Even before Roberto Donadoni and Italy's struggles in Euro 2008, there were many people talking about whether the squad was too old and questions were raised whether it was time to usher in a new era for one of the world's best teams.
The response by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), was to hire 2006 World Cup manager Marcello Lippi in hopes that he would restore the glory of the Azzurri.
However, after a lackluster 2-1 victory over Georgia in 2010 World Cup qualifying this past weekend, the talk of bringing more young players into the squad has been brought again.
There is no doubt that Italy is in a transition phase.
Captain Fabio Cannavaro, who missed Euro 2008 due to injury, is 34 and has said that the World Cup will be his last international tournament. Midfield fixtures Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso are 29 and 30, respectively.
Striker Luca Toni, who was the most disappointing player at Euro 2008 for Italy, is 31 years old. Keeper Gianluigi Buffon, the likely captain in South Africa, is also 30.
By the time the next World Cup rolls around, these players will all be two years older and who knows where their skill level will be.
So who can step in and take the places of the elder statesmen on the Azzurri team?
Defender Giorgio Chiellini, who before last season was more of a left back than a central defner, showed his worth at Euro 2008. After stepping in after not appearing against the Netherlands, Chiellini showed he might be the next great central defender for the Azzurri.
The question for Italy fans is, who will play alongside the Juventus gigantus?
Marco Materazzi is out of the picture now after struggling to find his form domestically and internationally since 2006. Thirty-six year old Christian Panucci, who shifted to the center of the defense after the Netherlands fiasco, has not had kind words to say about Lippi in the past and was not selected for the two World Cup qualifiers this past week.
Andrea Barzagli has shown he can't get it done at the international level after being a huge letdown in Austria this summer.
That leaves Fiorentina's Alessandro Gamberini as the next logical choice to play alongside Chiellini. Although he has only three international caps, Gamberini has a load of talent and will gain more experience through the qualifying process. Another candidate is 22-year-old Fabiano Santacroce of Napoli, who has been tipped as a Cannavaro-like defender.
The real talent push will be in the attack with Roma midfielders Daniele De Rossi and Alberto Aquilani, who are just 24 and 23 respectively, leading the way.
De Rossi, who featured largely at Euro 2008, is looked at as a future captain for the Azzurri while Aquilani, who played sparingly until he got the start against Spain in the quarterfinals, will an important role as he gains trust from Lippi. Pirlo is not out of the question either as he has one of Lippi's most reliable choices in the midfield.
The influx of talent from the Under-21 side will likely be noticed in the coming months and matches. Antonio Nocerino, who joined Palermo as part of Amauri's move to Juventus, received his first call last year and has been tabbed as a possible replacement as the next Gattuso-like hard-man in the midfield.
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