Italy: The World Cup

Ranked 13th in the world, Italy is coming to the World Cup slightly less prepared than many of the other qualifying teams. The team has appeared many times in the World Cup and has brought home three final wins since the beginning of the World Cup. However, it has been since the early 80s since they won the tournament, so there is nothing much to expect this year either.

The biggest thing on the minds of those following Italy is what the status of Francesco Totti will be throughout the tournament. With a broken fibula, the star player is one that will be on the minds of everyone as the tournament progresses. Even if he is able to play through the tournament, he will not be at his best, which will ultimately hurt the Italy team overall.

Critics are watching the Italy team this year thinking that what was once one of the best soccer franchises in the world, is no longer ever going to be at the top again. The horrible part of the whole thing is that Italy once reined as king over the soccer world. But with the lack of reputable talent and their bad luck, Italy is fading away quickly.

So it will be interesting to see if Italy’s strong back line will be able to take them team far in the World Cup tournament this year. Chances are they will only be able to get so far without losing their drive for the win. They are a team that can easily lose focus and their mental state is questionable when it comes to that winning attitude teams must possess.

>> SOCCER >> WORLD CUP