Italy will look to make amends for an abysmal performance at this summer's World Cup when they take on Estonia in Group C of the Euro2012 Qualifying campaign. The Azzurri exited the World Cup in ignominy after they failed to manage a single win in a relatively modest group that contained Slovakia, New Zealand, and Paraguay. It was a humiliating outing for the then defending champions due in no small part to coach Marcello Lippi's reliance on the ageing legs of the 2006 winners. Captain Fabio Cannavaro looked a yard off pace, while players like Gianluca Zambrotta proved simply mediocre.
Cesare Prandelli's arrival at the helm has brought with it some respite as he has vowed to mould the team not according to the reputation of the Berlin heroes, but youth and competence. For perhaps political reasons, Lippi opted to leave the likes of Antonio Cassano home during the World Cup, arguing implicitly, and not entirely unconvincingly, that players like him disrupt squad harmony notwithstanding their undeniable talent. Prandelli, however, has no such reservations and has selected Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano (pictured) in a recent friendly against the Ivory Coast.
It is precisely Prandelli's refreshing dynamism that will signal the biggest relief for Italy fans. For all of Lippi's success, there was pervasive suspicion that he was pro-Juve. However, his staunchest supporters would argue that Juventus have always traditionally been the team to provide the spine of many Italy sides in the past. Further, they will also add that Lippi won the World Cup with players like Fabio Grosso and Vincenzo Iaquinta, who, at the time, played for the less fashionable Palermo and Udinese respectively. Even allowing for those cogent arguments, Prandelli still seems more amenable to change.
Team News
Prandelli looks set to experiment with an audacious 4-3-3. Palermo's Salvatore Sirigu will deputize for the injured goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, while Juventus duo Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini will form the central defence pairing. The trident up front in all probability will be comprised of Cassano, his clubmate Giampaolo Pazzini, and Juventus's Simone Pepe. It is an attack that gives width but also the requisite craft in the middle, as Cassano and Pazzini are more than capable creative outlets.
Estonia will be playing at home in the capital city of Tallinn, and they will know that despite Italy's recent trials, they will do well to steal a point. It is certainly not outside the realm of possibility as Italy are still struggling to impose a distinct style of play under Prandelli.
Prediction
Italy are certainly not the team that they once were, but their critical fans will still expect an emphatic victory tomorrow, which will usher in a new era. However, the most likely result is a pragmatic 1-0 Italy win.
