Italy: Azzuri aiming for their fourth World Cup title in Germany

Italy will be making their 16th World Cup finals appearance at the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany. The Squadra Azzurra was only twice an absentee at the gathering of the world’s top international teams, namely in Uruguay in 1930 and Sweden in 1958. Italy are unquestionably one of the world’s most successful football nations. Record World Cup winners Brazil are the only team with more titles to their name and to have played in more World Cup tournaments (18) than Italy. The Azzurri were victorious in a World Cup final on three occasions– 1934 and 1938 as well as in 1982. In 1968, the team also became European Champions.

Here you can find information about the star of the team ...

In Europe, only Germany are more successful. In addition to three World Cup wins, the Germans have also won three European Championships. But the Italians will be trying to go one better than the hosts at the FIFA World Cup 2006. Their ambitious target for the championships from June 9 until July 9 is to capture a fourth World Cup title. Italy were not at all happy with their performances at the 2002 World Cup where the team was knocked-out by hosts South Korea in the last 16 and then at the 2004 European Championships where they were eliminated as early on as the group stage. Though Paolo Maldini and Co were ahead for much of the game after a Vieri goal in the 18thminute they had to suffer the equaliser scored by Seol Ki-Hyeon (88 mins) just two minutes before the final whistle. They then lost in extra time through a Ahn Jung-Hwan (116 mins) golden goal.

It was one of the Azzurri’s bitterest World Cup defeats and a man going by the name Byron Moreno was held responsible. The scandalous referee from Ecuador, who the international football federation (FIFA) later removed from their lists, was apportioned with the blame for Italy’s 2002 World Cup elimination. Moreno disallowed a perfectly good Italian goal and decided in the Asian’s favour in many controversial situations. After reaching the final four years previously in Rotterdam where they lost 2-1 on the golden goal rule to France, the Italians again disappointed at the EURO 2004 in Portugal. Though they didn’t lose a match they were on their way back home after the group stage which saw them draw against Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1) and beat Bulgaria2-1.

Giovanni Trapattoni stepped down – he later led Benfica to the Portuguese championship – and paved the way for Marcello Lippi to take on the position as national coach. The former Juventus coach immediately started to introduce a new generation of players into the team. Stars like Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri suddenly found themselves back on the substitutes’ bench. Lippi used a total of 26 players, including nine newcomers, for the World Cup 2006 qualifying matches and some friendly matches. Players like Cristian Zaccardo, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, Daniele De Rossi, Manuele Blasi, Mauro Esposito, Luca Toni, Alberto Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta all grabbed the chance of establishing themselves in one of the world’s best teams. Eight of the 17 goals Italy scored in World Cup qualifying were scored by newly capped players. Highly experienced players such as Alessandro Nesta, Francesco Totti, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Del Piero and Vieri make up the rest of the side.

With the exception of a defeat in Slovenia (1-0 on 9 October), the Italians mastered European Group 5 qualifying without any major problems. After seven wins, two draws and one loss, Lippi’s side topped the group ahead of Norway, Slovenia, Scotland, Belarus and Moldova.

The foundations for the strength of Italy’s national team is provided by the country’s clubs. The northern clubs, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan plus Rome’s clubs Lazio and AS determine to a big extent the course of the Italian championship whereby the clubs from Florence, Parma, Verona and Udine also have their say. Juventus holds the record for Italian championship wins with 28 titles plus nine cup wins. Italian clubs have won more than 40 European competitions. With 15 titles to their name, AC Milan lies to the fore ahead of Juventus (10) and Inter (7).

Football tutors from Italy enjoy an excellent reputation world wide. They include some of the best tacticians football has ever produced. Enzo Bearzot, Azeglio Vicini, Arrigo Sacchi, Cesare Maldini, Giovanni Trapattoni, Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi are only a few of the coaches to have achieved great things. Lippi, the current Italian national coach, is one of Europe’s most successful coaches. A five-time Italian champion (1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003) with Juventus, he also won the Champions League in 1996. He additionally appeared in the Champions League final on three occasions in recent years and was voted World Club Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1998. Italians are pinning their hopes on him so that, after 24 years, football’s greatest prize will finally be won again at the FIFA World Cup in Germany.