Confederations Cup 2013 Predictions: Italy and Teams That Will Fail to Impress

The Confederations Cup will feature multiple teams that will impress everyone as they look to make a deep push in the tournament, but there are a few teams that will disappoint and not meet expectations.

There are countries like Brazil and Spain that will dominate during the Group State and likely make a push to the final. Names like Neymar and Xavi are only a couple of big names on these teams, and they have the talent and chemistry to be the best in their respective groups.

On the other hand, there are a couple of teams that don’t have the spark that those two do, and they will likely not impress during the next few weeks.

Italy

On paper, Italy is probably one of the stronger teams in the field of play. However, their recent play is a red flag when heading into the tournament.

The past two matches haven’t been pretty for Italy. They’ve had draws in both, going 2-2 against Haiti along with a scoreless match against the Czech Republic. For a team with guys like Mario Balotelli and Alberto Gilardino, you would expect much more against weaker competition.

Perhaps this team is unfocused, but that’s not the kind of momentum (or lack thereof) that you want to see just before playing in Brazil.

Italy will still probably win a game or maybe even two in group play, but the games won’t be what you would expect out of this team.

Mexico

Much like Italy, the recent play of Mexico hasn’t been pretty. 

Unlike Italy, it has been much worse.

A recent draw with Costa Rica at home is concern enough, but the team has only won once in their last seven matches. The only win was against Jamaica, one of the lower teams in Mexico’s World Cup qualifying group.

Although this team has a fair amount of talent on their squad, it’s yet to translate to real success. The coaching staff is beginning to draw criticism, and if Mexico doesn't make a push in Brazil, there very well could be some coaching changes in the near future.

Tahiti

It’s been fun to root for Tahiti during this run. After winning the 2012 OFC Nations Cup in surprising fashion, they were actually able to qualify for the Confederations Cup for the first time in their team’s history.

Unfortunately, that run will likely end in Brazil.

Tahiti will be playing in Group B and will have matches against Nigeria, Spain and Uruguay. Although Nigeria isn’t anything special, they still have a major advantage over Tahiti.

Combine that with a strong Uruguay team and arguably the top team in the field in Spain, and you have a recipe for a disappointing round of group play for Tahiti.

It’s been an incredible run for Tahiti up to this point, but all good things must come to an end.