Coming Soon: The Changing of the Guard

The names read like a 20th century all-star squad: Del Piero, Nesta, Cannavaro, Vieri, Totti, Inzaghi. I was looking at the roster the other day, thinking “you won’t be seeing those names in 2010.” Ok, Nesta “maybe” and Totti “maybe” but not likely. Not in a country where every position is fought for tooth and nail. A country where the squad manager is scrutinized by anybody with a TV and a pulse. In short, there are no soft roster spots. Hey, these things happen…life stops for no one, right? But you’ll notice that most of those names make up the ‘spine’ of the team. Its strength down the middle will be completely replaced in a few years time. That’s a scary proposition, even in a football-rich nation such as Italy.

How does on replace that? I’m not an advocate of ‘make the players fit the system’, but I’m convinced one of the reasons Marcello Lippi is running the show now is to add stability. (Well, okay, he’s also coached a few victories here and there. heh.) But the most successful Lippi-coached squads all had great balance and stability. If the Federation is smart, they’ll let Lippi forge a ‘tactical footprint’ for the next national team coach and the next generation of WC’ers.