Fabio Grosso misses out on Italy’s World Cup squad
posted 21 May 2010, 02:29 by ali mehdizadeh [ updated 21 May 2010, 02:30 ]
BBC-World Cup winner Fabio Grosso has been dropped from the Italy squad travelling to South Africa after Marcelo Lippi trimmed his provisional squad to 28.
Manager Lippi originally named Grosso as part of a 30-man squad, but has now omitted the left-back as well as Udinese midfielder Antonio Candreva.
Grosso hit the winПing spot-kick when Italy beat France in the 2006 final.
Roma forward Francesco Totti has also missed out, despite being expected to come out of retirement to feature.
The 33-year-old quit the national team after helping Italy win the 2006 World Cup but there had been speculation that he could return.
Bayern Munich’s Luca Toni, Italy’s main striker in 2006 and at Euro 2008, has also been overlooked.
Villarreal forward Giuseppe Rossi has been selected at the expense of Juventus defender Nicola Legrottaglie, who misses out despite taking part in a two-day Azzurri traiПing camp last week.
«It was hard to call him [Grosso], just as it was tough not to call 14 of the 23 players with whom I shared important moments in Germany,» said Lippi. «But this is my decision.
«I don’t make the Italy squad based on debts of merit because I cannot choose based on what happened in the past.»
The veteran tactician, who must reduce his squad to 23 players by 1 June, added: «I will take 10 more days to reflect on the other five players that will be cut from the team,» he said.
Former Manchester United striker Rossi is the only player based outside of Italy to be selected in the Azzurri squad — otherwise, there were no big surprises in Lippi’s squad list.
Italy, who will train at altitude in Sestriere from 23 May, will face Mexico on 3 June in Brussels and Switzerland two days later in Geneva as part of the build-up to the tournament.
In South Africa, the World Cup holders begin their campaign against Paraguay on 14 June and also face New Zealand and Slovakia in Group F.
Italy squad:
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli), Federico Marchetti (Cagliari), Salvatore Sirigu (Palermo)
Defenders: Salvatore Bocchetti (Genoa), Leonardo Bonucci (Bari), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Mattia Cassani (Palermo), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Gianluca Zambrotta (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Andrea Cossu (Cagliari), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)
Forwards: Marco Borriello (AC Milan), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria), Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal)