Now that the FIFA craze is taking all the world under its tide, people are finding it difficult to understand on what basis Italy is predicted to be the winner in 2014. If you are a FIFA follower and have been following a particular country so far, it is now time to understand that what makes Italy the best FIFA Country this year is a list of a few facts.
Have a look!
The origin of Italy as a FIFA candidate
FIFA World Cup was started in 1930 and initially had very few countries as members. The Italians had declined to compete for the first title and so there were only 13 countries participating. Italy has been a participant in all the other Word Cups. It is also the second most favorite team after Brazil, having won 4 titles.
How has Italy performed in FIFA
After declining to play for the first cup, Italians won the next two titles consecutively in 1934 and 1938. Under the coaching of Vittorio Pozzo, they were able to defeat Czechoslovakia 2-1 and Hungary 4-2. After the Second World War later in 1949, there was an air plane accident and ten players of the Italian football team lost their lives. The team was not able to recover from this and couldn’t even reach the second round in the World Cup of 1954 and 1962.
The Italian team of the 1970 World Cup is considered as the best national teams so far. Although Brazil won the Cup that year, Italy defeated West Germany 4-3 in a game that is still remembered in history as ‘The game of the century’.
In the World Cup of 1978, Italy had beaten the host team Argentina but still did not manage to secure its position in the finals. It lost to Brazil and gained the third position.
Before the World Cup of 1982, there was a scandal and some Italian players including Paolo Rossi were trialed for illegal betting. At that time, Italy was being criticized a lot and the players were not at all hopeful. However, Italy managed to qualify for the finals amongst all the skepticism and emerged as the winners of the 1982 Cup.
In the next two World Cups, the Italians could not manage to reach the finals. They became the runner up in 1994 and finally won the title in 2006 for the fourth time after defeating France.
Chances of winning FIFA
Italy has strong players and is considered to be the power house of football. They have talent and experience and the right amount of luck is sure to steer them towards the title. Coach Cesare Prendalli is good at improvisation and using different tactics in the game. The team’s defense is amazing as Gianluigi Buffon takes charge of the goalposts. The other finest players of the Italian side are Mario Balotelli, one of the most marketed players. He proved his mettle at the World Cup qualifying rounds when he met the back of the net five times. Then there is Andrea Pirlo who has the experience of winning the 2006 title and De Rossi who has played the last two World Cups.
Wishes,