Italy has named its 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The most glaring omission is the decision not to select Giuseppe Rossi for the team due to the striker’s lack of match sharpness.
The American-born striker only recently returned from injury. However, the player looked anxious when going into challenges in the friendly against Ireland, which is understandable given Rossi’s history of injury problems.
In addition to Rossi, the other glaring omission is Riccardo Montolivo. Meanwhile, Antonio Cassano has received a surprise call-up to the World Cup squad.
Here’s the 23 Italians who will be heading to Brazil this summer:
Goalkeepers
Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris Saint-Germain), Mattia Perin (Genoa)
Defenders
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Ignazio Abate (Milan), Gabriel Paletta (Parma), Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Mattia De Sciglio (Milan), Matteo Darmian (Torino)
Midfielders
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Thiago Motta (Paris Saint-Germain), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain), Marco Parolo (Parma), Alberto Aquilani (Fiorentina)
Forwards
Mario Balotelli (Milan), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Antonio Cassano (Parma), Alessio Cerci (Torino)
