Italy's golden generation was 2006, even if they hadn't won the WC; that squad was all star.
No. Just no. Italy had better squads in 98 and 2002. In 98, they were unlucky to lose to France on penalties who were playing on home soil, and in 2002 the ref fucked them. Italy could've reached the final. Fucking Korea and Turkey made the semis, and one of the worst German teams in living memory, relying on Kahn and Ballack, somehow reached the final, where they were no match for Brazil.
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It was a sarcastic dig at some Azzurri fanboys who were acting like they have some GOAT group of players. Seems they haven't come out of the Euro 2020 euphoria yet.
I am really not surprised that they are struggling to qualify for the world cup.
And of course you exaggerate. They don't have a GOAT group of players, but they are a solid outfit. Yes, there are visible weaknesses, but most national teams now are trash. Brazil are breezing through qualifying in South America and not because they're some impressive juggernaut - the rest of the competition is just that bad.
In Europe, outside of France and possibly England, who has a better overall squad than the Azzurri? You could make a case for Spain, but they suck in front of goal, and for all their possession, anemic I might add, they hardly score more than a goal a game and always look vulnerable at the back - they're inexperienced and still a work in progress in my opinion. Portugal are a team in decline, and the Dutch are never consistent enough to be regarded as a threat. The Germans have looked impressive in qualifying, but their tepid showing at the Euros and their calamitous performance at the last WC leaves a lot to be desired.