Tracking the Development of Italy’s Top Youth Prospects

Italy has a full slate of international competition ahead of its national teams this summer, and its youth level is no exception. While the senior team plays two friendlies, five World Cup qualifiers, and travels to Brazil to compete in the Confederations Cup, the U-21 team will have the equally important task of competing in the biennial UEFA U-21 European Championships in Israel. These Azzurrini... 

Andrea Pirlo: Where Does He Rank Among the Best Italian Midfielders Ever?

Andrea Pirlo is the lynchpin of the Italian national team, and has been for more than a decade. Playing at a dying position as a deep-lying playmaker—the traditional Italian regista—he’s been carving up opposing defenses with his metronomic passes and pinpoint deliveries since he earned his first cap in 2002. Despite a blip on the radar in 2010-11, Pirlo has maintained peak performance... 

Italy: Why Balotelli and El Shaarawy Make Them World Cup Contenders

The striker position has been a thorn in the side of the Italian national team for a long time now.   Even during the team’s magical run to the 2006 World Cup title, the Azzurri didn’t have a top striker—they scored 12 goals through 10 different players. In that tournament, Francesco Totti was still playing with metal plates in his ankle and Alessandro Del Piero was being... 

Italian Stars Who Are Improving, Regressing with Their Clubs

The Italian national soccer team is facing two major international tournaments in the next two years.   This summer’s Confederations Cup will be followed next year by the granddaddy of them all, the World Cup, which the Azzurri are currently in line to qualify for once again. If you assume the Italians make the finals in both tournaments, Italy will play 18 competitive matches (World... 

Italy National Soccer: Italian Stars That Are Impressing Outside of Serie A

Italy is distinctive amongst many of the top international sides in the world in that nearly all of the players that make up its player pool perform in its own domestic league.  There are, however, several players that make up a key part of Italy’s squad that have gotten on Cesare Prandelli’s radar by impressing in a foreign league. The following players have made themselves a name... 

Italy vs. Netherlands: International Friendly Preview

The February friendlies are upon us.  As the Azzurri get ready to begin 2013, they face down a team that is in a situation very similar to the one that they themselves were in two-and-a-half years ago. The Netherlands had an incredible run at the World Cup in 2010, but last summer at Euro 2012 they lost all three group games and looked disorganized and devoid of creativity, much like the... 

Cesare Prandelli’s Tactical Options for 2013 and Beyond

Since taking over the manager’s chair for the Italian national team after the 2010 World Cup, Cesare Prandelli has for the most part relied on the diamond 4-3-1-2 that was his staple at Fiorentina.   The coach has transformed the Azzurri from a team that too often leaned on the catenaccio tactics of old into a team that focuses on dominating possession and passing. In the last... 

Italian National Team: What to Expect from the Azzurri in 2013

As the page turns on 2012, soccer fans in Italy can go into the new year confident that their national team had turned a corner in their efforts to rebuild themselves, following the debacle at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Azzurri overcame yet another major match-fixing scandal—the second in six years to hit the country—to surprise everyone and make it to the finals at Euro... 

Neymar: Why the Brazilian Wunderkind Is Making a Huge Mistake

On Wednesday in Montevideo, Uruguay, the newspaper El Pais held its annual gala for the presentation for its awards for the best in South American soccer. Chief amongst the luminaries in attendance was Santos and Brazil international striker Neymar.   The 20-year-old was accepting the paper’s award for South American player of the year, and he once again had to answer the question he’s... 

Confederations Cup 2013: Early Preview of Italy’s Draw

On December 1, the draw was held for the 2013 Confederations Cup. The Confederations Cup was originally known as the King Fahd Cup, and was contested twice in 1992 and ’95 between the Saudi Arabian national team and several continental champions.  In 1997 FIFA took over the competition and started holding it on a bi-annual basis. After the 2003 tournament, the decision was made to hold... 

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