Soccer: Lippi relies on self-belief to lift ageing champions

From the mayhem of Sandton - Johannesburg's business district - where thousands of South African supporters serenaded Bafana Bafana on an open-top bus parade, to the comparative peace and quiet of Southdowns College, where World Cup holders Italy prepare for the defence of their title.

Then, after a gentle session, their first since arriving in the country on Wednesday (NZ time), on to another college, now christened Casa Azzurri, where the media are camped.

It is just as well South African schools and universities have taken a holiday, as so many of their premises seem to have been commandeered by the World Cup teams.

Marcello Lippi, the winning coach four years ago, knows better than to make any rash predictions at this stage.

He is aware only two teams have ever retained football's greatest prize: Pele's Brazil of 1958 and 1962, and the Italians themselves in 1934 and 1938.

Slow starters or not, they are in a group they should win, even if Paraguay were to force a draw in the opening game next Tuesday.

A quarter-final against Spain is on the cards, although after some disappointing recent results - Mexico recently beat them 2-1 - some believe they would not survive a putative second-round game against Cameroon.

Lippi therefore found himself having to defend the squad this week. "People always write us off," he said.

"It's a World Cup and everyone has an opinion and they're welcome to it but that doesn't impact on us at all. We'll get it right. Last time we started well against Ghana and played well from then onwards."

The other criticism before the squad was named was it would be too old, which the coach countered by bringing some newcomers to the party, while leaving out old heroes such as Alessandro Nesta and Francesco Totti.

One to look out for is Leonardo Bonucci, 22 who made an impressive debut only three months ago in the centre of defence and could win a place alongside Fabio Cannavaro (now 36).

The silver-haired Lippi, 62, insists age is no barrier to performance at a World Cup. This is the country, after all, that won the trophy in 1982 captained by a 40-year old goalkeeper, Dino Zoff.

Oddly, there are no players among the Azzurri from champions Internazionale.

The spine of the team is supplied by Juventus and backed up by Milan, with a crop of forwards hoping for the second striker's role alongside Fiorentina's Alberto Gilardino.

Marco Camoranesi and Daniele de Rossi are familiar names in the midfield with Gianluca Zambrotta expecting to move closer to the 100 caps goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has already accumulated.

It should all add up to a strong challenge. Lippi's know-how and the Italian tradition of over-achieving add weight to it. If a penalty shoot-out in the 1994 final had not been lost, then as he pointed out this week, it would be Italy, not Brazil who had won most World Cups.

- INDEPENDENT