I don't think they're lacking, they've just come up against better teams. Remember they've won 4 World Cups already, even though the latest one was in the 80's I believe. They've been to the Finals a few times since so I dont think they should feel bad about these performances. It would be like saying that Tiger Woods is in a slump because he hasnt won a major in 2 years. He's still the top money maker every year and ranked #1. Any other golfer would die to be in his shoes. The same can be said for the Italian squad. Yes, they havent won a World Cup in a long time, but there are plenty of national squads that would give an arm and a leg to have their consistent performance in World play (T&T maybe ) Sorry about the stomach shot there, I would love to see T&T finally make a trip to the World Cup.
Italian football is one of the bests in the world, after the Argentinian of course . I think they have great players who are very experienced. Yes, they have not won a world cup since the 80's they were closed to get the one in Italy 90's but we (Argentina) pulled them out of the world cup and then Germany kicked our butts.
The Italian squad has always been known for slow starts in major competitions such as Euro and World Cup. It will not surprise me if they win the next 2 games and end up winning the group. They have a very strong squad this year, and Trappatonni is under a lot of pressure to have a strong showing. So long as Del Piero does not squander the opportunities he has, and Totti can attack from midfield and involve Vieri from the air, the Italian squad will be very hard to defend against. They already have the best defense and one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Go Italy!
Please dont remind me about that. This was supposed to be the year when Totti broke through and established himself as a great Italian striker, and then he goes and gets himself suspended. I hope his loss does not hurt the Italian team's chances at Euro 2004.