Many fans and critics have called for dramatic changes in the Italian national team setup by drafting younger players to replace the older and slower ones who helped bring the World Cup back to peninsula after 24 years.

While a complete overhaul of the national team may not necessarily be the right option, some of the aging players on the squad seem to be nearing the end of their football careers and may need to be replaced with fresh legs. The likes of Gianluca Zambrotta, Gennaro Gattuso as well as Luca Toni appear to have gone downhill since the triumph in 2006.

Fortunately for the Azzurri, there are able replacements for some of the older players. While Zambrotta continues to struggle, a young core of Italian full-backs appear to have emerged in the form of Davide Santon, Marco Motta and Domenico Criscito. The time has come for the 32-year-old defender to hang up his boots on the international stage, so as to allow younger players to mature, gain experience, and contribute to the cause of the national team.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said when concerning centre-backs in Italy. Besides Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini, Alessandro Nesta appears to be the only one who can stake a claim to don the Azzurri colours. But he has retired from international football, and his mind appears to have been made up. This was demonstrated when Roberto Donadoni failed to convince the stopper to return to the squad when la Nazionale competed in the Euro 2008.

There seems to be a drought in the centre of defence since Marco Materazzi and Christian Panucci are too old, while Andrea Barzagli was never a consistent performer, Alessandro Gamberini is more of a squad player and is not up to the standards of the Azzurri. Meanwhile, Criscito is better suited to playing on the left side of the defence since he is not an imposing player.

Fabiano Santacroce of Napoli may have a chance, but he has no experience on the European level since Napoli does not play in the Champions League and coach Marcello Lippi has overlooked the youngster even during friendly matches.

At this point, it will be hard to bet against Lippi picking a back four consisting of Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Chiellini and Grosso, although a backline of Motta, Cannavaro, Chiellini and Santon could potentially succeed with a mix of Cannavaro’s experience, Chiellini’s strength and the youthful exuberance of Motta & Santon. With the aforementioned four as the rearguard, Grosso would certainly prove to be a valuable squad member.

The Italian defence that will travel to the World Cup 2010 in South Africa ought to be composed of Motta, Santon, Chiellini, Cannavaro, Grosso, Criscito and Santacroce as backup.

However, if Nesta is convinced to re-consider his retirement, then he ought to be called up provided he comes close to regaining the form he once had. He can offer the national team a lot in terms of experience and will help Lippi if the coach deems that a change in formation is necessary. Playing a 3-5-2 with Nesta, Cannavaro and Chiellini as the back three, with Motta and Santon in an advanced position supporting a part of a five-man midfield could be an option.

Meanwhile, the Italian midfield appears to be suffering with Gattuso’s phyiscal decline and Andrea Pirlo’s lack of form during the past 12 months. It seems that only Daniele De Rossi of Roma has been playing at a consistent level, although it is arguable that he has not been at his best either. This area of the team is the one that requires the most attention, and will be crucial for the defending champions if they are to repeat the glory in Germany.

If la Nazionale stick to a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-2-1 formation, then De Rossi, Gattuso and Pirlo are likely to be starters while Amauri may appear upfront – assuming that everything goes according to plan – flanked by Giuseppe Rossi and Mauro Camoranesi or Simone Pepe.

Presently, De Rossi and Pirlo will in all likelihood serve the nation well for the conquest in South Africa, yet Gattuso certainly is beginning to look like a spent force. Hence, it may be prudent to bring in some relatively fresh faces. The likes of Claudio Marchisio of Juventus and Gaetano D’Agostino of Udinese could be given more chances, athough neither is as physical as Gattuso when he was at his prime. De Rossi could play the role of a strong physical presence, while Pirlo and Marchisio – depending on whether he plays regularly for Ciro Ferrara’s Bianconeri – can occupy the other two positions.

In the attacking third of the pitch, Amauri seems the likely replacement for Toni, since the towering striker from the glory in Germany appears to have suffered from a dramatic dip in form and has been blighted by a series of niggling injuries. The Bayern Munich forward will find it difficult to play for the Bavarian outfit, and a move away from the Bundesliga club may allow him to play regularly. But for now, he cannot be considered as a viable option for Italy. Both Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alberto Gilardino are squad members at best, and could step in if Amauri is injured, while both Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Di Natale do not seem to have the necessary quality to fulfil the role that is demanded of them in the national team.

Giuseppe Rossi can serve as a support striker to Amauri while Juve’s Sebastian Giovinco can perhaps play behind both them if he gets the chance to feature in over 30 games for la Fidanzata d’Italia this season. It is unlikely Giovinco will get such a chance given the presence of both Diego and Alessandro Del Piero for the Old Lady.

This brings up the topic of who can provide the ammunition for Rossi and Amauri. It really seems as though Antonio Cassano of Sampdoria is the best equipped player at this stage, however, there could be none better than Francesco Totti for the role. But Lippi appears to be avoiding both, even though ‘Peter Pan’ has put in stellar performances, while ‘Er Pupone’ has been ignored even though he has shown some inclination to return to the international arena.

No one knows if Lippi will ever consider Cassano, but if he does, it would then eliminate Del Piero’s chances to compete in South Africa and confirm Totti’s retirement. A trio of Rossi-Amauri-Cassano would be quite dangerous for Italy’s opponents, should the Paul Newman lookalike rethink his strategy.

If Lippi calls up Cassano, the potential starters for the Azzurri will be Buffon, Motta, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Santon, De Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio, Cassano, Rossi, and Amauri.

But at present, the starters chosen are likely to be Buffon, Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Grosso, De Rossi, Pirlo, Gattuso, Camoranesi (or Pepe), Amauri – if things don’t pan out, then Iaquinta or Gilardino would make the cut – and finally Rossi.

Unfortunately, this starting eleven will appears predictable, and is lacking in imagination. This may translate into a quarter-final appearance for Italy at best, assuming that a favourable draw for the group stage helps the team in the second round.

It must be stressed that current formation of the Azzurri is lacking in terms of an imaginative and unpredictable player capable of conjuring something out of nothing. As such, the need of a player such as Cassano cannot be underestimated. In a worst case scenario, either Totti or Del Piero ought to be called up in case Lippi continues to ignore Cassano.

While both Del Piero and Totti are immensely talented, both players are ageing and one may question if they can run their socks off for 90 minutes against an international opposition.

Lippi is a confident and shrewd coach, yet those same characteristics may very well be the cause of his downfall and that of Italy’s, in case he continues to stubbornly overlook the bad boy of Italian football and opts for the aging, declining, and slower players instead of some promising youngsters like Motta, Santon, and Marchisio.

But Lippi is known to make some wise decisions and call up the players who truly deserve to represent the flag and bring glory back to Rome once more. The current Italian team is not as talented as the one from 2002 and 2006 due to the age of certain players, the retirement of others and a lack of backup options, yet with some tinkering and mixing up between established seniors and promising young guns Italy can still achieve another monumental result like the triumph in 2006.

It remains to be seen if la Nazionale will feel blue, or bask in glory once more.

Rami Soufi, Football Italiano