#8-Italy

#8-Italy
Nickname-Azzuri (Blues)
UEFA
FIFA Ranking-#9
Group G (Uruguay, Costa Rica, Italy, England)
Projected Results...
Win to England
Tie to Uruguay
Win to Costa Rica
Manager-Cesare Prandelli
Qualified through 1st place in UEFA WC Qualifying Group
18th World Cup Appearance (1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010)

Italy is always a lock to make the World Cup, making every tournament dating back to 1962, and they are always a danger to win the tournament, winning as recently as 2006. Last World Cup was the first time they hadn't advanced out of the group stage since the 70s.  I have great confidence that this won't be the case in Brazil, as Italy have a balanced squad, with strength in all facets of the game. Gianluigi Buffon has been Italy's goalkeeper in recent memory, and is extremely dependable and reliable. The defense will be anchored by Giorgio Chiellini, and the midfield will be bossed by Andrea Pirlo, both players with a great deal of big game experience with Juventus and Italy both. Italy have a great deal of skill in attacking with the enigmatic Mario Balotelli from AC Milan, and Fiorentina's Giuseppe Rossi. Italy will play a composed, balanced style, and will use their experience from past tournaments to their advantage. There are still a multitude of players on this team who were on the 2006 championship team, so I expect them to be in the final 8 at the very worst. Their 3 best players:

Andrea Pirlo-34 years old, over 100 appearances for Italy and 13 goals. Plays for Juventus. So deadly on free kicks, and he was a huge part of the 2006 team. He's a dead ball specialist, and has the ability to slow down a game and set up teammates extremely well. I look for him to be a huge piece of the team.

Giorgio Chiellini-29 years old, 67 appearances, and 4 goals. Quality defender for Juventus and is not easily beaten at all. Recently ranked the 7th best footballer in the world by Bloomberg. He's definitely no slouch, and will lead Italy's defense, which is always very strong.

Mario Balotelli-23 years old, 29 appearances, and 12 goals. He's enigmatic, but when he gets hot, he gets HOT. He's the X Factor for this team, and he was a huge reason why this team made the 2012 Euro Final. He needs to get on a roll for them to go far.

I think Italy will be eliminated in the quarterfinals, but they have the potential to go very far. Not always the most exciting team to watch, but definitely one of the most successful teams.