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Italy’s World Cup Qualifying Campaign More Promising After Euro 2016 Run
Published: July 6, 2016
For dedicated observers of the Azzurri, the next major item of interest will start in September, when new coach Giampiero Ventura leads the men in blue into qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
World Cup qualifying is usually a more secure proposition for Italy. They're usually in Pot 1 when the groups are drawn, giving them an easier road to qualification.
This time it's going to be different, though. The seeding groups were determined on the FIFA world rankings, and Italy's poor record in friendly competitions, coupled with their group-stage crash in the World Cup in 2014, saw that ranking suffer.
In June 2015, the Azzurri were presented with a rare thing: a friendly match that mattered. The Italians went into the game knowing that if they won, they would secure a top seeding in the qualifying draw that summer. Anything less would see them passed by the likes of Croatia, Wales, Slovakia and Austria, dropping them into Pot 2 and, potentially, a difficult qualifying draw.
The worst ended up coming to pass. A 52nd-minute goal by Eder (no relation to the Brazilian-born Italy international) condemned the Azzurri to their first defeat under Antonio Conte at the worst possible time.
When the draw was made that July in St. Petersburg, Russia, Italy were presented with what looked like a worst-case scenario—they were grouped with Spain.
As the Azzurri struggled in the buildup to the Euros, it looked less and less like the Italians would be able to count on the automatic qualification that is usually considered a given. It looked more like they would be fighting for second place and a spot in the playoff. ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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