Dream still on but for how long?

Alberto Gilardino was Italy's saviour in the Azzurri's last two World Cup qualifiers as the Fiorentina hit-man put his name on the scoresheet four times to help the world champions end their Group Eight qualifying campaign on top and undefeated.

Coming on as a late substitute against Ireland, Gilardino grabbed a last-gasp equaliser to seal Italy's qualification with a game to spare.

Four days later, Gilardino extended his scoring form, hitting an incredible hat-trick in the last 12 minutes of the match against Cyprus to help Italy overturn a 0-2 deficit and avoid an embarrassing upset at home.

At the end of the Dublin qualifier, national coach Marcello Lippi was quick to point out that, on the two previous occasions that Italy qualified with one match to spare, they ended up winning the World Cup, in 1982 and 2006.

However, Lippi knows only too well that the Azzurri face a massive task to defend the world crown they won on German soil in 2006.

A European side has never prevailed in a World Cup finals outside the continent. Brazil, Spain and England look as to have an edge over Italy at present.

Another concern for the critics is that Lippi still relies on the core of the team that was so successful in 2006. It is an open secret that these players are past their prime.

Although Italy advanced to the finals in South Africa without having to figure in the play-offs, one has to admit that the likes of Ireland, Bulgaria and Cyprus are not an adequate yardstick against which Italy should measure their real chances of success.

Sterner tests lie ahead.

The challenges facing Lippi are there for all to see. For instance, Italy's failure to defend on set-pieces is crystal clear. The dearth of talent in midfield is another worry.

Italy's strength at the 2006 World Cup was their defence. At the time, Gianluca Zambrotta, team captain Fabio Cannavaro, who later that year won the Golden Ball, and midfield dynamos Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso, were at their peak. Besides, Gianluigi Buffon was widely considered to be the number one shot-stopper in the world.

Buffon is still among the best goalkeepers in circulation but Cannavaro and company are not getting any younger. Giorgio Chiellini is a solid defender but still has some way to go to become a leader in Italy's defence.

Unlike 2006, Lippi has, so far, failed to forge a strong central defensive partnership.

To his advantage, three of Italy's first-choice defenders - Cannavaro, Chiellini and Fabio Grosso - all play their club football with Juventus. Thus, from now till June, one expects these three to function more and more like a unit.

Lippi must also keep a constant eye on emerging defenders like Bari's Andrea Ranocchia, who is being tracked by Arsenal, and Napoli's Fabiano Santacroce. However, it is realistically too late to add such inexperienced defenders to the mix, with a lack of competitive fixtures on the horizon.

Lippi also seems to prefer tough midfielders to creative players in assembling the squad that will seek to defend its world title in eight months' time.

This is why the Azzurri have to play a compact game rather than the more creative and technical approach that many crave.

It has now emerged that Roma captain Francesco Totti might come out of international retirement and make a headline-grabbing return for the national team.

Lippi has remained faithful to the group of players who led Italy to qualification. But, will the boss do exceptions if Totti and Amauri become available?

Statistics

1 penalty awarded last weekend from which Milan's Ronaldinho made no mistake. Juventus, Atalanta and Livorno are still to have a penalty in favour. Samp, Juve and Cagliari had no penalties against so far.

1 team - Livorno - are still in search of their first win. Against Palermo, the Tuscany side threw away a 1-0 lead and went on to suffer their fifth defeat of the term.

1st win for Atalanta side who continued to show signs of improvement under new coach Antonio Conte. On Sunday, the Bergamo outfit conquered Udinese's Friuli Stadium 3-1 to prolong their positive streak to four games.

2 teams - Bari and Lazio - are still undefeated on the road. Last weekend, Bari interrupted Chievo's five-match positive run to move up to seventh in the standings. Lazio's winless streak was extended to six games as they figured in a 1-1 home draw with Samp.

4 winless games in a row have seen Juventus fall off the title pace. On Saturday, Juve had to come from behind to share the spoils with Fiorentina in Turin. The result was particularly sweet for Cesare Prandelli who was marking his 200th game in charge of Fiorentina.

29 goals were scored on the eighth day: 12 coming from the hosts and the remaining 17 from the visitors. Total number of goals scored so far is 191.