Lippi: No prima donnas on my team
Italy coach Marcello Lippi is content with not having a superstar on his team, preferring to build a squad featuring 11 unselfish players. "Winning teams should be made up of players that prize the values of cohesiveness and offer themselves in service to others, not by players who think that they are phenomenons or prima donnas," Lippi said at an event in Florence on Wednesday before traveling to the World Cup draw in South Africa. "Teams with these players - who are born with their talent and believe everyone should be at their service - can play well for periods but will never have continuity," added the coach who guided Italy to its fourth World Cup title in 2006. En route to winning the title in Germany, Italy's 12 goals were scored by 10 different players. Italy's top players are still Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro and Andrea Pirlo. Lippi has made a point of not selecting the talented but temperamental Sampdoria striker Antonio Cassano, despite enormous media pressure. Lippi pointed out that three teams relying on superstars have struggled lately - Sweden (Zlatan Ibrahimovic), Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo) and Argentina (Lionel Messi). "We're talking about the three best players in the world," Lippi said. "That's a sign that the group is the most important thing." Still, Lippi included Argentina on his list of teams to fear in South Africa, also naming Brazil, Germany, France and the Netherlands. "But if we enter in great physical and psychological condition we won't have to fear anyone," the coach said. Lippi said he has not made up his mind concerning his future, despite reports that he will take up a management position at his former club Juventus after the World Cup. "Everything is wide open," he said. "The only thing I'm thinking about right now are the next six months of work with the national team, then I don't know what will happen."