Euro 2012 Team Guide: Italy

Road to Euro 2012

For a team which is allegedly in transition, Italy's qualifying campaign for Euro 2012 looks very impressive. Only four points dropped, only two goals conceded: on the face of it, the Azzurri could be on the brink of mounting a serious challenge for their second win at a Euro. Those bare statistics tell a couple of lies, though. This was a weak group, made all the weaker by a combination of Serbian fans costing their team points, and a Serbian team in desperate shape. And remember that the team which finished second in this group was mauled in a two legged play off by a far from convincing Republic of Ireland. Estonia don't give the Italians the best formline, and it's also worth remembering that Italy actually trailed Estonia in Tallinn and were only redeemed by two quick goals. The bare statistics lie, and should be trusted at your peril.

The Manager

Cesare Prandelli probably wins the prize as the most popular man in Italian football, quite an achievement for a national coach. Life has thrown an awful lot at him, and it's the class and equanimity with which he has met the low points in his life that has endeared him to the country. Prandelli was a fine player, starring for Juve in the 1980s, and did a solid domestic job with Fiorentina. He's yet to prove himself as an international coach, and the steady work that he has done with an Azzurri side that is far from a vintage one may not be enough at Euro 2012.

The Star

If you're a Mario Balotelli fan and you could care less what I think (not too many in that Venn Diagram I suspect) then you'll be disappointed. Super Mario might be your idea of fun, but he doesn't fit the profile of the kind of man who wins you an international tournament. The prospect of Balotelli sharing a dressing room with Antonio Cassano amuses me greatly, but it's the Milan man that I have to nominate as the potential star of this team. Cassano has come close this season to losing his life and we should all be hugely grateful to have him back in the game, but there are reasons beyond the simply sentimental why Prandelli was so keen to get him into the Euro 2012 squad. Cassano is like gold dust because he has proven ability in front of goal at this level, and you can't say that about any of the other members of the Azzurri strikeforce, even the prolific Toto Di Natale. Cassano must play, and must get on the ball, for Italy to have any chance of winning the tournament.

The Rock

In Roma's near shambles of a season, only one player has actually managed to enhance his reputation. Daniele De Rossi is their best player every time that he's on the field, and the same can be said of his presence in a blue shirt. If anything, De Rossi has looked even better this season because of his ability to drop and play at centre half as part of Luis Enrique's great experiment. He does the midfield holding role as well as anyone, but it's unfair to dismiss him as one dimensional as he has plenty more to his game. Given the probability that Italy will struggle to score goals, De Rossi is a good outside punt to finish as their top tournament goalscorer. He is good from set pieces and has a fierce shot. Two goals may be enough to win the bet, so bear him in mind.

The Youngster

The player that Prandelli will miss most over the coming weeks is Giuseppe Rossi, and the man who is most likely to fill the void is Fabio Borini. The 21 year old wasn't deemed good enough at Chelsea, but he has been an absolute revelation in Rome, at one stage scoring 10 goals in 15 games. If this tournament is going to produce another Toto Schillaci then he is the likeliest candidate. He has pace, but is not lightning quick, but Borini's greatest characteristic is the ability to read the game in the final third. He takes up dangerous positions, and has the quality to make use of them.

The Bet

Both myself, and these previews, did very well opposing Italy at every turn possible at the last World Cup. An awful lot rested on that match against Slovakia, but we got the right result. It's dangerous to go to the same well on too many occasions, but I honestly feel that they're a value lay to qualify again. Provided that Spain win the group, which they should, then Italy face the prospect of a Croatia team against which they have always struggled, and a dour Republic of Ireland coached by a man who will know exactly how to stop them. The Italians are traditionally very slow starters at major tournaments, and history proves that you can't afford to do that at a European Championship. I can't see Italy winning Euro 2012 by any stretch, and they shouldn't be as short as they are to reach the quarter finals. Lay them to qualify at 1.738/11.