Lippi wary of England's 'extraordinary' Wayne RooneyGoal.com, Jun 7, 2010, 12.57pm IST
World Cup winning Italy coach Marcello Lippi is relishing the chance of facing England and the "extraordinary" Wayne Rooney at this summer's tournament.
Lippi lifted the revered trophy with the Azzurri four years ago in Germany and is equally confident of repeating that feat in South Africa.
However, the wily tactician admits he is wary of the unique threat of England's No.10.
"Wayne Rooney is a major player for them [England]. He is one of the best players in the world," Lippi told Goal.com .
"His technical and mental skills have a major effect on his team, he is simply extraordinary.
"It would be great to come up against Fabio Cappello’s England side at some stage of the tournament, I would absolutely love that."
Only two nations have won successive World Cups, Brazil in 1962 and Italy in 1938, but Lippi is confident his current crop can retain the silverware again and make history.
"During the last 80 years the World Cup has only been won twice in a row, by ourselves and Brazil, there is evidence that it will be tough for anyone else to achieve that feat. We have the chance again though," he added.
"My philosophy is that the unity within the squad is fundamental to having the ability to go and achieve your goals.
"We didn’t perform that well in our qualification for the tournament but my players will have the chance to come together and prove that we are capable of retaining the trophy.
"Italy doesn’t go to World Cup finals just to perform well; Italy will go to South Africa to win.
"We cannot forget that we are still the world champions and that’s not boasting, it is just as a nation we know what is necessary to win it again.
"To achieve this we need to be psychologically prepared, have the technical skill, be positive and also have a bit of luck, why not."
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The Italian left the national team post after bringing the World Cup home in 2006. However, he took up the reigns again two years later after Roborto Donadoni oversaw a dismal stint in charge. And he's now keeping an eye on the usual suspects this summer.
"Looking beyond our initial opponents, all the big guns will go there [to South Africa] with the belief they have what it takes to win the World Cup," he added.
"I thought Brazil missed their chance four years ago and are always rated as one of the favourites at every World Cup. England, Argentina, Spain and the Netherlands are also very strong.
"I wouldn’t also rule out the African sides either, especially the Ivory Coast and Paul Le Guen’s Cameroon."
Inter Milan have just won an unprecedented treble under Jose Mourinho this season having lifted the Coppa Italia, Serie A and beaten Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in Madrid.
This has all been achieved with barely an Italian player in sight of Mourinho’s first team, although Lippi doesn’t believe there is a lack of Italians to pick from in Italy’s top-flight.
"Serie A is a tough competitive league; I am not concerned in the slightest," he admitted.
"Our eligible player quota, in Serie A, is dramatically higher than that of the English Premier League; more than 65 per cent of players in Serie A are Italian.
"Fabio Capello has to form a team from a 38 per cent quota of English players in the Premiership."
With former Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandellio waiting in the wings to take over after the tournament, Lippi is sure the Azzurri have picked the right man.
"I told President Abete at Christmas that I intended to finish these two years and then leave," he confessed.
"[Cesare] Prandelli is the right person in the right place, but we will talk about this more in depth in the future.
"We will also talk further down the line of the reasons which have pushed me to leave the national team for the second time."
The Italians have secluded themselves in the Alps in preparation for South Africa, but it hasn't all gone to plan.
A limp 2-1 defeat to Mexico on Thursday was not the sort of pre-tournament build-up needed, especially as Lippi knows his World Cup group with Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia will be no free ticket.
"We will be in Sestriere, near Turin, to train as it is similar to the conditions we will face in South Africa with regards to altitude," he added.
"It is a tough group which we have been drawn into. Paraguay are the biggest dangers. During the past two tournaments they have performed at a high standard. They are a very solid side.
"Both New Zealand and Slovakia should also not be underestimated. The New Zealanders are physically very strong and good from set pieces, whereas the Slovakians are very enthusiastic about being in the finals for the first time in their history."
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