Topics: FIFA World Cup, World Cup 2014, Italy, Cesare Prandelli, Mattia Destro, Giuseppe Rossi
Prandelli was often accused of being a servant of the most powerful teams in Serie A, which the Italian sadly confirmed with his actions.

In the hours following Cesare Prandelli’s nomination of the 23 Italian players to leave for Brazil in the next days, the country was split between people supporting the choices of the manager, and a much bigger group disagreeing loudly with him.

Prandelli had left both De Rossi and Destro at home in the past, due to the players having been sanctioned for violent behavior. However, when the same tough decision was to be taken with regards to Chiellini, after the defender was banned for three matches, Prandelli had a change of heart.

Chiellini's clear elbow in Pjanic's face earns the defender a ban in Serie A, but not from Italy

As stated by journalist Paolo Liguori during an Italian radio-show, the Italian coach displays a lot more respect for the richest teams in Serie A. The reporter stated:

“It looks as though [Prandelli] pays more attention to the clubs that matter. I don’t understand whether the ethics code exists or not, since it is applied according to the manager’s thoughts.”

Giuseppe Rossi was deemed not ready for the World Cup

During the same show, former Torino manager and Italy’s legend Sandro Mazzola, also expressed some doubts about Prandelli’s choices. The 71-year-old said:

“I would not have left Destro at home, I like him a lot and he also allows you to change things during the game.”

Prandelli chose 31-year-old Cassano and inexperienced Insigne for Brazil

Former Fiorentina manager however opted for Lorenzo Insigne, who had a successful season, but appears to be unnecessary for Italy, as the team has already too many attacking midfielders.

Despite having the third best minutes/goals ratio in Europe, only second to Messi and Aguero, Destro was not considered to be ready for the World Cup

What Italy needs is a pure striker, deadly in the box, just like Destro, who revealed on Twitter that he never refused any position on the national team and will keep working hard to play the next one. Unfortunately, unless Destro and Rossi join Napoli or Juventus, their dreams will likely remain such.

Numbers don't lie: the choice should have been much easier than it turned out to be