Italy vs. Uruguay: 6 Things We Learned from Confederations Cup 3rd Place Playoff

Italy and Uruguay did not want to be in Salvador on Sunday contesting the third-place match in the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Both teams lost tightly contested semifinals to drop into the consolation match.  These games are generally goal-fests, but the South American champions and European runners-up played to a 2-2 draw through 90 minutes and couldn't separate themselves in extra time, putting Italy in a penalty shootout for the second time in three days.

This time the Italians got the better of the shootout and will fly back home in the top three of this tournament.

What did we learn from this matchup?  Let's take a look at the game and see what we can take away from this match of traditional heavyweights.

It's Time for Alberto Gilardino to Leave the International Scene

Given the players on the squad, Alberto Gilardino was the only logical choice to be Cesare Prandelli's target man after injury forced Mario Balotelli home.

It's time to put someone else on the squad.

In 210 minutes over the two games he started, Gilardino managed to touch the ball only 46 times and had only two shots—neither of them on target.  He was also caught offside a whopping eight times over the two games.

Gilardino was a key cog in the machine that Prandelli ran at Fiorentina and has been in and out of the Italian squad since he took over the Azzurri.

But it's time for Gilardino's international career to be put to bed.  He was grossly ineffective in this tournament, but young forwards like Mattia Destro, Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile and Manolo Gabbiadini are coming off a runner-up finish in the U-21 European Championships.

Giuseppe Rossi is finally returning to game action and looking to restore the form that made him a regular on Prandelli's roster for Euro 2012 qualifying.  Daniele Osvaldo would be on the roster had it not been for a disciplinary issue at Roma.

For the second straight time at a major international tournament Gilardino flopped, hard.  His time in the Savoy blue should be at an end.

Italy Is a Tough Team

Sunday was a big ask for the Italians.  They had just played 120 physically grueling minutes against Spain.  The mental strain of the match was just as great.  Even the normal five rounds of penalties weren't enough to settle this match between European titans—it was eventually settled in the second round of sudden death.

The Italians also had to make the long trip from Fortaleza to Salvador.  Everything pointed to the Uruguayans having an advantage physically and mentally.

It turned out not to be so.  Italy controlled the match in the first half and went into the locker room with the lead for the first time in the tournament.  Even after letting up the equalizer and the dueling free kicks that followed, Italy always looked in control of the match until Riccardo Montolivo's late red card forced them to play a man down for the final ten minutes.

It was an incredible display of grinta that left an impression.  At the end of the group stage Italy was being regarded as a team in crisis that had let up eight goals in three games.  By the time Gianluigi Buffon stopped Walter Gargano's final penalty, the Italians were being praised for their tactical play against Spain and the mental toughness it took to play 240 minutes of soccer in four days.

It's displays like this that championships can be built on.

Brazil's Climate Is Going to Be a Major Factor Next Year

Adding to the physical toll of playing back-to-back extra time games were the weather conditions in both Salvador and Fortaleza.  Both games were played with kickoff temperatures in the mid 80s—that's a shade less than 30 degrees for you Celsius fans out there.

The heat was compounded by oppressive tropical humidity, and the result was a truly grueling test.

According to Reuters (via SI.com), Cesare Prandelli complained about the heat and limited rest time after Italy's 4-3 win over Japan—also played in grueling conditions.

"This is an interesting tournament," Prandelli said, "but perhaps there should be more rest days.  This is a very hot country and the players need more time to get their strength back."

With eight groups competing in the World Cup next year teams will definitely be getting more time, but it may behoove FIFA to build in more rest days in the short group stage regardless of host.  

Balotelli was not the only high-profile player to succumb to injury in the punishing heat.  Spain's Cesc Fabregas and Roberto Soldado missed the semifinal due to injury as well, and neither one is certain to play in the final.

The last Confederations Cup and World Cup were played in South Africa, which in June is in the height of winter, so conditions like this weren't a factor.  But coaches will have to account for Brazil's tropical climate next year at the big dance.

This also begs another question: If Brazil's climate is affecting players this badly, what might become of the World Cup in Qatar nine years from now?

Gigi Buffon's Still Got It

In the run-up to the semifinal against Spain, I had an exchange on the comment section of this excellent article by Jack Rathborn with another B/R reader.  

This reader, pessimistic in the extreme after Italy's difficult group stage, stated that he saw "eerie similarities" between this Italy and the Italy of the 2010 World Cup debacle.  He claimed that several players were on the roster solely on "past achievements" and their names—and cited Buffon specifically as one of those players.

I think today Buffon once again proved that he's overreacting quite a bit.

Neither of the goals Buffon allowed today were errors on his part.  Davide Astori left Edinson Cavani a comical amount of space as he cut in for his first goal, and the second was an unstoppable free kick that was conceded on a pointless foul.

But any doubts that he's the same old Gigi were quelled in the 68th minute when he pulled an incredible double save against Diego Forlan.

Forlan turned Christian Maggio around and fired a pea that Buffon parried right back where it came from, then stopped the Uruguayan No. 10's followup with his foot before it was cleared out for a corner.

Buffon then made three good stops in the shootout to give the Italians third place.

Should he stay healthy—always a bit of a question for him—his place as No. 1 keeper and captain should be above all debate.

Edinson Cavani Has Made Himself Even More Expensive

Napoli man Edinson Cavani has a €63 million release clause in his contract, so if a team matches it, the partenopei will have to let him move on if he choses.

The Cavani transfer saga has hinged on the fact that most teams interested in El Matador have tried to wait Napoli out and get them to settle for a lower price for the striker.

His performance over the last two games may have finally forced the hand of teams like Chelsea and Real Madrid.

His excellently taken brace and his goal in the semifinal gave him three goals for the tournament and put his impressive skill set on full display.

It's going to be hard to convince Napoli that they should take a discount on Cavani after this performance.

Italy Are Serious Contenders for the World Cup

Barely three years after the embarrassment in the 2010 World Cup, Cesare Prandelli has rebuilt the Italian squad into a possession-based team that attacks and creates rather than defends and waits.

In Mario Balotelli he has an insanely talented striker that can change the tide of any game.  Metronomic midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo is older but still at the top of his game.  The defensive grit of players like Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci is complemented by the brilliant play of Buffon in goal.

Prandelli has one of the best teams in the world at his fingertips.  This group is more than capable of winning the World Cup if they play their best, and they proved it over the last two weeks.

It's one year and counting until they get their chance to do it.