, for more on him see the “Star Player” profile below. Failing that Italy will probably turn to, for the umpteenth time, Alessandro Del Piero. The last time Del Piero resembled a world class player was some time before World Cup '98, since then his career has been a Fowler-like series of injuries, comebacks and inconsistent form. Both Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino are quality centre-forwards, who should be able to find the net given adequate service. The less said about Christian Vieri the better.













Two players who could make a big impact are ones who don't look as if they will be going to Germany. Antonio Cassano was Italy's best forward at Euro 2004 and the one player apart from Totti who can give Italy a real spark upfront. Unfortunately this is only when he is not injured, sulking, out of favour or in dispute with coach, which is rarely. He is currently occupying the bench seat vacated by Michael Owen at the footballing farce otherwise known as Real Madrid, and Lippi has already indicated Cassano probably won't be in the squad. The other is Pippo Inzaghi, who spend most of the last 2 years injured but has recently returned with a brace of goals for Milan. Is this the Pippo of old? Well, the Pippo of old was never good at anything but scoring tap-ins; in this respect he's back as good as ever.

Coach Marcello Lippi is best known for his success at Juventus and lack of it at Inter. He has shown that, given plenty of money and the some of the best players in the world (Zidane, Nedved, Del Piero circa 1997), he can get results. Yet despite a clutch of scudettos, he only won one Champion's League title, his Juventus teams often coming up short under pressure, most memorably against Manchester United in the '99 semi-final. He’s a Sven-like manager, who’s strength is less a capacity for inspiring oratory or tactical innovation than a becalmed manner and the savvy to manage the big talents and bigger egos of top level football. Unlike Trappatoni before him, Lippi will get most of the potential from this Italian squad; the question is will that be enough?

Basically Italy's World Cup chances will come down to how well its defence does at keeping goals out and how well their forwards do scoring them. This may not seem very enlightening, but for all its supposed tactical subtleties, Italian football basically boils down to that. Can they win? The words "Greece" and "Euro 2004" are applicable, but then again they would be if this were the profile for Togo or Paraguay. More realisticaly, Italy have to be rated behind, obviously, Brazil, but also England, Argentina and France.
















Italy have been drawn with the Czech Republic, Ghana and the USA. Should they top their group, by no means a certainty due to the Czechs, they should avoid Brazil in the second round, but will probably have to face France in the subsequent one. The worst scenario for Italy would see them facing Brazil in round two, France in the quarters and then England and Argentina in the semis and the final. This probably won't happen, but along with the game against the Czechs, Italy should expect to face at least 3 severe tests while plotting their path to glory.

They have enough quality upfront to give them a lead and enough quality at the back to hold it; that's plan A. The problem for Italian football has always been lack of a plan B in the event of plan A not working; the second round defeat to South Korea last time round and Milan's Champions League Final loss to Liverpool being examples. It's in these situations that Italy seem to lack the driving presence of a Gerrard or a Ronaldinho, someone who will grab the game by the proverbial scruff of the neck and haul them back from the brink of defeat.

I suspect Italy's chances may well hinge on Totti's form and fitness. The last time an Italian fantasista bloomed was in '94, when Baggio took them to within a penalty shootout of winning. This team is not as good as the one of '94, the competition is probably tougher and Totti hasn't yet shown he's capable of emulating Baggio on the most elevated stage.

You could see Italy beating any one of the more fancied teams, but to win they will probably have to pull off two, maybe three, upsets, and probably come from behind at some stage. Don’t look for them to do so.

Star Player: Francesco Totti.



Like all the greatest Italian players, Totti's game is based on guile and subtlety rather than speed and power. He may not have the explosive pace of an Henry or Ronaldo, but the Roma captain's importance to his national side arguably exceeds either's. If his touch and vision are not quite the equal of Baggio's, his aggression and hunger for goals are greater. While the Buddhist Baggio strolled across the pitch with a Zen-like serenity, Totti looks for the ball whenever it's in the opponent's half and shoots for goal more readily. When presented with an opportunity, he's as likely to go for a measured lob as he is to blast it. Such is his goalscoring prowess and creative energy that the debate still rages whether he is better deployed as a striker dropping deep or as a midfield playmaker operating behind the frontmen. He fractured an ankle while guiding Roma to a record 10 straight league wins, but figures to be fit in time for Germany.

As with Alan Shearer, Totti will probably end his career with far fewer medals than his talents and efforts deserve due to his loyalty to his hometown team. Nevertheless he is, with the possible exceptions of Milan's Kaka and Shevchenko, probably the best player in Serie A. Italy's current golden boy, he has decisively seen off Del Piero for both that title and the coveted Azzurri No.10 shirt.

For all that, at international level his performances have been underwhelming, particularly in the last two big tournaments when the nation's hopes were pinned on him. To flop in one major tournament is unfortunate, to flop in two is a mistake; a third failure will probably have Italians looking for a new golden boy. Totti is the undisputed Emperor of Rome; he now has to conquer the world.

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