South Africa Car Hire Option 1: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Hire with First Car Rental here.

South Africa Car Hire Option 2: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Rental with Europcar South Africa here.

World Cup 2010 Teams – Italy (review 1)

As the reigning World Cup champions, Italy will again be looking to go all the way in South Africa. With their distinctive mix of flair, organisation and passion, the Italians will provide a tough challenge for all of their World Cup rivals.

Drawn in Group F alongside Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia, Italy should have a comfortable start to its World Cup title defence.

Qualifying Campaign

Italy strolled through its World Cup qualifying group with only Ireland and Bulgaria putting up any resistance. With 7 wins, 3 draws and no losses, the Italians finished a clear 6 points above second-placed Republic of Ireland. A 1-1 home draw against Ireland was something of a surprise, but the Irish are tough competitors (as they showed in the now infamous play-off against France).

The Italians failed to win many of their group games by large margins. They beat Cyprus twice but only by a single goal, and failed to win against any of their opponents by more than 2 goals. While not a huge concern, Italy may need to develop a more ruthless streak before the World Cup begins.

World Cup History

Italy is the second most successful team in World Cup history. With four titles to their name, the Italians need just one more to equal the achievements of Brazil. The Italians have also played more World Cup football than any other nation, having failed to qualify for the World Cup only once since 1934.

They are the current World Cup title holders, having beaten France on penalty kicks in the 2006 World Cup final in Berlin.

The Coach

Italian team coach Marcello Lippi led his side to victory in the 2006 World Cup before handing over control to Roberto Donadoni. Donadoni’s disappointing reign saw Lippi re-appointed in 2008. A master tactician and one of the most capable managers in world football, Lippi currently has the full support of both his players and the Italian fans.

Lippi’s managerial philosophy is very much focused upon team unity and squad harmony. For him, an individual player can only display his true ability if he plays as part of the team.

The Players

The Italian squad is well balanced with enough strength in depth to cover all but the worst injury crisis. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is one of the best in the world and will use his experience to marshal an already strong defence. The likes of Gianluca Zambrotta, Giorgio Chiellini, Fabio Grosso and Fabio Cannavaro will make Italy very hard to score against.

In midfield, the hard-tackling and experienced Gennaro Ivan Gattuso will help to disrupt opposition attacks. Lippi can also call upon Mauro Camoranesi and Andrea Pirlo for more experience, or opt for younger players such as Daniele De Rossi, Riccardo Montolivo and Simone Pepe. Youngster Antonio Candreva could also be one to watch out for if selected.

Strikers such as Alberto Gilardino, Giampaolo Pazzini and Giuseppe Rossi will be on hand to get some goals for Italy. Veteran striker Luca Toni, meanwhile, is still trying to force his way into the Italian squad. Teams like Brazil, Argentina and Spain may have better goal scoring options, but the Italians have enough strength throughout the team to challenge their main rivals.

Group F

Italy could not have wished for a better group in which to begin its campaign. Current FIFA World Rankings have Paraguay ranked 29th, Slovakia 33rd and New Zealand 77th. Paraguay did well in its World Cup qualifying group, finishing only one point behind group winners Brazil. Slovakia is a World Cup newcomer, a solid team but one that lacks enough star players to go far in South Africa. New Zealand is one of the World Cup’s rank outsiders and not expected to cause any major upsets.

Group Matches and Analysis

The Italians will play their opening Group F match against Paraguay on June 14th. If they get off to a winning start against arguably their toughest group opponents, the Italians will be in a very strong position. The next game against New Zealand should be a formality and an easy 3 points for Italy. The final group game against Slovakia should be a slightly tougher challenge, but not one the Italians will be overly concerned about.

Italy should finish on top of Group F with at least 2 wins and a draw, although 3 straight wins is a distinct possibility. The winner of Group F will face the runner up from Group E, so Italy should expect to meet either the Netherlands or Denmark in the first knockout round. 

© This special 2010 World Cup Review is brought to you by Cape Spirit - bringing you cheap unlimited mileage South Africa Car Hire over the 2010 South Africa World Cup through First Car Rental / Sixt Car Hire and Europcar South Africa Book your 2010 World Cup car right now, as cars are almost fully booked. Read our satisfied Customer feedback here.

Cape Spirit Home
Cheap South Africa Car Rentals (First Car Rental)
Cheap South Africa Car Hire (Europcar)
Cheap South Africa Car Rental (Tempest)
South Africa Accommodation
Download a Free Cape Town travel guide
Cape Town Attractions
Cape Town Wallpapers
Cape Town Pictures
Cape Spirit Sitemap