ROME: Italy head to South Africa for the defense of their World Cup title in June with a worrying problem, they’re missing a number 10.
This doesn’t mean the azzurri will be playing a man short for the tournament but merely that they have no-one whose natural game is as a second striker.
What this means is that Italy’s attacking options will be seriously compromised, likely making them a more predictable and less effective unit.
Coach Marcello Lippi has as good as admitted as much, telling his players that they will be building from a solid defensive foundation and informing the media that his probable tactics will be one lone striker backed up by nine outfield players who "run around and defend."
It is a major concern for the reigning world champions who arrive at the tournament with a dearth of quality frontmen.
For a team who have in the past called on the likes of Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, Roberto Baggio, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero to lead their frontline, the current squad is a horribly poor shadow of teams past.
And that is no more so in evidence than up front.
The likes of Alberto Gilardino, Antonio Di Natale, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Giampaolo Pazzini and Fabio Quagliarella would barely be fit to lace up the boots of their illustrious predecessors.
Gilardino is many people’s favorite to be asked to lead the line in South Africa, a job he was also given four years ago in Germany before losing his place at the business end of matters.
But Gilardino is a player who failed at AC Milan and lost his place to a pair of teenagers before moving to Fiorentina two years ago.
His record of 35 goals in 71 league games over the last two seasons is good and translates to more or less a goal every two games, but it isn’t sensational and this is an out and out number nine: a goal poacher.
Di Natale has just finished a great season for Udinese with a stunning 29 goals in 35 Serie A games to finish capocanoniere, or top goalscorer.
But this season was a one off and he’s been playing in a team fighting a relegation battle.
He’s 32 and he’s played his whole career in mid-table for struggling Serie A teams as well as a fair few seasons in Serie B with Empoli.
He’s quick and can be elusive but he’s more of a wide player than a forward and international defenses won’t be as vulnerable to his talents as those of Serie A.
Iaquinta meanwhile is a big targetman but if Gilardino is picked down the middle, he is likely to play out wide and out of position where he is much less effective.
He’s also been injured for much of the season, playing only 15 league games, and despite spending several years at Italian giants Juventus, he has never broken a goal every two games.
He brings neither flair nor an abundance of goals to the table.
The other two forwards in Lippi’s final 23-man squad are Sampdoria’s Pazzini, a number nine very much in Gilardino’s mould, and Napoli’s Quagliarella.
Pazzini has had a good season, scoring 19 goals in 37 league games but one must not forget that he left Fiorentina after Gilardino’s arrival as he couldn’t get in the team.
Quagliarella is not a number 10 but as an out an out striker his record has never been better than a goal every three games.
What he does bring, though, is an ability to play wide.
Lippi, who resisted the temptation to call up creaking veterans Totti or Del Piero, has suggested he may use midfielder Claudio Marchisio in the number 10 role but that is not his natural position and smacks of desperation on Lippi’s part.
It all means that no-one should be expecting much fantasy football from Italy.
