Italy vs. Paraguay World Cup 2010 : The Champions Begin Their Title Defense

The Azzurri are in the house.

The Champions have one of the oldest squads in the World Cup, as they return most of their 2006 winning team. Buffon, Cannavaro, Gattuso, Zambrotta, Di Rossi, and more. Italian football has a culture of sticking with old and experienced players over younger talent, and they've done so here.

I don't have a problem with a veteran squad. I think the World Cup is a tournament where experience is a very important factor. Team selection is an art unto itself. The blend of young and old. We shall see if coach Marcello Lippi's blend produces the desired winning effect over the next month.

Italy are the favorites to advance from this group. This is a relatively weak group with Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand. Paraguay is Italy's strongest opponent in this group, and a test for the Italians from the outset.

Paraguay had an excellent qualifying campaign. They finished in the top three from South America, from which five teams qualified for the World Cup: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.

I think this could be an interesting game. While Paraguay are not on the level of Brazil and Argentina, they are strong enough to cause problems for the elite European teams.

The bigger question is: can Italy contend for the World Cup and retain their title? There is a sense that Italy's veteran players are in the declining years of their careers. The great thing about Italy is their experience. They know what it takes to go all the way.

Italy are one of the teams that have a great tradition and footballing philosophy. They don't have to figure out who they are. They have a system that is built on a tight defense and an intelligent probing tactical build-up. When they attack, they are precise and deadly. Italy always play at a high technical level. That means that Italian players are brought up to play with sound technique and strong tactical sense—very much like Germany. I believe that is the foundation of a World Cup winning culture and both Italy and Germany have won multiple World Cups.

Both teams excel at dictating the pace and style of the game and are calculated and precise. The South American style is similar as well. I think this will be a tactical chess match with a low score and a win for Italy to open the defense of their title.