Considering it is the World Cup holder, Italy arrived in South Africa on Wednesday in relative disarray.
Two key midfielders are injured, the reserves have outperformed the starters in two less-than-convincing friendlies recently and coach Marcello Lippi can't seem to settle on a formation, switching at will during the warmups against Mexico and Switzerland.
In addition, the likes of 36-year-old captain Fabio Cannavaro and 33-year-old Gianluca Zambrotta are still trying to regain their breaths after training for more than two weeks at 2,035 meters (6,670 feet) in the Italian Alps.
"I knew there would be difficulties, but I also knew that gradually we would overcome them," Lippi said of the high altitude training in Sestriere. "The goal was to put enough gas in our motors to go as far as possible. Just watch: we'll be ready."
However, standout midfielder Andrea Pirlo could miss the entire group phase with a left calf muscle injury, and attacking midfielder Mauro Camoranesi still needs another week to recover from a left knee problem.
The Azzurri were soundly beaten by Mexico 2-1 last week - getting only a late consolation goal from substitute Salvatore Bocchetti - and Lippi used his reserves in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Saturday.
Still, Italy can console itself with a relatively easy group. The Azzurri open against Paraguay on Monday in Cape Town, face New Zealand on June 20 and round out Group F play against Slovakia on June 24.
Pirlo picked up his injury against Mexico and Lippi brought along Cagliari midfielder Andrea Cossu to South Africa just in case the AC Milan standout's injury takes a turn for the worse.
Without Camoranesi, Lippi's first choice on the right flank was Vincenzo Iaquinta, but Iaquinta has openly expressed that he is uncomfortable on the wing, while Fabio Quagliarella - who scored against Switzerland - could take the starting spot.
In midfield, Gennaro Gattuso, Angelo Palombo and Riccardo Montolivo each performed better against Switzerland than Daniele De Rossi and Claudio Marchisio did versus Mexico, creating more questions for Lippi, who has switched at random from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 to the traditional 4-4-2.
"The formations don't mean much and all three of those are pretty similar," Lippi said. "I'll choose game by game. I want a squad capable of variation."
Variation was the key to Francesca Schiavone's surprise French Open victory on Saturday - the first ever Grand Slam tennis win for an Italian woman - and Lippi wants his team to take Schiavone as an example.
"I watched the final in my hotel room in Geneva and I couldn't pull myself away from the TV from the first point until the triumph," Lippi said.
"She showed desire, passion, heart and class and I was really enthused by it. And I also liked what she had to say afterward - that she had limitless energy, and that she exceeded even her own limits. From now on, she's going to be the image of our World Cup."
