The team coached by Marcello Lippi has been systematically discarded whenever it reaches the World Cup and last week the hiring of their captain Fabio Cannavaro, 36, by the Al-Ahli of Dubai, has also helped dispel that impression.
His mediocre preparation, in which even fell to Mexico, has increased the feeling that Italy is a team that is well below the level that showed when they beat France in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin.