Jul 7, 2006, 9:09 GMT
Berlin - The following are brief profiles on the Italian coach Marcello Lippi, as well as the Italian players who are likely to start Sunday's World Cup final against Italy.
Goalkeeper:
Gianluigi Buffon: The Italy goalkeeper is looking to stretch his run of 453 minutes without conceding a goal as the 28-year-old closes on Walter Zenga's Italian record of 517 minutes set in 1990. Buffon has had a rough year with Serie A champions Juventus, suffering a dislocated shoulder early in the season as well as being involved in an illegal-betting scandal just before the World Cup began. He seems to have fully overcome these difficulties, however, displaying his usual reliability between the posts. Buffon has been beaten only once so far in Germany when defender Cristian Zaccardo put into his own goal in the tense 1-1 draw with the United States. Buffon has notched 66 caps since his debut against Russia in 1997 and played at Euro 2004 and in the last two World Cups.
Defenders:
Fabio Cannavaro: Captain and defence mainstay Fabio Cannavaro will become the third most capped Italian in history when he lines out for his 100th game against France. Only Paolo Maldini, on 126 caps, and Dino Zoff, on 112, have played more games for the Azzurri. Cannavaro's performances at his third World Cup have been virtually flawless and come off the back of a great season and a second straight Serie A title with Juventus. The Italian squad also relied on the 32-year-old's skills as central defender at Euro 2000 and 2004 and at the 1996 Olympic tournament.
Marco Materazzi: The 32-year-old Materazzi has proven to be a valuable replacement for the injury-plagued central defender Alessandro Nesta, showing a concentration he at times lacked in the past and confirming his usual grit and power. Materazzi's height and ability to connect with high balls allowed him to nod home a textbook header to open the scoring in the 2-0 win over the Czech Republic, a win that propelled Italy to the round of 16. Inter Milan have just confirmed him for next season.
Fabio Grosso: The towering Grosso only gained a spot on the left flank of Italy's defence in 2005, during the last part of the qualifying phase. Coach Lippi was fully rewarded when Grosso became a national hero by netting the opening goal in Italy's 2-0 beating of World Cup hosts Germany in the semi-final. Next season, the 28-year- old will play with Inter Milan who snatched him from Palermo.
Gianluca Zambrotta: Speed, a powerful shot and dogged defence are the skills displayed by Zambrotta both with the Azzurri and with Juventus, where he switched from his original midfield role to that of refined and offence-minded left-flank defender. He stunned Ukraine in Italy's round of 16 tie with a long-range shot and came close against Germany shaking the bar with the score still at 0-0. Zambrotta overcame a muscular injury suffered in the run-up to the World Cup and quickly regained his best form to occupy the position he has filled since Euro 2000. At 29, he boasts 57 caps notched since debuting against Norway in 1999.
Midfielders:
Andrea Pirlo: Creative midfielder Pirlo has 30 caps under his belt. The 27-year-old can play both in front of the defence, as he often does at AC Milan, or move forward to provide classy assists for the strikers. His shooting skills can be deadly at free kicks and from outside the area as he showed when he scored Italy's first goal at the World Cup in the Azzurri's 2-0 beating of Ghana.
Gennaro Gattuso: The 28-year-old Gattuso is better known as 'Ringhio' (growl) for his often rough, albeit always loyal, attitude as a defensive midfielder. His gritty play is well known as far away as Scotland, where he won the national title and cup with Glasgow Rangers. Gattuso has won 46 caps since tackling Sweden in 2000 and plenty of trophies with AC Milan, including a Champions League and a Serie A title. His outspoken style has made him am an idol of Italy's fans.
Simone Perrotta: AS Roma's hard-working midfielder Perrotta has become one of Italy's pillars despite being fielded very seldom during the qualification phase. A great season with the side from the capital convinced Lippi to keep the 28-year-old in his 23-man squad and to give him back the place he had under the Azzurri's previous coach Giovanni Trapattoni. Perrotta is both highly valuable in a spoiling role and at trying to find the net whenever the chance comes.
Forwards:
Alberto Gilardino: The 24-year-old has netted eight goals from his 20 games with Italy. He was expected to bloom at the World Cup after two convincing seasons with underdogs Parma and his transfer to giants AC Milan. Lippi has often fielded him, being only partially rewarded by a goal against the United States. 'Gila' is most effective inside the box. Superstitious Italians believe he brings good luck as he was born on July 5, the day when the Azzurri beat Brazil 3-2 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Italy then went on to secure thir third title beating Germany 3-1 in final in Madrid.
Luca Toni: The 29-year-old Toni played his best-ever season this year, scoring 31 goals for Fiorentina and winning the European Golden Boot award. His feat followed the 20 goals notched a year earlier with Palermo in his first Serie A season and convinced Lippi to rely on him through most of the qualifiers. Toni manages to be fast and unpredictable despite his 194 centimetres and 89 kilograms, but has failed to fully impress at the World Cup, apart from a brace scored against Ukraine that brought his tally to nine goals from 23 games.
Francesco Totti: Italy playmaker Totti has scored nine times in 57 international appearances to date. The midfielder, who has been with AS Roma since 1992 and made his Serie A debut a year later, operates best in the free role behind the strikers. The 29-year-old won his first senior cap against Switzerland in October 1998. He was sent off at the World Cup four years ago when Italy crashed out to co-hosts South Korea in the second round while he was suspended for a total of four matches at Euro 2004 after a spitting incident in the match with Denmark. He barely made it to Germany after breaking his leg in February while playing against Empoli, only returning from his injury in mid-May.
Coach:
Marcello Lippi: Italy's coach began his management career at Serie A club Sampdoria where he played as a central defender. In the 1993/94 season he led Napoli to a place in the UEFA Cup before moving to Juventus where he won the Serie A title in his first season. Juve also won the Champions League in 1996 before Lippi moving to Inter Milan during the 1998 season. After an ultimately unsuccessful period at Inter, Lippi returned to Juventus in 2001. The 58-year-old was appointed coach of the Italy team in July 2004.
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